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30 Jul · Mon 2007
26 Jul · Thu 2007
人不可貌相
赵国有个学者名公孙龙,为人骄傲自负。他曾对弟子说:“我不会和没有本领的人交往。”
一天,有个衣衫褴褛的人,走上前对他说:“请您收我做徒弟吧!”
公孙龙打量了那人一番,冷冷地问道:“你有何本领?”
那人回答说:“我有一把洪亮的声音。”
公孙龙问弟子道:“你们当中有没有声音洪亮的?”
弟子回答说:“没有。”
于是公孙龙收那人做徒弟。其他弟子窃窃私语,还暗暗地嘲笑道:“声音洪亮有甚么用?”
过了几天,公孙龙有事要到燕国去。他们来到一条大河前,可是却见不到岸边有渡船,只见一艘停泊在远远的对岸。
公孙龙着令新弟子施展其技。新弟子欣然答允,便大喊一声。不久,那艘渡船就划过来,载他们渡河去。
You'd Never Know
In the State of Zhao, there was once of a scholar by the name of Gongsun Long. He was a vain man and thought highly of himself.
"I don't keep company with people who have no talents," he told his disciples.
One day a man dressed in rags came up to him saying, "Please take me as your disciple."
After looking the man up and down, Gongsun Long replied coldly, "Tell me about your talents."
"Well," said the man, "I have a loud voice which can travel very far."
"Is there anyone among you who has a loud voice?" Gongsun Long asked his disciples.
"No, sir!" they replied.
Gongsun Long took the man as his disciple. His other disciples were secretly laughing among themselves. "What is the use of a loud voice?" they sneered.
A few days later, Gongsun Long and his disciples had to make a trip to the State of Yan. They came upon a large river. However, not a boat was in sight except one lying on the distant shore.
Gongsun Long told his new disciple to prove his talent. The man gladly heeded the request and bellowed across the river. Very soon the boat was rowed over to ferry them all.
22 Jul · Sun 2007
The Frog in the Shallow Well
Have you not heard of the frog that lived in a shallow well? It said to a turtle that lived in the East Sea, "I am so happy! When I go out, I jump about on the railing beside the mouth of the well. When I come home, I rest in the holes on the broken wall of the well. If I jump into the water, it comes up to my armpits and holds up my cheeks. If I walk in the mud, it covers up my feet. I look around at the wriggly worms, crabs and tadpoles, and none of them can compare with me. Moreover, I am lord of this trough of water and I stand up tall in this shallow well. My happiness is full. My dear sir, why don't you come often and look around my place?"
Before the turtle from the East Sea could get its left foot in the well, its right knee got stuck. It hesitated and retreated. The turtle told the frog about the East Sea.
"Even a distance of a thousand li cannot give you an idea of the sea's width; even a height of a thousand ren cannot give you an idea of its depth. In the time of King Yu of the Xia dynasty, there were floods nine years out of ten, but the waters in the sea did not increase. ln the time of King Tang of the Shang dynasty there were droughts seven years out of eight, but the waters in the sea did not decrease. The sea does not change along with the passage of time and its level does not rise or fall according to the amount of rain that falls. The greatest happiness is to live in the East Sea."
After listening to these words, the frog of the shallow well was shocked into realization of his own insignificance and became very ill at ease.
井底之蛙
一口废井里住着一只青蛙。有一天,青蛙在井边碰上了一只从海里来的大龟。
青蛙就对海龟夸口说:「你看,我住在这里多快乐!有时高兴了,就在井栏边跳跃一阵;疲倦了,就回到井里,睡在砖洞边一回。或者只留出头和嘴巴,安安静静地把全身泡在水里:或者在软绵绵的泥浆里散一回步,也很舒适。看看那些虾和蝌虾,谁也此不上我。而且,我是这个井里的主人,在这井里极自由自在,你为什么不常到井里来欣赏呢!」
那海龟听了青蛙的话,倒真想进去看看。但它的左脚还没有整个伸进去,右脚就已经绊住了。它连忙后退了两步,把大海的情形告诉青蛙说:「你看过海吗?海的广大,哪止千里;海的深度,哪只千来丈。古时候,十年有九年大水,海里的水,并不涨了多少;后来,八年里有七年大早,海里的水,也不见得浅了多少。可见大海是不受旱涝影响的。住在那样的大海里,才是真的快乐呢!」
井蛙听了海龟的一番话,吃惊地呆在那里,再没有话可说了。
This article is from http://www.foreignercn.com/index.php/action_viewnews_itemid_8049.html
17 Jul · Tue 2007
Randomly Speaking Out Orpiment
"Orpiment" is a kind of reddish-yellow mineral which was used in ancient times to paint over mistakes one made when writing.
