Building a Cultural Bridge with the Chinese Language as the Medium
中文为媒，共筑人文桥梁
Speech by H.E. Ambassador Sun Weidong in “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition in India
驻印度大使孙卫东在“汉语桥”中文比赛印度赛区颁奖仪式上的讲话
4 August 2021
2021年8月4日
Distinguished guests, judges and candidates,
Dear teachers and students,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends,
各位来宾、各位评委、各位选手，
老师们、同学们，
女士们、先生们、朋友们：
Good afternoon！
大家下午好！
It is a great honor to attend the award ceremony of the 20th CHINESE BRIDGE – Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign University Students in India.
很高兴出席第二十届“汉语桥”世界大学生中文比赛印度赛区颁奖仪式。
Just now, we watched the students’ talent show in the competition through a recorded live video. Through the video, I truly felt your enthusiasm for learning Chinese language, China and the Chinese culture, and got to know the hard work you made. I heard that judges and candidates overcame many difficulties in order to better participate in the competition due to the impact of the pandemic and limited local internet conditions. After listening to your speeches, I am deeply moved and very happy. I was moved by your “commitment” and was happy to see the hope and strength between China and India to work together to promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges and mutual learning.
刚才，我们看了活动视频“实况”，欣赏了同学们的比赛“风采”。透过视频，感受到了大家学习中文、了解中国及中华文化的热情，体会到了大家背后所下的“功夫”。我听说受疫情影响和当地网络条件限制，为更好地参加比赛，评委老师和同学们克服了许多困难。刚才也听了各位的发言，这些都让我深受感动也很高兴！感动的是大家的那份“投入”，高兴的是看到了中印人文交流互鉴、携手同行的希望和力量。
Here, I would like to congratulate on the success of the “Chinese Bridge” competition in India and congratulate Shan Hui from Mumbai University on winning the competition and all the contestants on achieving good results based on their hard work. I also would like to give a thumb up to the students for their efforts in learning Chinese, and colleges and universities for promoting Chinese education!
在此，首先祝贺“汉语桥”印度赛区比赛取得圆满成功，祝贺来自孟买大学的山惠同学获得本次比赛冠军，祝贺所有参赛选手作出的努力及取得的好成绩。我要为同学们下功夫学习中文，和各校推进中文教育的努力点赞！
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the “Chinese Bridge” competition. The “Chinese Bridge” series of Chinese proficiency competitions are important platforms for young students from all over the world to learn Chinese and understand China. Known as the “Olympics” of Chinese language, it has become an important brand event for international cultural exchanges, attracting millions of young people from more than 120 countries.
今年是“汉语桥”比赛举办20周年。“汉语桥”系列中文比赛是世界各国青年学生学习汉语、了解中国的重要平台，已成为国际人文交流的重要品牌活动。先后吸引了120多个国家的上百万名青少年参加，被誉为中文“奥林匹克”。
The past twenty years have been a journey of remarkable achievements. The “Chinese Bridge” has built a bridge of culture and friendship connecting the hearts between China and young people from all over the world. Together with Confucius Institutes and Chinese Language teaching centers around the world, the “Chinese Bridge” has made important contributions to promoting people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and other countries and the development of diverse and colorful world civilizations.
二十年春华秋实，“汉语桥”在中国与世界各国青年之间架起了文化之桥、友谊之桥、心灵之桥，与遍布全球的孔子学院和汉语教学中心一道，为推进中国同世界各国人文交流、促进多元多彩的世界文明发展作出了重要贡献。
Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out that “language is the best key to understanding a country”. We know that language is a bridge for people to communicate. Chinese is one of the most beautiful languages in the world as well as the most-spoken one. It is the crystallization of the Chinese civilization of several thousand years with extensive and profound connotation.
中国国家主席习近平指出，“语言是了解一个国家最好的钥匙”。我们知道，语言是人们交流沟通的桥梁，中文是世界上使用人数最多的语言，也是世界上最优美的语言之一，是几千年中华文明积淀的结晶，拥有博大而精深的内涵。
The beauty of Chinese language lies in its form, structure and rhythm. Every sound, stroke, word and sentence have its own story. In the process of learning Chinese, I hope you will learn to appreciate the Chinese language and its profound cultural heritage. Some foreign friends say that Chinese is difficult to learn. It shows that those who learn Chinese have great courage and wisdom. Only after learning Chinese, you will know the connotations contained in the Chinese characters. For example, the Chinese character “人” which means “people” consists of two supporting strokes, showing people need to support each other. The Chinese character “大” which means “big or great” is like the Chinese character “人” opening arms. This means people opening arms are of great vision. The Chinese character “天” is like “人” standing against the sky. That’s why it has the meaning of “sky”. The Chinese character “信” means “trust”. Its left side is “人” and the right side “言” which means “words”. When the two parts are put together, it means people keeping their words win trust. You can understand the philosophy at first glance.
