世界观：中西不同 Worldview: East and West See Different Views

世界观可以说是包含了那些就界定而言，不能在逻辑上被证明的基本信念与自明之理。

在西方，到了柏拉图与亚里士多德以后，所谓的‘两个世界’的世界观已经垄断了古典希腊的思想。西方思想家主要关心的是如何发现与分别实在世界与变化世界。他们寻找那些克服起初的混乱后获得统一、秩序、改变世界的设计的永恒不变的第一原理。他们寻找变化后面的‘实在’构造，一旦明了这些构造之后，生命就会可以预测与有保障。这些‘实在’构造有各种名称，如柏拉图理念、天神法规、自然律法、道德律法、天主，等等。

人类横跨两个世界，灵魂属于高级的、有原创力的、持久永恒的世界，而身体属于现象世界。灵魂通过理性与启示接触‘实在’，所以能获得知识。被假定为‘单一秩序世界’的基本宇宙秩序通过发掘后，宇宙变成可被人类认识与预测。

另一方面，华人世界观可说是‘单一世界’观，只有一个连贯的与具体的世界。这个世界是我们所有经验的源头与所在地。它肯定的有活力、自动产生、自我组织，也是活生生的。

在华人传统思维里，所谓的独立的秩序创造者与其建立的秩序之间是没有分别的。世界与世界任何时刻的秩序都是自我造化，自发的自然。（自然就是自己如此。）真、美、善作为标准并不是‘给定’的，而是历史的演变、我们所为、文化的产物。

因此孔子说：‘人能弘道，非道弘人。’

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A worldview can be considered as comprising a number of basic beliefs and axioms which cannot, by definition, be proven in the logical sense.

In the West, by the time of Plato and Aristotle, the worldview that had come to dominate classical Greek thinking is the so-called Two-world theory. The main concern of the Western thinkers is to discover and distinguish the world of reality from the world of change. They look for permanent and unchanging first principle that has overcome initial chaos to give unity, order, and design to changing world. They seek the ‘real’ structure behind change that when understood, made life predictable and secure. This ‘real’ structure is called variously Plato Ideas, divine law, natural law, moral principle, God, etc.

The human being straddles the two worlds, with the soul belonging to the higher, originative, and enduring permanent world and the body belonging to the realm of appearance. The soul has access to the ‘reality’ through reason and revelation, and thus can make claim to knowledge. It is through the discovery of the underlying cosmic order which is assumed to be a ‘single-ordered world’, that the universe becomes intelligible and predictable for the human being.

On the other hand, the Chinese worldview can be known as One-world view that there is one continues and concrete world. The world is the source and locus of all our experience. It is resolutely dynamic, auto-generative, self-organizing and alive.

In the Chinese traditional thinking, there is no final distinction between some independent source of order and what it orders. The world and its order at any particular time are self-causing – spontaneously ‘so-of-itself’ (natural, ziran). Truth, beauty, and goodness as standards of order are not ‘givens’ as much as they are historically emergent, something done, a cultural product.

It is for this reason Confucius said, ‘It is human beings who extend order in the world, not order that extends human beings.

朱庆徐：画眉深浅入时无？ Zhu Qingyu: Have I Painted My Brows with Fashionable Grace?

在古代，写诗一般是为了给读者提供一个意见，或者希望别人给予意见；经常，这些读者不是皇帝，就是地位高而又影响力的官员。所以，我们必须先了解这些诗的背景才能全面了解其所隐藏的意思。

唐代学者朱庆余就在科举考试前给一个高官写了一首诗：

洞房昨夜停红烛，待晓堂前拜舅姑。

妆罢低声问夫婿，画眉深浅入时无？

在唐朝，考生在考前向右地位的人探听自己能考上的机会是平常的事。一般是呈上自己的文章。上面这首诗就是这样的一首诗，由朱庆余献给当时担任水部郎中的张继。张继对后生的提拔亦是不遗余力。

如果我们单单从妇人日常生活起居来看这首诗，我们所看到的是恩爱的新婚夫妇的情景，尤其是一个害羞的新娘。可是，我们在仔细读一读，我们可以从题目察觉到诗的深一层意义：《近试上张水部》。