During the Ch'in dynasty, there lived a man named Wang Yan, who was very eloquent. Wang Yan worked for the government, and would often travel from place to place lecturing the affairs of the country. His lectures were very thorough, and he also added in his own opinions, so his audience always understood him, Wang Yan was a very well-known lecture, admired by everyone.
Whenever Wang Yan gave a lecture, he was always at ease and unhurried. If he made a slip of tongue, he would calmly go back and correct himself. Therefore people said that the "had orpiment in his mouth".
People of later generations expanded this idiom. Randomly saying things for which one has no proof is now known as "randomly speaking out orpiment."
信口雌黄
「雌黄」是一种黄红色的矿物。古时候的人写字用黄色的纸,写错了都用雌黄涂抹。
晋朝时候,有一个叫王衍的人,他年轻的时候,口才就很好。后来他在政府机关做事,更是常常引用他读过的「老子」、「庄子」中的道理,到各处讲演,讲国家大事。因为他讲得很详细,又随时加上自己的看法,所以人人都听得懂。在那个时候,他已经是很有名的演说家了,大家都很佩服他。
王衍在很多人面前讲演的时候,总是不慌不忙,有时候把内容讲错了,就很从容地随口改正,于是人们说他是「口中雌黄」。
12 Jul · Thu 2007
中国吃的文化是由来已久,但怎样把中国吃的文化介绍出去,怎样用英文来表达呢。虽然很多人喜欢以拼音来表达,但没吃过中国小吃的老外肯定是不能理解的。还是让我们一块来学习一下吧。
中式早点:
烧饼 Clay oven rolls
油条 Fried bread stick
韭菜盒Fried leek dumplings
水饺 Boiled dumplings
蒸饺 Steamed dumplings
馒头 Steamed buns
割包 Steamed sandwich
饭团 Rice and vegetable roll
蛋饼 Egg cakes
皮蛋 100-year egg
咸鸭蛋Salted duck egg
豆浆 Soybean milk
饭 类:
稀饭 Rice porridge
白饭 Plain white rice
油饭 Glutinous oil rice
糯米饭Glutinous rice
卤肉饭Braised pork rice
蛋炒饭Fried rice with egg
地瓜粥Sweet potato congee
面 类:
馄饨面Wonton & noodles
刀削面Sliced noodles
麻辣面Spicy hot noodles
麻酱面Sesame paste noodles
鴨肉面Duck with noodles
鱔魚面Eel noodles
乌龙面Seafood noodles
榨菜肉丝面Pork , pickled mustard green noodles
牡蛎细面 Oyster thin noodles
板条 Flat noodles
米粉 Rice noodles
炒米粉Fried rice noodles
冬粉 Green bean noodle
汤 类:
鱼丸汤Fish ball soup
貢丸汤Meat ball soup
蛋花汤Egg & vegetable soup
蛤蜊汤Clams soup
牡蛎汤Oyster soup
紫菜汤Seaweed soup
酸辣汤Sweet & sour soup
馄饨汤Wonton soup 、
猪肠汤Pork intestine soup
肉羹汤Pork thick soup
鱿鱼汤Squid soup
花枝羹Squid thick soup
甜 点:
爱玉 Vegetarian gelatin
糖葫芦Tomatoes on sticks
长寿桃Longevity Peaches
芝麻球Glutinous rice sesame balls
麻花 Hemp flowers
双胞胎Horse hooves
冰 类:
绵绵冰Mein mein ice
麦角冰Oatmeal ice
地瓜冰Sweet potato ice
紅豆牛奶冰Red bean with milk ice
八宝冰Eight treasures ice
豆花 Tofu pudding
果 汁:
甘蔗汁Sugar cane juice
酸梅汁Plum juice
杨桃汁Star fruit juice
青草茶Herb juice
点 心:
牡蛎煎Oyster omelet
臭豆腐Stinky tofu (Smelly tofu)
油豆腐Oily bean curd
麻辣豆腐 Spicy hot bean curd
虾片 Prawn cracker
虾球 Shrimp balls
春卷 Spring rolls
蛋卷 Chicken rolls
碗糕 Salty rice pudding
筒仔米糕 Rice tube pudding
红豆糕Red bean cake
绿豆糕Bean paste cake
糯米糕Glutinous rice cakes
萝卜糕Fried white radish patty
芋头糕Taro cake
肉圆 Taiwanese Meatballs
水晶饺Pyramid dumplings
肉丸 Rice-meat dumplings
豆干 Dried tofu
其 他:
当归鸭 Angelica duck
槟榔 Betel nut
火锅 Hot pot
11 Jul · Wed 2007
中国人从古时就有喝粥的习惯,记得看古装电影里经常有大户人家在自家门口煮一大窝粥来给要饭的乞丐和穷人们吃。到现在煮粥的花样百出,用料丰富,推出了很多种不同档次的粥。我喜欢喝粥,特别是鱼片粥,它味道清淡鲜美还十分滋补。记得在电视上看到不少南方人也没事总喜欢在家煲粥煲汤来喝。我知道外国人应该没有什么喝粥的习惯,甚至很多外国人还认为粥的样子很恶心。但我确实也听到不少在中国生活的外国人说他们特别喜欢喝罐装的八宝粥,因为它方便、卫生,口味也不错。
Since ancient times, Chinese have customarily consumed "粥" (pronounced "zhou," meaning 'congee'). Even in old movies, you can often see portrayals of rich families cooking congee in their doorways for beggars and the poor to come eat. Even now, there is an assortment of ways to make congee with many different types of additives and ingredients. The different additives and ingredients create multiple classes of congee of varying quality. My favorite type of congee, especially in the summertime, is cold and sweet, usually consisting of different kinds of nutritious beans, grains, and fruits. The consumption of congee is not common outside of China, so much so that foreigners often see congee and – by its looks alone – believe it to be unappetizing, when in fact (with its multifarious flavors and consistencies) congee has offers something for every person's tastes. Still, most foreigners I have come across who live in China say they love to eat congee, especially the Ba Bao (Eight Treasures) congee that comes in a convenient resealable can with a folding disposable spoon – a convenient, hygienic, easily transportable way to eat a delicious, healthy "on-the-go" snack or meal.