中文的美，美在形态、美在结构、美在音律，在一音一律、一笔一划、一词一句都有故事。在学习中文过程中，希望大家用心去欣赏和体会，细细品味中文及汉语的深厚文化底蕴。一些外国朋友说，中文比较难学，这就说明，学习中文的都很有勇气，也很有智慧。只有学习了中文，你才知道中国字里蕴含的那些内涵，知道“人”是需要相互支撑的，人张开双臂格局就变“大”了，头上再加一横就顶着“天”了；汉字中的“信”字，左为“人”，右为“言”，你一看就明白其中的哲理。
After learning and knowing Chinese, you will know that “July” in traditional Chinese calendar can also be called Qiaoyue (month of Qixi Festival), Xinqiu (New Autumn), and Lanyue (month of orchid). In Chinese calligraphy, we often spoke of “力透纸背” which means the strength of writing penetrates to the back of the paper. Chinese calligraphy focuses on strength and character, which shows one’s image and personality. After learning and knowing Chinese, one could understand the sentiment and artistic conception contained in the Chinese poem “From the threads a mother’s hands weaves, A gown for parting son is made” and “Such kindness as young grass receives, From the warm sun can’t be repaid”.
学了中文、会了汉语，你也才会知道，今天的“七月”还可以叫巧月、新秋、兰月；什么是中国书法的“力透纸背”，写字还讲究笔力个性，体现着一个人的形象气质；同学们才会明白“慈母手中线，游子身上衣”“谁言寸草心，报得三春晖”蕴含的情愫和意境。
There are many examples like this. There is no other language in the world that can create so much beauty with just two thousand commonly used characters. When you try to learn Chinese, you will feel China, understand China better, and even fall in love with China.
这样的例子还有很多。这世上，没有第二种语言能像中文这样，只需要两千多个常用字，就能变幻出如此多的美丽。大家品味中文，就能感知中国，更加理解中国，甚至爱上中国。
The “Chinese Bridge” held in India is to build this “beautiful bridge” between China and India. We are both building and walking on this bridge that connects the youth and people of China and India. It provides an important platform for students and people of our two countries to understand each other and connect their hearts.
“汉语桥”中文比赛在印度的举办，就是在中印之间搭建这座“美丽之桥”，大家都是架桥者，也是过桥人，这座桥把中印两国青年和人民连接起来，为促进中印两国学生以及两国人民相互了解和民心相通构筑了重要渠道。
The “Chinese Bridge” competition, with the theme of “One world, One Family”, embodies the concept of “a community with a shared future for mankind” put forward by President Xi Jinping, and inherits the Chinese cultural tradition of harmony and peace in the Chinese nation.
“汉语桥”中文比赛把“天下一家”作为主题，体现了习近平主席提出的“人类命运共同体”理念，传承了中华民族和谐和平的文化传统。
President Xi Jinping pointed out, “In today’s world, the degree of interconnection and interdependence between countries has increased to an unprecedented level. Mankind lives in the same global village, living in the same spacetime where history and reality intersect, becoming a close-knit community of shared future”. He emphasized, “We must build a new type of international relations centered on win-win cooperation and build a community with a shared future for mankind.”
习近平主席指出，“当今世界，各国相互联系、相互依存的程度空前加深，人类生活在同一个地球村里，生活在历史和现实交汇的同一个时空里，越来越成为你中有我、我中有你的命运共同体。”他强调，“要构建以合作共赢为核心的新型国际关系，打造人类命运共同体”。
The great vision of a community with a shared future for mankind has absorbed the world view of “achieving universal peace” and “the world is one family” in traditional Chinese culture, the value of “paramount importance of peace”, and “seeking harmony without uniformity”, the equity concept of “the world is for the public and all nations are living together in peace”, the justice and interests concept of “put righteousness first, uphold justice while pursuing shared interests”, and the nature concept of “unity of man and nature” and “follow nature’s course”. These concepts contain the essence of China’s fine traditional culture and represents a major contribution of Chinese culture to the world. They fit with the vision of people around the world for peace and development.
