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老氏讀易得間
老氏：即老子 Laozi。
讀易：研讀《易經》 to study 《I Jing》，《Book of Changes》
得間： ㄉㄜˊ ㄐㄧㄢˋ , dé jiàn
得：得到 to get, to find, to obtain
間：是「間隙、孔竅」的意思，引申為「竅門、訣竅」。
間 means "the gaps, orifices, openings or holes", and is extended to "the tips, tricks or know-how".
得間：找到訣竅，了解其義。
To discover the tricks and understand the meanings.
老氏讀易得間
When Laozi studied the 《I Jing》, ...
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翦除羽翼 (Clipping one's wings) is a metaphor for "remove one's power base (assistants and supporters)"
A bird cannot fly without wings ; an emperor cannot rule without able assistants
羽翼 itself is a metaphor for "power base"
羽翼漸豐 (power base is growing stronger and stronger)
6
The following is an excerpt from wikipedia, Classical Chinese Grammar:
Grammar
Further information: Classical Chinese lexicon
Classical Chinese is distinguished from written vernacular Chinese in
its style, which appears extremely concise and compact to modern
Chinese speakers, and to some extent in the use of different lexical
items (...
5
If,
當 = should / must
自警 = self-discipline
What do you think their grammatical roles are?
5
“可以荐嘉客，奈何阻重深”。这句在说，这个水果是很给朋友们的一件很好的礼品，但无奈路途遥远，不方便。隐含着诗人当前所处的位置远离曾经工作和生活的地方而表现出一种悲伤的心情。“阻重深”，表示路途险阻，“重” chong 一般用在强制“很多的”的情况下，表示有很多的东西（通常都用在表示有困难）包围着我们，在这里强调很困难，比如“需要克服重重险阻，被围困的军队需要突破重重包围圈”。“奈何”表示口语中都是用“无奈”，表示没有办法或很难解决问题。
另外，在诗词和歌曲中，我们经常把一些并列式的词汇颠倒过来，比如“运命”平时都写成“命运”。
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Firstly, let us clarify one distinction:
"literary Chinese" (文言文), a register of the written language in common use across the East Asian Sinosphere before the early 20th century. Its opposite is "vernacular Chinese" (白話文)
"literary readings of Chinese characters" (文讀), a set of readings mapping Chinese characters from written form to spoken form. Its ...
4
對揚王休﹒用作尊彝
this verse come from the inscription on 免尊
對 - 報答, to requite
揚 - 讚揚, to praise
王 - the king, or ruler
休 - 樹蔭 shade of a tree --> 庇蔭 to shield --> 美德 virtue
用作 - ~ use for
尊彝 - 彝 is ritual / sacrificial objects, "尊彝" together is a specialised term of ritual objects, roughly a bronze wine vessel needed two hand to hold ( a big goblet?), see ...
4
there're 7 occurrences of "何如" in 呂氏春秋:
http://ctext.org/lv-shi-chun-qiu/zh?searchu=何如
translate "何如" as "how" is appropriate, in some of them.
１ 季冬紀﹒不侵 http://ctext.org/lv-shi-chun-qiu/bu-qin/zh?searchu=何如&searchmode=showall#result
孟嘗君之好士何如
何如 is how --> how is (何如) mr maang (孟嘗君) fond of (好) gentlemen? (士)
２ 審應覽﹒應言 http://ctext.org/lv-shi-chun-...
4
Your understanding for 不了 and 了之, respectively, are accurate. The key to your question is the relationship between the two parts.
In classical Chinese, omission of conjunctions is a very common thing, which brings beauty and ambiguity at the same time. In most cases it's intentionally left blank for the reader to interpret. There is no single correct ...
4
From Tao Te Ching ("Canon of morality") attributed to Laozi. These words are excerpted from various parts. Various translation exists, and here I am just being literal.
上善若水。水善利萬物而不爭。(part 8)
The utmost goodness [or benevolence] is like the water. Water is good at being benevolent to everything, and does not compete with them.
守靜篤。(part 16)
It is concrete ...
4
之 is a common way to say ‘him/her/it’ in classical Chinese. It’s usually in the object position, not the subject one though: 殺之 ‘kills him’; 由之 ‘from it’. The use like modern Chinese 的 is different.
其 is actually a possessive pronoun, as in 其妻 ‘his wife’. More generally, it substitutes for ‘noun + 之’.
彼 can be used as a third-person pronoun in ...
4
doesn’t a google images search of “故宮” + “館藏” + “唐代” + “壺“ suit your need?
it would be something like these:
ok, these three are “執壺” (a 壺 with handle & spout)
update:
the photo provided in the update, is an “imitation” (仿), made in 20th century. imo, it’s “un-han-chinese”, and is more suitable to be classified as “container” (罐).
want to know the ...
3
Here 啁 is a phonetic loan for 嘲, 'to mock', as in 嘲笑, so the phrase 或啁之曰could be translated "Someone mocked him, saying..." Using one character for another because they are pronounced similarly is common in older works. You could compare it to the situation in earlier English works where the same word is often spelled different ways, even in the same ...
3
You must know that the character 豫 means being caution， being extremely careful;
兮 is modal particle， like 啊.
So,the whole sentence means (他)犹豫小心，就如同冬天过河一样，不敢贸然下水似的. Being extremely caution so that he dare not cross the river in winter.
3
"重"，应该读chóng 即阳平(2声)
"江南有丹橘，经冬犹绿林。"
江南一带生长着一种奇异的丹橘，经历严冬橘林依然枝叶苍翠，郁郁青青。
"岂伊地气暖，自有岁寒心。"
难道这是因为那里地气和暖使然？原来是这种橘树自有凌寒傲霜的本性。
"可以荐嘉客，奈何阻重深。"
款待贵宾与亲朋，这丹橘作为上好的水果当之无愧，怎奈一路上山高水深，运送它交通不便。
"徒言树桃李，此木岂无阴？"
世人都喜欢栽种桃李，其实这丹橘的果实不但可以款待宾客，而且四季长青，终年绿荫葱茏，哪一点不如桃李呢？
本诗以橘喻人，诗人借赞颂丹橘，经冬犹绿，是因为有耐寒的本性来比喻自己也有贤人一样的高尚品质，但不被人识，只能抑郁不平。全诗平淡自然，语言温雅醇厚，设喻贴切，抒发胸臆圆转自如，愤怒哀伤不露痕迹，...
3
The passage is punctuated slightly wrong, it should be 葵丘之會，諸侯束牲、載書而不歃血: At the assembly at Kuiqiu, the feudal lords bound the sacrifice and placed their written pledges on it, but did not make blood oaths (i.e. they did not kill animals as part of the ceremony of allegiance).
The assembly at Kuiqiu marked the ascendance of Qi Huan gong 齊桓公, the first of ...
3
claiming this parable has chinese origin is doubtful. several themes in the text are very un-chinese, against the customs & culture:
1 "travelling through the country"
2 such travelling with a guide
3 seven
in other cultures, 7 might be a "magic" number, but it's not in chinese. we used 5, 10, 12, 3, or 4.
lastly, here's a link of its mormon origin:
...
3
鼓 = (beat) Drum
吹 = blow (trumpet)
"Beating the drum and blowing the trumpet around the person"
Similar terms: 前后部鼓吹，两部鼓吹
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One way is: 书面语 . See http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B9%A6%E9%9D%A2%E8%AF%AD for more information
3
I think it's 伸手不打笑脸人 or 举手不打笑脸人.
意思是当你举起手要打有错的对方时，对方已经在向你赔着笑脸认错了，这时候你就不忍心，也不好意思再去打人家了。
谓不欺侮老实善良的人。或谓要宽恕已知理亏而以礼待人的人。也说“举手不打笑脸人”。
3
The meaning I would present is
With the principles of nature, the fundamentals were produced. Everything else are then produced from the fundamentals.
The explanation of the principle and the fundamentals differs from people to people, it depends on your belief, the major you study and other backgrounds.
I, as a physics student, would regard the ...
3
i would interpret 將 in that sentence as "in near future" (即將).
抑王興甲兵．危士臣．構怨於諸侯．然後快於心與
王曰．否．吾何快於是．將以求吾所大欲也
mencius challenged 齊宣王, said "or (抑), your majestic (王) increases (興) armours (甲) and soldier (兵), [puts] your officials (士臣) in risk (危), makes up (構) enmities (怨) amongst (於) dukes (諸侯). and then (然後) [you'll be] cheerful (快) in (於) [...
2
to search words / clauses (combinations of 2-9 characters) in classical / literary chinese, it's straightforward; if you know the methods, and able to visit the recommended sites {some of them are blocked in that "area" :( }
in short:
1 using traditional chinese is a must, no simplified chinese
2 knowledge of variant (異體字)
3 search by google
4 ...
2
「認真」is a common two characters compound word. It means 'serious' (adj.)
Since it is an adjective, we can add the negative function word 「不」(not ) before it, and form an negative phrase 「不認真」(not serious)
However, 「認」on it's own can be the verb 'identify' or ' 'recognize' as in 「認人」(identify a person)，「認路」(recognize the way); while 「真」on it's own can be ...
2
庸 means 酬谢 (reward) here.
(10) 酬其功劳 [reward]
(11) 又如:庸勋(酬劳有功的人)
And,
6.酬其功劳。
《书·益稷》：“明庶以功，车服以庸。”
孔颖达疏：“赐车服以旌别其人功能事用。”
《左传·僖公二十四年》：“庸勳、亲亲、暱近、尊贤，德之大者也。”
《孟子·尽心上》：“杀之而不怨，利之而不庸，民日迁善而不知为之者。”
So 利之而不庸 means benefit them (the civilians), and they won't reward (someone).
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庸 means 需要 (need) here.
(1) (会意。小篆字形。从用,从庚。“庚更”同音,表更换。先做某事,然后更换做别的事。本义:用;需要)
(2) 同本义 [need;adopt]
(4) 常与否定副词“无”、“勿”、“弗”连用
(5) 又如:无庸讳言;无庸细述;毋庸讳言;
So 毋庸 means 无须/不必 (no need to).
2
之 = third person pronoun (it/him/her)
以 = with or indicating an indirect object
Verb 之以 Noun = VERB him with NOUN
In context, 淫之以色，啗之以利，养之以味，娱之以乐 means (a very rough translation) "(sexually) seduce him with sexy (women), lure him with benefit, accustom him with delicious food and amuse him with (obscene) music". It is included in a strategy saying that ...
2
The structure is <贪[人之有]者> <残>.
"贪 人之有 者" can be translated as "he who is lust for other people's possessions".
But I am sorry I don't know the exact meaning of 残 here. Maybe it means "harm", "impair" or "to be bad".
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NOTE: I don't have any interest in writing in English, because I would like to use Chinese to satirize the OP.
阁下妙论，澳洲雪雹也乎？其立也高，其势也疾，接地砉然有声，力透琉璃之窗。怙林火，恃烟霾，笼盖旷野，赤白交灰。九州炎嗣，莫不啖烧肉以观。至于贵国上民，安然享之，略加指点以寰宇气象，其必是也。
（想起猪肉和一缕烟那篇文章，再看看题主这个调调，我不知道不表达任何概念的符号谈何文字？鬼画符还有个意思呢。本来谈及各国语言文字的政治正确就是不分高低，这下好，我不说你欧洲诸语那些毛病，你倒自以为是地批评起中文来了，结果斗大的字还不认识一个，真是给人笑死。在新知识概念层出不穷的今天，...
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