中国文化概论名词解释

中国文化概论名词解释 中国文化概论 Lunar calendar Lunar calendar is a traditional Chinese calendar according to which a common year has 354 or 355days in total, 12months of 30days or 29days and a lunar leap year has 383 or 384 days in 13months. According to changes in the position of the sun, a solar year is divided into 24 seasonal division points to facilitate farming. The years are designated by pairing items from the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches respectively so that 60 years from a cycle. It is said that the lunar calendar was created during the Xia Dynasty. Hence the term, Xiali, or Xia calendar. [The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, incorporating elements of a lunar calendar with those of a solar calendar. It is not exclusive to China, but followed by many other Asian cultures. It is often referred to as the Chinese calendar because it was first perfected by the Chinese around 500 BC.] Mohism Mohism, based on the teachings of Mo Zi, cherishes universal love which states that if all the people in the world loved one another, there would be no hatred, calamities, and hostilities. In politics and ethics Mohism advocates honoring virtuous people, opposing fatalism and aggressive wars, and upholding thriftiness and simple funerals. [Mohism was a Chinese philosophy developed by the followers of Mozi. It evolved at about the same time as Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism and was one of the four main philosophic schools during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.] The Book of Songs The Book of Songs translated variously as the Classic of Poetry, or the Book of Odes, is the earliest existing collection of Chinese poems. It comprises 305 poems, from the early Western Zhou Dynasty to the middle Spring and Autumn Period and is the best source for the daily lives, hopes, complaints and beliefs of ordinary people in the early Zhou period. The poems of Book of Songs have strict patterns in both rhyme and rhythm.In the light of rhythms, the works can be divided into three sections: Feng, Ya and Song, with the ya genre further divided into "small" and "large". Four treasures of the study Four treasures of the study refer to the writing brush, ink stick, paper and ink stone. The name appears to originate in the time of the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589 AD). It is widely accepted that the best of each of these items is represented by the Hu brush, Hui ink stick, Xuan paper, and Duan ink stone, all being highly valued in both China and abroad. However, classical scholars had more than just the Four treasures in their studies. The other "Treasures" include the brush-holder (笔架), brush-hanger (笔挂), paperweights (镇纸), the brush-rinsing pot (笔洗), and the seal (图章) and seal-ink (印尼). Eight-part Essay During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, candidates of the imperial examinations were required to write essays in strict accordance with an eight-part form known for its rigidity of form and strict adherence to the ideology of the ruling class. New ideas were condemned. An essay in this style must consist of eight paragraphs, that is, Opening, Amplification, Preliminary exposition, Initial argument, Central argument, Latter argument, Final argument , Conclusion, and each paragraph must be written in a set form. Thus, the Eight-part Essay in the classical literary language of earlier eras became the major written genre of the time. The structure of much of the essay included heavy parallelism and redundancy, rhetorical features that survive in modern Chinese expository writing. Compass vehicle 航海贡献，东西方 The compass vehicle was an ancient Chinese vehicle equipped with many gear wheels and a wooden figure that always pointed south no matter which direction the vehicle went. It’s an earlier and more primitive form of the compass, whose invention was firstly for Chinese to order and harmonize their environments and buildings in accordance with the geomantic principles of feng shui and later enabled mariners to navigate safely far from land, increasing sea trade, and contributing to the Age of Discovery Ping-Pong diplomacy Ping-Pong diplomacy refers to the exchange of ping pong players between the United States and People's Republic of China (PRC) in the 1970s. The event marked a thaw in U.S.