朱庆余的目的是请求张继在考前给他提供意见。诗人巧妙地以新娘在新婚第二天要见公婆是的心情来比较他赴考前的焦虑。‘画眉深浅入时无’时要问张继他的文学水准如何。张继读了他的诗后，亦恰当地写了《酬朱庆余》诗回复他：

越女新妆出镜心，自知明艳更沉吟。

齐纨未足时人贵，一曲菱歌敌万金。

两首都用类比手法。后面那首以美丽的越女来形容来自越地的朱庆余，完全肯定他的才华，最后一句‘一曲菱歌敌万金’表达作者的赞赏。这样，张继解除了朱庆徐对考试的忧虑。这两首诗完美地配合了各自的隐喻。

张继叫朱庆余把他的作品交给他，选了其中二十六首呈给当朝官员。由于这些官员尊敬张继，他们抄写与转读朱庆余的诗。因此，朱庆余考中了。朱庆余不但得到了张继的推荐，他的诗也深受张继的影响。
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Chinese Imperial Examinations 中国科举考试

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In ancient times, Chinese poems very often were written to offer the reader an opinion or to seek views; and, many times, this reader was an emperor or high and influential official. As such, one needs to read beyond the poem and know the background behind it before one can fully understand its hidden meaning.

During Tang dynasty, Zhu Qingyu, a scholar, sent the following poem to Minister before the imperial examination:

Last night red candles burned bright in the bridal chamber,

At dawn the bride will bow to new parents with the groom.

She whispers to him after touching her face,

Have I painted my brows with fashionable grace?

In Tang Dynasty, it’s popular for examinees to seek advices from social celebrities on their chances of passing the examination. This was done by sending their writings. The above poem was actually such a writing sent by Zhu to Zhang Ji, who was the Minister in charge of the Bureau of Waterways and Irrigation and was famous for recommending talents.

If one merely investigates this poem in light of the boudoir tradition, one observes a vivid description of an affectionate couple who were newly-wed, especially of a bashful bride. However, once we take a closer look, we are able to discover the deeper meaning of the poem through the hint of its title: ‘Presented at the Time of a Recent Examination to Minister Zhang of the Waterways and Irrigation’.

Zhu’s intention was actually to ask Zhang Ji further guide before examination. The poet ingeniously compares his own anxiety before examinations to that of a bride who was supposed to pay respects to her-parents-in-law the morning after the wedding. ‘Have I painted my brows with fashionable grace’ was to ask Zhang how was his competence in literature. After Zhang reading the poem, he artfully wrote the poem Reply to Zhu Qingyu,

The fresh adornment of the maiden from Yueh appears at the centre of Jing Lake,

Self-conscious of her radiant beauty, she fusses and frets all the more;

All the fine silks of Qi do not match the high esteem men hold her in,

One water-caltrop tune of hers is worth ten thousand pieces of gold.

Both the poems adopt metaphor. And the later one compared Zhu, a native of Yue county, to the beautiful Yue girl and gave fully confirmation about his talent, and the last line ‘one water-caltrop tune of hers is worth ten thousand pieces of gold’ expressed the author’s praise, through this way, Zhang relieved the worries about examinations of Zhu Qingyu. The two poems perfectly corresponded to each other with profound implied meaning.

Zhang asked Zhu for his works from all periods and selected twenty-six pieces to show to the officials at court. Because his contemporaries respected Zhang, they copied and circulate Zhu's poem. As a result, Zhu passes the examination. Not only did Zhu rely on Zhang's recommendation, but he also was greatly influenced by Zhang in his poetry writing.

好小子，不管三七二十一！ Oh Boy, Just Do It!

他在大雨中、炎热下，与大约一百个青奥圣火火炬手保持近距离，奔跑了超过两个小时，跟随着火炬经过学校与住宅区，共跑了大约十五公里。他这样做时，他只穿了T恤、百慕达式短裤和人字拖鞋。在这个过程中，他甚至还把他父母的相机给弄坏了。

这件事于8月10日发生于新加坡。他的名字叫做劳伟杰，一个12岁的小学学生。

2010第一届青奥运在新加坡举行。它于8月14日起，一直举行到26日。青奥运火炬旅程为青奥运旋开了序幕，目的是要把世界年轻人围绕在奥运会运动之下，激励他们去接受、拥抱与表现奥运会的价值观 - 卓越、友谊与尊重。

