中国文化通览-词汇

黄河流域Yellow River Valley

文化融合，政治统一cultural fusion and political unity

游牧部落nomadic tribesmen

疆域territory

小农经济the small-scale peasant economy

封建主经济landlord / owner-peasant

自然经济形态the natural economic pattern

农、林、木、副、渔agriculture, forestation, herding, fishing and third industry cooperation

中原the Central Plains

重农轻商encourage farming, limit commerce

战国时期the Warring States Period

男耕女织the man cultivating the land and the woman weaving at home

自给自足的自然经济self-sufficient natural economy

一盘散沙a sheet of loose sand

草根阶层the grass-roots level

人头税the poll tax

水能载舟，亦能覆舟the water that bears the boat is the same that swallows it / the water that carries the boat can also overturn it

多元一体integrated pluralism

吐故纳新discard the old and embrace the new

炎黄子孙the descendants of Yandi and Huangdi

礼仪之邦the land of ceremony and propriety

大一统观念the notion of great national unity

甲骨文the inscriptions on tortoise shells or animal bones

铭文the inscriptions on bronze or copper wares

象形、指事、会意、形声pictographs, self-explanatory characters, associative compounds and pictophonetic method

四书五经The Four Books and The Five Classics

书同文、行同伦the standardized language and behaviors

儒、道、佛、法家Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and the Legalist School

焚书坑儒burn books and bury Confucian scholars alive

无为而治to govern by doing nothing that is against nature

独尊儒术、罢黜百家pay supreme tribute to Confucianism while banning all other schools of thought

四大发明Four Great Inventions of Ancient China: The invention of papermaking technology, the art of printing, the making of the gunpowder, the compass

守内虚外internal defense and external slackening

重文轻武lay stress on the cultural achievement while making light of the military exploits

清明上河图The Festival of Pure Brightness on the River

求和谐，主平衡seek for harmony and maintain equilibrium

消灾祈福avert calamities and pray for blessings

临时抱佛脚clasp Buddha’s feet when in trouble – seek help at the last moment

六合six realms of Heaven and Earth, East and West, North and South

内圣外王the supreme morality at once internalized as cultivation and externalized as governance

真诚、正心、修身sincerity, integrity, and intellectual cultivation

齐家治国平天下keep your family in order, govern the state effectively and bring peace to the world

中庸the golden mean

天人合一oneness of man and nature

大一统great national unity

集体利益collective interest

人伦human relations

普天之下莫非王土，率土之滨莫非王臣all the land under the sun belongs to the king; all the people within this country are the king’s subjects

《史记》Historical Records

宗族关系the patriarchal relations

赴汤蹈火go through fire and water

中华民族的脊梁the spiritual tower of Chinese nation

否极泰来out of depth of misfortune comes bliss

以柔克刚conquer the rigid with the gentle

一张一弛alternate tension with relaxation

仁者爱人the benevolent love others

仁政benevolent government

以民为本people were the foundation of the state

民为贵，社稷次之，君为轻people come first, the state comes second and the king third

性善论original goodness of human nature

小国寡民a small state with a small population

无为而治to govern by doing nothing

汉代经学Imperial Confucianism in the Han Dynasty