中華文化裡有關“天下”的幾個詞的翻譯(II)

近日,翻吧君有幸獲贈了外研社出版的《中華思想文化語》叢書。隨迫不急待地翻看了第一輯。

在第一輯裡的目錄裡,翻吧君看到了幾個有關古代指代疆域概念“天下”的詞的解釋及其翻譯,覺得很有趣,在此摘錄,與各位分享。

上一期的內容,可以參看以下文章:

中華文化裡有關“天下”的幾個詞的翻譯

~~京(京師):Capital of a Country~~

國都,天子處理政事及所居的城邑。“京”本指高大的山岡、土丘,引申為“大”。“師”即“眾”,指人口眾多。稱天子處理政事及所居的地方為“京”或“京師”,是表明天子都城的規模宏大,也是對天子的尊崇。

This term refers to the place where the Son of Heaven resided and conducted state affairs. Jing (京) originally meant a big hill or mound, representing the idea of being big or grand, and shi (師) meant a lot of people. To name the place where the the Son of Heaven resided and conducted state affairs jing or jingshi (京師) suggests that the capital is huge in size and expresses reverence towards the Son of Heaven.

引例 CITATION

京師者何?天子之居也。京者何?大也。師者何?眾也。天子之居,必以眾大之辭言之。 (《公羊傳•桓公九年》) (“京師”是什麼?是天子居住的地方。“京”指什麼?是指[規模] 宏大。“師”指什麼?是指[人口] 眾多。天子居住的城邑,必須用“眾”“大”這樣的詞語來形容。)

What does jingshi mean? It is the place where the Son of Heaven resides. What does jing mean? It means grandeur and magnificence. What does shi mean? It means a lot of people. No words other than populous and grandeur can best describe the place where the Son of Heaven lives. (Gongyang’s Commentary on The Spring and Autumn Annals)

~~干城:Shield and Fortress / Dukes and Princes~~

本指盾與城,後用來比喻諸侯,以及國家政權、理論主張等的捍衛者。“幹”即盾,是古代的一種防禦性武器;“城”即城牆或城郭,是具有防禦功能的建築設施。用“干城”比喻諸侯,與“崇城”(比喻天子)相對。稱天子為“崇城”,表明天子地位之崇高、優越;稱諸侯為“干城”,表示諸侯的職責是拱衛天子,必須服從天子號令。後泛指忠實得力的保衛 者——不僅指地位低的人保衛地位高的人,有時也指地位高的人保衛地位低的人。

The term originally referred to shield and fortress, but was later used to mean dukes and princes, and then defenders of a regime, theory or proposition. Gan (幹) means shield, a defensive weapon in old days, while cheng (城) means inner and outer city walls or a fortress, a structure for defensive purposes. Dukes and princes were likened to gancheng (干城), in contrast with chongcheng (崇城), which means supreme city, referring to the Son of Heaven and indicating his supreme position. It is meant that dukes and princes, likened to shield and fortress, had the responsibilities to defend the Son of Heaven. Hence, dukes and princes must obey orders from the Son of Heaven. As it has evolved over time, the term generally referred to loyal and efficient defenders. Interestingly, it came to mean that not only people of lower ranks defend their superiors, but also people of high positions defend their subordinates.

引例 CITATIONS

天子曰“崇城”,言崇高也;諸侯曰“干城”,言不敢自專,御於天子也。 (《初學記》卷二十四引《白虎通》) (天子稱“崇城”,意思是說天子居於崇高、尊貴的地位;諸侯稱“干城”,意思是說諸侯不敢擅自行動,必須聽命於天子。)

The Son of Heaven is referred to as chongcheng, indicating his supreme and noble status, while dukes and princes are referred to as gancheng, meaning that they must not act on their own but pledge their obedience to the Son of Heaven. (Debates of the White Tiger Hall)

赳赳武夫,公侯干城。 (《詩經·周南·兔罝》) (雄赳赳的武士,是諸侯的保衛者。)

The valiant warriors are defenders of dukes and princes. (The Book of Songs)

天下有道,則公侯能為民干城。 (《左傳·成公十二年》) (如果國家政治清明,那麼諸侯們就能成為百姓的保衛者。)

With good governance, dukes and princes become defenders and protectors of their people. (Zuo’s Commentary on The Spring and Autumn Annals)

~~都:Metropolis~~

國都,國君處理政事及所居的城邑。“都”與“邑”的區別是:有宗廟(陳列祖先和前代君主牌位)的城叫做“都”;沒有宗廟的叫做“邑”。宗廟是大夫以上貴族統治者祭祀祖先的廟宇,是祖先崇拜的產物、宗法制度的體現,也是“都”的根本標誌。周朝時,各諸侯國的政治中心都叫做“都”;秦漢以後,統指國都、帝王的治所。後規模大、人口多的城邑都可稱為“都”。

The term refers to the city in which a state ruler resided and conducted government affairs. The difference between a du (都) and a yi (邑) was that the former had an ancestral temple to enshrine the memorial tablets of ancestors and previous rulers while the latter did not. An ancestral temple used to be a place where rulers, the nobility, and senior officials made offerings to their ancestors. Therefore, an ancestral temple was a product of ancestral worshipping and a symbol of the patriarchal clan system. It is the defining structure of a du. During the Zhou Dynasty, the political center of all ducal states was called du. From the Qin and Han dynasties onward, du referred to the place where the emperor lived. Later, all cities large in scale and population were called du.

