中国文化资料Unit1WisdomandBeliefs.docx

1、中国文化资料Unit1WisdomandBeliefs中国文化资料Unit1WisdomandBeliefs Unit 1 Wisdom and Beliefs Human beings have only one home under the heavens. How we arrange our domestic lives and how we live together in harmony is the essence of traditional Chinese thinking. First and foremost, Chinese culture regards human

2、life as part of nature and, as such, the only way for us to survive is to live in harmony with nature. The fundamental significance of civilization lies in the creation of a peaceful world, which also requires avoiding conflict between humans and nature. Instead of dictating to nature, people should

3、 hold nature in awe and gratitude. A second characteristic of Chinese culture is its emphasis on harmonious human relationships. An individual cannot live without community and society. Thus Chinese culture strives to build a world of harmony based on friendship between individuals, mutual assistanc

4、e between families, and respect between nations. Thirdly, Chinese thinking stresses self-reflection. People should not only understand the external world, but also and more importantly, improve their internal state of mind. Only after humans have cleared away any intentions of combating nature, are

5、we able to live up to the philosophy of living in harmony with nature. Passage 1 Confucian Thought on Heaven and Humanity 1 Confucius l (551-479 BC), known in China as Kongzi, given name Qiu and alias Zhongni, was a native of Zouyi (present-day Qufu in Shandong Province) of the State of Lu during th

6、e Spring and Autumn Period2 (770-476 BC). A great thinker, educator and founder of Confucianism, Confucius is an ancient sage（圣人） to the Chinese people. His words and life story were recorded by his disciples（弟子） and their students in The Analects3 (Lunyu). 2 An enduring classic of Chinese culture,

7、The Analects has influenced all thinkers, writers and politicians in the over-2,000-year-long history of China after Confucius. No scholar could truly understand this long-standing culture or the inner world of the ancient Chinese without this book. 3 Much of Confucian thought on Heaven and people r

8、epresents universal human values. This is perhaps why Confucian thought in the 21st century still retains the interest of not only the Chinese but also people in other parts of the world. Confucius on Heaven: the Source of Everything 4 In the Shang (1600-1046 BC) and Zhou4(1046-256 BC) dynasties, th

9、e prevalent concept of “Heaven” was that of a personified god, which influenced Confucius. Generally, however, Confucius regarded “Heaven” as nature. He said, “Heaven does not speak in words. It speaks through the rotation of the four seasons and the growth of all living things.” Obviously, Heaven e

10、qualed nature, in the eyes of Confucius. Moreover, nature was not a lifeless mechanism separate from humans; instead, it was the g, great world of life and the process of creation of life. Human life was part and part parcel of nature as a whole. 5 Confucius? equation of Heaven with the creation of

11、life was an innovative（革新的）idea in his time. The natural process of life creation was the “way of Heaven”. This idea was later developed in The Book of Changes 5 (Yijing), as it stated “Continuous creation of life is change.” 6 As the natural process of creation of life, Heaven was the source of all

12、 living things and the source of all values. This was the “virtue of Heaven”. Thus, The Book of Change said, “The great virtue of Heaven and Earth is creating life.” 7 In the natural process of creation of life, Heaven had its inner purpose in creating all things as well as protecting and improving

13、life. Heaven had originated humanity, and humans were obliged to accomplish this purpose. In other words, humans are born with a sense of “heavenly mission”, and this is the meaning of human life. 8 Confucian “Heaven” also had a certain sacred element, which was related to its being the source of li

14、fe. Thus Confucius required people to hold Heaven in awe. He said that a person of virtue must “respect his heavenly mission”, listen to and live out the purpose of Heaven by caring for and improving life. 9 Under the influence of Confucius, the ancient Chinese developed a sense of awe and belief in

15、 Heaven. To them, Heaven was the highest sacred being; with its profoundmystery ever to be fully understood by mortals. It was not a supernatural, personified deity（神）but was the world of ever-generating life. As the most intelligent of all beings, humanshould take to heart the purpose of Heaven by

16、cherishing life. If one remained “ignorant and disrespectful of one?s heavenly mission” by killing or maiming (残害) life, one would be punished by Heaven. Confucius said, “He who offends against Heaven has none to whom he can pray.” The Confucian respect for and belief in Heaven represented a form of

17、 religious spiritualism of the ancient Chinese. 10 In the 21st century, the Confucian caveat（告诫） of “standing in awe of the ordinances of Heaven” still holds true, as human society begins to pay greater attention to ecological civilization. Humans should indeed listen to the voice of nature, respect

18、ing and loving it as the world of life. This is our sacred mission and gives value to all human life. Confucius on People: ren（仁） and li (礼) 11 Ren and li are the two core concepts of Confucius? doctrine about people. 12 When his student Fan Chi asked him about ren, Confucius replied, “Love people.”

