中国文化英语教程教材内容Unit1-.doc

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AGeneralIntroductiontoChineseMythology

YangLihui,AnDeming

1 ByChinesemythology,wemeanthebodyofmythshistoricallyrecordedandcurrentlytransmittedwithinthepresentgeographicboundariesofChina.ItshouldincludenotonlymythstransmittedbypeopleoftheHanethnicgroupbutalsothosebytheotherfifty-fiveethnicgroupslivinginthisbroadarea.Sincealmosteveryethnicgrouphasitsownmythicalgodsandstoriesabouttheircreativeactions,thereisnotasystematic,integrated,andhomogeneous“Chinesemythology”heldandtransmittedbyalltheChinesepeople.EvenamongHanpeople,thereisnotanintegratedsystemofmyths.

2 Theearliestwrittenrecordsofancientmythscanbetracedbacktoabout3,000yearsago,thoughotherformsofdesignsandpaintingsonshells，bones,andbronzesprobablyrelatingtomythappearedearlierthanthis.Recently,researchersfoundabronzevesselnamed“Suigongxu”(SuigongwasadukeoftheSuiState,nowbelongingtomodernShandongProvince;“Xu”isanancientbronzevesselthathasacoverandtwoears;itfunctionsasafoodcontainer),whichcandatebacktothe9thor8thcenturyBC,themiddleoftheWesternZhouDynasty.Theinscriptionontheinsidebottomofthevesselconsistsof98Chinesecharacters,praisingtheachievementsofthemythicheroYu.IttellsthestorythatheavenorderedYutoscatterearth,soYuwentaroundallthemountains,cuttingdownthetreesintheforestsanddeepeningtheseasandriverstodrainallthewateronearthintothesea.ThisinscriptionshowsthatthetechniqueofrecordingmythinChinesecharactershadbecomerelativelymaturenearly3,000yearsago.Additionally,itillustratesthatatleastaslateasthemiddleoftheWesternZhouDynasty,themythaboutYucontrollingthefloodhadalreadybeenspread,andithadbeenhistoricizedintoalegendaboutagreatherooragreatkingintheupperclassofsociety.

3 Buttheseinscript