英语畅谈中国文化

“

品

”

。

Firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and tea are the seven daily necessities.

The purpose of tea and food is totally different though.

People eat to fill their

stomach, while tea-drinking can help a person achieve an elevated state of mind.

Tea-drinking

is

said

to

have

originated

with

the

advent

of

Buddhism.

Monks

drank

tea

to

keep

themselves

awake

and

help

their

concentration.

Ordinary

people were tempted by the tranquility of the monasteries and began to imitate

the

monks.

So

tea-drinking

is

considered

an

elegant

pastime.

In

classical

novels, the word used to illustrate tea-drinking from a big cup to quench one

’

s

thirst is < /p>

“

drink

”

.

Scholars would use fine cups to drink tea and the word to use

is

“

savour

”

.

B.

喝茶是一种很讲究格调的消遣。首先是环境。古人在竹间月下品茶论道。如

今 格调被商业化了。人们在装修豪华的茶馆谈生意，真是大异其趣。茶不仅有

经济功能，还 有社会功能。平民百姓常常光顾小茶馆打牌，闲谈。格调当然谈

不上，气氛却是轻松随意 ，多了几份趣味。

Tea

drinking

is

a

very

sophisticated

pastime.

It

starts

with

the

environment.

Ancient scholars enjoyed themselves by savouring tea among bamboos or in the

moonlight.

It

is

commercialized

now.

People

talk

business

in

expensively

decorated tea houses.

Tea, not only serves economical purposes, but also social

purposes as well.

Ordinary people go to the inexpensive tea houses where they

can play games or simply chat with friends.

Although such tea houses may not

look elegant, they certainly have a relaxed atmosphere and are good fun.

C.

古人用铁壶烧水，用纸袋装茶，用瓷杯或陶器饮茶。茶大 概分为这样几种：

红茶，绿茶，乌龙茶和普洱茶。人们认为绿茶有延年益寿和抗癌的作用 ，红茶

有暖胃的作用，普洱茶可以减肥和降血压。茶搭配奶和糖的饮用方式，比如台

湾芋头味珍珠奶茶，在中国城市的年轻人中很流行。

In the old days, people used iron kettles to boil water, Tea was placed in a paper

bag.

Porcelain

tea

sets

or

Yixing

tea

pots

were

used

for

drinking.

Tea

has

several categories: red tea, green tea, Wulong tea and Pu

’

er tea.

People think

green

tea

is

good

for

longevity,

and

combating

cancer,

red

tea

for

keeping

the

stomach

warm

and

that

Pu

’

er

tea

can

help

them

lose

weight

and

control

their

blood pressure.

Tea with milk and sugar, like Taiwan milk tea with chewy balls

of taro flour, has been popular among young, urban Chinese.

3.

Philosophical significance of Chinese medicine

中医的哲理内涵

A.

中医是不是科学有待论证，但中 医有着深厚的哲学内涵却毋庸置疑。中医通

常从宏观角度认识问题，强调整体性和辩证施 治。中医通过望闻问切来诊病，

西医注重症状，如体温和化验结果。中医通过看人的气色 ，舌质等外部症状来

分析脏器病变，并选用天然药物或针灸等疗法，西医多用化学合成药 物或手术。

Although

it

is

debatable

whether

Chinese

medicine

is

scientifically

sound,

you

can

not

deny

that

it

has

rich

philosophical

significance.

Usually

a

Chinese

medicine

practitioner

approaches

the

illness

from

a

broader

perspective,

emphasizing

its

entirety

and

dialectical

implications.

A

Chinese

doctor

examines

his

patient

by

using

methods

like

observing,

smelling,

asking

and

feeling.

His western counterpart relies on symptoms like body temperature and

lab tests.

The Chinese doctor determines the problems of the patient

’

s internal

organs by inference through observing various exterior signs, such as complexion

or

the

tongue.

He

relies

on

herbal

medicines

and

acupuncture

for

treatment,

while a western doctor uses chemical-based medicine and surgery.

B.

根据古代理论，身体是个有机 的整体。如果一个部位出现问题，整个身体状

况都会失去平衡，人就会生病。针对疾病的 药物治疗，其目的就是使人体达到

平衡。人们相信治疗疾病有三个步骤。第一是药膳，第 二是引导，即身体的运

动，第三才是药剂。这是在前两种办法都不奏效的情况下才会采用 的最终方式。

According to ancient theory, the body is an organic whole.

If any part of it does

not work properly within the overall regime, the body becomes unbalanced and

the person falls

sick.

Medical remedies opposite in nature to

the illness

being

treated

should

be

prescribed

in

order

to

return

the

body

to

a

balanced

state.

The Chinese believed that treatment of any disease consists of three stages.

The

first

is

medical

food,

the

second

physical

exercises.

The

third,

drugs,

were

considered a last resort if the first two failed.

C.

医 食同源，日常的饮食也有药用价值。饮食有五味：酸苦甜辣咸，也有四种

特性：寒热温凉 。五味决定着食物或药物对于机体的疗效。比如，辣味可以促

进循环，使重要的能量“气 ”得以发挥。苦味能够通塞，促进肠胃的蠕动。酸

性的食物能够积累能量，而咸味的食物 能够缓解压力。食物的四种特性通过对

相反性态的抑制起到治疗的作用。

Medicine and food share the same origins, which is why an everyday meal can

also

be

of

medicinal

value.

The

recommended

dietary

regime

comprises

five

tastes: sour, bitter, sweet, pungent and salty, and four natures: cold, hot, warm

and

cool.

The

five

tastes

determine

how

a

food

or

drug

affects

the

organism.

