尽管中国古代神话(mythology)没有十分完整的情节，神话人物也没有系统的家谱(genealogy)，但它们却有着鲜明的东方文化特色，其中尤为显著的是它的尚德精神(the spirit of esteeming virtue)。这种尚德精神在与西方神话特别是希腊神话比较时，显得更加突出。在西方神话尤其是希腊神话中，对神的褒贬标准多以智慧、力量为准则，而中国古代神话对神的褒贬则多以道德为准绳。这种思维方式深植于中国的文化之中。几千年来，这种尚德精神影响着人们对历史人物的品评与现实人物的期望。

　　【参考译文】

　　Although ancient Chinese mythology does not have relatively complete plot and mythological figures don't have systematic genealogy, they have distinct features of oriental culture, among which the spirit of esteeming virtue is particularly significant.When compared with Western mythology, especially Greek mythology, this spirit of esteeming virtue is even more prominent.In Western mythology, especially Greek mythology,the criteria for judging whether a god is good or not are mostly the god's wisdom and strength,while in ancient Chinese mythology, the criterion lies in morality. This way of thinking is deeply rooted in Chinese culture.For thousands of years, this spirit of esteeming virtue has affected people's comments on historical figures and expectations of real people.