West Africa
West Africa, also called Western Africa and the West of Africa, is the westernmost region of the African continent.
West African Proverb
Sun
¶ The sun is the king of torches.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Africa
West Africa
West Africa
West Africa, also called Western Africa and the West of Africa, is the westernmost region of the African continent.
West African Proverb
Sun
¶ The sun is the king of torches.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Africa
Western world and Westerner
Western world and Westerner
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident (from Latin: occidens "sunset, West"; as contrasted with the Orient), is a term referring to different nations depending on the context. There is no agreed upon definition about what all these nations have in common apart from having a significant population of European descent.
Although the term originally had a literal geographic meaning, contrasting Europe with the linked cultures of civilizations of the Near East (Muslim world), South Asia and remote Far East (Sinosphere), today it has little geographic relevance. Nations generally accepted to be part of the Western world occupy both hemispheres created by the arbitrary division of the earth at Greenwich or strongly related to Europe.
The concept of the Western part of the earth has its roots in Greco-Roman civilization in Europe, with the advent of Christianity. In the modern era, Western culture has been heavily influenced by the traditions of Renaissance, Protestant Reformation, Age of Enlightenment, and shaped by the expansive colonialism of the 16th-20th centuries. Its political usage was temporarily informed by a mutual antagonism with the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War in the mid-to-late 20th Century (1945–1991).
In the contemporary cultural meaning, the Western world includes many countries of Europe as well as many countries of European colonial origin in the Americas and Oceania, such as the United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil, etc.
Western Proverb
Advice
¶ A rose too often smelled loses its fragrance.
¶ An onion will not produce a rose.
¶ Extremes meet.
Attitude
¶ From the same flower the bee extracts honey and the wasp gall.
¶ Soft and fair goes far.
Beauty
¶ A rose is sweeter in the bud than full blown.
¶ Beauty draws more than oxen.
¶ Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
¶ Beauty without virtue is a flower without perfume.
¶ Casting pearls before swine.
Care
¶ Care killed the cat.
Confidence
¶ Good wine needs no bush.
Cooperation
¶ It takes two to tango.
Drink
¶ Bacchus kills more than Mars.
Endeavor
¶ He that will thrive, must rise at five.
¶ God helps the early riser.
Flower
¶ Personality is to a man what perfume is to a flower.
Friend
¶ A friend to everybody is a friend to nobody.
¶ A life wthout a friend is a life without a sun.
¶ It is his friends that make or mar a man.
Gentleman
¶ Manners and money make a gentleman.
God
¶ God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb.
Happiness
¶ Every rose has its thorn.
Honesty
¶ Honesty is the best policy.
Imitation
¶ Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Journey
¶ A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Kindness
¶ Kindness is worth more than beauty.
Money
¶ Every man has his price.
¶ Money can't buy happiness.
¶ Money is like an eel in the hand.
¶ Money makes money.
¶ Money ruins many.
¶ No work, no money.
¶ To repay borrowed money is the best way to use money.
Parting
¶ Rats desert sinking ship.
Sagacity
¶ It is not every flower that smells sweet.
Self-care
¶ Likeness causes liking.
¶ No shame, no honor.
Spring
¶ April Showers bring May flowers.
Time
¶ The tree is known by its fruit.
¶ Time is money.
Wisdom
¶ Every cloud has a silver lining.
¶ If you would enjoy the fruit, pluck not the flower.
¶ Painted flowers have no scent.
¶ There is no new thing under the sun.
Sylvia Weis (In Time)
Amanda Seyfried as Sylvia Weis from In Time (2011)
@ Sylvia Weis: We're not meant to live like this. We're not meant to live forever. Although I do wonder, Father, if you've ever lived a day in your life.
Wayne Dyer (1940- )
Wayne Dyer (1940- )
Wayne Walter Dyer (born May 10, 1940) is an American self-help author and motivational speaker.
Quotes·Quotation by Wayne Dyer
Conflict
¶ Conflict cannot survive without your participation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Dyer
W. Clement Stone (1902-2002)
W. Clement Stone (1902-2002)
William Clement Stone (May 4, 1902– September 3, 2002) was a businessman, philanthropist and New Thought self-help book author.
Quotes·Quotation
Attitude
¶ There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Clement_Stone
Warren Beatty (1937- )
Warren Beatty (1937- )
Warren Beatty ( /ˈbeɪti/ BAY-tee; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and director. He has been nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including winning the Best Director Award and its highest honor, the Irving G. Thalberg Award. He has been nominated for 16 Golden Globe Awards and won six, including the Cecil B. DeMille Award, which he received in 2007. Only Beatty and Orson Welles have been nominated for producer, director, writer and actor in the same film. Welles did it once (for Citizen Kane), Beatty did it twice (for Heaven Can Wait and Reds).
