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牛津新教材选修三 Unit3 Reading
Chinese characters: foundation of a remarkable writing system
汉字: 非凡书写系统的基础
In the year 1899, some mystical symbols carved on oracle bones attracted the attention of a scholar in Beijing. That was when people first began to realize the significance of these beautiful inscriptions. Since then, the mystery surrounding the origin of Chinese characters, the foundation of a remarkable writing system, has started to be revealed.
1899 年，甲骨文上的一些神秘符号引起了北京一位学者的注意。从那时起， 人们开始意识到这些美丽的铭文的重要性。从那时起，围绕着汉字起源的谜团开始被揭开，汉字是一种非凡的书写系统的基础。
1. mystical adj.神秘的；神秘主义的
adv. mystically神秘地
mysteriously神秘地；故弄玄虚地；难以理解地
adj. mysterious神秘的；不可思议的；难解的
1).difficult to understand or explain; strange神秘的；奇怪的；不易解释的
2). ( especially of people尤指人 ) strange and interesting because you do not know much about them神秘的；陌生的
3) ( of people人 ) not saying much about sth, especially when other people want to know more诡秘的；故弄玄虚的
?He was being very mysterious about where he was going.他十分诡秘，闭口不谈他要去哪里。
mystical
1). having spiritual powers or qualities that are difficult to understand or to explain神秘的；不可思议的；难以解释的
? mystical forces/powers 神秘的力量╱能力
2).connected with mysticism潜修的；神秘主义的
n. mystery神秘，秘密；奥秘；神秘的事物
vt. mystify 使神秘化；使迷惑，使困惑
2. inscription n.题词；铭文；刻印
scribe n.抄写员；作家；划线器 v.写下，记下；用划线器划
scribble v.潦草地写，匆匆地写；乱涂，乱画
n.潦草的书写（或字迹），匆忙完成的文章；胡写乱画的东西，涂鸦
describe v. 描述；形容；把…称为; 做…运动；画出…图形；形成…形状
subscribe v.订阅，订购；定期缴纳会员费; 定期捐款赞助；认购（股票）；赞成，同意；〈正式〉签署（遗嘱、合同或其他文件）；申请，注册，报名；购买（一系列演出的）联票
prescribe v.给……开（药），让……采用（疗法）；开处方；规定，命令；制定规定；推荐，推举
These oracle bone inscriptions, the earliest form of Chinese characters ever found to this day, are clear proof that the history of the Chinese writing system stretches back about 3,500 years. The inscriptions are highly complex, suggesting that earlier forms are yet to be discovered. All we have at the moment, however, is the legend of Cang Jie, who is said to have invented the first characters about 5,000 years ago. Legend has it that he saw animal tracks in the ground, and began drawing pictures of objects in nature, such as the moon, the sun and the trees.
这些甲骨文是迄今为止发现的最早的汉字形式，清楚地证明了中国文字系统的历史可以追溯到大约 3500 年前。这些铭文非常复杂，表明早期的形式尚未被
发现。然而，目前我们所掌握的只有仓颉的传说，据说是他在大约 5000 年前发明了第一批汉字。传说他在地上看到了动物的足迹，并开始画自然界的物体，如月亮、太阳和树木。
to this day直到现在，一直持续到今天
stretch back回溯到
be yet to do尚未
be said to have done据说...做了...
be said to be doing据说正在进行
be said to do sth据说...要做...
Not surprisingly, the earliest Chinese characters were the fruits of our ancestors' careful observation and striking imagination. The Chinese character shan, for example, is simply a drawing of a mountain. However, our ancestors found not everything was convenient to draw as a concrete image, so another way of forming Chinese characters was developed to represent abstract concepts. Some characters were created by adding symbols like a dot or a line to an existing pictographic ( adj.象形文字的，绘画文字的) character to indicate things. For instance, the characters shang and xia indicate things on top of and below a line. Gradually, these characters were far from enough to describe the colourful and diverse world, so a new way of forming characters was developed by putting together different characters to indicate a new meaning. An example of this is the character ming, which combines ri for “sun" and yue for "moon" to express the meaning of being bright. These types of characters indicate meaning, but they do not provide clues about their pronunciation. Another group of characters were created by combining meaning and pronunciation. In hu,the Chinese character for “lake”, for instance, the left part indicates the meaning and the right part the pronunciation. This method made it easier to create new characters, so most Chinese characters today belong to this group.
