Confucius and the US House of Representatives
On October 28, 2009, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution to commemorate the 孔子诞辰 (kŏngzĭ dànchén) anniversary of Confucius’ birth of 2560 years by 361 赞成票 (zànchéngpiào) affirmative votes and 47 反对票 (fănduìpiào) dissenting votes. Many members of the US House of Representatives believe that 儒家思想 (rújiāsīxiăng) Confucianism from China has influenced many countries in the world. In 1988, 75 Nobel Prize Winners issued a joint declaration to appeal to the world to learn Confucius’ wisdom. They also said that Confucius belonged to not only China but also the whole world. Confucianism takes root not only in Chinese peoples’ hearts but also in many peoples’ hearts all over the world. And now, a popular Chinese cartoon named Confucius is being aired on CCTV, the largest TV network in China.
Famous sentences from Confucius:
Sān rén xíng, bì yŏu wŏ shī yān.
三 人 行，必 有 我 师 焉。
Among any three people walking, I will find something to learn for sure.
Yán bì xíng, xíng bì guŏ.
言 必 行， 行 必 果。
Be truthful in speech and firm in action.
Xué ér shí xí zhī, bú yì yuè hū.
学 而 时 习 之，不 亦 说 乎。
It is a great feeling to review the knowledge learned before.
Vocabulary:
1. 诞辰(dànchén) n. birthday
2. 赞成票(zànchéngpiào) n. affirmative votes
3. 反对票(fănduìpiào) n. dissenting votes
4. 儒家思想(rújiāsīxiăng) n. Confucianism
