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Jade: More Than Meets the Eye 古玉之美，君子之风

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繁體中文譯本

At the National Palace Museum in Taipei sits an artistic work of unparalleled magnificence. The hauntingly beautiful Jadeite Cabbage with Insects seems to glow in its glass encasement, with a grasshopper and a katydid sitting on a painstakingly crafted, true-to-life piece of Chinese cabbage. The insects are metaphors for having many children, and were used to symbolize the purity of the artwork’s owner, one of the consorts of Emperor Kuang Hsu (Guangxu). This is but one example of the important place jade occupies in the history and culture of China.

台北国立故宫博物院里有件华贵非凡的艺术珍品。美丽醉人的「翠玉白菜」在玻璃护罩里散发出柔和的光晕，精雕细琢、栩栩如生的白菜叶上停着一只蝗虫和一只螽斯。这两只昆虫有多子多孙的寓意，并用来象征其拥有者──光绪皇帝的妃子──的冰清玉洁。这只是玉器在中华文化里占有一席之地的其中一例。

Jade is found in mountains and riverbeds, and thus, to the Chinese, it is thought to be “the essence of heaven and earth.” For this reason, jade was considered the imperial gem, and was viewed as the most valuable of all precious stones, even more so than gold. Since the Qin Dynasty, whenever something required a ruler’s seal, that seal was made out of jade.

玉石分布于山脉及河床，因此华人认为玉石吸取了天地间的精华。正因如此，玉也被视为皇家御用宝石，价值为所有宝石中之最，连黄金都有所不及。自秦朝开始，只要动用到国玺，那块印玺必定是玉制的。

Jade was used for more than just seals, though. Liu Sheng (d. 113BC), the ruler of Zhongshan State during the Western Han Dynasty, was actually buried in a suit made of jade. This is because the precious material was believed to preserve the body after death. The elaborate suit’s 2,498 separate pieces were sewn together with gold thread.

玉的功用不仅止于国玺而已，西汉中山靖王刘胜（卒于公元前113年）下葬时就是身着全套的金缕玉衣。这是因为当时的人相信，玉这种珍贵的材质在人死后仍能保存其肉身不朽。这套做工精致繁复的金缕玉衣共享了2,498片大小不等的玉片，以金线编缀而成。

In Chinese society, jade is believed not only for its great beauty, but also because it is believed to have healing properties. Jade is said to calm the nervous system and even ward off evil spirits. In the past, however, the precious stone was valued more for its symbolic meaning than anything else. Representing perfection and virtue, jade was worn by people as a reminder to lead pure, moral lives, giving it more than just monetary value. As the ancient Chinese proverb goes “One can put a price on gold, but jade is priceless.”

在华人社会里，玉深受喜爱不单只是因其华美的外观，人们还相信玉具有疗效。据说，玉既能镇静安神，还能驱邪避煞。不过，在古代，这种珍贵美石的象征意义凌驾他特质之上。玉代表完善与美德，人们配戴玉佩以提醒自己要力行纯真质朴、有品有德的生活，而这层意义已超越玉石的金钱价值。因此古代中国民间流传着如此说法：「黄金有价玉无价。」

－by Joe Henley

Vocabulary

单词发音

unparalleled [ʌnˋpærə͵lɛld] adj. 无比的；无双的

glow [glo] v. 发光，发热

painstakingly [ˋpens͵tekɪŋlɪ] adv. 煞费苦心地

symbolize [ˋsɪmb!͵aɪz] v. 象征

occupy [ˋɑkjə͵paɪ] v. 占领，占据

essence [ˋɛsns] n. 本质, 实质, 精华

imperial [ɪmˋpɪrɪəl] adj. 皇帝（或女皇）的

precious [ˋprɛʃəs] adj. 珍贵的; 宝贵的

preserve [prɪˋzɝv] v. 保存；保护；维持

separate [ˋsɛpə͵ret] adj. 单独的，独立的

sew [so] v. 缝合；缝上

ward off 避开; 挡住 to try to keep away someone or something that would hurt you

reminder [rɪˋmaɪndɚ] n. 提醒

proverb [ˋprɑvɝb] n. 谚语，俗语

priceless [ˋpraɪslɪs] adj. 无价的；稀世之珍的

More Information

单词发音

more (to something) than meets the eye 比原想的复杂(或有趣等) hidden values or facts regarding something

magnificence [mægˋnɪfəsns] n. 富丽堂皇,华丽

hauntingly [ˋhɔntɪŋlɪ] adv. 萦绕于心头地；难以忘怀地

jadeite [ˋdʒedaɪt] n.【矿】硬玉

encasement [ɪnˋkesmənt] n. 护罩; 包装物

grasshopper [ˋgræs͵hɑpɚ] n. 蚱蜢；蝗虫

katydid [ˋketɪ͵dɪd] n.【昆】美洲大螽斯

true-to-life  逼真的

metaphor [ˋmɛtəfɚ] n. 隐喻﹐暗喻〔将一物比喻为具有相似质量的另一物﹐而不用“像”﹑“如”等字眼〕

consort [ˋkɑnsɔrt] n.（尤指国王、女王的）配偶

but [bʌt] adv. 只，仅仅，才 merely; just

riverbed [ˋrɪvɚ͵bɛd] n. 河床

seal [sil] n. 印章; 图章

suit [sut] n.（一套）衣服

elaborate [ɪˋlæbə͵ret] adj. 精心制作的；精巧的

thread [θrɛd] n. 线

healing [ˋhilɪŋ] adj. 有治疗功用的

virtue [ˋvɝtʃu] n. 美德，德行

Reading Questions

1. What is the main purpose of this passage?

A. To talk about the uses of jade worldwide.

B. To inform readers about the global history of jade.

C. To discuss the value of jade in modern society.

D. To educate people on the history of jade in China.

2. What is true of the jade suit Liu Sheng was buried in?

A. It was a diplomatic gift from a powerful country.

B. It was made of one solid piece of jade.

C. It was made of different pieces of jade joined together.

D. It was believed to bring the dead back to life after a few centuries.

3. According to the final paragraph, why was jade valued in the past?

A. Because it was extremely rare.

B. Because only rulers could wear it.

C. Because of what it stood for.

D. Because it could be sold for a high price.

Answer