Archive for April 27th, 2008

Chinese Characters: abductor 诱拐者

Sunday, April 27th, 2008

abductor:

Chinese Pinyin: you4 guai3 zhe3

(Source: about.com)

Chinese Culture – Butter Sculptures(1)

Sunday, April 27th, 2008

Offerings molded from butter, or butter sculptures, are central to spiritual development in Tibetan Buddhism. As a unique sculptural art in Tibetan culture, the art has an origin in Tibetan Bon religion and is considered one of the exotic flowers in the treasury of Tibetan art.

 Origin of Butter Sculptures

In 641, when Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty was married to the then Tibetan king Songtsan Gambo, she brought along a sculpture of Sakyamuni, which was later enshrined and worshipped at the Jokhang Temple. To show their respect, the Tibetan people presented offerings in front of the Buddha. According to the traditional customs observed in India, offerings to Buddha and Bodhisattvas were divided into six categories: the flower, Tu incense, divine water, Wa incense, fruit, and the Buddha light. By that time, however, all of the flowers and trees had died, so the Tibetan people made a bunch of flowers from butter instead.

Butter sculptures are a kind of butter-molded craftwork where the major raw material is butter, a creamy food among the Tibetans in China. The solid material, which is soft and pure with a faint scent, can be molded into vivid, bright and exquisite craftworks.

In the beginning, butter sculptures were simple and the techniques were rough. Later, two institutions were set up in the Taer Monastery to train monk artists specializing in this art. With a passion for Buddha and the arts, the monks worked hard and learned from each other to overcome their own weaknesses, thus enriching the art in terms of pattern and content.

 The Making of Butter Sculptures  

The making of butter sculptures is rather unique and complex: Since butter melts easily it is modeled by hand in cold conditions (usually on winter days) by monk artists.

Source: chinaculture.org

Learn Chinese Podcast – Happy China 126

Sunday, April 27th, 2008
 
 

             Click to Watch Video Podcast

  (3月6日播出)

  旁白: 小时候,在历史课上就了解到

  When I was small, I learned from

  history books

  中国有两大著名的原始文化。

  that China has two famous

  primitive cultures.

  一个是黄河流域的半坡文化,

  One is Banpo Culture in the

  Yellow River basin

  一个是长江流域的河姆渡文化。

  and the other, Hemudu Culture

  in the Yangtze River basin

  没想到我们今天居然就有机会

  I never imagined I would have

  a chance today

  去宁波余姚,

  to go to Yuyao of Ningbo

  to see

  亲眼看一看河姆渡文化遗址。

  with my own eyes the Ruins

  of Hemudu Culture.

  王渊源:韩佳,

  Han Jia,

  你今天好像特别高兴。

  you seem very happy today.

  韩佳: 你知道吗,

  Do you know

  我们马上要去的河姆渡遗址呢

  the Hemudu Ruins we’re going

  to see now

  是中国新石器时代

  is an important site of

  ancient culture

  一个非常重要的古文化遗址?

  in China’s New Stone Age?

  王渊源:有多重要?

  How important?

  韩佳: 它的发现

  Its discovery

  被学术界公认为

  is generally acknowledged by scholars

  是中国最重要的考古发现之一。

  as one of China’s most important

  archeological discoveries.

  王渊源:“公认”就是指大家一致认为的意思。

  ”Gongren” means to generally acknowledge,

  recognize or accept.

  韩佳: “公认”

  ”Gongren”

  就是指大家一致认为的意思。

  means to generally acknowledge

  or recognize.

  Dàjiā gōngrèn zhè shi fēicháng zhòngyao de kǎogǔ fāxiàn

  大家 公认 这 是 非常 重要 的 考古 发现。

  It’s generally acknowledged that this is

  a very important archeological discovery.

  那它的发现呢

  Its discovery

  有力地证明了

  convincingly proved that

  长江流域和黄河流域一样,

  the Yangze River and Yellow

  River basins

  都是中华民族的发祥地。

  were the cradles of the

  Chinese nation.

  画外音:摆渡来了!

  The ferryboat is coming!

  韩佳: 在那边。我们去吧。

  It’s over there. Let’s go.

  王渊源:我们快上船吧!

  Let’s get on board quickly!

  旁白: 您一定有些奇怪,

  You may wonder

  为什么我们去河姆渡遗址

  why we have to take a ferryboat

  却还要乘坐摆渡呢。

  to get to the Hemudu Ruins.

  这个嘛,

  To answer this question,

  就要说到河姆渡这个名字的由来了。

  we have to talk about the origin of

  the name Hemudu.

  听说这里原来是一个古渡口,

  It is said this used to be

  an ancient ferry,

  叫做黄墓渡。

  called Huangmudu Ferry.

  后来,可能是因为在当地方言里谐音,

  Later perhaps because of the local

  dialect pronunciation,

  就改成了河姆渡。

  the name was changed to Hemudu.

  韩佳: 所以呢,

  That’s why

  我们就从古渡口乘坐摆渡

  we have to take a ferryboat at

  this ancient ferry

  来到了河姆渡遗址。

  to get to the Hemudu Ruins.