19、 This is Confucius? most important interpretation of ren. Love for the people is universal love. Confucius further emphasized that this kind of love should “begin with the love for one?s parents”. He believed no one could love people in general if they did not even love their own parents. Confucius

20、regarded“filial（子女的）piety and fraternal（兄弟的）duty”as the essence of ren. The Doctrine of the Mean 6 (Zhongyong) quotes Confucius as saying, “The greatest love for people is the love for one?s parents.” He also said, “Children shou7d not travel far while their parents are alive. If they have no choice

21、 but to do so, they must retain some restraint.” He did not mean that children should not leave their parents at all. What he meant was that children should not make their parents anxious about them while away from home. Confucius said again, “Children should think often of the age of their parents.

22、 They should feel happy for the health and longevity of their parents. They should also feel concern for the aging of their parents.” 13 By ren, Confucius meant universal love based on love for one?s parents. How should people love one another then? Confucius said, “One should be aware that other pe

23、ople may havesimilar desires as oneself. While fulfilling one?s desires, allow others to fulfill their desiresas well.” He further said, “Do not do toward others anything you would not want to bedone to you.” Thus from oneself to one?s family, from family to society, one should extend love to all pe

24、ople. Mencius7 (c. 372-289 BC), a great Confucian scholar, best summarized ren as, “10ving one?s parents, loving the people, loving everything in the world.” 14 Today, the Confucian doctrine of “Do not do toward others anything you would not want to be done to you” still holds true for humankind. 15

25、 Li refers to rituals, traditions and norms in social life. Of these, Confucius regarded burial rituals and ancestral worship rituals as the most important, because they arose from human feelings. He said, “ A child should not leave his parents? bosom（胸；怀）until he is three years old.” He naturally l

26、oved his parents. The ritual of wearing mourning for a deceased（已死的） parent for three years was an expression of the child?s love and remembrance. 16 Confucius placed emphasis on li with the aim of preserving social order, stability and harmony. The Analects says, “The role of li is to maintain harm

27、ony among people.” 17 Li also has philosophical implications. While individuals have a limited lifespan, life in nature is everlasting. Life is given by one?s parents and extended through one?s children. In this way, a limited, individual life becomes merged with the limitless life of nature; the in

28、dividual dream of eternal life can thus come true. Through burial rituals and ancestral worship rituals, people are able to experience the everlasting continuity of life, appreciating the value and meaning of life. This gives people metaphorical solace（安慰）. Confucius on the State of Life 18 Before C

29、onfucius, only the nobility had the right to education. He was the first figure in Chinese history to initiate private education. According to historical records, Confucius taught for many years and trained 3,000 disciples. A total of 72 0f them excelled in the“six arts”, i.e., ritual, music, archer

30、y（箭术）, (carriage) driving, calligraphy（书法），and mathematics. A great educator, Confucius has been admired by later generations as the “sage of sages”. 19 Confucius believed the basic goal of education was to cultivate “persons of virtue”, whoshould have sound character and uplifted minds. Such person

31、s should be able to shoulder important social responsibilities and to make contributions to society. Confucius regarded lofty ideals, great virtue, love of people, and the “six arts” as the general principles of education. Of these, virtue was the most important. His students were involved in a vari

32、ety of professions, including politics, trade, education, diplomacy, ritual ceremony, and classifying ancient books. Whatever they did, they all wanted to improve their learning of the humanities and to enhance their virtue. 20 Confucius emphasized aesthetic education. He said, “Studying The Book of

33、 Songs8 (Shijing) inspires the spirit and helps one appreciate beauty. Studying The Book of Rites9 (Zhouli) enables one to behave properly as a person of enlightenment. Studying music lifts the spirit and helps one to enjoy life.” He also said, “Simply knowing the highest standard of virtue (i.e., love for people) is not a