人类命运共同体的宏伟构想吸收了中华传统文化中的“世界大同，天下一家”的天下观、“以和为贵，和而不同”的价值观、“天下为公，万国咸宁”的公平观、“以义为先，义利并举”的义利观、“天人合一，道法自然”的自然观等文化理念，蕴含着中国优秀传统文化的精髓，是中华文化对世界的重大贡献，契合世界各国人民求和平、谋发展的愿景。
We mankind have only one homeland, the Earth. At present, the international landscape and global governance system are evolving rapidly. Security, development, and the environment have become important topics. The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 has raged the globe, highlighting that the future and destiny of all countries are closely linked. The common challenges we face continue to remind people of the truth that “the world is one family”.
人类只有一个地球家园。现在，国际格局和全球治理体系加速演变，安全、发展、环境等成为重要议题；突如其来的新冠肺炎疫情肆虐全球，凸显世界各国的前途和命运休戚与共。共同面临的挑战不断提醒人们“天下一家”的道理。
We need global cooperation and cross-cultural knowledge and communication skills to address global governance challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic. People are deeply aware that it is our common responsibility to cultivate a young generation with a global vision, a global mindset and cross-language and cross-cultural competence. We have enhanced our understanding of the importance to strengthen language education, deepen international cooperation, and work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind.
人类应对全球治理挑战、解决新冠疫情全球大流行等问题，需要全球合作，需要跨文化的知识和沟通技巧。人们深刻地意识到培养具有全球视野、世界情怀和跨语言、跨文化能力的年轻一代，是我们的共同职责，也更加深刻地体会到加强语言教育、深化国际合作、携手构建人类命运共同体的重要意义。
The theme of “One World, One Family” deeply reveals the importance for all countries worldwide to work hand-in-hand. It is also an important reference for China and India to create a new future of development.
“天下一家”的主题，深刻揭示了世界携手前行的重要遵循，也是开创中印发展新未来的重要借鉴。
China and India enjoy profound cultural exchanges and a long history of friendly exchanges. In history, many monks and merchants traveled to each other’s countries along the Silk Road, promoting the eastward spread of Buddhism and trade links, and writing an epic story of friendly exchanges between the two countries. Famous Chinese monks Faxian and Xuanzang traveled to the West to seek Buddhist Dharma, with masterworks left behind. Eminent Indian monks Dharmaratna and Kasyapa Matanga brought Buddhist scriptures and statues on a white horse and introduced Buddhism to China. Monk Bodhidharma crossed the Yangtze River on a reed to found Chan Buddhism at Shaolin Temple in China.
中印文化交流渊源深厚，有着悠久的友好交往历史。历史上，众多僧侣、商贾沿着丝绸之路前往对方国家，推动了佛教东传和商贸联通，谱写了两国友好交流的史诗。法显、玄奘西行求法，著有鸿篇巨制；竺法兰、摄摩腾白马驮经，开启释道正宗，菩提达摩一苇渡江，立少林禅宗祖庭。
Since modern times, China and India have helped each other in the struggle for national liberation and independence and forged a profound friendship. The sages such as Tagore, Dr. Kotnis, and Tan Yunshan have left beautiful stories of people-to-people and cultural exchanges, solidarity and mutual assistance between China and India. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, jointly advocated by China and India, have become the basic norms governing international relations. This is the crystallization of wisdom that China and India have jointly contributed to the world.
近代以来，中印在争取民族解放和国家独立的斗争中守望相助，结下了深厚友谊。泰戈尔、谭云山等诸多先贤和柯棣华大夫等许多英烈续写了中印人文交流、团结互助佳话。新中国成立后，中印共同倡导的和平共处五项原则，已成为国际关系的基本准则，这是中印两国共同为世界所贡献的智慧结晶。
In the competition, many candidates gave speeches with the theme of “One World, One Family”. They mentioned that China and India are like brothers. We are two ancient civilizations in the world and neighbors linked by mountains and rivers. Sometimes we have differences, but a near neighbor is more helpful than a distant relative. We should uphold the concept of “One World, One Family”, which enables China’s vision for “universal peace” and India’s “Brahman is Atman” to complement each other. We should carry forward the tradition of friendly exchanges between the two countries, focus on cooperation, increase mutual trust, seek common development, and jointly create a bright future for China and India. I would like to express my deep appreciation to the students for their strong commitment to China-India friendship.
