John： I envy you have such a star。 There goes the bell。 I’m going to the class， we can chat next time。

約翰：我真羨慕你們有這么一個明星。時間到了，我要去上課了，下次再聊啊。

Mary： OK， bye。

瑪麗：好的，再見。

Artistic Paper Cutting

剪紙藝術

剪紙，是中國最為古老、流行的民間藝術之一，一直是廣大人民群眾喜聞樂見的藝術形式。剪紙藝術是一門“易學”但卻“難精”的民間技藝，作品大多出于鄉(xiāng)村婦女和民間藝人之手。由于他們以現(xiàn)實生活中的事物作題材，對物象觀察，全憑純樸的感情與直覺的印象為基礎，因此形成剪紙藝術渾厚、單純、簡潔、明快的特殊風格，反映了農民那種樸實無華的精神。如此神奇的手工作品，你一定也想知道它的歷史和制法，一起來看吧！

Realize Artistic Paper Cutting

認識剪紙藝術

1剪紙的簡介

The folk art of paper cutting in China is a national quintessence just as the traditional paintings， calligraphy and Peking Opera。 It is also a precious non－material cultural heritage the Chinese ancestors have left to the people of the world。 Paper cutting can be seen in many parts of China during the Spring Festival。 People paste patterns on windows， door lintels or desks for festival atmosphere。

It’s difficult to tell when it originated。 One saying is that it originated from some religious ceremony of offering sacrifices。 Ancient people cut papers into the shapes of animals or people， then they either buried them with the dead or burned them on the funerals， wishing those things that paper stand for could be with the dead。 A thousand years ago， paper cutting was used for decoration。 According to historic books， women in Tang Dynasty used paper cutting as headdress。 In Song Dynasty， it was the decoration of gifts。 People use them as decorations on walls， mirrors or lanterns。 Some people made a living by it。

To the author， the folk paper cutting work is not just a folk art form or a “handicraft”， but a means that expresses the inner self of the author through the art of paper cutting。 To master this， it requires skillful application of the laws that govern the matching of scissors and paper through years of practice by author。 It also requires an in－depth accumulation of his or her observation of various objects in nature and a thorough understanding of life。

As a main form of folk arts， Chinese paper cutting has a long history。 But nowadays under the impact of commodity economy and modern ideas， great changes have taken place in cultural psychology and standards of beauty appreciation， and all folk arts， including paper cutting， are facing serious challenges。

2剪紙的做法及種類

（1）剪紙的做法

Paper cutting is all made by hand。 It is easy to learn the rudiments。 Non－craftsmen need only a knife and paper。 For craftsmen， they need knives and gravers of various types to make complicated patterns。 It can be one piece of paper or many pieces。 Simple patterns can be cut with a knife。 For complicated patterns， people first pasted the pattern on the paper and then use various kinds of knives to make it。 No mistake can be made during the process otherwise the work would fail。

Yinke陰刻

Yangke陽刻

Yinyangke陰陽刻

（2）剪紙的種類

Paper cutting covers nearly all topics， such as flowers， birds， animals， legendary people， figures in classic novels， types of facial make－up in Peking opera。 Paper cutting has various styles in different parts of China。

Decoration裝飾類

Chirotype稿模類

Custom and superstition俗信類

Design設計類

傳統(tǒng)民間剪紙藝術在自己的產生發(fā)展過程中形成了自身一些固定的表達方式，利用剪紙藝術的特點使現(xiàn)代設計能夠建立在傳統(tǒng)文化的脈絡上。將中國民間傳統(tǒng)的剪紙藝術與不同的設計領域結合就如同給中國傳統(tǒng)剪紙藝術注入一股新鮮的血液，從而在國際設計舞臺中演繹出獨一無二的色彩。

Key words ＆ Sentences

關鍵詞句全知道

Wangcheng Cathay paper－cutting museum in Hunan province is the first folk paper－cutting museum with rich and unique collection of works。

