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The Beauty of Bonsai 小盆栽，大世界

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

When Larz Anderson, the US ambassador to Japan, returned from the East in 1913, he brought home an enchanted forest. There was a triangle-shaped cypress with magnificent green leaves. He had a juniper with a roller-coaster trunk extending down and out like a dragon’s tail. There was also a pine with perfectly manicured needles that made its branches look like clouds in the sky. Possible the most captivating trait about these plants, however, was their size. None was any bigger than the palm of a hand!

当美国驻日大使拉兹．安德生1913年自亚洲返美，他带回了一座魔法森林。这座森林包括一棵叶子油绿的三角形柏树；一棵杜松，它那起伏弯曲的树干往下、往外延伸，彷如龙尾。此外，还有棵松针被完美修剪的松树，其枝干看来像是天空中的云朵。但这些植物最迷人之处是它们的尺寸，没有一棵大过手掌。

Larz Anderson’s trees represent a few of the oldest living bonsais in the United States. The Japanese began cultivating the trees as far back as 1737 when President George Washington was only five years old. Believe it or not, though, the origins of bonsais date back much further.

安德生的迷你树呈现美国目前最古老的一些活盆景。这些树从1737年，华盛顿总统只有五岁大时，便开始被日本人栽种。不过信不信由你，盆景的起源可追溯至更远的年代。

The bonsai originated in China and was called penjing, meaning “tray scenery.” Legend has it that an emperor of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. – 220 A.D.) was the first to use penjing. He created a miniature landscape of his entire empire with penjing in his courtyard. If anyone else was found to have anything similar, they would be sentenced to death. However, the first hard evidence of penjing was from the tomb of Prince Zhang Huai, who died in 706 during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.). Archeologists found a painting which depicted a servant carrying a tree planted in a small pot.

「盆景」源于中国，字面意思为「盘子的景色」。据说，汉朝（206 B.C.－220 A.D.）某位皇帝率先使用盆景。他在庭院用盆景造出整个迷你帝国，任何人若拥有类似的东西，便会被处死。然而，有关盆景的第一个确切证据，是在唐朝（618－907 A.D.）章怀太子（公元706辞世）的坟墓中。考古学家发现墓中有一幅画作，画里有位仆人手捧着种了一棵树的小盆子。

Vocabulary

单词发音

ambassador [æmˋbæsədɚ] n. 大使；使节

enchanted [ɪnˋtʃæntɪd] adj.〔物体或场所〕施了魔法的

extend [ɪkˋstɛnd] v. 延伸

captivating [ˋkæptə͵vetɪŋ] adj. 令人神魂颠倒的

scenery [ˋsinərɪ] n. 风景，景色

dynasty [ˋdaɪnəstɪ] n. 王朝；朝代

miniature [ˋmɪnɪətʃɚ] adj. 小型的；微型的；小规模的

sentence [ˋsɛntəns] v. 判决

archeologist (archaeologist)[͵ɑrkɪˋɑlədʒɪst] n. 考古学家

More Information

单词发音

bonsai [ˋbɑnsaɪ] n. 盆景

cypress [ˋsaɪprɪs] n. 柏树

juniper [ˋdʒunəpɚ] n. 桧属植物；杜松

roller-coaster adj. 起伏弯曲的

pine [paɪn] n. 松树

manicure [ˋmænɪ͵kjʊr] v.【口】修剪（草坪等）

cultivate [ˋkʌltə͵vet] v. 栽培（作物等）

tray [tre] n. 盘子，托盘

课文讲解

Japanese monks are credited with bringing bonsai trees to Japan during the Heian Period (782-1185 A.D.). The Japanese called the tree bonsais, which meant “tree in a tray,” or ‘”tray planting.” Bonsai went hand in hand with the religious practice of Japanese Zen Buddhism. Zen teaches that in order to achieve ultimate enlightenment, everything except the essentials must be removed. Likewise, in order to create a bonsai, every twig and branch must be shaped or eliminated until the perfect design is achieved.