毫不奇怪，最早的汉字是我们祖先细心观察和惊人想象的结果。例如，汉字“山”就是简单地画一座山。然而，我们的祖先发现并不是所有的东西都能方便地用具体的图形来画出来，所以发展出了另一种汉字的写法来表示抽象的概念。有
些汉字是通过在已有的象形文字上添加点或线等符号来表示事物而产生的。例如，
“上”和“下”两个字表示的是线上下的东西。渐渐地，这些汉字远远不足以描述丰
富多彩的世界，于是一种新的构字方式被发展出来了，即把不同的汉字组合在一起来表示一个新的含义。其中一个例子就是汉字“明”，它将“日”和“月”结合起来， 以表达光明的含义。这些类型的字符表示意义，但它们不能提供关于其读音的线索。另一组汉字是通过结合意义和发音创造出来的。例如，在汉字“湖”中，左边表示意思，右边表示发音。这种方法使得创造新字符更加容易，所以今天的大多数汉字都属于这一类。
far from (being) ?离……要求相差很远, 远离，远非
Far from being a dreamer, she's a level-headed pragmatist.她是个冷静理智的实用主义者，远非一个空想家。
The job is far from easy. 这份工作一点也不容易。
far from satisfactory远不能令人满意
far from perfect 不完美, 远非完善
far from successful. 远没有成功
Since their creation, Chinese characters have been evolving consistently, increasing in practical value as a communicative tool. About 1,000 years after the oracle bone inscriptions were used during the Shang Dynasty, Qinshihuang unified China and Xiaozhuan was made the official writing style of the Qin Dynasty. Then Lishu became a mainstream style of writing in the Han Dynasty. The evolution from Xiaozhuan to Lishu marked a revolutionary transformation from ancient characters into modern characters. Another milestone in the evolution of the style of Chinese characters was Kaishu, which reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty. It became popular for its ease of use, and eventually progressed into what we now consider to be the standard script. Apart from changes in writing style, Chinese characters have been simplified so that they can be used more easily by the masses. Even in modern times, there have been attempts to simplify Chinese characters. One far-reaching change took place in the 1950s, when the Chinese government simplified and standardized Chinese characters, promoting mass literacy.
汉字自诞生以来，一直在不断演变，作为一种交际工具的实用价值不断增加。在商朝使用甲骨文约 1000 年后，秦始皇统一了中国，小篆成为秦朝的官方书写形式。隶书在汉代成为一种主流文体。小篆到隶书的演变标志着古代文字向现代文字的革命性转变。汉字体裁发展的另一个里程碑是楷书，它在唐代达到了顶峰。它因易于使用而流行起来，并最终发展成我们现在所认为的标准脚本。除了书写风格的改变外，汉字也简化了，以便大众更容易使用。即使在现代，也有人试图简化汉字。一个影响深远的变化发生在 20 世纪 50 年代，当时中国政府简化和规范了汉字，促进了大众识字。
1. progress into逐渐发展成为
make progress in 在...方面取得进步
2. 后缀-ify、-fy。
字母y作元音读[a?]或[?]。当y在两个音节以上的单词末尾都读[?]，只有在-fy中读[a?]。
-ify、-fy功相同， 是常见的动词后缀，意为“使……；使成为……；使……化”。通常加在名词或形容词后构成动词，表达“使某物具有该词根所表示的性质或状态”。
1）simplify [?s?mpl?fa?] v. 简化 2）amplify [??mpl?fa?] v. 放大；增强
3）clarify [?kl?r?fa?] v. 澄清；阐明 4）classify [?kl?s?fa?] v. 分类；归类
5）intensify [?n?tens?fa?] v. 加强；加剧 6）justify [?d??st?fa?] v. 证明……合理
7）modify [?m?d?fa?] v. 修改；变更 8）notify [?n??t?fa?] v. 通知；告知
9）purify [?pj??r?fa?] v. 净化；提纯 10）qualify [?kw?l?fa?] v. （使）具备资格
11）solidify [s??l?d?fa?] v. （使）凝固；巩固 12）terrify [?ter?fa?] v. 使恐惧；恐吓
13）vivify [?v?v?fa?] v. 使生动；使活泼 14）beautify 使美丽，美化
15. uglify vt.把…弄成难看；将…丑化；糟蹋
16) satisfy [?s?t?sfa?] v. 使满意，使高兴
Alongside its evolution, Chinese characters have sustained the Chinese civilization over thousands of years. Thanks to Chinese characters,stories of our ancestors have been passed down in a form that remains accessible to us today, and the glorious history of our country has been preserved. Moreover, Chinese characters have greatly influenced the writing systems in many other Asian countries such as Japan and Vietnam, forming the “Chinese character cultural sphere” “汉字文化圈”. For instance, it was only after Chinese characters spread to Japan that the Japanese writing system started to be developed. With the spread of Chinese characters, educated people in these countries carefully studied Chinese literary and philosophical texts哲学文本, such as the works of the Tang Dynasty poets and The Analects /??n?lekts/《论语》 of Confucius, and learnt the art of Chinese calligraphy /k??l?ɡr?fi/ 书法，书法艺术. As we can see, Chinese characters hold the key to promoting the transmission of Chinese culture.
