爱国如家 – Chinese philosophy and culture

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ài guó rú jiā 爱国如家

Love the Country as One Loves One’s Family

像爱自己的家一样爱自己的国。原本指帝王、诸侯等掌权者像爱自己的家一样爱国爱民——因为在古代中国,家国同构,后来演化为有志之士乃至一国内所有人都崇尚的基本操守。其中隐含着这样的观念:热爱祖国的人都不分彼此,如同一家人,每个人都像爱自己的家一样爱国爱民。爱国是中华民族深厚持久的传统,是中华民族精神的核心,是每一个中国人的坚定信念和精神依靠。

Originally, the concept denoted that kings, princes, and other rulers should love their kingdoms and their people the same way they did their own families. This is because in ancient China, family and state were considered same in structure. Later on, this concept became a moral value cherished by all patriotic people. It means that all those who love their motherland are intimately bound together as if they were from the same family, so they should love their country and its people in the same way they love their families. Loving one’s country is a profound and enduring tradition of the Chinese nation. It is at the core of the spirit of the Chinese nation, and it is a firm conviction of all Chinese, giving them a shared sense of belonging.

引例 Citations:

◎封建诸侯,各世其位,欲使亲民如子,爱国如家。(荀悦《汉纪·孝惠帝纪》)

(分封诸侯,让他们世袭爵位,是想让他们亲爱百姓就像亲爱自己的孩子,爱国就像爱自己的家。)

The appointing of feudal lords and making their positions inheritable were designed to make them love their people the same way they did their own children and love their kingdom the same way they loved their own families. (Xun Yue: A Chronicle of the Han Dynasty)

◎烈士之爱国也如家。(葛洪《抱朴子·外篇·广譬》)

(有抱负有气节的人,爱国就像爱自己的家。)

A person with noble aspiration loves his country the way he does his family. (Ge Hong: Baopuzi)

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