Star of the Week
孔子说:
Simplified: "不闻不若闻之 闻之不若见之 见之不若知之 知之不若行之 学至于行之而止矣"。
Traditional: "不聞不若聞之 聞之不若見之 見之不若知之 知之不若行之 學至於行之而止矣"。
Pinyin: "Bù wén bù ruò wén zhī wén zhī bù ruò jiàn zhī jiàn zhī bù ruò zhīzhīzhī zhī bù ruò xíng zhī xué zhìyú xíng zhī ér zhǐ yǐ".
Meaning:
Hearing about something is better than not hearing about something.
Seeing something is better than hearing about something.
Knowing something is better than hearing about something.
Actually doing something is better than knowing something.
In order to totally understand something, you must work hard to attain that knowledge.
This means that you can only understand something by trying it yourself.
Traditional: "不聞不若聞之 聞之不若見之 見之不若知之 知之不若行之 學至於行之而止矣"。
Pinyin: "Bù wén bù ruò wén zhī wén zhī bù ruò jiàn zhī jiàn zhī bù ruò zhīzhīzhī zhī bù ruò xíng zhī xué zhìyú xíng zhī ér zhǐ yǐ".
Meaning:
Hearing about something is better than not hearing about something.
Seeing something is better than hearing about something.
Knowing something is better than hearing about something.
Actually doing something is better than knowing something.
In order to totally understand something, you must work hard to attain that knowledge.
This means that you can only understand something by trying it yourself.
文化故事
郑人买履
(A Foolish Man Buys Shoes)
Simplified:
中国战国时期,郑国有个愚蠢的人。一天,他的鞋坏了,于是他打算去集市买一双新鞋。在去集市之前,这个人在家先用一根小绳量好了自己脚的长短尺寸,随手将小绳放在座位上,起身就出门了。
等 他走到集市,看到那里十分热闹,人群熙熙攘攘,各种各样的小商品摆满了柜台。这个郑国人径直走到鞋铺前,里面 有各式各样的鞋子。这个人让掌柜的拿了几双鞋,他左挑右选,最后选中了一双自己觉得满意的鞋子。他正准备掏出小绳,用事先量好的尺码来比一比新鞋的大小, 忽然想起小绳被搁在家里忘记带来。 于是这个人放下鞋子赶紧回家去。他急急忙忙地返回家中,拿了小绳又急急忙忙赶往集市。尽管他快跑慢 跑,还是花了差不多两个时 辰。等他到了集市,太阳快下山了。集市上的小贩都收了摊,大多数店铺已经关门。他来到鞋铺,鞋铺也打烊了。他鞋没买成,低头瞧瞧自己脚上,原先那双破鞋, 十分沮丧。 有几个好事的人围过来,知道情况后问他:“买鞋时为什么不用你的脚去穿一下,试试鞋的大小呢?” 他回答说:“那可不成,量的尺码才可靠,我的脚是不可靠的。我宁可相信尺码,也不相信自己的脚。” |
Traditional:
中國戰國時期,鄭國有個愚蠢的人。一天,他的鞋壞了,於是他打算去集市買一雙新鞋。在去集市之前,這個人在家先用一根小繩量好了自己腳的長短尺寸,隨手將小繩放在座位上,起身就出門了。
等他走到集市,看到那裡十分熱鬧,人群熙熙攘攘,各種各樣的小商品擺滿了櫃檯。這個鄭國人徑直走到鞋舖前,裡面有各式各樣的鞋子。這個人讓掌櫃的拿了幾雙鞋,他左挑右選,最後選中了一雙自己覺得滿意的鞋子。他正準備掏出小繩,用事先量好的尺碼來比一比新鞋的大小, 忽然想起小繩被擱在家裡忘記帶來。 於是這個人放下鞋子趕緊回家去。他急急忙忙地返回家中,拿了小繩又急急忙忙趕往集市。儘管他快跑慢跑,還是花了差不多兩個時辰。等他到了集市,太陽快下山了。集市上的小販都收了攤,大多數店鋪已經關門。他來到鞋鋪,鞋鋪也打烊了。他鞋沒買成,低頭瞧瞧自己腳上,原先那雙破鞋,十分沮喪。 有幾個好事的人圍過來,知道情況後問他:“買鞋時為什麼不用你的腳去穿一下,試試鞋的大小呢?” 他回答說:“那可不成,量的尺碼才可靠,我的腳是不可靠的。我寧可相信尺碼,也不相信自己的腳。” |
English Version
There lived a foolish man in a small state called Zheng in Chinese Spring and Autumn period. One day he was going to buy himself a pair of new shoes So he measured his feet with a piece of string and cut it to match the size of his foot. But he was in such a hurry to set out that he left it at home.
Knowing the market would be close at afternoon, he wasted no time in shopping for his shoes. At a shoe store, he picked out a pair which he liked very much, but before he could make up his mind, he wanted to measure them against the string to make sure the size was right. He felt in the pocket only to find that it was not there.
he said apologetically to the storekeeper: "How forgetful I am! I'll have to go back to fetch the measurement. without it I don't know the size."
With these words he put down the shoes and hurried off as fast as his legs could carry him. When he got home. he found the string lying on the chair. He grabbed it and ran back to the market at the same speed as he dashed home.