现在，一个小孩进一步体现了‘不管三七二十一’的热情，和为所喜爱的事物而行动的决心。

这个年轻人失去了和两位同学一起拿火炬在新加坡东北区跑步的机会，据说是因为他跑得太慢了。所以他决定自己跟随着圣火走。这位满身湿透的年轻人解释他为什么要这样做：‘我在报章上知道圣火会来到这里，我要亲眼看到它，追随它，不然我可能没机会再看到它了。’

新加坡报章在8月11日报道了他的故事。明显的，他感动了很多新加坡人，包括他的校长、新加坡青奥运组委会的负责人和松下公司的管理层。

在8月11日那天，他的校长当着全校的面前表扬了他，还代表松下送一架新的相机给他。在8月13日，新加坡青奥运组委会帮他圆了当圣火火炬手的梦。

干得好，保持下去。

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He ran in heavy rain, then in scorching heat, keeping pace with around 100 Youth Olympic Flame torchbearers, running for more than two hours as the torch went past schools and residential districts, covered a distance of around 15km. He did it wearing a T-shirt, bermudas and flip-flops. And he even damaged his parent’s camera in the process.

This happened on 10 August in Singapore. His name is Low Wei Jie, a 12-year-old primary school student.

The inaugural 2010 Youth Olympic Games is being held in Singapore. It started on 14 and will end on 26 August. As a prelude to the first Youth Olympic Games (YOG), Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame (JYOF pronounced ‘JAY-of’) seeks to connect youth around the world to the Olympic Movement by inspiring them to embrace, embody and express the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect.

And now, this youngster further embodies the passionate spirit of ‘Just do it’ and determination to act on something that is dear to his heart.

The youngster missed out on a chance to join two schoolmates carrying the torch around the North East community district of Singapore because he was deemed too slow. So he decided to follow the flame run on his own. The drenched boy explained why he needed to do it, 'When I read in the newspapers that the flame was coming here, I just wanted to see it for myself, and follow it, I might never see it again.'

His story was reported by the local newspapers on 11 August. ">He clearly moved many Singaporeans, including his principal, the people in-charge of the 2010 Singapore YOG Organising Committee, and the management of Panasonic.

On 11 August, his principal prasied him in front of the whole school and presented him a beand-new camera which was given by Panasonic. On 13 Aug, his dream of becoming a torchbearer finally came true – thanks to the YOG Organising Committee.

Well done, keep it up.

中国广东省的方言 Dialects in China’s Guangdong Province

最近，有关中国广东省主要电视台的节目应以中国官方语言普通话为主的建议，引起省内市民的关注，担心粤语会被弱化。

在新加坡，一位姓蓝的读者于八月五日写给《海峡时报》，谈广东省的方言。以下是该文主要内容：

人们有一个普遍的错误观念，以为粤人是中国广东省主要居民；而事实是，省内有三大族群：粤人、客家人、潮州人。

粤语是古代越国语衍生出的一种方言。古代越人居住于现在的广东、广西与越南北部。越人很可能采用中国书写文字，但却保留了他们本身的语言。所以，粤语并不是唯一保留古代中国文字的语言。

其实，从中原搬迁过来的客家人，他们客家话可以说是真正的保留了中国古代语言。

古代中国的政权集中在中原，也就是现在的西安与洛阳。中国的主要语言应该是该地的语言。客家人自中原搬迁到南方，居住于与外隔绝的山地中，他们很可能保存了中国古代文化与语言。

有关粤人发动了动摇满清政权的主要历史事件的说法，是值得进一步考证的。

这些事件的领导人如洪秀全与孙中山等固然是来自广东，他们都是客家人。粤语成为播音界主要语言是因为它是香港主要的语言。香港溢出效应弱化了其他主要方言，如客家话与潮语。

所以，粤人对以普通话来播音的建议迅速提出抗议，他们也应该知道由于粤语的强势，其他主要方言因而受害。

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Recently, proposals for Guangdong's main television company to broadcast primarily in Mandarin – China's official language – have caused concerns among people in the province, who fear that Cantonese is being sidelined.

In Singapore, Lester Lam wrote to The Straits Times on 5 August 2010 to talk about the dialects spoken in Guangdong Province. Below are extracts of his letter:

There is a common misconception that southern China’s Guangdong province is overwhelmingly Cantonese, when it is actually peopled by three main dialect groups: the Cantonese, the Hakkas and the Teochews.

