BBC Learning English
Words in the News
6th April 2009
Confucius the movie
A film is to be made in China about the life of the one of the country's most famous thinkers,
Confucius. The decision marks a resurgence there in the teachings of the philosopher who
lived two-and-a-half thousand years ago. Keith Adams reports:
Lights... cameras... philosophy... An unlikely subject for a blockbuster with an unlikely
leading man. Chow Yun-Fat, the star of numerous Hong Kong gangster movies, is to swap
his sub-machine gun for the scholarly robes of Confucius. The film could also seem unlikely
given how the ancient thinker fell out of favour in China. Chairman Mao Zedong said he
belonged to the feudal age, and the Red Guards of the Cultural Revolution destroyed his grave.
But that was in the 1960s and 70s. Now China's leaders are turning to Confucius to give the
country some spiritual guidance. His emphasis on harmony and self-discipline, without
reference to God of course, has been endorsed by the president. Confucian texts have been
given greater prominence in universities and the government is now partly funding the 20-
million-dollar film.
So what wisdom can we expect up on the silver screen? Better a diamond with a flaw than a
pebble without? Or perhaps one suited to Chow Yun-Fat's earlier movies: before you embark
on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.
Keith Adams, BBC
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2009
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Vocabulary and definitions
a blockbuster a film that is very commercially successful
leading man the actor playing the main part
fell out of favour stopped being treated with respect
spiritual guidance teaching aimed at achieving non-material gains, such as
reducing stress and anxiety, living more happily, etc.
emphasis on underscoring, or stressing the importance of
endorsed officially approved
been given greater begun to be studied more widely and thoroughly
prominence
wisdom here, a saying based on many people's knowledge of life
gained through their experiences
up on the silver screen showing in cinemas (the silver screen is an old-fashioned
way of referring to both the special screen on which films
are projected and the film industry in general)
a flaw a fault or imperfection
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Words in the news © British Broadcasting Corporation 2009
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