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.