汉字在发展的同时，也延续了中华文明几千年。多亏了汉字，我们祖先的故事得以流传至今，我们国家的辉煌历史得以保存。此外，汉字还极大地影响了日
本、越南等许多亚洲国家的书写系统，形成了“汉字文化圈”。例如，只有在汉字传到日本之后，日本的书写系统才开始发展。随着汉字的普及，这些国家受过教育的人认真研究中国的文学和哲学文本，如唐代诗人的作品和《论语》，并学习中国书法艺术。我们可以看到，汉字是促进中国文化传播的关键。
1. alongside prep.在……旁边；沿着……的边；与……一起，与……并肩（工作）；与……相比；与……同等重要的；同时，共存
adv.在旁边
2. sphere n.（活动、兴趣、专业知识的）范围，领域；球体，球，球形；社会阶层；势力范围；<文>苍穹，天，天空；<文>天体；天体外壳；地球仪
vt.使……成球形；包围；放入球内
3. hold the key to是……的关键
According to the famous writer Yu Guangzhong, ever since Chinese characters were born in ancient times, the memories and hopes of our ancestors have been well placed in them. Indeed, Chinese characters provide an unbreakable link to our nation's past and connect us to our ancestors. Every time we read or write Chinese characters, the whispers of our ancestors travel through time and space, and bring with them the stories of human civilization.
bring sth. with sb.
著名作家余光中曾说过，从古代汉字诞生之日起，我们祖先的记忆和希望就在汉字里。的确，汉字为我们的民族历史提供了一个牢不可破的纽带，把我们和我们的祖先联系在一起。每当我们阅读或书写汉字时，祖先的低语就会穿越时空， 带来人类文明的故事。
Extended reading
Confucius's philosophy:a moral inspiration 孔子的哲学:道德的启迪
On 28 September, a large number of people gather in Qufu, Shandong Province, to celebrate the birthday of Confucius. On this day, people honour the memory of Confucius and celebrate the unique legacy he left to mankind. Although he lived more than 2,500 years ago, the great philosopher and educator has made a major contribution to human civilization.
9 月 28 日，许多人聚集在山东曲阜，庆祝孔子的诞辰。在这一天，人们缅
怀孔子，颂扬他给人类留下的独特遗产。尽管他生活在 2500 多年前，但这位伟大的哲学家和教育家对人类文明做出了重大贡献。
Confucius lived in the Spring and Autumn period, from about 551 BCE to 479 BCE. He founded the philosophical school of Confucianism, established private schools, and edited a number of classical works. Accompanied by some of his loyal students, he spent 14 years of his life travelling from state to state, spreading his ideas and discussing philosophical questions. Although Confucius failed to receive the recognition he deserved during his lifetime, his teachings have survived through the ages, for the benefit of later generations.
孔子生活在春秋时期，大约从公元前 551 年到公元前 479 年。他创立了儒家哲学学派，建立了私立学校，并编辑了许多经典著作。在一些忠实的学生的陪伴下，他花了 14 年的时间游历各州，传播他的思想，讨论哲学问题。尽管孔子在世时没有得到应有的认可，但他的学说却流传千古，造福后人。
After his death, his sayings were recorded and compiled by his students into a book called The Analects /??n?lekts/ 《论语》of Confucius, which summarized the philosopher's thoughts on different subjects such as morality, politics and education. At the core of his thinking are the three key concepts of Ren, Yi and Li, which are all connected to our relationship with other people. Ren is generally defined as “benevolence” 慈善，仁慈 /b??nev?l?ns/, which means loving people. Confucius emphasized that love should begin with the love of one's parents. He said, “Children should not travel far when their parents are alive.” This kind of love is then expanded into the love of all people. Yi can be translated as "righteousness” /?ra?t??sn?s/ 正义；正直；公正；正当, that is, doing what one ought to do. Confucius believed that a gentleman “thinks of righteousness in the face of gain” . Li refers to "ritual" /?r?t?u?l/ 仪式，典礼；习惯，例行公事 in social life. It is about behaving in the most appropriate way in any given situation, based on social customs and one's relationship with other people involved.