10 Jul · Tue 2007
Beijing Opera
In the Qing Dynasty, huiban ---- opera troupes featuring the tunes of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces and funded by the richest merchants in the city of Huizhou---began to arrive in Beijing. They performed with Opera troupes from Hubei who sang in the Han tunes, and over time they influenced each other. Eventually, Beijing Opera was formed.
Everyone who sees a performance of Chinese opera can grasp what the actor or actress is doing even without understanding the language, because all the movements performed on the stage are created from real life and conform to the respective roles.
In traditional Chinese operas there is a minimum of stage equipment; the time, environment, relations among the roles and characters of the people in the story are all demonstrated through singing, speaking and body movements. For example, there is no door on the stage, but the presence of a door is conveyed quite clearly to the audience when a performer makes the gestures of opening a door, stepping through and closing it again. This type of artistic exaggeration is brought to perfection in the superb martial arts skills of the performers when simulating battles. Stylized patterns of singing, dialogue, acting and acrobatics were gradually formed --- all in coordination with specific musical rhythms.
At the same time, the roles were classified according to the sex, age, personality and social status of each character ---into sheng, dan, jing and chou
This page is from: http://www.mqzy.com/learnchinese/culture/beijing_opera.htm
08 Jul · Sun 2007
Han Chinese clothing, or Hanfu (汉服,literally "Clothing of the Han people") refers to the traditional clothing of the Han Chinese, the predominant ethnic group of China.
According to legend, the first ruler of the Chinese nation and the ancestor of the Chinese people is an immemorial sage king called Huang-Di(the Yellow Emperor). According to traditional reckoning, he unified the North China Plain in 2697 BC. Legends say that under his rule,
Hanfu was regarded by Han Chinese as a very important part of their culture. The wearing of appropriate styles of Hanfu was an important part of courteous refined behaviour. Confucius considered Hanfu a very important part of Chinese ceremony and ritual and many of his quotations contain references to Hanfu.
As its name suggests, Hanfu encompasses all types of traditional clothing worn by the Han Chinese ethnic group. As such, it has a history as long as the history of the Han Chinese people. Hanfu was eliminated by Manchu invaders by force in the 17th century, and is not widely regarded in
Many traditional costumes of Asian countries, such as the kimono in
After the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, Manchu-style dress and the pigtail prevailed but was eventually replaced with modern dress (western style clothing). Today most Han Chinese wear western-style clothing, and Han Chinese clothing is largely unknown.As part of wider revivalist movement in traditional Chinese culture, Hanfu is receiving attention from Hanfu advocates who are campaigning to have it accepted as national costume.
