To Chin2333 participants in 2009 (06)

Dear Chin2333 attenders, Here is the passage for your assignment: xxx 練武不練功，到老一場空 站樁是所有習武之人入門的基本功，站樁不僅是練你腳下的功夫，更重要的是磨練你的心志。
習武的精髓是習心，習心就是要讓你自己的心志得到磨練。習武之人最重要的是要做到身心要平靜如水，心靜思遠能達千里。
站樁的時候，你就是一棵樹，你要把自己想像成參天大樹。樹高萬丈在於根，你整個身心，要在你腳下的土地生根，根扎得越深，你的功夫就越深。
習武要內外兼修，最終要與天地萬物融為一體，如果到達了這個層次，到了那個時刻，你的整個身心就會變成水了。
從一棵大樹，變成能滲透萬物之中的水，到那時那就是習武的更高境界了。這個境界就是要融化自己，化成水，只有你自覺不自覺地把自己融成一汪水了，你才能夠將你的身心融入你腳下的土地，到那個時候你才算是真正入了武道。
“李小龍傳奇"電視劇中，詠春拳師傅葉問大師指點李小龍的一段話。

書法義工 / Volunteers with Brushes

書法義工 金雨田	Volunteers with Brushes Jin Yu Tian
中華文化，是從竹管裏流出來的，這裏說的是毛筆。	CHINESE culture stems from a little bamboo shaft, by which I mean the writing brush.
前些時候，高信疆來訪，談起在台灣發起文化義工的事。他說反應奇佳，一批批愛寫書法的人士，帶着筆墨，到各地去免費教授書法。	Not long ago, a friend came and told me about a “Learn calligraphy” drive in Taiwan. The appeal for volunteers, he said, had evoked such a warm response that groups of calligraphy enthusiasts, bringing along their brushes and ink, went around giving free lessons in Chinese penmanship.
難得的是，參與的人男女老幼都有，地點不計，學校工廠皆行，有些人還是平生第一次握這管子呢。	And remarkable crowds of learners they did draw – old and young, male and female, in schools, factories, or any other venues. Some of them came and had a try at writing with a brush for the first time in their lives.
他們還到雛妓收容所，教導這些肉體與靈魂曾經備受摧殘的人，運用筆墨，治療心靈的創傷。	The volunteers went to the halfway house for child prostitutes, too. They taught calligraphy to the girls who had been badly abused in body and mind so that, working with the brush and ink, they could expect to recover from the trauma sooner.
毛筆，長長時間曾是最為一般的書寫工具，更是文人不可或離的創作工具。時不我與，讓位給現代用筆和電腦鍵盤，但它的使轉順遂，也最經得起時間考驗。歷史上多少的藝術精靈，就依附在這管竹尾的毫毛而流芳百世。	For a long, long time, the Chinese brush has been the most ordinary tool for writing or, for the literati, the indispensable medium in their creative work. Then, with the passing of years, it has given way to various modern pens and pencils, and recently to the computer keyboard. Yet, it is the simple brush that has stood the test of time best. Gliding on paper with ease and freedom, the fine long hair attached to a bamboo shaft has rendered numerous literary and art geniuses immortal for posterity.
明人陳繼儒說：“筆有四德，銳齊健圓”，借用這句話形容那些書法義工，由銳而至圓，不也是人生追求的一種可貴的精神體現？著力，用心 —— 至性的嚮往。	Like humans, the brush has virtues. A worthy specimen, remarked a scholar centuries ago, must have a writing tip that is keen, neat, resilient, and well-rounded. The same could be said, I think, to describe those volunteers with brushes. Keen to render help, they devote themselves to noble pursuits until they themselves become well-rounded through experiences in life. Men’s hand and heart act in unison towards perfection in penmanship – and in humanity.
	(Translated by Allen Zhuang)
[原載新加坡《聯合早報》(2000)；收入《不著地族 / A Lift-Off People》(潘正鐳著、Allen Zhuang 英譯；Singapore: All Publishing House, 2002)]

To Chin2333 participants in 2009 (04)

