英語暢談中國(guó)文化50主題 3 Rediscover Confucius 重新發(fā)現(xiàn)孔子
Rediscover Confucius 重新發(fā)現(xiàn)孔子
Did you see the statue of Confucius launched by the China Confucius Fund?
A:你看到中國(guó)孔子基金會(huì)發(fā)布的孔子標(biāo)準(zhǔn)像了嗎？
B:Yes, I did. It doesn`t quite match the Confucius image in my mind though. I heard there are many different opinions about this so-called official statue. But, to be fait, it`s an impossible job to create an official statue of someone who lived more than 2,500 years ago. No one knows what he looked like, just like no one in the West knows what Plato looked like. Nevertheless, Confucius was a great philosopher, an educator, a plitician, as well as the founder of Confucianism, which still has a tremendous influence over people today.
B:看到了，但它不完全是我心目中的孔子形象。據(jù)說有很多人對(duì)這個(gè)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)像持不同意見。這也難怪，也已畢竟生活在２５００多年前，沒有誰能夠想像他真實(shí)的長(zhǎng)相，就像你們西方人不知道柏拉圖的面孔一樣。但是，孔子對(duì)今天中國(guó)人的生活和思想依然有著重大的影響。他是中國(guó)古代的思想家、教育家、政治家，也是儒學(xué)的創(chuàng)始人。
A:Confucianism seems to be back in fashin again. As far as I know, about five to six million Chinese students are currently studying The analects of Confucius. Some companies are using Confucianism as a management tool. The govemment is also promoting the Confucian values of ethics, fairness, and honesty. They see it as a way to address the social problems that have emerged as a result of the accelerated economic growth.
A:儒家思想似乎又風(fēng)行起來了。就我所知，中國(guó)有五六百萬的孩子在學(xué)習(xí)《論語》；不少企業(yè)家把儒家思想引進(jìn)到企業(yè)管理中；中國(guó)政府也試圖通過倡導(dǎo)道德、公正和廉潔的儒家思想，來解決經(jīng)濟(jì)調(diào)整發(fā)展帶來的社會(huì)問題。
B:Confucianism is the backbone of Chinese culture. Confucius developed his philosophy around the concept of benevolence. The Analects of Confucius is a record of his political views. Confucianism represents a set of moral principles because it stresses fairness and harmony in guman relationships, as well as the individual`s social responsibility for their country. For Confucius, political honesty is based on individual ethical integrity.
B:儒家思想是中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)文化的主干?？鬃拥恼軐W(xué)體系以“仁”為核心，《論語》記載著他的政治學(xué)說。儒學(xué)是一套倫理道德，強(qiáng)調(diào)的是為人處事的正派、人際關(guān)系的和諧以及個(gè)人對(duì)國(guó)家的責(zé)任感。在孔子看來，政治的說法是以人品的正直為基礎(chǔ)的。
A:Some American scholars did a comparative study of confucius with Greek and Roman philosophers. Their conclusion was that there is more practical value in Confucianism. Why it that?
A:有的美國(guó)學(xué)者將孔子與古希臘哲人相比較，認(rèn)為他的思想更具有實(shí)用價(jià)值。為什么？
B:Well it has extensive application in Chinese society. Confucius was also an accomplished educator. He treated his students as his equal by teaching them democratic and open-minded ideas . In the words of the American scholars, Confucius wanted to train his students to become more unrestrained and adaprable to external influences.
B:因?yàn)樗粡V泛運(yùn)用于中國(guó)社會(huì)?？鬃舆€是個(gè)了不起的教育家，他平等對(duì)待學(xué)生，教給他們民主、開放的觀念。用美國(guó)學(xué)者的話說就是：培養(yǎng)能夠自然從容并適應(yīng)環(huán)境的君子。
A:There is also an increasing awareness of Confucianism in other parts of the world. This may be a result of various political, cultural, and environmental challenges due to China`s growing economic importance. As a result, the rise of individualism in the community has become a serious threat to social harmony and progress. A different set of values are needed as a counterbalance. Confucianism emphasizes "courtesy" and "respect" whendealing with people or nature so it should be very beneficial for building harmony in any society.
A:據(jù)我所知，儒家學(xué)說也在世界其他地方逐漸引起了重視。這也許與中國(guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)的高速發(fā)展所帶來的各種政治、文化，以及環(huán)境等問題的巨大挑戰(zhàn)有關(guān)。個(gè)人主義在商品社會(huì)中的極端發(fā)展，對(duì)社會(huì)的和諧與進(jìn)步構(gòu)成威脅，必須尋求另一種價(jià)值觀來取得平衡。而孔子的學(xué)說恰好提倡以“禮”來處理人際關(guān)系及與自然的關(guān)系，對(duì)于和諧社會(huì)的構(gòu)建大有益處。
B:You are right. A scholar once said that answers concerning our survival can be found in the wisdom of Confucius, even though he lived more than 25 centuries ago.
B:有道理。正如一位學(xué)者所說：２１世紀(jì)的生存問題，必須回到２５個(gè)世紀(jì)之前孔子的智慧中去尋求解決的答案。