汉服,即中国汉族的传统民族服饰,主要是指约公元前21世纪在至公元17世纪中叶(明末清初)近4000年中,以华夏(汉后又称汉民族)民族文化为基础,通过自然演化而形成的具有独特华夏民族文化风貌性格,区别于其它民族的传统服装的装饰体系;或者说:“汉民族传统服饰(汉服)”是从夏商周时期到明朝,华夏(汉)民族所著的、具有浓郁华夏(汉)民族风格的一系列华夏(汉)民族服饰的总体集合。
汉服的历史和发展
汉服是世界上历史最悠久的民族服饰之一。《史记》载,华夏衣裳为黄帝所制。“黄帝之前,未有衣裳屋宇。及黄帝造屋宇,制衣服,营殡葬,万民故免存亡之难。”(《史记》卷一 五帝本纪 第一)约五千年前,中国在新石器时代的仰韶文化时期,就产生了原始的农业和纺织业,开始用织成的麻布来做衣服,后又发明了饲蚕和丝纺,人们的衣冠服饰日臻完备。黄帝时代冕冠出现,服饰制度逐渐形成。夏商以后,冠服制度初步建立,西周时,逐渐完备。周代后期,由于政治、经济、思想文化都发生了急剧的变化,特别是百家学说对服饰的完善有着一定的影响,诸侯国间的衣冠服饰及风俗习惯上都开始有着明显的不同。并创造深衣。冠服制被纳入了“礼治”的范围,成了礼仪的表现形式,从此中国的衣冠服制更加详备。
汉族的这一服饰制度自周代至明代,三千年来汉人服装的基本特征是没有大的该变。一直三百多年的清初,这一服饰制度才崩溃。1644年明朝灭亡后,清在与南明的战争中,清朝统治者为了达到削弱汉人的民族认同感,以便于维护满洲贵族统治的目的,而大力推行满族发型和满族服装,并以残酷的手段禁止人民穿戴汉族服饰,史称“剃发易服”(“剃发”也作“薙发”)。这使得汉服逐渐消亡。当时孔子的后裔衍圣公孔闻謤上书多尔衮,请求保存孔府家服饰,说:“先圣为典礼之宗……定礼之大要莫于冠服……惟臣家衣冠,三千年来未曾变易……”,遭到多尔衮拒绝。 今天的旗袍、长衫、马褂都是以满族为主体的民族服饰的改良和发展,而非汉族传统的民族服饰。
辛亥革命推翻满洲贵族的统治之后,人们的思想趋于西化,改穿西式服装,没有恢复汉服。但在21世纪初,随着中国国力的发展,人们开始审视自己传统文化中的优秀部分。一些人又重新倡导恢复传统汉服并身着汉服进行推广。对于这些人的行为,社会上有各种不同的看法,详见下面的争议部分。
汉服的特点和样式
汉服的主要特点是交领、右衽,不用扣子,而用绳带系结,给人洒脱飘逸的印象。这些特点都明显有别于其它民族的服饰。汉服有礼服和常服之分。从形制上看,主要有“上衣下裳”制(裳在古代指下裙)、“深衣”制(把上衣下裳缝连起来)、“襦裙”制(襦,即短衣)等类型。其中,上衣下裳的冕服为帝王百官最隆重正式的礼服;袍服(深衣)为百官及士人常服,襦裙则为妇女喜爱的穿著。普通劳动人民一般上身着短衣,下穿长裤。
配饰:
头饰是汉族服饰的重要部分之一。
古代汉族男女成年之后都把头发绾成发髻盘在头上,以笄固定。男子常常戴冠、巾、帽等,形制多样。
女子发髻也可梳成各种式样,并在发髻上佩带珠花、步摇等各种饰物。鬓发两侧饰博鬓,也有戴帷帽、盖头的。、
汉服对中国周边其它民族服饰的影响
和服
在日本的奈良时代,也即中国的盛唐时期,日本派出大量遣唐使到中国学习中国的文化艺术、律令制度,这其中也包括衣冠制度。当时他们还模仿唐制颁布了“衣服令”。至今日本仍把和服称为“吴服”(和服这个词是西方人对日本吴服的称谓,日本人逐渐接受了这个词,但是在日本卖和服的商店,一般称为吴服,少有和服的称谓),意为从中国的吴地(今江浙一带)传来的衣服。初期和服为唐服翻版,之后的盛装十二单的外套华服也被称为“唐衣”(李氏朝鲜礼服外套也称为唐衣,虽然两者已经有了更多的民族特色)。和服虽由汉服发展而来,但经过漫长的历史时期,已经发展岀自己的民族特色。如男服的裤子,江户时期之后女服腰带逐渐增宽到比较大的尺度,腰带鼓节移到后背并发展出种种样式,也是区别和服与汉服的主要标志。和服衣料上的纹饰等往往也具有鲜明的日本民族特色。
越服
越南古称交趾,公元968年,丁部领建立丁朝,开始成为独立的封建王朝,自称“大瞿越国”。在服饰上,尤其是宫廷礼服,国王、大臣的朝服,几乎就是中国汉族王朝宫廷礼服,皇帝、大臣朝服的翻版,试以越南末代国王保大所着之弁冠、兖服来看,与明朝宗藩服饰如出一辙,不过比之明朝皇帝,其造型显得小一号而已,以汉族帝王的正式礼服——冕旒兖服为例,明代皇帝的冕旒是十二旒的,越南是六旒的。满清占据中国之后的两百多年间,与中国南疆山水相连的安南(越南),仍然完好的保存着明式衣冠,从十九世纪末二十世纪初法国殖民者在越南存留下来的许多珍贵照片和大量的历史数据可以明确的反映出这一点,(附图)有一个典型的例子就是,1898年驻云南府(今昆明)的法国领事方苏雅(Auguste Francois 1857.8.20~1935.7.4)所著龙袍的照片,(附图)被许多人误认为是古代皇帝的龙袍或者中国戏曲中的装束,实际上,方苏雅所著之服,乃是安南国王的朝服,从造型看,和明代宗藩、大臣的朝服一般无二。
韩服
