敦煌的守护者 The Guardians of Dunhuang

敦煌Dūnhuáng莫高窟Mògāokū位于wèiyú中国Zhōngguó西北xīběi的de戈壁gēbì边缘biānyuán，七百余qībǎi yú个gè洞窟dòngkū里lǐ保存bǎocún着zhe一千多yìqiān duō年nián的de壁画bìhuà与yǔ彩塑cǎisù。

The Mogao Caves at Dunhuang sit on the edge of the gobi in northwest China, and inside more than seven hundred grottoes they preserve murals and painted sculptures over a thousand years old.

二十世纪èrshí shìjì初chū，这批zhè pī珍宝zhēnbǎo曾céng遭到zāodào严重yánzhòng的de破坏pòhuài与yǔ流散liúsàn，大量dàliàng经卷jīngjuàn被bèi运yùn往wǎng海外hǎiwài。

In the early twentieth century these treasures suffered severe damage and dispersal, and great numbers of scripture scrolls were shipped overseas.

一九四三年yī jiǔ sì sān nián，画家huàjiā常书鸿Cháng Shūhóng放弃fàngqì了le巴黎Bālí优越yōuyuè的de生活shēnghuó，带dài着zhe家人jiārén来到láidào这片zhè piàn荒凉huāngliáng的de沙漠shāmò，从此cóngcǐ再zài未wèi离开líkāi。

In 1943 the painter Chang Shuhong gave up a comfortable life in Paris, brought his family to that desolate desert, and never left again.

此后cǐhòu数十shù shí年nián间jiān，一代又一代yí dài yòu yí dài研究者yánjiūzhě在zài缺水quēshuǐ少电shǎo diàn的de条件tiáojiàn下xià临摹línmó壁画bìhuà、加固jiāgù崖体yátǐ，把bǎ青春qīngchūn留liú在zài了le洞窟dòngkū之中zhīzhōng。

In the decades that followed, one generation of researchers after another copied the murals and reinforced the cliff face with little water and less electricity, leaving their youth inside the caves.

有人yǒurén以为yǐwéi守护shǒuhù无非wúfēi是shì把bǎ文物wénwù锁suǒ进jìn库房kùfáng，事实shìshí却què恰恰相反qiàqià xiāngfǎn。

Some assume that guarding is nothing more than locking the relics away in a storeroom, but the truth is quite the opposite.

敦煌Dūnhuáng研究院yánjiūyuàn很早hěn zǎo就jiù意识到yìshí dào，壁画bìhuà的de褪色tuìsè与yǔ剥落bōluò不可逆转bùkě nìzhuǎn，与其yǔqí被动bèidòng等待děngdài，不如bùrú主动zhǔdòng为wèi每měi一寸yícùn墙面qiángmiàn建立jiànlì数字shùzì档案dàng'àn。

The Dunhuang Academy recognized early on that the fading and flaking of the murals cannot be reversed: rather than wait passively, it was better to take the initiative and build a digital archive for every inch of wall.

如今rújīn，游客yóukè可以kěyǐ在zài屏幕píngmù上shàng放大fàngdà观看guānkàn肉眼ròuyǎn难以nányǐ分辨fēnbiàn的de细节xìjié，而ér真正zhēnzhèng的de洞窟dòngkū则zé得以déyǐ减少jiǎnshǎo开放kāifàng、延缓yánhuǎn衰老shuāilǎo。

Today visitors can zoom in on a screen to study details the naked eye could never make out, while the actual caves can be opened less often and allowed to age more slowly.

由此看来yóu cǐ kàn lái，所谓suǒwèi守护shǒuhù并非bìngfēi把bǎ时间shíjiān冻结dòngjié，而是érshì在zài无法wúfǎ阻止zǔzhǐ的de消逝xiāoshì面前miànqián，尽可能jǐn kěnéng多duō地de为wèi后人hòurén留下liúxià证据zhèngjù。

Seen in this light, guarding is by no means freezing time; it is leaving behind as much evidence as possible for later generations, in the face of a disappearance no one can stop.

🔊 Audio uses your device's Chinese voice for now — teacher recordings are coming. Tap any word to see its meaning.

Key words 生词

流散liúsànto be scattered and lost (of treasures, documents)

临摹línmóto copy a painting or calligraphy from the original

恰恰相反qiàqià xiāngfǎnquite the opposite; precisely the reverse

不可逆转bùkě nìzhuǎnirreversible

延缓yánhuǎnto slow down; to defer

消逝xiāoshìto fade away; to pass out of existence

Grammar note 语法点

与其……，不如…… — rather than A, better B

Weighs two options and rejects the first: 'rather than doing A, it is better to do B'. Common in written argument when the author wants to recommend a more active alternative.

与其抱怨环境，不如先把手头的事做好。 — Rather than complain about your circumstances, it is better to first do well the task in front of you.

并非……，而是…… — not A, but rather B

A formal, emphatic correction of a wrong assumption. 并非 is stronger and more literary than 不是, and 而是 introduces the accurate statement.

他并非不愿意帮忙，而是实在抽不出时间。 — It is not that he is unwilling to help; he genuinely cannot find the time.

无非是…… — nothing more than

Downplays something as being merely one simple thing; often used to set up a rebuttal, as when the text says people assume guarding is 无非是 locking things away.

他们争论的无非是先后顺序。 — What they are arguing about is nothing more than the order of things.

Check yourself 小测验

1. What did the painter Chang Shuhong do in 1943?

2. Why did the Dunhuang Academy decide to build digital archives?

3. According to the text, what does 'guarding' really mean?

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敦煌的守护者Dūnhuáng de shǒuhùzhěThe Guardians of Dunhuang

Key words 生词

Grammar note 语法点

Check yourself 小测验

Reading is the easy part. Speaking is where you get stuck.

More HSK 6 reading practice