在此次比赛中，很多同学以“天下一家”为自己的演讲题，讲到中印两国如同兄弟，都是世界文明古国，更是山水相连的邻邦，虽有磕磕碰碰的时候，但远亲不如近邻，我们应当秉持“天下一家”的理念，将中国的“天下大同”和印度的“梵我如一”交相辉映，延续两国友好交流传统，聚焦合作，增进互信，共谋发展，共同开创中印美好未来。我对同学们致力于中印友好的坚定信念深表赞赏。
Dear teachers, students, and friends,
老师们、同学们、朋友们，
On July 1st, we solemnly celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. President Xi Jinping announced that China has realized the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and we have brought about a historic resolution to absolute poverty in China. A hundred years is only a brief moment in human history, but it has brought earth-shaking and profound changes to Chinese society. Under the leadership of the CPC, we will start a new journey to build China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and sound the horn to march toward the second centenary goal. We are working towards the goal of realizing people’s aspirations for a better life. China’s development will provide unlimited opportunities for the world.
就在本月1日，我们隆重庆祝了中国共产党成立100周年。习近平主席宣布，中国已解决绝对贫困问题，全面建成小康社会，实现了第一个百年目标。百年在人类历史长河中只是短暂一瞬，但为中国社会带来了翻天覆地的深刻变化。在中国共产党的领导下，中国将开启全面建设社会主义现代化国家新征程,吹响向第二个百年奋斗目标进军的号角，朝着实现人民对美好生活的向往继续奋斗。中国的发展将为世界提供无限机遇。
As two major emerging economies, China and India are both making unremitting efforts to improve people’s living standards. There is huge potential for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides, which serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples. In recent years, the number of Indians going to China for business or study has increased significantly, and the demand of Indian friends to learn Chinese has been growing, creating a round of “Chinese wave”. At present, more than 20 colleges and universities in India offer Chinese courses, providing both academic and non-academic education. Various Chinese language training centers have sprung up, and many young Indian friends go to the classroom to learn Chinese. To learn Chinese well is to seize opportunities and embrace the future.
中国和印度作为两大新兴经济体，都在为提高人民的生活水平作出不懈努力，双方开展互利合作拥有巨大潜力，符合两国人民的根本利益。近年来，印度赴华经商、学习的人数大幅增加，印度朋友学习中文的需求不断增长，掀起一轮“中文热”。目前印度有20余所大学开设中文课程，提供学历和非学历教育，各种汉语培训机构雨后春笋般涌现，许多印度青年朋友走进课堂学习中文。青年朋友们学习中文、学好中文，就是在抓住机遇、拥抱未来。
The Chinese government always attaches great importance to the educational and cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and India, and is committed to providing facilitation for more young Indian students to study in China. The Chinese Embassy in India will continue to provide support. I hope that you will continue to work hard on Chinese language and more Indian youths will learn Chinese and get to know more about China. If you want to know more about China and the Chinese people, you can start with the history of the Communist Party of China. This is very helpful to understand China’s past, present and future. I hope all of you will become cultural ambassadors to promote China-India friendship, jointly practice “One World, One Family” and contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
中国政府始终重视中印教育文化交流与合作，致力于为更多印度青年学生赴华学习提供便利，中国驻印使馆也将一如既往地提供支持。希望同学们继续努力学好中文，希望更多的印度青年学习中文，多了解中国，大家要深入了解中国和中国人民，可以先从了解中国共产党历史开始，这对了解中国的过去、现在和未来十分有益。希望大家争当促进中印友好、携手践行“天下一家”的文化使者，成为构建人类命运共同体的推动者和建设者。
I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to teachers and university leaders for their efforts and dedication in teaching Chinese and spreading Chinese culture in India and thanks to Indian friends from all walks of life for their strong support.
借此机会，我特别要向在印度从事中文教学、传播中国文化的老师们和各校领导们的努力和付出表示感谢，向印度各界友好人士的大力支持表示感谢！
I would like to congratulate once again on the complete success of this event! I wish you all happiness in your study and work and wish our candidate great success in the global finals!
最后，再次祝贺本次活动取得圆满成功，祝愿大家学习工作愉快，预祝我们的选手参加全球总决赛再创佳绩！