  嘉宾: 欢迎!

  Welcome!

  非常欢迎来到河姆渡遗址。

  Welcome to Hemudu Ruins.

  韩佳: 您好!您好!

  Hi! Hello!

  这座雕塑我以前在书上见过。

  I’ve seen this sculpture in

  books before.

  是不是就是河姆渡遗址的标志?

  Is it the symbol of Hemudu Ruins?

  嘉宾: 是的。

  Yes, it is.

  这一块就是双鸟朝阳。

  This sculpture is called A Pair

  of Birds Facing the Sun.

  我们博物馆的标志。

  It is the symbol of our museum.

  它是根据我们河姆渡遗址

  It was sculpted in imitation

  所出土的象牙蝶形器

  of an ivory butterfly-shaped ornament

  进行仿制的。

  unearthed at Hemudu.

  从这三块大石头来看。

  It is composed of three huge stones.

  底下是一个通道,

  Underneath is the passageway,

  是象征人类历史从旧石器时代

  symbolizing the transition of

  human history

  走向新石器时代的一个历史过程。

  from the Old Stone Age to the

  New Stone Age.

  王渊源:那我们也赶快穿过这个通道,

  Come on and let’s also pass

  this passageway

  去了解一下河姆渡人的生活吧。

  to find out the life of Hemudu primitives.

  嘉宾: 那么这边呢,

  On this side

  是我们当时一个干栏式建筑

  is a model of an old

  一个复原的模型。

  restored fence-style architecture.

  王渊源:“复原”是什么意思?

  What does “fu yuan” mean?

  韩佳: “复原”

  ”Fu yuan”

  就是指恢复原来的样子。

  means to restore.

  王渊源:“复原”就是指恢复原来的样子。

  ”Fu yuan” here means to restore.

  嘉宾: 那么我们看到,

  We’re seeing now

  这座干栏式建筑

  a fence-style structure,

  它底下架空。

  supported on poles.

  在当时它的作用就是防潮,

  The function of such a structure

  was to avoid dampness

  那么也可以防止蛇虫猛兽的侵害。

  and the attacks by snakes and

  other beasts of prey.

  王渊源:原来河姆渡人住过的房子是这样的。

  Oh, this is how the kind of house inhabited

  by Hemudu primitives looks like.

  韩佳,你觉不觉得

  Han Jia, do you think

  有点儿像云南那边

  it looks a bit like the

  houses inhabited

  部分少数民族居住的房子?

  by some minority ethnic groups

  in Yunnan?

  韩佳: 你这么一说啊,

  Hearing what you said,

  我还真觉得有点儿像。

  I do find it a bit like

  those houses.

  那我们到这个房子里去看看吧。

  Let’s go inside the house to

  take a look.

  嘉宾: 好的,

  Well,

  在这里边我们能够看到

  what we’re seeing here

  河姆渡人的一些生活场景。

  are some scenes of life of

  Hemudu people.

  那么据考证,七千年前…

  According to textual research,

  7,000 years ago …

  旁白: 在这里,

  Here,

  我们看到了聪明的河姆渡人

  we see how the intelligent

  Hemudu people

  是怎么用他们的智慧和双手

  changed their lives

  来改变生活的。

  with their wisdom and hands.

  那么这个遗址

  Then how was the site

  又是怎么被发现的呢?

  discovered?

  嘉宾: 在1973年夏天,

  In the summer of 1973,

  当地农民在这边兴修水利的时候,

  when local peasants built an

  irrigation project,

  从地底下发现了很多

  they discovered underground many

  黑陶片、骨器、动物骨骼,

  black pottery shards, bone instruments

  and skeletons of animals,

  这才意外地发现了

  which unexpectedly proved to be

  这个古人类文化遗址。

  the site of an ancient human culture.

  王渊源:“意外”

  ”Yiwai”

  就是指在事先对结果情况等

  means unexpected or

  进行的估计之外。

  unforeseen.

  韩佳: “意外”

  ”Yiwai”

  就是指在事先对结果情况等

  means unexpected or

  进行的估计之外。

  unforeseen.

  Rénmen yìwài di fāxiàn le zhège gǔ wénhuà yízhǐ

  人们 意外 地 发现 了 这个 古 文化 遗址。

  People unexpectedly discovered

  this ancient cultural site.

  嘉宾: 这里就是复原的发掘现场。

  This is the restored site of

  the excavation.

  整个遗址的总面积有四万平方米,

  The entire site covers a total area

  of 40,000 square meters

  叠压着四个文化层。

  with four cultural layers on top

  of each other.

  那些木桩呢

  Those wooden poles

  就是河姆渡人居住的干栏式建筑遗迹。

  are the remains of Hemudu fence-

  style structures.

  河姆渡遗址的稻谷

  The Hemudu rice

  就是在这个文化层里发现的。

  was discovered in this cultural layer.

