wénmíng 文明
Wenming (Civilization)
指社会文治教化彰明昌盛的状态。“文”指“人文”,指礼乐教化以及与此相关的有差等又有调和的社会秩序;“明”即光明、昌明、通达之义。中华民族崇文而不尚武,自古便将文治教化的彰明昌盛作为自己的最高理想和追求,并以此作为评判异国他域政治是否清明的最重要标准。
This term refers to a thriving, prosperous, and perceptibly refined society in which people behave in a cultured fashion. Wen (文) refers to the arts and humanities, including social norms, music education, moral cultivation, and a social order that is hierarchical yet harmonious. Ming (明) means bright, prosperous, and highly civilized. The Chinese nation has always preferred wen to wu (武 force). This is the loftiest ideal pursued by the Chinese nation since ancient times. It was also the criterion by which to judge whether the governance of a nation was well conducted.
引例 Citation:
◎文明之世,销锋铸镝。(焦赣《易林·节之颐》)
(文明时代,销毁兵器,停止战争。)
In a civilized society weapons are destroyed and war ceases. (Jiao Gong: Annotations on The Book of Changes)