Quotes·Quotations by Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty as Clyde Barrow from Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
¶ We rob banks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Beatty
Woody Allen (1935- )
Woody Allen (1935- )
Woody Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; December 1, 1935) is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema. He is also a jazz clarinetist who performs regularly at small venues in Manhattan.[1]
Quotes·Quotation by Woody Allen
Death·Immortality
¶ I don't want to achieve immortality through my work... I want to achieve it by not dying!
Money
¶ Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons.
Woody Allen as Alvy Singer from Annie Hall (1977)
¶ That's because they don't throw their garbage away, they turn it into television shows.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woody_Allen
William Alland (1916-1997)
William Alland (1916-1997)
William Alland (March 4, 1916 – November 11, 1997) was an American actor, producer, writer and director of science fiction and western films. He is perhaps best known for his role as reporter Jerry Thompson, who investigates the life of newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane in Orson Welle's Citizen Kane. In his early 20s, he arrived in Manhattan and took courses at the Henry Street Settlement House, where he met Orson Welles. He also lent his voice to Welles' The War of the Worlds. Alland won a Peabody Award as producer of Doorway to Life.
Alland's role as reporter Thompson in Citizen Kane is noted most importantly because the camera never closes up on his face; in fact, for the majority of his scenes in the film, he shows his back to the camera, and whenever his face can be seen, it is always in long-shot and almost always clouded in shadow. As noted by film critic Roger Ebert on the DVD commentary of Citizen Kane, Alland once reportedly told an entire audience of people that they would probably recognize him if he were to show his back to them.
Quotes·Quotation by William Alland
William Alland as Jerry Thompson from Citizen Kane (1941)
¶ I don't think any word can explain a man's life.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Alland
Warner Baxter (1889-1951)
Warner Baxter (1889-1951)
Warner Leroy Baxter (March 29, 1889 – May 7, 1951) was an American actor, known for his role as The Cisco Kid in In Old Arizona (1929), for which he won the second Academy Award for Best Actor in the 1928–1929 Academy Awards. Warner Baxter started his movie career in silent movies. Baxter's most notable silent films are probably The Great Gatsby (1926) and The Awful Truth (1925). Today The Great Gatsby is one of many lost films of the silent era. When talkies came out, Baxter became even more famous. Baxter's most notable talkies are In Old Arizona (1929) 42nd Street (1932), and the 1931 20 minute short film, The Slippery Pearls.
Quotes·Quotation by Warner Baxter
¶ Sawyer, you're going out a youngster, but you've got to come back a star!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Baxter
WANG Zhaojun (王昭君)
Wang Qiang (王牆 also 王檣; 王嬙), more commonly known by her style name Wang Zhaojun (王昭君) was a real person, born in Baoping Village, Zigui County (in current Hubei Province) in the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - 8 AD).[1] was sent by Emperor Yuan to marry the Xiongnu Chanyu (呼韓邪) in order to establish friendly relations with the Han Dynasty through marriage. She is famed as one of the Four Beauties of ancient China and her story as a ‘political bride’ has handed down to generations.
Role in the "Four Beauties" legend
According to the most prevalent version of the "Four Beauties" legend, the quartet's members are Xi Shi, Wang Zhaojun, Diao Chan or Diaochan, and Yang Guifei. They are described by four parallel Chinese quotations: "Xi Shi sinks fish; Wang Zhaojun drops birds; Diao Chan eclipses the moon; Yang Guifei shames flowers."[2] Wang Zhaojun's portion of the legend is that on a bright autumn morning she left her hometown on horseback and began a journey northward. Along the way, the horse neighed, making Zhaojun extremely sad and unable to control her emotions. As she sat on the saddle, she began to play sorrowful melodies on a stringed instrument. A flock of geese flying southward heard the music, saw the beautiful young woman riding the horse, immediately forgot to flap their wings, and fell to the ground. From then on, Zhaojun acquired the nickname "fells geese" or "drops birds."