…… Cantonese is the derivative of the language spoken by the ancient Yue, who populated present-day Guangdong, Guangxi and northern Vietnam. The Yue would most likely have adopted the common written Chinese language but retained their language. So, the retention of ancient words in Chinese dialects is not unique in Cantonese.

In fact, the Hakkas, who migrated south from China’s central plains, can truly claim to retain the ancient Chinese language in the Hakka dialect.

Power in ancient China was focused in central China, in present day Xi-an and Luoyang. The dominant language there would have been the dialect of that area. As the Hakkas were central Chinese migrants who remained isolated in the mountains of southern China, they could well have preserved the culture and language of ancient China.

(The) claim that several historical events that jolted the Qing Dynasty were started by native Cantonese speakers also bears scrutiny.

While they originated in Guangdong, their leaders, such as Hong Xiuquan and Sun Yat Sen, were Hakkas. Cantonese shows dominate the airwaves in Guangdong largely because of the popularity of the dialect in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong spillover effect is causing the decline of major dialects such as Hakka and Teochew.

So, while the Cantonese are quick to protest moves to air programmes in Putonghua in Guangdong, they must also acknowledge that other important dialects in their province are suffering because of the dominant of Cantonese.

中庸：中西不同 Golden Mean: East and West See Different Means

看来，所有文化都认识到‘适中’的价值。

节制，就是说在行动中寻找中庸之道，古希腊人尊为基本道德，与友谊、勇气、智慧及公正有同等地位。亚里士多德把节制列为道德，反映出对适中的要求。这已经进入古希腊人的意识之中。

在中国传统里，中庸的原理具有真正的普世意义。它不但在道德法则中扮演重要角色，同时预先决定了指定的‘感官战略’，意思是指中国人特有的目标之路：不直接进入，而是要绕个圈子。这和典型的希腊人不同。

所以，西方所说的中庸与儒家经典《中庸》所说的中庸是有所不同的。

一般上，亚里士多德与西方思维里，中庸是指中位数或者有关一系列观察或数据或哲学立场中的中央位置。古希腊原本的中庸思维后来发展为数学与科学中的黄金比例与黄金分割。在西方哲学里，大哲学家一般不涉足于中庸，这已是常识了。也就是说，西方哲学是建立在把天与人、主与客分开来的。

在中国，在《中庸》与其他经典中，中庸意味着无一定位置，因为其结果是看每一个特殊情况而定的。一个智者寻求对中庸的敬仰，就要常常以行动来增强和谐与秩序，促进天地人之间的平衡而不是其相反。所以，各别情况的性质决定什么是适当的行动。也就是说，中庸是所有智慧之本。

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It seems that all cultures recognize the worth of moderation.

Temperance, i.e., the ability to choose the golden mean in actions, statements, etc., was esteemed by ancient Greeks as one of the basic virtues on a par with friendship, bravery, wisdom, and justice. Aristotle’s definition of temperance as a virtue reflected the demand for moderation, which was ingrained in the consciousness of ancient Greeks.

The golden mean principle acquires a truly universal significance in the Chinese tradition. It plays here not only the role of a moral rule but also predetermines a specific ‘strategy of sense’, the singularity of the Chinese path to a goal: not by gaining direct access, as typical for Greece, but taking a detour.

Therefore, there is a difference on the idea of the mean as used by the West and in the Confucian classic Zhongyong.

In Aristotle and Western thinking generally, the mean is taken as an average derived as a median or similar measure of centrality in relation to a body of observations or data or philosophical positions. The original idea of golden mean of the ancient Greece was later developed into mathematical and scientific studies of golden ratio and golden section. In philosophy, it is a common knowledge that the great philosophers have never set their feet on the middle path. In other words, the western philosophy is built on the separation of nature and man, subject and object.

In China, in the Zhongyong and other Chinese classics, the mean implies no predictable position because it results from responding to each situation in its particularities. A wise person seeking to respect the mean will always act to increase harmony and order, to achieve equilibrium rather than their contraries between heaven, earth and man. Therefore the nature of the situation determines what action would be appropriate. In other words, the doctrine of mean is seen as the root of all wisdom.

