Travel in Chinese Lesson 78 The Confucian Temple

同事：雪梅，昨天爬泰山累坏了吧。

雪梅：恩，比爬香山可累多了。不过，山顶的风景那么好，还是挺值的！看到周围的山都比自己站的地方矮，那种感觉真是好极了。

同事：恩，是不是一种特为自己感到骄傲的感觉？这也是我第一次来泰山，真是“登泰山而小天下啊”啊。

雪梅：哇，我的报道还没写出来，你都开始写诗了。

同事：这可不是我说的。这是当年孟子形容孔子登泰山时候说过的话。

雪梅：是吗？对了，你不是说今天要带我来看孔庙的吗？

同事：雪梅，你看，这就是孔庙了

雪梅：原来这就是孔庙，咱们快去看看吧。

同事：这叫“棂星门”，是孔庙的第一道门。哎，雪梅，我看你对孔子很感兴趣，孔子在美国是不是也很有名啊？

雪梅：大体上可以这么说吧。我上大学的时候，我读过一些《论语》里的文章。据说，孔子是中国历史上的第一位老师，是这样吗？

同事：恩，我们都这样认为。早在2500年以前，孔子就是一位特别有名的老师了，尤其是他的思想，对中国的文化影响很大。所以中国人都特别尊敬他。

同事：雪梅：你看，这就是杏坛。

雪梅：杏坛？这是什么地方？

同事：杏坛是当年孔子讲学的地方。

雪梅：讲学的地方？我看这里坐不下几个学生，他不是有弟子三千吗？

同事：雪梅，这你可不知道了。这个杏坛是宋朝的人专门为纪念孔子而修建的。当时孔子就坐在这个地方，边抚琴边上讲课。他的学生呢，围坐在他的周围，听他上课。

雪梅：噢，是这样的。

同事：哎，雪梅，你知道这是做什么用的么？

雪梅：我看这个院子里好多鸟，这个是不是一个美国式的bird-bath？

同事：你真有想象力，不过这可不是让鸟洗澡的地方。现在人们听到铃声就会下课，在春秋的时候呢，孔子在这里燃上三柱香，等香烧尽了也就是下课的时间了。

雪梅：这个办法真聪明。

同事：现在我带你到大成殿看看。

雪梅：大成殿？

同事：对啊，大成殿是每年人们烧香纪念孔子的地方。

雪梅：那我们也赶紧烧一柱香纪念一下儿孔老师吧。

同事：好主意。
 

Translation:

Colleague: Xuemei，you must have been exhausted yesterday after climbing Mount Taishan.

Xuemei: Hmm, much more tiring that climbing the Fragrant Hills. But the view from the top was well worth it！The feeling that all the mountains were below wher I was standing was just the best.

Colleague: You feel particularly proud of yourself, right？This is my first time on Mount Taishan too，it’s like “Climb Mount Taishan and the world appears small”.

Xuemei: Wow, I haven’t even written my report and you’re starting to write poems.

Colleague: I can’t take credit for these words – they were by Mencius, who was describing Confucius’s visit to the top of Mount Taishan.

Xuemei: Really？Oh yes, didn’t you say you were taking me to the Confucian temple today？

Colleague: Look Xuemei，this is the Confucian temple.

Xuemei: Oh so this is the Confucian temple，come on, let’s go in.

Colleague: This is called “Ling Xing Gate”，it’s the first gate within the Confucian temple. Hey Xuemei，I’ve noticed that you’re very interested in Confucius. Is Confucius well known in the US as well？

Xuemei: That’s basically true. I read some essays from the Analects at university. They say that Confucius was the first teacher in Chinese history. Is it true？

Colleague: Yes, that’s the common belief. As early as 2500 years ago，Confucius was a very famous teacher, especially his thinking – it had a major impact on Chinese culture. So Chinese people have a great deal of respect for him.

Colleague: Look Xuemei，this is the Xingtan Pavilion.

Xuemei: Xingtan Pavilion？What’s that？

Colleague: Xingtan Pavilion is wher Confucius taught.

Xuemei: wher he taught? I don’t think this is big enough for his three thousand students.

Colleague: Let me tell you, Xuemei，this Xingtan Pavilion was built in the Song dynasty in memory of Confucius. Back in those days Confucius sat right here and taught while stroking the zither. His students would be gathered around him listening to his lesson.

Xuemei: Oh right.

Colleague: Hey，Xuemei，do you know what this is for？

Xuemei: I’ve noticed lots of bird in this courtyard. Could this be an American style bird-bath？

Colleague: Very imaginative, but this is no bird-bath. Nowadays people know it’s end of class when they hear the bell，but in the Spring and Autumn Period, Confucius would light three sticks of incense here, and when the incense burnt out it was the end of the lesson.

Xuemei: What a clever idea.

Colleague: Now I’m taking you to Dacheng Hall.

Xuemei: Dacheng Hall？

Colleague: That’s right，Dacheng Hall is wher people burn incense to commemorate Confucius.

Xuemei: Then let’s burn some incense as well in memory of Confucius.

Colleague: Good idea.
 

Bookmarks

1)反倒 showing an unexpected result

例）他平时挺聪明的，怎么今天反倒没了主意。

He’s usually quite intelligent. Why is it that today he doesn’t know what to do?

例）这位外国朋友反倒对中国文化十分了解。

This foreign friend actually knows quite a lot about Chinese culture.

2）得以 so that

例）多亏了他的帮助，我这次的考试才得以过关。

With his help, I was able to pass the test this time.

例）北京烤鸭以皮脆肉嫩而得以闻名。

Peking Duck became famous for its crispy skin and tender meat.

3）向来 constantly, always

例）我向来不喜欢穿白色的衣服。

I have never liked wearing white clothing.

例）我向来都喜欢吃蔬菜。

I have always liked to eat vegetables.

Sign Posts

The Confucian Temple
 

Qufu, in Shandong Province, is the hometown of Confucius, a great thinker, statesman and educator in China's history, who founded of the Confucian school of philosophy around the 5th century BC. The name Confucius is a transliteration of his Chinese title 孔夫子, although he is often know in Chinese simply as 孔子 Master Kong.

The Confucian Temple, in the center of Qufu City, was built in 478 BC. Most buildings there today date from the Ming dynasty. There are 466 halls, pavilions and other rooms intact, covering a total area of 21.8 hectares. Repeated improvement and expansion has turned the temple into a palatial complex with nine rows of courtyards. The Great Accomplishment Hall 盛绩殿, the major structure of the temple, is 33 meters tall, roofed with yellow glazed tiles. The front 10 stone columns are carved with dragons. In addition to a statue of Confucius, the hall also houses stone inscription from the Ming Dynasty, which tells the life story of Confucius in 120 pictures.

The Confucian Family Mansion 孔府, right next to the Confucian Temple, was the residence of Confucius' descendants and perhaps one of the greatest residences for an aristocratic family in China, outside of the Imperial palaces. Covering an area of 120,000 meters, the family mansion now houses a large number of documents, files and cultural relics. Again, the current structures largely date from the Ming Dynasty.

The Confucian Cemetery, occupying more than 200 hectares, has served as the family graveyard of Confucius and his descendants for more than 2,300 years. This is located in what is called the Confucian Forest 孔林. Some 70 odd generations later, the descendants of Confucius are still buried here today.

Together, the Confucian Temple, Confucian Family Mansion and the cemetery were included in the UN’s world cultural heritage list in 1994.

Substitution and Extension

被…所… to show a passive voice

例) 我被这个故事所感动。

I was moved by the story.

例) 游客被云南的美丽景色所吸引。

The tourists were attracted by the beautiful scenery in Yunnan.