Wang Zhaojun in History
Entering the harem
Wang Zhaojun was born to a prominent family of Baopin village, Zigui country (now Zhaojun village, Xingshan county, Hubei) in the south of the Western Han empire. As she was born when her father was very old, he regarded her as "a pearl in the palm". Wang Zhaojun was endowed with dazzling beauty with extremely intelligent mind. She was also adept in pipa and master all the Four Arts of the Chinese Scholar – Guqin, Weiqi, Calligraphy and Chinese painting. In 36 BC, Emperor Yuan chose his concubines from the whole state. Because of Zhaojun’s fame in the county, she was his first choice for the concubine from Nan county. Emperor Yuan issued the edict that Zhaojun should enter the harem soon. Zhaojun’s father said that his daughter was too young to enter the harem, but could not violate the decree. Zhaojun left her hometown and entered the harem of Emperor Yuan in early summer. According to the custom in the palace, when choosing a new wife, the Emperor was first presented with portraits of all the possible women. It is said that because of Zhaojun's confidence of beauty and temperament, she refused to bribe the artist Mao Shouyan as other women did.[3] As a reprisal, Mao shouyan painted a mole of widowed tears on Zhaojun’s portrait.[4] As a result, during her time in the Lateral Courts, Wang Zhaojun was never visited by the emperor and remained as a palace lady-in-waiting. Wang Zhaojun's portrait was either never viewed by the Emperor, or was not in its true form, and therefore the Emperor overlooked her.[5]
Zhaojun Departs for the Frontier
In 33 BC, Huhanye Chanyu visited Chang'an as part of the tributary system that existed between the Han and Xiongnu governments. He took the opportunity to request to become an imperial son-in-law, which is recorded by Lou Jingde under Emperor Gaozu of Han. As Queen Mother Lü had only one daughter she did not have the heart to send her too far away. Typically the daughter of a concubine would then be offered, but, unwilling to honour Huhanye with a real princess, Emperor Yuan ordered that the plainest girl in the harem be selected.[6] He asked for volunteers and promised to present her as his own daughter. The idea of leaving their homeland and comfortable life at the court for the grasslands of the far and unknown north was abhorrent to most of the young women, but Wang Zhaojun accepted. When the matron of the harem sent the unflattering portrait of Wang Zhaojun to the emperor he merely glanced at it and nodded his approval. Only when summoned to court was Wang Zhaojun’s beauty revealed and the emperor considered retracting his decision to give her to the Xiongnu. However, it was too late by then and, in anguish, the emperor presented Wang Zhaojun to Huhanye, who was delighted. Relations with the Xiongnu subsequently improved and the court artist, Mao Shouyan, was subsequently put to death for deceiving the Emperor.[7]
Life with the Xiongnu
Wang Zhaojun became a favourite of the Huhanye chanyu, giving birth to two sons. Only one of them seems to have survived, Yituzhiyashi (伊屠智牙師). They also had at least one daughter, Yun (雲), who was created Princess Yimuo and who would later become a powerful figure in Xiongnu politics. When Huhanye died in 31 BC, Wang Zhaojun requested to return to China.Emperor Cheng, however, ordered that she follow Xiongnu levirate custom and become the wife of the next shanyu, the oldest brother (or her stepson, born by her husband's first wife) of her husband. In her new marriage she had two daughters.
Wang was honoured as Ninghu Yanzhi(寧胡閼氏 "Hu-Pacifying Chief-Consort").[8]
Evaluation
Zhaojun’s life became the household tale of "Zhaojun Departs the Frontier" (昭君出塞) in the history of the friendship and unity among Chinese nationalities as well as a popular subject in Chinese poetry, drama and novels. She advised Huhanye not to wage war and spread the Han culture and civilization among the Xiongnu tribe. As she was loved and respected by the Xiongnu, Huhanxie Chanyu conferred on her the title of the First Lady of Xiongnu Peace, eulogizing Zhaojun as a queen who had brought peace and security to the Xiongnu tribe. Peace was maintained for over 60 years between China and the Xiongnu with her contribution. Since the 3rd century, the story of Wang Zhaojun had been elaborated upon. The Communist government of the People's Republic of China uses her as a symbol of the integration of Han Chinese and ethnic minorities of China. There is a Memorial to Zhaojun in Inner Mongolia. Although it is called a "Tomb", she is not actually buried there. Her date of death and true grave is unknown.
References
[1]^ "王昭君简介". www.365zn.com.
[2]^ Xinhuanet.com. "纪连海叹说四大美人". Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
[3]^ baike.baidu.com. "王昭君". zhiyang2005.
[4]^ baike.baidu.com. "王昭君". zhiyang2005.
[5]^ baike.baidu.com. "王昭君". zhiyang2005.
[6]^ baike.baidu.com. "王昭君". zhiyang2005.
[7]^ baike.baidu.com. "王昭君". zhiyang2005.
[8]^ baike.baidu.com. "王昭君". zhiyang2005.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Beauties
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Zhaojun
人物: 王昭君 (Wang Zhaojun)
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