日本僧侣被归功于在日本平安时代（782－1185 A.D.）将盆景艺术带至日本。日文bonsai的意思是「盆树」或「盆植」。盆栽与日本禅宗的宗教实践密切相关。襌宗教导，为达至「究竟觉」，本质外的东西皆须舍去。同样地，为了创造一个盆景，每一根树枝都须塑形或除去，直到取得最完美的型态。

A bonsai can be big or small. There are five common styles. Formal uprights are shaped almost like Christmas trees. Informal uprights have the same branch arrangement, but the top bends slightly to the front. A slanting bonsai slants slightly to one side. Cascade and semi-cascade bonsais both have trunks that form an upside-down V shape. A raft-style bonsai is more difficult to achieve because the tree must appear to have fallen due to erosion or a natural disaster.

盆景可大可小。有五种常见型态：「直干（formal upright）」，形状像是圣诞树；「模样木（informal upright）」，枝干的安排同「直干」型态，但顶端些微前倾。「斜干（slanting）」的树木则微往侧倾。「悬崖（cascade）」和「半悬崖（semi-cascade）」盆景的树干都呈倒V状。「筏状（raft-style）」盆景较难塑造，因树木须呈现出受侵蚀或天然灾害而倾倒的状态。

Some people consider pot confinement and regular pruning to be cruel. However, bonsais actually live much longer with this kind of care. With proper maintenance, they can live over 500 years!

有些人认为盆植及修剪颇为残忍，但经过这般处理的树其实寿命会延长。只要适当维护，它们可以存活超过五百年！

−by Matthew Wilson

Vocabulary

单词发音

be credited with 有…的功劳

credit [ˋkrɛdɪt] v. 归功于

go hand in hand with 与…密切相关  if two things go hand in hand, they exist together and are connected with each other

enlightenment [ɪnˋlaɪtnmənt] n. 启蒙；教化；开明

likewise [ˋlaɪk͵waɪz] adv. 同样地

eliminate [ɪˋlɪmə͵net] v. 排除，消除

slightly [ˋslaɪtlɪ] adv. 稍微地

erosion [ɪˋroʒən] n. 侵蚀；腐蚀

disaster [dɪˋzæstɚ] n. 灾难

confinement [kənˋfaɪnmənt] n. 限制

maintenance [ˋmentənəns] n. 维修，保养

More Information

单词发音

the Heian Period 平安时代

Zen [zɛn] Buddhism [ˋbʊdɪzəm] 襌宗

Zen [zɛn] n. 佛教的禅；禅宗

Buddhism [ˋbʊdɪzəm] n. 佛教

twig [twɪg] n. 细枝，嫩枝

slanting [slæntɪŋ] n. 歪

cascade [kæsˋked] n.（陡峭的）小瀑布

upside-down 颠倒的

pruning [ˋprunɪŋ] n. 修剪

Reading Questions

1.  Which of the following is NOT true about bonsai trees?

A.  Ancient stories tell of a Chinese emperor who made a tiny imitation of his whole empire with bonsais.

B.  There are several types of bonsai trees, including cascade, slanting, and raft-style.

C.  Bonsai trees have a shorter lifespan than normal tress because they are regular pruned.

D.  Some kinds of trees used for bonsais are junipers, cypresses, and pines.

2.  What does the phrase “hard evidence” mean in this article?

A.  Proof that is difficult to argue against.

B.  A tree planted in a hard container.

C.  A legend or story of something that happened.

D.  Evidence that scientists must examine and approve.

3.  How do bonsai trees relate to Japanese Zen Buddhism?

A.  They both call for a good number of exotic styles.

B.  They are both things that are worshipped.

C.  They both require the removal of unnecessary things.

D.  They are both able to guide a person through life.

4.  What would be an alternative title for this article?

A.  The Relationship Between Bonsai and Buddhism

B.  The Development of Bonsai Trees in America

C.  Plant Which Only Grow in Asia

D.  Bonsai: A Short Tree with a Long History

Answer