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Universal Principle
各種事物的理。古人認為，不同的事物之中包含著各自的“理”?！叭f物之理”可以指事物或人的屬性，也可以指事物運行或人的言行所遵循的規(guī)則。有些人會強調(diào)“萬物之理”的差異性，萬物有著各自不同的“理”，“理”構(gòu)成了事物間的區(qū)別；有些人則主張，萬物所具之“理”雖然不同，但在根本上是統(tǒng)一的，萬物只有一個“理”。
This term refers to the universal principle that governs all things. The ancient Chinese believed that things are all governed by their own underlying principles. This term refers to the intrinsic nature of objects and humans; and it also refers to patterns that govern both the movements of things as well as the words and actions of humans. For some scholars, the focus was on how different things are governed by different principles, so that these principles represent their diversity. Others, however, believed that even though principles governing different things vary, ultimately they are the same in nature, making the universal principle governing everything.
引例 Citations：
◎萬物各異理，而道盡稽萬物之理，故不得不化。（《韓非子·解老》）
萬物各自具有不同的理，而道會合所有事物的理，因此道不得不隨萬物而變化。
All things have different patterns, and Dao encompasses all of them. Therefore, Dao has to change as things change. (Hanfeizi)
◎所以能窮者，只為萬物皆是一理，至如一物一事，雖小，皆有是理。（《二程遺書》卷十五）
之所以能夠窮理，只是因為萬物都只有一個理，至于每一個事物，雖然渺小，但都有這個理。
The universal principle can be found because there is only one such principle that governs all things. Every object, no matter how small, is ultimately governed by such a principle. (Writings of the Cheng Brothers)
推薦：教育部 國家語委
供稿：北京外國語大學(xué) 外語教學(xué)與研究出版社
責任編輯：錢耐安