西方的中庸之道 The Western Idea of the Golden Mean

在西方哲学里，尤其是亚里士多德的哲学，中庸是在两个极端，即过度与不足之间的适中点。

最早代表文化中这种思维的可能是克里特中有关代达罗斯与伊卡洛斯的神话。代达罗斯是当时有名的艺术家，他用蜡为自己与儿子伊卡洛斯制造了翼翅，以便逃出国王米诺斯的魔手。代达罗斯警告他的儿子飞行时应取中道，即在海水沫与太阳热之间。伊卡洛斯不理睬他的父亲，越飞越高，因此太过靠近太阳，以致他的蜡翼受热后溶化，坠海而死。

在希腊的心理中，中庸是美的属性，他们相信它是美的三个元素：对称、协调与和谐。这三原理灌输入了他们的生活中。他们十分习惯于把美当作是爱的对象，一种被看成是十分亲密，能够在他们的生活、建筑、理想教育、政治中可以再现的东西。他们就是这样看待生命。

据说，苏格拉底教导人们应知道如何选择中道，尽量避免走任何一边的极端。

亚里士多德的中庸之道是他道德学说中最有名的。简言之，亚里士多德认为道德就是两个恶习之间的适中点。例如，勇气就介于胆怯与鲁莽之间。鲁莽是自信过度而忧虑不足，胆怯却是忧虑过度而信心不足。勇气就是含有这两者的适当成分。

这种中庸之道的准则导致他认为民主国家应由中等阶级来治理，不同于柏拉图认为应由仁者哲学家来治理的看法。

这个中庸之道的观点的后来演变为黄金比例与黄金分割的观念，并应用到道德价值以外。在艺术与视觉传媒，黄金比例被当成辨别线条、形状、视觉的最理想比例。它高度影响了古代希腊的雕刻与激励了达文西对比例的学习。

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In western philosophy, especially that of Aristotle, the golden mean is the desirable middle between two extremes, one of excess and the other of deficiency.

The earliest representation of this idea in culture is probably in the mythological Cretan tale of Daedalus and Icarus. Daedalus, a famous artist of his time, built feathered wings for himself and his son so that they might escape the clutches of King Minos. Daedalus warns his son to ‘fly the middle course’, between the sea spray and the sun's heat. Icarus did not heed his father; he flew up and up until the sun melted the wax off his wings, and he fell into the sea and died.

To the Greek mentality, golden mean was an attribute of beauty and they believed there were three 'ingredients' to beauty: symmetry, proportion, and harmony. This triad of principles infused their life. They were very much attuned to beauty as an object of love and something that was to be imitated and reproduced in their lives, architecture, Paideia and politics. They judged life by this mentality.

Socrates is said to teach that a man must know how to choose the mean and avoid the extremes on either side, as far as possible.

The theory of the mean is one of Aristotle's best-known pieces of ethical thinking. In a nutshell, Aristotle said that virtues are a point of moderation between two opposite vices. For instance, the virtue courage lies between the two vices of cowardice and recklessness. Recklessness is too much confidence and not enough fear, cowardice is too much fear and not enough confidence, courage is just the right amount of both.

The ‘golden mean’ test also led to his belief that the middle class should rule democracy, unlike Plato's view that stated that democracy should be ruled by elite philosophers.

In the later development, through the idea of the Golden Mean comes the concept of the Golden Ratio and Golden Section and the application of the concepts has been extended beyond moral values. In art and visual communications, the Golden Ratio has been used as an ideal proportion on which to base lines, shapes and visual elements. It highly influenced classical Greek sculpture and inspired Leonardo Da Vinci in his studies of proportion.

中国：中庸之国 Middle Kingdom: The Middle Way Kingdom

在中国，中庸之道为儒家与道家的中心思想。它的意思很简单。每一种事物皆有两个极端。中庸就是两个极端之间的自然平衡、均衡与和谐。在这个和谐点达成善与美。儒家在《中庸》这部经典中阐述了这个观点。道家则言，‘反者，道之动也。’就是说，当事物达到极端时，它就开始返回另一个极端。

中庸传达了和谐地整合对立事物的动态观点，而不是通常西方所理解的妥协对立。我们可以说，‘中国’这个传统用词其实是指一个以平衡极端来维护完整生活方式的国家，而不是理解为一个把自己当成是居于世界中心的国家的这种含有霸道的潜在意识。

