虚静Void and Peace

　　排除一切欲望与理性思维的干扰，达到心灵的纯净与安宁。由道家老庄最先提出，荀子也用它说明专心致志所达到的一种精神状态。由于这种心境与文艺审美中无物无我、无知无欲的心理特性相通，因此，古代思想家与文艺批评家也用“虚静”来说明文艺活动中的审美心理。这一术语强调文艺创作中的心灵自由，认为它是达到审美最高境界的重要前提。
　　Void and peace mean that all distractions， such as desires and rational thoughts， should be dispelled to attain peace and purity of the soul. The idea of void and peace was first proposed by Laozi and Zhuangzi， the founders of Daoism， and then used by Xunzi to refer to a state of mental concentration. Such a state of mind is similar to the psychological conditions in appreciation of works of literature and art， which are characterized by being totally free from the awareness of oneself and the outside world， and free from any urge and desire. Therefore， thinkers and literary critics of earlier times used this term to explain the state of mind in literary and artistic creation and appreciation. It stressed the need for spiritual freedom in artistic creation， suggesting that this is an important precondition for reaching the highest level of aesthetic appreciation.
　　引例 Citations：
　　◎致虛极，守静笃。（《老子·十六章》）
　　（达到虚空境界，心中没有任何杂念；坚守安宁心境，不受外物干扰。）
　　When one attains the state of void and peace， his mind becomes peaceful and free of any distractions. He can withstand the temptations of the outside world. （Laozi）
　　◎是以陶钧文思，贵在虚静，疏五藏，澡雪精神。（刘勰《文心雕龙·神思》）
　　（因此构思文章，最重要的是虚静，不受外物干扰，身体舒泰如同五脏贯通了一样，精神洁净如同洗洁过一样。）
　　In conceiving an essay， one should strive for a mental state of quiet emptiness and not let oneself be bothered by external interferences， and be relaxed and at ease just like all his internal organs are put in perfect comfort and his spirits refreshed by a thorough wash. （Liu Xie： The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons）

知音Resonance and Empathy

　　体会和理解文艺作品的意蕴与作者的思想感情。原指音乐欣赏中的知己，后经魏晋南北朝时期文艺批评家的阐释，用来泛指文艺鉴赏中的心心相印、互相理解。“知音”作为文学批评的核心概念，涉及文艺创作与鉴赏中的个体差异与共性等诸多问题，有着丰富的精神内涵，与西方的读者反应批评理论、接受美学、解释学等基本思想有一致之处。
　　The term is about appreciating and understanding the ideas in literary and artistic works and the thoughts of their authors. The original meaning was feeling a sense of resonance with music. It was later extended by literary critics in the Wei， Jin， and Southern and Northern dynasties to mean resonance or empathy between writers / artists and their readers / viewers. As a core concept in literary criticism， it touches upon both particular and general issues in artistic creation and appreciation， involves rich intellectual implications， and meshes with the Western reader-response criticism， receptive aesthetics， and hermeneutics.
　　引例 Citations：
　　◎是故不知声者不可与言音，不知音者不可与言乐。知乐则几于礼矣。（《礼记·乐记》）
　　（不懂自然声音的人无法与其谈论音律，不懂音律的人无法与其谈论音乐，通晓音乐的人也就接近懂得礼了。）
　　Talking about melody with someone who has no ear for natural sounds would be a waste of time， and so would discussing music with someone who knows nothing about melody. One who knows music is close to understanding social norms. （The Book of Rites）
　　◎知音其难哉！音实难知，知实难逢，逢其知音，千载其一乎！（刘勰《文心雕龙·知音》）
　　（理解音乐是多么困难啊！音乐实在难于理解，理解音乐的人很难遇到，要遇到理解音乐的人，恐怕是千年一遇呀！）
　　It is such a challenge to understand music！ Since music is so hard to understand， it is difficult to find people who can appreciate it. It may take a thousand years to find someone who understands music！ （Liu Xie： The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons）