ecns [expanded by feedex.net]: On the character ƽ

ecns [expanded by feedex.net]

ecns

On the character ƽ
http://www.ecns.cn/learning-Chinese/2016/10-19/230853.shtml
Oct 19th 2016, 15:05





Wednesday Oct 19, 2016









It is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave and we stood at God's feet, equal¡ªas we are!" This declaration from Jane Eyre can still stir the heart. The key to building a civilized world is equality, a society without bias or discrimination. For that, we have ƽ (p¨ªng).
ƽ has existed in Chinese for more than 2,000 years, originally used to describe a calm, flat, gentle tone. Over the years, ƽ has taken on an array of meanings, but they all seem to point back to that original sense of serenity. The character is often associated with "stable" and "peaceful". To depict a mood or environment of peace, quiet, and tranquility, one might use ƽ¾² (p¨ªngj¨¬ng); to describe words and deeds, we say ƽºÍ (p¨ªngh¨¦, gentle, mild, and moderate). Peace in general can be described with ºÍƽ (h¨¦p¨ªng). By adding a negative, you get things like ²»Æ½ (b¨´p¨ªng), meaning "resentful and indignant".
Before you begin a long journey, you might hear the phrase ±¨Æ½°² (b¨¤o p¨ªng'¨¡n), loosely meaning, "tell others you're safe". Eighth century poet Cen Shen (᯲Î) was on a long journey and one day came across a friend from his hometown who was on his way back home. Without a pen and paper, he recited a poem instead, saying: "ÂíÉÏÏà·êÎÞÖ½±Ê, ƾ¾ý´«Óﱨƽ°². (M¨£ sh¨¤ng xi¨¡ngf¨¦ng w¨² zh¨« b¨«, p¨ªng j¨±n chu¨¢n y¨³ b¨¤o p¨ªng'¨¡n. Meeting on horseback, no paper or brushes, I rely on you to pass on word that I'm safe.)" If your friends tell you to ±¨¸öƽ°² (b¨¤o ge p¨ªng'¨¡n) when you are on a journey, they want you to get in touch so they know you're safe.
If you use ƽ as a verb, it means to "pacify" or "quell". For the former, it is usually used to deal with emotions, as in ƽÃñ·ß (p¨ªng m¨ªnf¨¨n, assuage popular indignation). For the latter, it could be ƽÅÑ (p¨ªngp¨¤n). In Confucian philosophy, one of the four steps to fulfillment is ƽÌìÏ (p¨ªng ti¨¡nxi¨¤), which means to bring peace to all under heaven.
From this, ƽ derived another meaning: flat, level, smooth, as in, ºéˮƽÁ˵̰¶. (H¨®ngshu¨« p¨ªng le d¨©'¨¤n. The flood water was level with the embankment.) Flat land is called ƽ´¨ (p¨ªngchu¨¡n), and a plain is ƽԭ (p¨ªngyu¨¢n). This iteration of ƽ is also frequently used for smaller things; low-heeled shoes are ƽµ×Ь (p¨ªngd¨«xi¨¦), flat-bottomed boat is ƽµ×´¬ (p¨ªngd¨«chu¨¢n), and a frying-pan is ƽµ×¹ø (p¨ªngd¨«gu¨­).
It's pretty easy to see how the word stretches from flat to equality. The saying Ò»ÍëË®¶Ëƽ (y¨¬ w¨£n shu¨« du¨¡n p¨ªng) means "to hold a bowl of water level", but in use it means "to make something just". In this sense, ƽ means "equal, just, fair, and impartial". In the Tang Dynasty (618 ¨C 907), scholar Han Yu (º«Óú) revealed a profound truth in his prose, coining the term ÎﲻƽÔòÃù (w¨´ b¨´p¨ªng z¨¦ m¨ªng, complaint comes from injustice). In modern Chinese, the character is found in ƽµÈ (p¨ªngd¨§ng, equal) and ¹«Æ½ (g¨­ngp¨ªng, fair). For example, you have ·¨ÂÉÃæÇ°,ÈËÈËƽµÈ (f¨£l¨¸ mi¨¤nqi¨¢n, r¨¦n r¨¦n p¨ªngd¨§ng, everyone is equal under the law). This can be found even in the world of sports, in which ƽ can mean a draw, as in ƽ¾Ö (p¨ªngj¨²).
Sometimes, ƽ also means "for no reason", found in the words ƽ°× (p¨ªngb¨¢i), or ƽ°×ÎÞ¹Ê (p¨ªngb¨¢i w¨²g¨´). For example, you could say, Äã²»¿ÉÒÔƽ°×Î޹ʵع¥»÷ËûÈË£¡(N¨« b¨´ k¨§y¨« p¨ªngb¨¢i w¨²g¨´ de g¨­ngj¨© t¨¡r¨¦n! You are not supposed to attack others for no reason!)
The thing about peace, though, is that it's a bit boring, so the character can mean "common, ordinary". For example, ËûÔÚÕâ¸öƽ·²µÄ¸ÚλÉÏÈ¡µÃÁË·Ç·²µÄ³É¾Í.(T¨¡ z¨¤i zh¨¨ ge p¨ªngf¨¢n de g¨£ngw¨¨i sh¨¤ng q¨³d¨¦le f¨¥if¨¢n de ch¨¦ngji¨´. He has made extraordinary achievements in such an ordinary post.) Another word is ƽµ­ (p¨ªngd¨¤n), which means "dull, prosaic, and pedestrian".
From the moods of ancient days to the equality of today, the character ƽ stays true to the meaning behind those two horizontal lines in its body¡ªa symbol of tranquility and serenity. Perhaps the best way to sum up ƽ is with a Chinese phrase you should say to yourself every day: ƽƽµ­µ­²ÅÊÇÕæ (p¨ªngp¨ªng d¨¤nd¨¤n c¨¢ish¨¬ zh¨¥n, simplicity makes life).
"On The Character: ƽ" is a story from our newest issue, "Gender Equality". To read the whole piece, become a subscriber and receive the full magazine. Alternatively, you can purchase the digital version from the iTunes Store.
Article by Huang Weijia (»Æΰ¼Î) and Sun Jiahui (Ëï¼Ñ»Û)
¡¡¡¡


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