  韩佳: 这个我听说过,

  I heard that

  是说稻谷的发现

  the discovery of the rice

  就证明了河姆渡

  proved that Hemudu

  是亚洲栽培水稻的发源地吗。

  is the birthplace of the rice

  planted in Asia.

  嘉宾: 对。

  Yes.

  咱们一会儿,

  In a moment,

  就可以在博物馆里看到

  we’ll see in the museum

  挖掘出来的稻谷实物。

  the real rice unearthed here.

  好,

  Okay,

  那么现在我们来看一下,

  now let’s take a look at

  这个稻谷就是当时的挖掘出来的原件。

  the original rice unearthed at the time.

  那么这个稻谷呢,

  These grains of rice,

  在它出土的时候,

  at the time of excavation,

  它的颜色是金黄色的。

  were golden in color.

  在后来接触到空气以后,

  After being exposed to the air,

  才逐渐碳化变黑。

  they gradually turned black.

  那么这个稻谷

  These rice grains

  已经是人工栽培水稻。

  came from planted rice.

  也是河姆渡先民

  That is to say they is

  the original rice

  当时所栽培的稻谷原件。

  planted and harvested by

  the Hemudu primitives.

  那么当时我们发现,

  We discovered at the time that

  这个厚厚的稻谷堆积层

  the thick layer of rice

  是在四百平方米以内普遍都有的。

  existed generally in an area of

  400 square meters.

  那么专家认为它总的数量

  Experts estimated the total amount

  估计达到一百二十吨以上。

  was more than 120 tons.

  韩佳: 这么多!

  Quite a lot!

  王渊源:说不定就是他们当时的一个粮仓呢。

  Maybe, it was a granary at the time.

  嘉宾: 有这种可能。

  It is possible.

  好,那么现在我们来看一下

  Now, let’s take a look at

  当时的生产工具。

  some of the production tools

  used then.

  我们来看一下,

  Look,

  这个就是称为骨耜。

  this is called “gu si”, a spade-shaped

  bone instrument.

  那么骨耜就是河姆渡先民

  The Hemudu primitives

  当时所使用的生产工具。

  already used such tools made

  of bone.

  在这个骨耜里边,

  Bone spades

  它一般是以水牛

  were normally made

  或者是动物的肩胛骨来做成的。

  with shoulder blades of buffaloes

  or other animals.

  那么它的作用

  They functioned

  相当于我们现在的铲子。

  as today’s spades.

  在当时已经具备了

  The were used then

  翻土、开沟的作用。

  to open up soil and dig ditches.

  那么河姆渡先民学会用这种骨耜呢,

  The fact that Hemudu primitives were

  already able to use bone spades

  就表明了七千年前,

  indicates that as early as

  7,000 years ago,

  当时从刀耕火种这个农始阶段

  the slash-and-burn farming method

  had already

  过渡到现在的耜耕农业阶段。

  been replaced by the use of

  spade ploughs.

  韩佳: 没想到七千多年前

  I never imagined that over

  7,000 years ago,

  就已经有这么先进的生产工具了。

  they already used such advanced tools.

  嘉宾: 你们可以在这边再观看一下,

  You can take some further

  look here

  也许还有更多的发现。

  and possibly you’ll have some

  new discoveries.

  韩佳: 好啊。

  Okay.

  赏心悦目:

  河姆渡遗址是中国目前已发现的

  The Hemudu Ruins has the earliest relics

  China has

  最早的新石器时期文化遗址

  ever discovered from the New Stone Age.

  是七千年前的文化宝库

  It is a treasure-trove of the culture

  7,000 years ago.

  两千八百平方米的考古发掘现场内

  The 2,800-square-meter site of excavation

  密密麻麻的木建筑构件散布其间

  was densely covered with wooden structures.

  数栋复原的“干栏式”建筑

  The several restored fence-style houses

  再现了河姆渡人高超的建筑技能

  bring to life the Hemudu primitives’ extraordinary

  architectural skill.

  早在七千年前

  The fact that as early as 7,000 years ago,

  河姆渡先民就以勤劳的双手 非凡的智慧

  these Hemudu people had created

  创造出了光辉灿烂的原始文明

  such a glorious primitive civilization

  证明了长江流域也是中华民族远古文明的摇篮

  proves that the Yangtze River area was also

  a cradle of Chinese civilization.

  韩佳: 好了,

  Now,

  精彩的赏心悦目之后呢,

  after the wonderful Feast

  for the Eyes,

  又到了我们的有奖问答时间了。

  it’s the award-winning question

  time again.

  王渊源:今天的题目是这样的。

  Here’s today’s question.

  (问题部分略)

  今天的节目就到这里。

  That’s it for today.

  明天精彩还将继续。

  Our wonderful program will

  continue tomorrow.

  韩佳: 所以千万不要错过。

  You should never miss it.

  王渊源:也千万别忘了我们的口号。

  And neither should you forget

  our slogan.

  合: 学说中国话,朋友遍天下!

  Learn Chinese and make friends everywhere!

  韩佳: 再见!

  So long!

    (Source: cctv.com)