But it yet took him quite a while and the shop was already closed then. He stared at his string, looking sad. "I should have brought the string the first time!" he said.
Someone nearby heard him and asked: "Did you buy the shoes for yourself or someone else?"
'For myself, of course.' he answered.
The man responded, 'Then why don't you try them on by yourself?'
Knowing the market would be close at afternoon, he wasted no time in shopping for his shoes. At a shoe store, he picked out a pair which he liked very much, but before he could make up his mind, he wanted to measure them against the string to make sure the size was right. He felt in the pocket only to find that it was not there.
he said apologetically to the storekeeper: "How forgetful I am! I'll have to go back to fetch the measurement. without it I don't know the size."
With these words he put down the shoes and hurried off as fast as his legs could carry him. When he got home. he found the string lying on the chair. He grabbed it and ran back to the market at the same speed as he dashed home.
But it yet took him quite a while and the shop was already closed then. He stared at his string, looking sad. "I should have brought the string the first time!" he said.
Someone nearby heard him and asked: "Did you buy the shoes for yourself or someone else?"
'For myself, of course.' he answered.
The man responded, 'Then why don't you try them on by yourself?'
成语故事
开卷有益
(Reading is Always Beneficial)
Simplified:
宋朝初年,宋太宗赵光义命文臣李防等人编写一部规模宏大的分类百科全书——《太平总类》。
这部书收集摘录了一千六百多种古籍的重要内容,分类归成五十五门,全书共一千卷,是一部很有价值的参考书。 这部书是宋太平兴国年间编成的,故定名为《太平总类》。对于这么一部巨著,宋太宗规定自己每天至少要看两、三卷,一年内全部看完,遂更名为《太平御 览》。当宋太宗下定决心花精力翻阅这部巨著时,曾有人觉得皇帝每天要处理那么多国家大事,还要去读这么部大书,太辛苦了,就去劝告他少看些,也不一定每天 都得看,以免过度劳神。 可是,宋太宗却回答说:“我很喜欢读书,从书中常常能得到乐趣,多看些书,总会有益处,况且我并不觉得劳神。” 于是,他仍然坚持每天阅读三卷,有时因国事忙耽搁了,他也要抽空补上,并常对左右的人说:“只要打开书本,总会有好处的。” 宋太宗由于每天阅读三卷《太平御览》,学问十分渊博,处理国家大事也十分得心应手。当时的大臣们见皇帝如此勤奋读书,也纷纷努力读书,所以当时读书的 风气很盛,连平常不读书的宰相赵普,也孜孜不倦的阅读《论语》,有“半部论语治天下”之谓。后来,“开卷有益”便成了成语,形容只要打开书本读书,总有益处。 |
Traditional:
宋朝初年,宋太宗趙光義命文臣李防等人編寫一部規模宏大的分類百科全書——《太平總類》。
這部書收集摘錄了一千六百多種古籍的重要內容,分類歸成五十五門,全書共一千卷,是一部很有價值的參考書。 這部書是宋太平興國年間編成的,故定名為《太平總類》。對於這麼一部巨著,宋太宗規定自己每天至少要看兩、三卷,一年內全部看完,遂更名為《太平御覽》。當宋太宗下定決心花精力翻閱這部巨著時,曾有人覺得皇帝每天要處理那麼多國家大事,還要去讀這麼部大書,太辛苦了,就去勸告他少看些,也不一定每天都得看,以免過度勞神。 可是,宋太宗卻回答說:“我很喜歡讀書,從書中常常能得到樂趣,多看些書,總會有益處,況且我並不覺得勞神。” 於是,他仍然堅持每天閱讀三卷,有時因國事忙耽擱了,他也要抽空補上,並常對左右的人說:“只要打開書本,總會有好處的。” 宋太宗由於每天閱讀三卷《太平御覽》,學問十分淵博,處理國家大事也十分得心應手。當時的大臣們見皇帝如此勤奮讀書,也紛紛努力讀書,所以當時讀書的風氣很盛,連平常不讀書的宰相趙普,也孜孜不倦的閱讀《論語》,有“半部論語治天下”之謂。後來,“開卷有益”便成了成語,形容只要打開書本讀書,總有益處。 |
English Summary:
In the beginning of the Song Dynasty, the emperor Taizong appointed his scholars to edit an encyclopedia named "Tai Ping Yu Lan". It contained 1,600 chapters in total and was classified into 55 sections. The content was very abundant and covered many subjects. Taizong was interested in it very much and every day he would read 2 or 3 chapters.
One of his ministers said one day: "Your majesty, you are busy with handling thousands of things each day, but you still read this book--it is too toilsome for you." Then Taizong said: "I earn the real rewards from reading it, whenever I open it, I will get something profitable from it. I will not feel tired to read it at all."
Because the emperor completely read the 1,600 chapters, the encyclopedia was named "Tai Ping Yu Lan".
This story was made into an idiom to mean: reading books is valuable.
One of his ministers said one day: "Your majesty, you are busy with handling thousands of things each day, but you still read this book--it is too toilsome for you." Then Taizong said: "I earn the real rewards from reading it, whenever I open it, I will get something profitable from it. I will not feel tired to read it at all."
Because the emperor completely read the 1,600 chapters, the encyclopedia was named "Tai Ping Yu Lan".
This story was made into an idiom to mean: reading books is valuable.