华人相信世界里的事物皆有竞争倾向，应该加以平衡。这些对立的元素形成一个完整个体。这种哲学包含两个既对立而又相互依赖的观念：整体主义与悖论。

整体主义是指所有的事物都是相互联系相互依赖的，把东西当成是孤立的事件是没有意义的，而我们并不能在孤立中了解事物现象。所以，‘我’与‘他人’的相互依赖，在华人的哲学中是很自然的‘自我’观念。就是说，华人倾向于把他们看成是团体中的一分子。

阴阳学说的中庸哲学接纳悖论，并使它成为这个哲学中的不可分隔的元素。华人把对立的种子包含在事物中，使对立的双方面融合为一个有活力的整体。这个世界观反映了华人把两个互依单位当成整体的这种悖论的观点。道家认为互相对立的个体如果没有对方就不能生存。‘阳极阴生，阴极阳生。’阴与阳的结合是自然的规律与事物变动的因素。这也反映了华人哲学避免把两个对立简单地偏极化。每一个事物内都包含它的对立的种子，两者一起形成一个完整个体。华人采取辩证方式把对立的元素保留起来，而不是西方那种把矛盾偏极化的思维。

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In China, the idea of the Middle Way or Golden Mean is central to both the Confucianists and Daoists. The idea is simple. Everything has extremes at both ends. The Golden Mean is the natural balance, equilibrium and harmony between these extremes. At this harmonious point goodness and beauty are achieved. The Confucianists elaborated the idea in one of their classics The Doctrine of Mean. For the Doaists, the saying that ‘reversal is the movement of Dao’ means when anything comes to its extreme, a reversal to the other extreme takes place.

Middle way conveys a dynamic concept of harmonious integration of opposites rather than a compromise between them as often understood in the West. One may therefore say that the Middle Kingdom, the traditional term for China, actually calls for a country maintaining an integrated lifestyle by balancing the extremes, rather than, as is often understood, a hegemonic undertone of a country that considers itself to be at the centre of the world.

The Chinese believe that all things in the universe contain competing tendencies that must be balanced, opposite elements constitute an integrated whole. The philosophy embraces two opposing but interdependent ideas: holism and paradox.

Holism means that all things are interconnected and interdependent so that looking at things in isolation does not make sense and that one cannot understand a phenomenon in isolation. Therefore, the idea of the self versus the other as interdependent is natural in traditional Chinese self-perception, meaning that the Chinese tend to see themselves as part of a group.

The embrace of paradoxes is an integral component of the middle way philosophy of yingyang. The Chinese see opposites containing within themselves the seed of the other, yet forming a dynamic unity. This world view captures the Chinese view of a paradox as an interdependent unity constituting a whole. In Daoism neither opposite can exist without the other. ‘The extreme of yin is yang and the extreme of yang is yin’. The combination of yin and yang is the way of nature and the seed of change. It signifies how Chinese philosophy seeks to avoid simple polarizing of contradictions. Each force contains the seed of its opposition and together they form an integrated whole. The Chinese take a dialectical approach that retains basic elements of opposing perspectives rather than polarizing contradictions as in Western thought.

子曰：中庸之为德也，其至矣乎！ Confucius Said: The Doctrine of the Mean is of the Highest Order

‘中庸’是新儒家所采用的概念与儒家经典书名。《中庸》这本经典据说是孔子的唯一曾孙子思（孔汲）所写的。而这个词则在《论语》只出现过一次:

子曰：‘中庸之为德也，其至矣乎！民鲜久矣。’

英语把它翻译为‘平均法则’，对英语读者可能有误导性。

‘中’至少有三个意义。

‘中’的第一个意思指‘执两用中’的‘中’。真正的意思是既不要“过”也不要“不及”。如描绘美人，‘增之一分则太长，减之一分则太短；著粉则太白，施朱则太赤’。身体与容貌都恰到好处。这就是‘中’。

第二个意思指‘适宜、合适、合乎一定的标准’，含有‘从容中道’的意思。也即表现于外部行为上的“中道”，合于礼。

引导‘中道’的深入内心世界，就是‘中’的第三个意思，所谓‘喜怒哀乐之未发谓之中’。这是说明礼是道德准则，是根源于人的含而未发的内心的。

‘庸’ 指平常，一般，‘庸’亦指‘用’。‘中庸’就是‘尚中，并为一般之用’。要了解‘中’的意思，才能比较好地掌握‘中庸’的道德意义。
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‘Zhong Yong’ is both a concept and the name of a Neo-Confucian text. The composition of the text is attributed to Zisi (or Kong Ji) the only grandson of Confucius. The term only appears once in the Analects:

