中英雙語話史記 第11期:黃帝文化

Huangdi Culture

黃帝文化

Huangdi is considered to be the founder of Chinese civilization as well as its first ancestor.

He lived about 4 thousand years ago, during the time of patriarchal clan community,

他生活在大約4000年前的父系氏族社會時期，

and was the mystical chief of one of the strongest tribes in the middle valley of the Yellow River.

是黃河流域最強大地部落之一的神祕首領。

During this period many tribes came to settle around the reach of Yellow River engaging in farming.

在這段時期，許多部落來到黃河沿岸安營紮寨，從事農業。

The different tribes clashed with each other over land disputes as each tribe sought to have more farmland.

因爲每個部落都想要獲取更多的土地，不同部落之間會因爲土地問題起衝突。

Since the constant warring caused much suffering to the people, Huangdi decided to put an end to this chaotic situation.

當接連不斷的戰爭使人民受苦受難時，黃帝決定終結這樣混亂的局面。

He worked out a moral code and trained his army.

他制定了一套道德準則並訓練了軍隊。

With his army, after warring 56 battles against other tribes,

他依靠自己的軍隊打敗了56個部落，

Huangdi conquered a wide area along the Yellow River and was made chief of the tribal union.

征服了黃河沿岸的一大片區域，成爲了部落聯盟的首領。

Because his tribe honored the virtue of earth, he was given the title, Yellow Emperor,after the yellow color of earth, the symbol of farming.

因爲他的部落尊敬黃土大帝，他就被成爲“黃帝”，“黃帝”代表着大地的顏色，是農業的象徵。

As the Yellow Emperor，he is remembered as having done many great things.

作爲黃帝，他因做了許多好事而被人銘記。

He coined bronze money, practiced medicine, invented boats, raised silk-worms and divided his realm into provinces.

他創造了銅錢、行醫、造船、養蠶，還將他的領土劃分區域。

The story goes that when Huangdi was 110 years old，a yellow dragon appears in the sky，summoning the emperor to heaven on behalf of the king of heaven.

傳說黃帝110歲時，天空中出現了一條黃色的龍，代表玉帝將黃帝召喚至天庭。

When the emperor riding on the back of the dragon is about to leave,

當黃帝騎上龍背準備離開時，

his subjects who were reluctant to let him go, drag him back by his clothes.

他的臣民不願意他離開，拖住他的衣服把他拽回。

However, all that was left were only part of the emperor’s clothes and hat.

然而最終留下的僅僅是黃帝的衣衫和帽子。

In commemoration of Huangdi, his descendents buried his remains at Mt. Qiaoshan,

爲了紀念黃帝，他的子孫後代將他留下的東西埋在了橋山，

where they built a mausoleum in honour of him, in present day Shanxi Province.

在那裏，也就是今天的陝西省，他們建造了陵墓來緬懷黃帝。

Tradition passes down from then that every year on the fifth day of the fourth lunar month (the Qingming Festival, also known as the Festival of Pure Brightness)

傳統自那時流傳，每年農曆的四月五日（清明節），

Chinese people of Huangdi’s origin, will remember him by coming to visit his mausoleum which has become the symbol of the Chinese nation.

中國人作爲黃帝的子孫，通過參觀皇帝的陵墓來紀念他，而這已經成爲了中華民族的一個象徵。