湖南望城華夏剪紙博物館是全國第一家民間剪紙博物館，館藏豐富獨特。

Up to now， paper－cuts are popular in countryside throughout China。

直到現(xiàn)今，在鄉(xiāng)下還能見到紅紅火火的剪紙景觀。

The rustic and exuberant Yingge dance， the melodic Ditao music and the exquisite paper－cutting are billed as three treasures of Chaoyang folk arts。

粗獷奔放的英歌舞，清揚悅耳的笛套音樂，精細至極的剪紙，被譽為“潮陽民間藝術三寶”。

Paper－cutting is inexpensive and makes excellent gift for family and friends。

剪紙物美價廉，是饋贈親友的上佳禮品。

Paper－cutting will not be excellent without superb skills。

剪紙需要高超的技術。

Paper cutting has various styles in different parts of China。

剪紙在中國各地都有不同的流派風格。

At present， there are professional paper cutting factories in China。

現(xiàn)在在中國，已經有專業(yè)化的剪紙工廠。

At present， the earliest paper cutting we can see has a history of more than 1，500 years。

目前我們所能見到的最早的剪紙，已有一千五百年以上的歷史。

Paper cutting is not only a traditional art form， but a culture。

剪紙在中國已不僅是一門傳統(tǒng)藝術，更是一種文化。

The aesthetics of folk paper cutting is demonstrated in embodying the original spirit of the art and in enlightening the active thinking。

在人文科學史上，民間剪紙藝術體現(xiàn)藝術本原精神之美和開啟心智活躍思維之美。

Now fewer and fewer people can grasp the skill。

現(xiàn)在越來越少的人能掌握這門技術了。

Paper cutting can develop our patience。

剪紙可以培養(yǎng)我們的耐心。

Red paper is generally used to express joy in paper cutting。

剪紙一般都是用紅色的紙，表示喜慶。

Once you can master paper－cut， there will be a lot of fun。

學會剪紙，會有很多的樂趣。

In ancient times， women usually express their ability through paper－cut。

古代的女人通常都是通過剪紙來表現(xiàn)個人的能力。

Our country has advocated to protecting ancient folk arts， such as Peking Opera， paper cutting and Kungfu。

國家現(xiàn)在一直在提倡保護古代的民間藝術，例如京劇、剪紙、中國功夫。

Paper－cut is commonly used in religious ceremonies， decorations and so on。

剪紙常用于宗教儀式和裝飾等方面。

Paper cuttings， as well as the New Year pictures， are come into being because of the psychological needs of exorcism and praying for happiness。

剪紙和年畫一樣，最早因民眾驅邪納福的心理需要而產生。

One of the hometowns of Chinese paper cuttings is Fujian Zhangpu。

福建漳浦是中國剪紙之鄉(xiāng)之一。

Animals， especially Chinese zodiac， are the most common themes in paper cuttings。

十二生肖動物是剪紙的主題。

The main tool is cutting scissor。

剪紙最主要的工具就是剪刀。

Women usually do paper cutting at home while men would do it only when he is free in ancient time。

古代一般都是婦女在家做剪紙，男人只有在閑暇時才一起剪紙。

Let’s Talk！

開始交流吧！

Wang Yi： Hello！ What did you buy at the market？

王易：嗨，你從市場上都買了些什么呀？

Mike： Chinese mountain－water paintings， clay figurines， seals， Weifang New Year pictures， and many paper cuttings！

邁克：中國山水畫、泥人、印章、濰坊年畫和很多剪紙！

Wang Yi： It seems that you’ve bought the whole market！

王易：你好像把整個市場都買回來了。

Mike： Yeah。 I really wanted to。 I love those handicrafts， especially the paper cutting。

邁克：是呀。我的確想那么做，我喜歡那些手工藝品，尤其是剪紙。

Wang Yi： Paper cuttings are all hand－made。 Let me see the paper cuttings you bought—cat， dog， tiger， all animals？

王易：剪紙是全手工制作的。讓我看看你買的剪紙，魚、狗、老虎——全是動物？