–China relations that paved the way to a visit to Beijing by President Richard Nixon. In April 1971, at the 31st World Table Tennis Tournament in Japan, the Chinese team invited the United States table tennis (Ping-Pong) team to visit China. In 1972, the Chinese table tennis team accepted the invitation to pay a return visit to the United States. The friendly exchange between the table tennis players of the two countries opened the door to warmer relations between the Chinese and American nations, and became known as “Ping-Pong Diplomacy”. The Silk Road The Silk Road was the main trade route running through Asia in ancient times. It started from the Weishui Valley in the east and ended on the east coast of the Mediterranean, from where it led to various places around Europe. From the Western Han Dynasty on, China’s silk was exported via this route to the West, and thus a closer link between China and the West was formed, and cultural exchanges and friendly visits were promoted. Chapter 1 1. The red color of the national flag of the PRC symbolizes revolution and the yellow color of the stars the golden brilliant rays radiating from the vast red land. The design of four smaller stars surrounding a bigger one signifies the unity of the Chinese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. 2. China is a country varied topographical features with highlands in the west and plains in the east. Mountainous land and very rough terrains make up about 67% of Chinese territory, basins and plains 33%. 3. The first primitive man known to have existed in China is Yuanmou Man, who lived about 1.7million years ago. Peking Man, who existed more than 400,000 years ago at Zhoukoudian, in the vicinity of modern Beijing, could walk upright, make and use simple tools, and make use of fire. 4. Equality, unity, mutual assistance and common prosperity are the basic principles of the Chinese government in handling the relations between ethnic groups. 5. Economic reform and opening-up are the two fundamental state policies of China. They have not only promoted the sustained, swift, and sound development of China’s national economy, but also helped restructure its economic system. Chapter 2 1. Confucianism is a school of thought represented by Confucius and Mencius. It advocates benevolence 仁and justice义, allegiance忠and forbearance恕, the doctrine of the golden mean中庸 and values the ethical 伦理的relations of men. 2. Mohism is based on the teachings of Mo Zi. In politics and ethics it proposes honoring virtuous people, opposing fatalism and aggressive wars, and upholding thriftiness and simple funerals. 3. legalism, begun by Han Feizi, espouses拥护 laying down laws to unify the thought of people, promoting agriculture to achieve affluence富裕, waging发动 wars to gain strength and power, and establishing a system of bureaucracy.官僚 制度 4. One Buddhist doctrine is that everything in the world is changing, transient暂时 的 and unreal. There is no independent entity实体 or dictator独裁者. The cornerstone基本观点 of Buddhist philosophy is the view that all life is suffering, the cause of suffering is desire, the answer is to quench抑制 desire, and the way to this end is to follow the Eight-Fold Path.八正道 5. Of the many Buddhist Mountains, Mount Wutai, Mount Emei, Mount Putuo and Mount Jinhua are accepted as the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains in China. Chapter 3 Literature 1. Beginning with primitive mythology, Chinese literature developed with The Book of Songs, Poetry of the South, the prose of the pre-Qin period, hanfu and yuefu folk songs of the Han Dynasty, the literary criticism in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Tang poems, ci of the Song Dynasty, Yuanqu in the Yuan Dynasty and the Ming and Qing novels. Each dynasty contributed its own distinctive literary genre. 2. Among the literary giants, Li Bai and Du Fu are regarded as the twin masters of the Tang Dynasty. 3. Yuanqu, including sanqu and zaju forms, was popular in the Yuan Dynasty. Zaju writers were Guan Hanqing and Bai Pu. 4. The Ming and Qing dynasties saw publication of the four famous Chinese classics of literature: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Journey to the West, Dream of the Red Mansions. 5. Ba Jin was a prolific多产的writer. His Trilogy of the Turbulent Currents《激流 三部曲》established his reputation. The trilogy includes Family, Spring and Autumn. In the novels, he launched a fervent强烈的attack on the life-destroying ethics of feudalism that had lasted in China for thousands of years. Chapter 4 Arts 1. Strokes 笔画form Chinese radicals部首. A radical is the root of a character. Some of them are standalone characters独立成字, like those free roots in English, such as “土”and“山”; some are just like those bound roots in English, such as “忄”. 