The first archaeologically attested dynasty of ancient China was the Shang (商) dynasty, also referred to as the Yin-Shang (殷商), or simply Yin (殷). It is also said that the Shang was preceded by another dynasty, called the Xia (夏), which fell because of anger at the corruption and moral degradation of its last king.
The Shang was subsequently overthrown by King Wu (武王) of the Zhou (周), as it was thought the Shang, too, had descended into corruption and despotism. The victory was attributed to Wu’s father, the Zhou patriarch, who would later be given the posthumous title King Wen (文王).
The poem the Sequence of Dang (蕩之什), in the ancient Chinese classic the Book of Poetry (詩經), written in the Zhou dynasty, imagines King Wen criticizing the Yin-Shang king for appointing “violently oppressive” and “greedy” ministers: although Heaven had given them these objectionable characteristics, it was the king who gave the ministers power and status:「曾是彊禦、曾是掊克。 曾是在位、曾是在服。 天降慆德、女興是力。」
Photo: Paul Cooper, Taipei Times
照片:台北時報記者古德謙
The poem ends with the line “the beacon (lesson) of the Yin is not far off; it is in the time of the last Xia king”: 殷鑒不遠,夏后之世. Although King Wen is warning the Shang, the poet, writing during the Zhou dynasty, is actually delivering a veiled warning to the increasingly despotic Zhou king.
Now, the phrase 殷鑒不遠 means, “you don’t have to look far to see a valuable lesson to be learned. Change your ways.”(Paul Cooper, Taipei Times)
商朝是中國第一個有考古學證據證明存在的朝代。商又稱殷商,或殷。據傳商朝之前還有夏朝。傳說夏之所以顛覆是因末期腐敗、道德淪喪所致。商朝最後被周朝取代。周朝的開國始祖為姬昌,他逝世後被追封為周文王。興兵攻打商朝獲得勝利的則是姬昌的兒子周武王。
中國典籍《詩經》的「蕩之什」中,作者遙想周文王如何批判商王任用「殘暴」、「斂財」的大臣,雖然這些臣子惡劣的品德是天生的,但讓這些人當官、縱容這些人暴行的,卻是你這個當國王的。即:「曾是彊禦、曾是掊克。曾是在位、曾是在服。 天降慆德、女興是力。」
不過這首詩是創作於周朝,此時商早已滅亡。因此這即可能是詩人以一種較為婉轉的方式勸喻當時越來越跋扈的周王。
詩末以「殷鑒不遠,夏后之世」作結,意即應記取前人的教訓,不再犯錯。 (台北時報詹豐造譯)
Taiwanese cuisine boasts a rich culture of thick soups, with various options available at street vendors or high-end restaurants. In English, this style of dish is typically called “thick soup.” Western cuisine typically uses flour, cream, or mashed vegetables to create a creamy consistency, while in Taiwan, thick soups are made by simply incorporating food starch into the soup and creating a smooth and silky texture. Tutuo fish in thick soup is such a soup with fried tutuo fish chunks, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and wood ears. 台灣羹品飲食文化豐富,無論是巷口小店或是高檔餐廳,都有提供羹料理。羹在英文稱作「濃湯」,西式濃湯是以麵粉、鮮奶油、蔬菜泥等達到濃稠的口感,台灣的羹湯用太白粉即能做出濃稠絲滑的湯頭。土魠魚羹就是在勾芡的羹湯中加入炸土魠魚塊、香菇、竹筍、木耳等食材的料理。 boast (v.) 擁有(令人驕傲的事物) consistency (n.) 濃稠度 chunk (n.) 厚塊,大塊 wood ear (n. ph.) 木耳 The star of this
Huge stretches of coral reef around the world are turning a ghostly white this year amid record warm ocean temperatures. On April 15, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed the world’s fourth mass global bleaching event is underway — with serious consequences for marine life and for the people and economies that rely on reefs. WHAT ARE CORALS? Corals are invertebrates that live in colonies. Their calcium carbonate secretions form hard and protective scaffolding that serves as a home to many colorful species of single-celled algae. The two organisms have evolved over millennia to work together, with corals providing shelter to algae,
In Taiwan, a quick stop at a local convenience store allows you to grab a hot dog whenever you want. But have you ever wondered how this popular snack got its unique name and became a leading light of American cuisine? First, the name “hot dog” is actually a combination of different ideas. Vendors called the sausages “red hot” to get customers to buy one fresh off their grills. As for the “dog” part, it’s a playful joke to compare the meat of the sausage to that of a dog—specifically , a dachshund. This small, long dog breed was
A: Also, police seized seven pornographic videos featuring minors that entertainer Mickey Huang purchased in his hard disc. B: That’s just outrageous! A: His ex-girlfriend entertainer Little S and some others are calling for a legal amendment to increase the penalty. B: The buyers and sellers should both be punished heavily. A: But the porn sellers’ Web sites are mostly overseas, so they are hard to catch. A: 此外警方也在黃子佼的硬碟裡,查到7部他買的未成年色情片。 B: 真是令人火大! A: 他的前女友小S等人,還呼籲修法,加重相關的罰則。 B: 購買者和販賣者雙方都該重罰。 A: 不過色情網站大多設在海外要抓也不容易吧。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)