For example, pungent food promotes circulation and evaporation of vital energy

qi.

Bitter

tasting

food

opens

blocked

centers

and

promotes

healthy

bowel

movement.

Eating sour dishes accumulates and concentrates vital energy, and

salty

food

alleviates

all

feeling

of

heaviness.

The

four

natures

are

effective

in

treating disease through being opposite in nature to them.

4.

Chinese Hospitality

中国人的待客之道

A.

到中国人家里做客总感觉他们招待得很隆重。女儿请客， 父亲作为主人，在

饭桌上几乎没吃什么，只是隔一会儿就劝酒。母亲一直在厨房里忙着， 不加入

我们。这是老礼数。小孩子被赶到邻居家，以便客人吃得尽兴。有些人家则逼

着孩子给客人唱歌或背诗。上一大桌菜，还说，

“没什么东西，凑合 着吃吧。

”

I always feel

spoiled to be a guest in a Chinese household: It is

the daughter

’

s

treat.

Her father, as a host, did not eat

much but was constantly proposing a

toast.

Her

mother was busy

cooking in the kitchen without joining us.

That

was an old tradition.

The kids are sent to the neighbors so the guests can have a

peaceful

meal.

Some

hosts

instead

force

their

children

to

perform

a

song

or

recite a poem.

Even though they prepared a sumptuous meal, the hosts would

still say,

“

We don

’

t have much, so please bear with us.

”

B.

这就是中国人的待客之道：把最好的东西拿出来招待客人 。西方待客的目的

是交流而非表现待客的热情。中国人待人热情的目的通常是为了表现自 己懂礼

节，而非想使客人满意。主人执意为客人布菜而不管你是否爱吃，因为他至少

树立了待客有礼的形象。现在情况不同了。更多人喜欢自在随意而非刻意礼貌。

That is Chinese hospitality.

People want to bring out their best food to welcome

the

guests.

Westerners

want

to

socialize

with

the

guests

rather

than

simply

showing hospitality.

Chinese hospitality is meant to show the politeness of the

host rather than keeping the guests happy.

The host may insist on putting food

on your plate, despite the fact that you may not like certain food.

At least the

host gives the impression that he is very hospitable.

Things are different now.

More

and

more

people

prefer

a

relaxed

atmosphere

rather

than

showing

hospitality just for the sake of it.

C.

< br>在餐厅，中国消费者会点一大堆食物。他们贪吃吗？不。这是因为

“

好面子

”

的价值观。请客人外出吃饭并不简单地被看 做

“

一起吃顿饭

”

，而是为了加强友

好关系和做生意。一次宴请因此被看做是一项大投资。这种现象背 后的原因很

简单，主人觉得如果一餐结束时所有的菜被吃光了，客人会以为主人很吝啬。

At

a

restaurant,

Chinese

customers

would

order

too

much

food.

Are

they

greedy?

No.

It

is

because

the

Chinese

attach

a

lot

value

to

the

concept

of

“keeping face”.

When inviting guests and friends out to dinner, the Chinese do

not view it simply as “dining together”, but to strengthen friendly ties and to do

business.

A

big

banquet

is

therefore

considered

a

good

investment.

The

reason behind the phenomenon is simple: the hosts take it for granted that if all

the food is gone at the end of the meal, their guests might think they were stingy.

5.

A Hectic Holiday

忙碌的长假

A.

中国人每年有

2

次长假，十一和春节，每次假期

7

天。但越是长假，< /p>

人们就

越忙碌，特别是交通部门，旅游 和服务行业。回家是春节长假的一个任务。每

个家庭都想团聚。独生子女们要为去谁的父 母家过节发生争执。他们往往达成

妥协，在双方家里各呆几天，因此年轻夫妻不得不花很 多时间在路上奔波。

China has two long holidays, each extending over a week. They are National Day

and

Spring

Festival.

But

the

longer

the

holidays,

the

busier

the

people

are,

especially

those

in

traffic

management,

tourism

and

the

service

industries.

Going home is almost an obligation during Spring Festival.

Every family wants

to have a reunion. Many young couples who are the only child of their respective

families

will

argue

about

whose

parents

they

should

spend

the

holiday

with.

More

often

than

not,

they

would

reach

a

compromise

by

spending

a

few

days

with

each

family.

In

this

case,

the

young

couples

may

have

to

spend

a

lot

of

time on the road.

B.

改革开放使国人有更多可支配收入。国庆人们纷纷出国旅 行。不像美国旅客

在度假胜地住上几日，中国游客喜欢购物并在旅游景点照相。多数游客 并非为

自己购物，而是为亲戚，家人和同事买纪念品。中国游客喜欢与朋友分享海外

旅游的喜悦。拍照也是同样道理，照片是向人们炫耀自己去过很多地方的依据。

Thanks to economic reforms, Chinese people have more disposable income now.

They like to go sightseeing overseas on National Holidays.

Unlike the American

tourists

who

usually

spend

their

holidays

at

a

resort

for

days

on

end,

Chinese

tourist

prefer

shopping

and

taking

pictures

of

the

well-known

scenic

spots.

Many

people

buy

right

souvenirs

at

affordable

prices

for

relatives,,

family

members and colleagues rather than shopping for themselves.

Chinese people

like

to

share

the

joy

of

overseas

travel

with

friends.

The

same

is

true

with

taking pictures.

Photographs

are proof to show others that they have been to

may places.

C.

有人说中国人工作时像玩，玩 时像工作。黄金周期间基本上还是这种情况。

许多人仍然不知道如何休假。忙里偷闲的意 思是，休闲是偷来的，而不是应该

的。飞速发展的经济引发了中国的旅游热潮。