Confucius said, ‘The virtue embodied in the Doctrine of the Mean is of the highest order. But it has long been rare among people.’ (Analects: 6:29)

To translate ‘Zhong Yong’ as the Doctrine of the Mean may not have conveyed its full meaning to English readers. The Chinese term ‘zhong yong’ consists of two Chinese words, zhong and yong.

The word Zhong has at least three meanings.

The first meaning refers to the situation where one needs to listen to both sides and choose the middle course, i.e. to be impartial and just right. The real meaning is neither too much nor too little, that is, just right. In the case of a beautiful lady, she can be described as, ‘If she were one inch taller, she would be too tall. If she were one inch shorter, she would be too short. If she used powder, her face would be too white. If she used rouge, her face would be too red.’ The description means that her figure and complexion were just right. This is zhong.

The second meaning is used to describe customary norms that must be suitable, appropriate, and that should be conformed to, as expressed in the Chinese saying, ‘calmly follow the suitable Way’. The word ‘Way’ with capital letter W refers to Dao, or in Confucian term li, the external rituals.

It is the inner mind and the concept of equilibrium that lead us to follow the ‘suitable Way’. This is how the third meaning of equilibrium is derived. It is said that ‘before the feelings of pleasure, anger, sorrow, and joy are established, there is equilibrium’. In other words, understanding of rituals refers to moral standards which originated from the need to have equilibrium before various feelings are established.

The word ‘yong’ means common, ordinary, or utilise. Combine ‘zhong’ with ‘yong’, it means ‘the common and ordinary use of the principle of zhong’. It is therefore important to understand the meaning of zhong before we can fully appreciate the virtue embodied in the principles of Zhong Yong.

中庸：致中和 The Doctrine of the Mean: Full Attainment of Equilibrium

对华人而言，学习一门艺术最重要的就是要参与传统，艺术家要在吸取丰厚的传统养分与同时真实地据为己有之间找到适当的平衡点。如果一个人走极端，就是说极端个人主义或者极端遵照传统，那就会影响到获取艺术情感、做人与增强技术中的好料。

从在不断临摹大师作品就是一个例子。

从一方面来看，单是模仿古代大师其实可能把我们拒绝在传统生活之外，而不能获取传统所能给予我们的养分。如果所学到的技巧只限于模仿，我们就不能探索到审美表情里的欢愉与失意感。

另一方面，极端个人主义忽略了艺术与继承传统的紧密关系。和过分的遵照传统一样，过分的个人主义限制了一个人对培养内心修养的成功。

所以，艺术家如果能避免极端，他的能力与修养就能得到无限增强。儒家经典《中庸》就有说，‘喜、怒、哀、乐之未发，谓之中。发而皆中节，谓之和。中也者，天下之大本也。和也者，天下之达道也。致中和，天地位焉，万物育焉。’

意思就是说，个人与传统之间的平衡对艺术家的成就很重要，它也提醒我们，艺术的本来就是人道主义的。

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For Chinese, one of the most important aspects of taking up art is participating in a tradition, and artist must strike an appropriate balance between simultaneously drawing upon the richness of the tradition and finding a way to appropriate it authentically. If one leans towards an extreme, whether extreme individualism or extreme conformity, then the goods of artistic expression, person-making, and increase of skill will be affected.

A case in point is the practice of repetitiously copy the work of past masters.

On the one hand, merely imitating the past master could mean actually keep one from living the tradition and actualising the goods that it offers. One will not discover the joys and frustrations of aesthetic expression if the skill involved is limited to that of mimicry.

On the other hand, extreme individualism ignores the relationships that are integral to the continuation of the tradition. As with excessive conformity, excessive individualism limits one’s success to a practice’s internal goods.