2. Beijing Opera is regarded as China’s national opera. Singing, recitation, acting, and acrobatic fighting唱念做打are the four artistic means and the four basic skills. 3. Shuanghuang is a kind of two-person folk art, with one acting in pantomime哑 剧and the other hiding behind him or her doing all the speaking and/or singing. 4. The Ghost-Exorcising Opera傩舞originated from a sacrificial ceremony for driving away evil spirits and pestilence瘟疫 in ancient times. 5. Erhu, sometimes known in the West as the “ Chinese Violin”, is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument and is used as a solo 独奏instrument as well as for small ensembles and large orchestras. Chapter 5 Education 1. Academies of classic learning院 and the books collection mansions 藏书阁 existed thousands of years ago and were more like the present higher education institutions and libraries. There were four famous academies in ancient China: Yuelu Academy in Changsha, Hunan Province; Bailudong Academy on Mount Lushan, Jiangxi Province; Songyang Academy in DengFeng, Henan Province; and Yingtian Academy in Shangqiu, Henan Province.岳麓，白鹿洞，嵩阳，应 天 2. At the court exam, the candidate who won the first place was called Zhuangyuan, and he would be granted a high-ranking position in the court. The one who won the second place was called Bangyan, and the third Tanhua. They would also be assigned important posts in the government. 3. China’s nine-year compulsory education is composed of two parts: six years in primary school and three years in junior high school. 4. Undergraduate studies cover basic courses, specialty basic courses, and specialty courses. College and university students also have a wide choice of extracurricular activities and every institution of higher learning has a student association practicing “ self-management, self-education, and self-service.” Chapter 6 Science and Technology 1. Printing is known as “mother of civilization”. It has a long history and includes block printing 雕版印刷and movable type printing.活字印刷 2. Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty, whose monumental masterpiece, Compendium of Meteria Medica本草纲目, includes 1892 medicinal substances, 11096 prescriptions, and 1162 illustrations. Eight hundred and thirty-five years earlier than the next pharmacopeia药典 in the world, this book has been translated into various languages and circulated流传throughout many countries. 3. Weiqi is a popular board game that originated in China. It is played with black and white pieces on a square wooden board of 361 intersections formed by 19 vertical lines and 19 horizontal lines. The person who has the most pieces walled-in will have the most points and be declared as the winner. 4. On October 16,1964, China exploded the first nuclear bomb in Lop Nur of Xinjiang, becoming the third country with atomic weapon capability after the United States and the former Soviet Union. In June 1967, China successfully exploded the first hydrogen bomb. 5. Yuan Longping’s pioneering work in hybrid rice breeding and production techniques has revolutionized rice cultivation in China, establishing China’s world leading position in hybrid rice research. China is now able to feed 22%of the world’s population with only 7% of the world’s total arable land. Chapter 7 Sports 1. During the Tang Dynasty, equestrian polo击鞠或马球was popular in the palace, the army and among the men of literati文人墨客. Even women took delight playing in. 2. Qigong is divided into categories: the quiescent and the mobile type. 3. The “five-animal exercise” is a set of health-building exercise imitating the movements of five animals—tiger, deer, bear, ape and bird. 4. Each of the five Olympic rings is of a different color. Together, they represent the five inhabited continents, although no particular ring is meant to represent any specific continent. The rings are interlaced交织to represent the idea that the Olympics are universal, bringing athletes from the entire world together. 5. By the end of the Athens Olympics, Chinese athletes had accumulated 112 gold medals in six successive 连续的Summer Olympic Games. Chapter 8 Traditional Festivals Traditional Festivals Activities Special Food Spring festival Reunion and luxurious Chicken; fish; tofu; jiaozi; dinner; visiting friends and niangao relatives; sending gifts to each other Lantern Festival Guessing riddles; Yuanxiao; rice dumplings displaying bright lanterns Qingming Festival Grave sweeping; sacrifices No special food offering Dragon Boat Festival Dragon boat races zongzi Mid-Autumn Festival Enjoying the moonlight; mooncakes reunion dinner Double Ninth Festival Climbing mountains; Chrysanthemum(菊花) activities to respect the old wine Chapter 9 Culinary Culture 1. Generally speaking, there are three essential factors by which Chinese cooking is judged, namely color, aroma, and taste, with taste being the most important. 