Dear Chin2333 attenders, From time to time, you may need an English version for a classical quotation, say, from The Analects (《論語》) or Dao De Jing (《道德經》), or you may want to put a couplet from a poem by Tang Dynasty poet 李白 or 杜甫 into English. Then you can find great help from this website for Chinese Classics & Translations entitled “溫故知新” at http://wengu.tartarie.com/wg/wengu.php?l=intro. Take《論語》for example. Along with the original Chinese text, the website gives you the time-honoured English version by James Legge (理雅各, 1815-1897), an older-generation British sinologist, and also the well-acclaimed modern rendering by D. C. Lau (劉殿爵), a contemporary Chinese scholar. It even gives you a French version translated by Couvreur. So, for the oft-quoted saying by Confucius, “學而時習之，不亦說(悅)乎？”, you can have a choice between “Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application?” and “Is it not a pleasure, having learned something, to try it out at due intervals?”. In addition to 《論語》) and 《道德經》, the website features 《詩經》,《大學》,《中庸》,《三字經》,《易經》,《唐詩三百首》,《孫子兵法》 and 《三十六計》, along with their translated versions in English (in some cases, plus French, and plus German). It may be updated later on and include even more Chinese classics and translations. Enjoy using these online resources.

The Man and His Two Wives / 一夫兩妻

The Man and His Two Wives Aesop’s Fables	一夫兩妻 伊索寓言
There was once a time when a man was allowed more wives than one, and a middle-aged bachelor, who could be called neither young nor old, and whose hair was just beginning to turn gray, fell in love with two women at the same time and married them both. One was young and lively and wanted her husband to look youthful; the other was somewhat more advanced in age and was concerned that her husband look about the same age as she did. So, the young wife seized every opportunity to pull out all her dear husband’s gray hairs, while the older one zealously plucked out every black hair she could find. For a while the man was highly flattered by their attention and devotion until, one morning, he discovered that, thanks to his two wives, he did not have a hair left on his head.	舊時男子娶妻，可不限一人。有一中年光棍，歲數可謂不大不小，頭髮正當由黑轉白；同時愛戀兩女，遂一併娶來。一女年少活潑，願夫君形象青春；另一女已頗為老大，急欲夫君相貌年齡與己相仿。於是少妻每得機會，即將良人之白髮悉數擢去，而老妻亦孜孜不倦，盡力將其黑髮逐一揀出拔除。男子兼享兩妻關愛呵護，一時大為自得；直至某日清晨，始知經兩妻如此照顧，自家頭頂竟已毫髮不存。
Whoever allows his principles to be swayed by the influence and different needs of conflicting parties will end in [sic] having no principles at all.	凡有人願受諸方勢力所左右，而不顧各方要求之彼此牴觸，則其自身行止，終將至於全無操守。
[From Aesop’s Fables, Selected and Adapted by Jack Zipers, Penguin Books, 1996]	( Allen Zhuang 譯)

To Chin2333 participants in 2009 (03)

Dear Chin2333 attenders, There are various online resources of database or information that can help you do translation, either for your assignments now or your job tasks later on. xxx For English equivalents of Chinese words or phrases, particularly those in literary or classical Chinese (文言) or those laden with significance in Chinese culture, you may want to try this online version of 《林語堂當代漢英詞典》 created and maintained by the Chinese University of Hong Kong at http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/Lindict/. For example, you can find the English for single characters 緣, 福, and 邪, and for multi-character words or phrases like 孽緣, 惜福 and 邪氣. xxx You may also find help from this online tool of 有道海量詞典 (Youdao) at http://dict.youdao.com/. Please note that, despite the name, this is not a dictionary but a database or search tool, and it is a “two-way” tool capable of both Eng-Ch and Ch-Eng searching and retrieval. Also, please be aware that 有道 focuses on data of mainland China and so you need to exercise greater caution when using the data it retrieves. Alternatively, you may download the software of 網易有道桌面詞典 and install it on your PC, and activate it from your desktop. See http://down1.tech.sina.com.cn/download/down_contents/1201363200/37900.shtml xxx Please note that, whether using the《林語堂當代漢英詞典》or 有道 search tool, you may not get exactly what you need, but you can expect to find tips or hints that guide you to your target. xxx Enjoy using these online helpers.