Upper-Intermediate - Shaolin Temple (D0355)

大家看，在我们面前的就是嵩山少林寺。它是少林武术的发源地。由于处于丛林中，所以取名“少林寺”。
dàjiā kàn ，zài wǒmen miànqián de jiùshì Sōngshān shǎolínsì 。tā shì shǎolín wǔshù de fāyuándì 。yóuyú chǔyú cónglín zhōng ，suǒyǐ qǔ míng “shǎolínsì ”。
Everyone look, in front of us is the Songshan Shaolin Temple. It is the birthplace of Shaolin Martial Arts. Because of its position in the middle of the forest, it was given the name “Shaolin Temple.”

那它有多少年历史了？
nà tā yǒu duōshao nián lìshǐ le ？
So, how old is it?

少林寺建造于公元495年。后来达摩来这里传扬禅宗。所以，少林寺也被称为中国禅宗的发源地。
shǎolínsì jiànzào yú Gōngyuán sìbǎijiǔshíwu nián 。hòulái Dámā lái zhèlǐ chuányáng chánzōng 。suǒyǐ ，shǎolínsì yě shì Zhōngguó Chánzōng de fāyuándì 。
Shaolin Temple was built in 495 C.E. Afterwards, Dharma came here to spread the Chan sect. So, Shaolin Temple has also been called the birthplace of Chinese Chan Buddhism.

哦，这我还不知道呢。说到少林寺，大家最先想到的肯定是功夫。
é ，zhè wǒ hái bù zhīdào ne 。shuōdào shǎolínsì ，dàjiā zuìxiān xiǎngdào de kěndìng shì gōngfu 。
Oh, I didn’t know that. When people talk about Shaolin Temple, the first thing you think of is definitely kung fu.

其实啊，少林功夫还和禅宗有着很大的联系。因为修禅也注重修养身体，再加上这么大的寺院也需要保护，所以逐渐形成了禅武合一的少林功夫。它身心并重，是中华文化的精华。
qíshí ā ，shǎolín gōngfū huán hé chánzōng yǒuzhe hěn dà de liánxì 。yīnwèi xiū chán yě zhùzhòng xiūyǎng shēntǐ ，zài jiāshang zhème dà de sìyuàn yě xūyào bǎohù ，suǒyǐ zhújiàn xíngchéng le chán wǔ héyī de shǎolín gōngfū 。tā shēnxīn bìngzhòng ，shì Zhōnghuá wénhuà de jīnghuá 。
Actually, Shaolin Kung Fu still has a strong link to Chan Buddhism. Because the practice of Chan places importance on cultivation of the body, and such a large temple also needed protection, Chan and martial arts gradually merged into Shaolin Kung Fu. It lays equal stress on body and mind, and is the epitome of Chinese culture.

原来我们常说的“天下功夫出少林”是这样来的。我还听过少林十八门的说法，那是什么呢？
yuánlái wǒmen cháng shuō de “tiānxià gōngfu chū shǎolín ”shì zhèyàng lái de 。wǒ hái tīng guo shǎolín shí bā mén de shuōfa ，nà shì shénme ne ？
So that’s where the saying, “all the world’s kung fu stems from Shaolin” originally comes from. I’ve also heard the expression “Shaolin’s eighteen styles.” What is that?

这是说少林功夫主要有十八个派别，都有自己的特色。比如有的擅长拳法，有的则擅长腿功。不过它们的共同点是动作潇洒，并且完美地结合了禅宗和功夫。
zhè shì shuō Shǎolín gōngfu zhǔyào yǒu shí bā ge pàibié ，dōu yǒu zìjǐ de tèsè 。bǐrú yǒude shàncháng quán fǎ ，yǒude zé shàncháng tuǐ gōng 。bùguò tāmen de gòngtóngdiǎn shì dòngzuò xiāosǎ ，bìngqiě wánměidi jiéhé le chán zōng hé gōngfu 。
That is saying that Shaolin Kung Fu has eighteen principal schools, all with their own characteristics. For example, some excel at the art of boxing, others are better at footwork. Still, their common ground is that movements are unrestrained and elegant, and perfectly unite Chan Buddhism with kung fu.

怪不得这么多中国人和外国人都被吸引到这里习武。你知道现在少林寺有多少武僧吗？
guàibude zhème duō zhōngguórén hé wàiguórén dōu bèi xīyǐndào zhèlǐ xíwǔ 。nǐ zhīdào xiànzài Shǎolínsì yǒu duōshao wǔsēng ma ？
No wonder so many Chinese people and foreigners alike come here to study martial arts. Do you know how many monks there are now at Shaolin Temple?

这个就很难统计了，因为少林寺还有许多下属和分支机构。不过少林寺一直都有一个武僧团，聚集了最好的僧人。目前团里有一百二十名武僧。他们经过了严格的选拔，个个都文武双全啊。
zhège jiù hěn nán tǒngjì le ，yīnwèi Shǎolínsì hái yǒu xǔduō xiàshǔ hé fēnzhī jīgòu 。bùguò Shǎolínsì yīzhí dōu yǒu yī ge wǔsēng tuán ，jùjí le zuìhǎo de sēngrén 。mùqián tuán lǐ yǒu yībǎi èrshí míng wǔsēng 。tāmen jīngguò le yángé de xuǎnbá ，gege dōu wénwǔshuāngquán ā 。
This is difficult to calculate, because Shaolin Temple has many subordinate and branch organizations. However, Shaolin Temple always has a group of martial artist monks, gathered from amongst the best Buddhist monks. At the moment, there are 120 monks in the group. They go through a strict selection process, and every one is well-versed in both military and literary matters.

这真是太奇妙了。我们还站在这儿干嘛？快进去吧！
zhè zhēnshì tài qímiào le 。wǒmen hái zhànzài zhèr5 gān ma ？kuài jìnqù ba ！
This all is really amazing. What are we all still standing here for? Quick, let’s go in!

Vocabulary

嵩山	Sōngshān	Songshan Mountain
武术	wǔshù	martial arts
发源地	fāyuándì	source
丛林	cónglín	jungle
建造	jiànzào	to be built
达摩	Dámā	Bodhidharma
传扬	chuányáng	to spread
禅宗	chánzōng	Zen
寺院	sìyuàn	cloister
身心	shēnxīn	body and mind
派别	pàibié	schools
擅长	shàncháng	to be good at
拳法	quán fǎ	boxing
腿功	tuǐgōng	kung fu footwork
潇洒	xiāosǎ	natural
结合	jiéhé	to join up with
武僧	wǔsēng	martial artist monk
选拔	xuǎnbá	to select
文武双全	wénwǔshuāngquán	well-versed in both military and literary matters
奇妙	qímiào	marvelous, amazing
河南	Hénán	Henan province
发扬	fāyáng	develop; carry on
修行	xiūxíng	practice Buddhism or Taoism
合二为一	héèrwéiyī	be made one; merge into a single
注重	zhùzhòng	pay attention to
门派	ménpài	sect
和尚	héshang	Buddhist monk