人文 – Chinese philosophy and culture

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rénwén 人文

Renwen

指礼乐教化、典章制度,即诗书、礼乐、法度等精神文明的创造以及与之相关的既有差等又有调和的社会秩序。与“天文”(日月星辰等天体的运行状态和规律)相对。也泛指人事,即人类社会的行为、习俗或状态。近代以后,受西学影响,“人文”演变指人类社会的各种文化现象,研究人类社会文化现象的学科称为人文科学。

Renwen (人文) encompasses the cultural and ethical progress created by rites, music, education, codes, and systems as well as a social order which is hierarchical but harmonious. Renwen is in contrast to tianwen (天文), the study of celestial bodies including the sun, moon, and stars. Renwen also refers to human affairs in general, that is, behaviors, customs, and the human state. Under the influence of Western culture in the modern period, renwen came to mean cultural phenomena in human society as well as the humanities, which are academic disciplines that study human culture.

引例 Citations:

◎观乎天文,以察时变;观乎人文,以化成天下。(《周易·彖上》)

(观察日月星辰的运行状态,可以知道四季的变换;考察诗书礼乐的发展状况,可以用来教化天下百姓,实现文治昌明。)

By observing heavenly patterns, we can learn about the change of times; by observing human cultural patterns, we can educate the people and build a thriving, prosperous, and refined society. (The Book of Changes)

◎夫玄象著明,以察时变,天文也;圣达立言,化成天下,人文也。达幽显之情,明天人之际,其在文乎?(《北齐书·文苑传序》)

(日月星辰等运行昭著,人们以此推断时事的变化,这就是“天文”;贤圣通达之人著书立说,教导民众向善,实现文治昌明,这就是“人文”。通晓无形与有形的实际变化,弄懂上天与人事的微妙联系,恐怕就在于“文”吧?)

When the movement of celestial bodies is manifest, we can infer from it changes of the times, which is about the distribution and movement of celestial bodies as well as climate change. When sages disseminate their vision in writing to educate the people and build a thriving, prosperous, and refined society, that is about human culture. To learn about the actual changes of the visible and the invisible and the subtle relations between heaven and humans, it is essential to study both natural phenomena and human culture. (The History of the Northern Qi Dynasty)

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