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Unit 1 Chinese Humanism
1. To understand the Chinese ideal of life one must try to understand Chinese humanism. The term 'humanism' is ambiguous. Chinese humanism, however, has a very definite meaning. It implies, first a just conception of the ends of human life; secondly, a complete devotion to these ends; and the thirdly, the attainment of these ends by the spirit of human reasonableness or the Doctrine of the Golden Mean, Which may also be called the Religion of common sense.
要了解中国人的人生理想，就必须先了解中国的人文主义。“人文主义”这个词含义模糊含混，然而中国的人文主义却有它明确的界说。它的意思是：第一，对人生目的的确切认识；第二，为实现这一目的而行动；第三，实现的方式是心平气和，即中庸之道，也可称作“庸见的崇拜”。
2.The question of the meaning of life has perplexed Western philosophers, and it has never been solved- naturally, when one starts out from the technological point of view, according to which all things, including mosquitoes and typhoid germs, are created for the good of this cocksure humanity. As there is usually too much pain and misery in this life to allow a perfect answer to satisfy man's pride, teleology is therefore carried over to the next life, and this earthly life is then looked upon as a preparation for the life hereafter, in conformity with the logic of
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Socrates, which looked upon a ferocious wife as a natural provision for the training of the husband's character. This way of dodging the homes of the dilemma sometimes gives peace of mind for a moment, but then the eternal question, “what is the meaning of life?” comes back. Others, like Nietzsche, take the bull by the horns and refuse to assume that life must have a meaning and believe that progress is in a circle, and human achievements are a savage dance, instead of a trip to the market, but still the question comes back eternally, like the sea waves lapping upon the shore: “what is the meaning of the life?”
人生的意义是什么，这个问题一直使西方哲学家备受困惑。他们从目的论出发，认为包括蚊子乃至伤寒菌在内的万事万物，都是为这个自负的人类的利益而存在的。如此这般，人生的意义就从来没有揭示出来过。今生今世自有百般磨难，因而自傲的人类始终无法事事如意。于是目的论又转向来生来世，把今生的世俗生活看作为来世所进行的准备。这与苏格拉底的逻辑恰好符合，即认为一个凶悍的妻子对她丈夫的性格锤炼来说，是一种天然的恩赐。以此躲避人生的难题固然可以使人暂时心平气和，但问题仍旧没有答案：“人生的意义何在？”另外有一些人，像尼采那样知难而上，否认人生“必须”有什么意义，认为人类的进步不过是一种循环，一种野蛮人的舞蹈，而不是去市场采购，所以没有什么特殊的含义。然而问题还是没能解决，它就像海浪一样不断冲击着堤岸：“人生的意义究竟何在？”
3. The Chinese humanists believe they have found the true end of life and are conscious of it. For the Chinese the end of life lies not in life after death, for the idea that we live in order to die, as taught by Christianity, is incomprehensible; nor in Nirvana, for that is too vainglorious; nor yet in progress for progress’s sake, for that is meaningless. The true end, the Chinese have decided in a singularly clear manner, lies in the
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enjoyment of a simple life especially the family life, and in harmonious social relationships. The first poem that a children learns in school runs:
While soft clouds by warm breezes are wafted in the moon, Lured by flowers, past the river I roam on and on. They’ll say “look at the old man in the spree!” And know not that my sprit’s on happiness borne.
中国的人文主义者认为自己找到了人生的真谛，并时时意识到这一点。在中国人看来，人生在世并非为了死后的来生，对于基督教所谓此生为来世的观点，他们大惑不解，他们进而认为：佛教所谓升入涅槃境界，过于玄虚；为了获得成功的欢乐而奋斗，纯属虚荣；为了进步而去进步，则是毫无意义。 中国人明确认为：人生的真谛在于享受淳朴的生活，尤其是家庭生活的欢乐和社会诸关系的和睦，儿童入学伊始，第一首诗便是：云淡风轻近午天，傍花随柳过前川。时人不识余心乐，将谓偷闲学少年。
4. That represents to Chinese, not just a pleasant poetic mood but the summer bonum of life. The Chinese ideal of life is drunk through with this sentiment. It is an ideal of life that is neither particularly ambitious nor metaphysical, but nevertheless immensely real. It is, I must say, a brilliantly simple idea, so brilliantly simple that only the mater-of-fact Chinese mind could have conceived it, and yet one often wonders how the West could have failed to see that the meaning of lies in the sane and healthy enjoyment of it. The difference between China and West seems to be that the westerners have a greater capacity for getting and making more things and a lesser ability to enjoy them, while the Chinese have a greater determination and
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