2. At a formal banquet, the host prepares adequate seating for the guests. Special guests and the elderly sit on the north side of the table or directly facing the entrance to the room. The concept of “honored south, humble north” is closely related with Chinese traditional etiquette. 3. Although there are hundreds of varieties of Chinese tea, they can be classified into five basic categories according to the different techniques involved in processing the tea. The five types are green tea, black tea, oolong tea, compressed tea, and scented tea. 4. The wager games can be classified into three categories----general games, literary games and contest games. 5. Touhu is an ancient banquet game where the host and guests throw chips into a pot. The winner is the one with the greatest number of chips thrown in, and the loser is required to drink as a forfeit. Chapter 10 Dress and Adornment Culture(无) Chapter 11 Architecture 1. The layout of ancient architecture is plain, flexible and beautiful. 2. The glaze was normally in one of four colors: yellow, green, blue and black. 3. Four of the most famous huabiaos in China are found at Tian’anmen at the entrance to the Forbidden City in Beijing. They were constructed during the Qing Dynasty. Each has a stone hou(犼)sitting regally 帝王的华丽的atop the column 柱. 4. Paifang is an archway 拱门usually made from fine wood or stone, and painted or decorated with glazed tiles上釉的瓦. Calligraphers are usually requested to write moral inscriptions to be carved into the middle beam. These structures usually stand in downtown areas, or at the entrances of mausoleums, temples, bridges and parks. Chapter 12 Major Tourist Cities 1. The Thirteen Ming tombs are situated at the food of the Heavenly Longevity Mountain天寿山 to the northwest of Beijing. Among the 16 emperors in the Ming Dynasty, 13 were buried in the Ming tomb area, along with 23 empresses, and many concubines, princes, princesses and maids. 2. The name Lingyin comes from its naturally quiet surroundings. Located at the foot of the Lingyin Hill northwest of Hangzhou, Lingyin Temple was built in the Dynasty. It is known as the “Buddhist Kingdom in the Southeast” Eastern Jin with lush hills, clear springs and streams as well as beautiful trees and many historic relics and caves. 3. The Forest of Steles碑林, lying inside the southern city wall in Xi’an, displays the largest number of steles or stone-caved books from different dynasties in China and is a treasure house of calligraphic art. 4. Important sights in Nanjing include the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, Xuanwu Lake, Confucius Temple, Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum, a Ming Tomb, Linggu Monastery and Zijinshan Observatory. 5. In December 1937, Nanjing fell to the Japanese invaders. The Japanese army launched a massacre that continued for six weeks. Around 300,000 people, mostly civilians and POWs (prisoners of war), were brutally slaughtered. Chapter 13 World Heritage Sites 1. Up to June 2007, among the over 800 World Heritage Sites listed by UNESCO, China has 35 listed, ranking third, trailing behind Spain and Italy. Among them, 24 belong to cultural heritages, 6 natural heritages, 4 dual heritages and 1 cultural scenery. 2. There are five sacred mountains in China----Mount Taishan, Mount Huashan, Mount Hengshan, Mount Hengshan and Mount Songshan. They each have their own attractions. 3. Since the nineties of the last century, there have been four natural sites listed as world natural heritages: Wulingyuan, Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area, Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area and the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries in Sichuan Province. 4. Grottos were carved in cliff faces in various places, particularly in Northern China. The Yungang Grottos in Shanxi Province, the Dunhuang Caves in Gansu and the Longmen Grottos in henan are called the three most important grottos in China. 5. Xidi西递and Hongcun宏村are typical representation of the culture of feudal society in the later stage of China---the carrier of Huizhou culture. It has well preserved its dialects, costume, and some local food and drinks. Chapter 14 Travel Tips(无)