孔子去世后，他的语录被他的学生们记录下来，编成了一本名为《论语》的书，总结了这位哲学家在道德、政治和教育等不同领域的思想。他思想的核心是仁、义、礼三个关键概念，这三个概念都与我们与他人的关系有关。仁通常被定义为“仁爱”，意思是爱人。孔子强调爱应该从爱父母开始。他说:“父母在世时， 孩子不应该远行。”这种爱便扩展为对所有人的爱。义可以翻译为“正义”，也就是做自己应该做的事。孔子认为君子“见利而思义”。礼指的是社会生活中的“仪式”。它是关于在任何特定的情况下，根据社会习俗和个人与他人的关系，以最适当的方式行事。
The philosophy of Confucius can provide us with valuable moral guidance on how to develop ourselves as individuals, how to work for the common good, and how to build and maintain harmonious relationships with others. Confucius's golden principle, “Do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you”, still holds true for people in modern times. When interacting with others, people should put themselves in the other person's position, regarding it as a code of conduct to live harmoniously with others. Furthermore, a core concept in the philosophy of Confucius that has greatly influenced Chinese people's moral values is that the public good comes before personal interest. People who shoulder great responsibility in pursuit of the common good and selflessly put the interests of others before their own are greatly admired and held up as role models. It is also worth noting that Confucius focused on the conventions of ritual and etiquette/?et?k?t/ 礼俗, which have deeply influenced how people play their multiple ritual roles. For example, students should honour their teachers, and children should show respect for their elders. By observing such social norms, each individual can get a clearer idea of how to balance their various roles and relationships within their family and in society at large（（囚犯）在逃, 逍遥法外, 一般说来, 详细地）.
孔子的哲学可以为我们提供宝贵的道德指导，如何发展自己作为个人，如何为公共利益工作，以及如何建立和保持与他人的和谐关系。孔子的金科玉律“己所不欲，勿施于人”，在现代仍然适用。在与人交往时，要设身处地地为他人着想，把与人和谐相处作为一种行为准则。此外，孔子哲学的一个核心概念是公共利益高于个人利益，这极大地影响了中国人的道德价值观。那些肩负重大责任， 追求公共利益，无私地把他人的利益放在自己的利益之前的人，受到极大的钦佩和树立为榜样。同样值得注意的是，孔子关注的是礼俗，这些礼俗深刻地影响了人们如何扮演自己的多重仪式角色。例如，学生应该尊敬他们的老师，孩子应该尊敬他们的长辈。通过遵守这样的社会规范，每个人都可以更清楚地知道如何平衡他们在家庭和整个社会中的各种角色和关系。
（承上启下）Beyond the moral principles for personal behaviour, Confucian thoughts also provide guidance on how to manage a nation's domestic and foreign affairs in today's complex, ever-changing world. The Confucian concept, “harmony is most precious", with its focus on maintaining social order, stability and harmony within society, has since ancient times played an important role in Chinese political thought. The idea of preserving “harmony without uniformity" has also long been considered important in China. This way of embracing differences is evident in China's approach to other cultures, which is characterized by appreciation, inclusiveness and the spirit of mutual learning, with the aim of safeguarding the diversity of world civilizations. The Confucian idea of actively striving for the common good can also be seen in how China cooperates with other countries to build a human community with a shared future.
除了个人行为的道德准则之外，儒家思想还为如何在当今复杂多变的世界中管理国家的内政和外交事务提供了指导。儒家“和为贵”的思想，注重维护社会秩序、社会稳定和社会和谐，自古以来就在中国政治思想中占有重要地位。“和而不同”的思想在中国也一直被认为很重要。这种包容差异的方式体现在中国对待其他文化的态度上，体现在欣赏、包容、互鉴的精神上，目的是维护世界文明的多样性。中国与世界各国携手构建人类命运共同体，也体现了儒家积极为公为利的思想。
All in all, Confucius was one of the most influential thinkers in world history. His ideas have not only had a far-reaching impact on the development of Chinese civilization, but will also continue to inspire people both at home and abroad.
总之，孔子是世界历史上最有影响力的思想家之一。他的思想不仅对中华文明的发展产生了深远的影响，而且还将继续启迪着国内外的人们。

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