第五十五讲
Passage II Foreigners Also Love Chinese Martial Arts
Text-Related Information
This passage is adapted from a magazine article. It is in the genre of description with a touch of the author’s personal experience and comments. This kind of writing is often employed to describe different events, figures and objects. The wording in a description is typically vivid and figurative, illustrating the subject as sketching a picture.
Text Explanation
Para. 1
Chinese martial arts have quite a long history. They form a necessary part of the Chinese culture and they are a part of the nation’s spirit. Not only Chinese people love their martial arts, many foreigners are also crazy about them. Perhaps I’m one of those eager foreigners.
Language Points:
1. Explanation of Difficult Sentences
Not only Chinese people love their martial arts, many foreigners are also crazy about them.
Analysis: “not only...but also” is often used to mean “不仅…而且…” In this sentence, “but also” is omitted, but the meaning is still implied in the adverb also.
Translation: 不仅很多中国人喜欢武术，很多外国人也迷上了武术。
Example: Not only the children, many adults are also attracted by the cartoon film.
2. Important Words
1).martial: a. of, associated with war 尚武的, 军事的
e.g. Martial spirit is highly appreciated by these boys.
Para. 2
Actually, I’ve exercised all my life. I used to be a football player and I once loved swimming very much. But I became a Chinese martial arts fan the moment I saw them in a film. So, I decided to take them up while I was studying in Xi’an.
Language Points:
1.Explanation of Difficult Sentences
But I became a Chinese martial arts fan the moment I saw them in a film.
Analysis: The moment here is used as a conjunction meaning “as soon as”, and it introduces an adverbial clause of time.
Other such phrases are: the minute, the instance, the time etc
Translation: 但是当我第一次在电影里看到中国武术时，我就立刻成了中国武术迷。
Example: The runner fell on the ground the moment he reached the destination.
2. Important Words
1).decide v. be determined, made up one’s mind, make up the decision决定，下决心
e.g. The research group has decided to have a try.
Para. 3
Practicing Chinese martial arts requires a lot of effort. You have to be able to “stand as straight as a pine tree, sit as square as a stone, and move as quickly as a gust of wind.” In addition, it takes a long time for you to realize the deep meaning of the arts. Not all people who practice Chinese martial arts have a deep enough understanding of them. Some regard them only as physical movement: You move here; you hit your rival there But my coach has tried to make me realize their great underlying meaning, which has a great deal to do with one’s mental state Gradually, I’ve come to understand that the martial arts do not only improve my physical condition, but also make me feel more confident in dealing with the world around me. A lot of actions of Chinese martial arts are actually based on meditation. They address the goal of happiness. They make the goal better fitted for each person. Other forms of exercises do not necessarily make people feel happy, but when exercising martial arts, you will become calmer and more cheerful. Such beneficial function has long been realized and treasured. Many of my American friends have benefited a lot from practicing the arts, mentally and physically.
Language Points:
1.Explanation of Difficult Sentences
1) Not all people who practice Chinese martial arts have a deep enough understanding of them.
Analysis: Not all is a partial negative structure modifying people, whose relative clause is introduced by who. The sentence could also be rewritten like this: All the people who practice Chinese martial arts do not have a very deep understanding of the arts.
Translation: 并非所有练习武术的人都对中国武术有深刻的理解。
Example: Not all people who have a lot of money enjoy love and happiness.
2). But my coach has tried to make me realize their great underlying meaning, which has a great deal to do with one’s mental state
Analysis: Which introduces an unrestricted relative clause, modifying their great underlying meaning.
Translation:但是，我的教练设法让我理解武术的深层意义，这种意义与习武者的精神状态有密切的联系。
Example: But her mother tried to explain the question by drawing a diagram, which helped her to understand the question immediately.
3). Other forms of exercises do not necessarily make people feel happy, but when exercising martial arts, you will become calmer and more cheerful.
Analysis: Do not necessarily is used to make the negative mood less arbitrary, meaning“并不一定”, when exercising martial arts is an elliptical form of “when you are exercising martial arts”, acting as an adverbial of time for the main clause you will become calmer and more cheerful.
Translation: 其他种形式的体育锻炼不一定都会愉悦人的心情。而当你练习中国武术时，你会感到更加宁静，更加心旷神怡。
Example: Other roads do not necessarily lead you directly to the target, but when taking this shortcut, you will be there in 15 minutes.
4).Many of my American friends have benefited a lot from practicing the arts, mentally and physically.
Analysis:
The adverbs mentally and physically modify the predicate have benefited, with the preceding comma added to emphasize in which aspects they have benefited.
Translation: 我的许多美国朋友都通过练习武术而身心获益匪浅。
Example: They have advertised their products on all the web sites available, home and abroad.
2. Important Words
1).meditation n. deep thinking and consideration 沉思，冥想
e.g. In the deep meditation, she seems to have feel the power of nature
2).goal n. object of efforts and ambition目标
e.g. His goal in life is to live up to his parents’ expectation.
3).calm a. not disturbed in mind esp. in face of danger or emergency平静的
e.g. You can hardly imagine how she managed to keep calm in such danger.
4).cheerful a. being in a lively and high spirits 快活的, 愉快的
e.g. The children’s cheerful laughter soon elevated their mother’s mood.
5).beneficial a. having good effect, helpful 有益的，有好处的，获利的
e.g. Air by the beach is beneficial to health because it contains negative ion (负离子).
6).mentally ad. in the mind精神上，心理上
e.g. Good reading can benefit us both mentally and physically
7).physically ad. bodily身体上
e.g. He looked physically fit.