Hence, artistic ability and personal refinement are maximised by avoiding these extremes. The classical Confucian text ‘The Doctrine of the Mean’ states, ‘Before the feelings of pleasure, anger, sorrow, and joy are established, there is equilibrium (zhong: the mean, the centre). The establishment of these feelings in proper measure of each and proper rhythm for all is called harmony (he). This equilibrium is the greatest source of the world; this harmony is the world's universal Way (Dao). With the full attainment of equilibrium and harmony comes the proper ordering of heaven and earth and the nourishment of all things.’

The claim is that striking a balance between individual and tradition is essential for flourishing artists and further reminds us that arts serve primarily humanitarian ends.

书法临摹：体现礼仪 Copying Calligraphy: It is About Observing Ritual Propriety

孔子推广礼乐文化。儒家传统看法把艺术当作实工具来现两个互相关联的社会目的：修身养性与社会和谐。他们相信当我们把自己投入礼与乐的节奏中并得到欢乐时，我们会因此而获益。

艺术实践中的一个重要德行是礼仪之适当应用。但是，一个人不能盲目地追随礼仪，因为应用礼仪就是要把它据为己有，使它们个性化 - 以特殊方式来呈现。我们应该知道如何产生归为己有的拥有感，这是修身养性过程的一个重要组成。

在发展艺术技术中，艺术家获得了美学应用的具体知识。好的书法家深知笔法，了解每一个字的空间安排逻辑，了解章法原理，也晓得各个书体的异同。这些都是适当应用的不同部分。

吸取书法礼仪的办法就是持续临摹古代大书法家的作品，把難写的字解剖为个别元素，然后以流畅与有节制的动作把它们结为整体。这个过程为书法家与传统建立了形体关系。通过临摹，学生可以对大书法家的形态有深入的了解；就是说，大书法家行动的姿态体现了每一个字的节奏与形式。学习者对他们所学习传统的领悟并不限于反省，通过具体与仪式化的临摹动作，学习者亲密地体验传统。他们的动作所得的是深沉的，因为这些动作是在传统的具体技巧中领悟与建立起来的。

但是，比如在临摹《千字文》时，我们不能盲临，而应该想个办法把它据为己有。很多时候，一帖法书被临摹久了，文字的内容本身会消失于书法之中，就是说，内容已经被当成理所当然，很少会成为关注点，只当成是呈现书法技巧的格式。

所以，学习艺术的一个重要方向是进入传统，吸取传统丰富的养料，然后找个方法把它真实地为己所用。就书法而言，进入传统就是忠实地临摹古代大书法家的法帖。

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Confucius promotes the culture of rites and music. The Confucian tradition views arts as instrumental in actualising two interrelated social ends: self-cultivation and social harmony. It is believed that one stands to be improved by the enjoyment found in attuning oneself to the rhythms of ritual propriety and music (arts).

A virtue essential to artistic practice is the appropriation of ritual propriety. However, one cannot follow the ritual propriety blindly, because to appropriate the ritual is to make them one’s own, to personalise them by developing a characteristic style of enacting them. One must learn how to produce a sense of authorship that is an essential component of the self-cultivation process. In developing techniques of arts, artists gain an embodied knowledge of aesthetic appropriateness. Good calligraphers master brushwork, understand the spatial logic of individual characters, understand the principles of composition, and are aware of stylistic variations. All these are a part of appropriate execution.

The way to absorb calligraphic ritual propriety is to repetitiously copy the work of past masters, to break down difficult characters into their constituent and to put them together again in fluid, controlled movements. This process establishes a somatic relationship between calligrapher and tradition. Through copying, a student gains growing insight into the master’s corporeality, that is, the manner in which the master’s movements inform each character’s rhythm and form. Students’ awareness of the tradition they work within is not limited to reflection; through embodiment and ritualised action, students appropriate the tradition in an intimate way. Their actions acquire significance since they are informed by and build upon a tradition of embodied technique.

Hence, in reproducing the ‘Thousand Character Essay’, one must avoid blind repetition and find a way to make it one’s own. Many a time, a model calligraphic work can be transcribed so often as a writing exercise that the text itself may be thought to have disappeared into the calligraphy, that is, the text is so well known that it is doubtful that anybody paid much attention to what it says, accepting it simply as a format for the display of calligraphic skill.

Therefore, one of the most important aspects of taking up an art is participating in a tradition, drawing upon the richness of the tradition and finding a way to appropriate it authentically. In the case of calligraphy, the only means to participate in tradition is by copying faithfully the master works of the great calligraphers in history.