唐代时,新罗与唐朝交往甚密,服饰特点几乎与唐朝无异,李氏朝鲜中期之后韩服特别是女服朝高腰襦裙发展,同汉服区别逐渐增大,但官服,朝服,宫廷重要礼服仍一直保留较多汉服制度,并随汉服变化而变化,如唐朝时官员的乌纱幞头的后系带为下垂带样式,新罗官员幞头同为此样式,而明代之后改为展角样式,李朝也改为短展角;如李朝王后大礼服一直都为中国皇后翟衣样式。而现代韩服和汉服的主要不同之处:汉服一般是交领右衽,也有对襟的(V字领),而朝鲜服装的交领发展为小v领;女服裙子束的特别高,而且下摆十分宽大、蓬松。
This passage is from http://www.foreignercn.com/index.php/action_viewnews_itemid_978.html
04 Jul · Wed 2007
Chinese Cheongsam
旗袍
(qi2 pao2)
The cheongsam is a female dress with distinctive Chinese features and enjoys a growing popularity in the international world of high fashion.
The name “cheongsam”, meaning simply “long dress”, entered the English vocabulary from the dialect of China's Guangdong Province (Cantonese). In other parts of the country including Bejing, however, it is known as “qipao”, which has a history behind it.
When the early Manchu rules came to China proper, they organized certain people, mainly Manchus, into “banners” (qi ) and called them “banner people” (qiren ), which then became loosely the name of all Manchus. The Manchu woman wore normally a one-piece dress which, likewise, came to be called “qipao” or “banner dress”. Although the 1911 Revolution toppled the rule of the Qing (Manchu) Dynasty, the female dress survived the political change and, with later improvements, has become the traditional dress for Chinese women.
Easy to slip on and comfortable to wear, the cheongsam fits well the female Chinese figure. Its neck is high, collar closed, and its sleeves may be either short, medium or full-length, depending on season and taste. The dress is buttoned on the right side, with a loose chest, a fitting waist, and slits up from the sides, all of which combine to set off the beauty of the female shape.
The cheongsam is not too complicated to make. Nor does it call for too much material, for there are no accessories like belts, scarves, sashes or frills to go with it.
Another beauty of the cheongsam is that, made of different materials and to varying lengths, they can be worn either on casual or formal occasions. In either case, it creates an impression of simple and quiet charm, elegance and neatness. Not only of China but also foreign countries No wonder it is so much liked by woman as well.
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