The Natural State
质朴。“素”本义为未染色的丝帛，“朴”本义为未经加工的木材。古人引申其义，以“素朴”来指称人与事物天生自然的本性或状态。“素朴”是与后天的作为或干预相对的。以道家为代表，主张为政者应以无为的方式保护百姓的“素朴”状态，避免对百姓施加过度的干预。但也有学派认为，人和事物天生的材质必须经过后天的加工才能成就其功用。
The original meaning of su (素) is undyed natural colored silk. Pu (朴) refers to unprocessed wood. The extended meaning of the term is humans or anything that is in a basic, natural state or condition. The opposite is anything that is artificially altered or interfered with. Scholars of the Daoist school held that a ruler should protect the natural state of his subjects through non-action and avoid interfering too much with their lives. However, scholars of other schools maintained that the natural state of both humans and objects must be changed and molded in order to be of use.
引例 Citation：
◎夫至德之世，同与禽兽居，族与万物并，恶（wū）乎知君子小人哉！同乎无知，其德不离；同乎无欲，是谓素朴。素朴而民性得矣。（《庄子·马蹄》）
在最好的德治时代，与鸟兽一同居住，与万物会聚在一起，怎么知道什么是君子小人呢！大家都无知，其德行就不会背离；大家都无贪欲，这就是素朴的状态。在素朴的状态下，民众就能够保持其本性了。
In the best times when virtue prevailed, when all creatures and things lived together, it was hard to tell which man was virtuous or petty. When all were without knowledge, virtue would not be violated. When all were in their natural state, people could retain their basic nature. (Zhuangzi)
推荐：教育部 国家语委
供稿：北京外国语大学 外语教学与研究出版社
责任编辑：钱耐安