引例 CITATIONS

凡邑,有宗廟先君之主曰都,無曰邑。 (《左傳·莊公二十八年》) (所有城邑中,有宗廟和前代君主牌位的叫做“都”,沒有的叫做“邑”。)

All cities with ancestral temples to house the memorial tablets of ancestors and previous rulers are called du while those without are called yi. (Zuo’s Commentary on The Spring and Autumn Annals)

國,城曰都者,國君所居,人所都會也。 (劉熙《釋名·釋州國》) (一國的城邑稱為“都”,是因為它是國君居住、人口聚集的地方。)

When a city is called du, it is where the ruler of the land resides and where there is a large population. (Liu Xi: Explanation of Terms) (Liu Xi: Explanation of Terms)

~~城:Fortress / City~~

四周由城牆環繞的城邑。“城”本指城牆、城郭,是築土而成的、具有軍事防禦及防洪功能的設施,城外一般挖有護城河。古代王朝國都、諸侯封地、卿及大夫的封邑,都以築有城牆的聚落為中心,所以稱為“城”。“城”音“盛(chénɡ)”,意思是“容納民眾”。其根本功能為保護民眾,是“民惟邦本”這一政治理念的具體體現。

Cheng (城) is a city with walls surrounding it. The Chinese character for cheng originally referred to inner and outer city walls built of earth, with military defense and flood control functions. Usually, it was surrounded by a moat. In ancient times, the state capital of a monarch, the fief of a prince, and a manor estate granted by a monarch to a minister or a senior official all had a walled settlement as the center, hence the name cheng. The Chinese character for cheng is pronounced the same way as another character meaning accommodating. Here, cheng means having the capacity to accommodate people. The primary function of a cheng is to protect its residents. This is a concrete manifestation of the political notion that people are the foundation of the state.

引例 CITATIONS

城者,可以自守也。 (《墨子·七患》) (城是可以用來守衛自己的[設施]。)

A fortress/city is a facility used to defend the people inside. (Mozi)

城,以盛民也。 (許慎《說文解字·土部》) (城是用來容納百姓的。)

A fortress / city is for accommodating people. (Xu Shen: Explanation of Script and Elucidation of Characters)

城為保民為之也。 (《榖梁傳·隱公七年》) (城是為了保護人民而修建的。)

A fortress / city is built to protect people. (Guliang’s Commentary on The Spring and Autumn Annals)

~~四海:Four Seas~~

全國各地或世界各地。古人認為中國的疆域四面環海,各依方位稱“東海”“南海”“西海”和“北海”,合稱“四海”。它蘊含著遠古中國人關於中國和世界的地理圖景:“九州”居“天下”之中,“天下”由“九州”及其周邊“四海”組成,中國是“海內”,外國則是“海外”。在古人那裡,“四海”大多統指天下,並不確指某個海域,有時用來指陸地四周的海,有時又指“四海”所環繞的陸地。

Four Seas refer to the territory of China or the entire world. The ancient Chinese believed that China was a land surrounded by Four Seas – the East, West, North, and South seas. The term suggests what the ancient Chinese conceived to be the map of China and the world: Nine zhou (regions) were located at the center of tianxia (all under heaven). Tianxia consisted of nine zhou and its surrounding Four Seas. China was within the Four Seas, while foreign lands were outside the Four Seas. In ancient China, Four Seas referred to all under heaven in most cases, and did not denote a specific body of water. Therefore, the term was used sometimes to mean the seas surrounding the land, and sometimes to specify the land surrounded by the Four Seas.

引例 CITATION

君子敬而無失,與人恭而有禮,四海之內皆兄弟也。 (《論語·顏淵》) (君子做事態度認真而不出差錯,待人謙恭而合乎禮儀,那麼天下所有的人都是他的兄弟。)

A man of virtue always does things conscientiously without making any mistakes and treats people respectfully and appropriately. Then all within the Four Seas will be his brothers. (The Analects)

~~海內:Within the Four Seas~~

“四海之內”,即古代中國疆域以內。古人認為中國的疆域四周環海,各依方位稱“東海”“南海”“西海”和“北海”,合稱“四海”。“海內”即指“四海”所環繞的疆土。它隱含著古人以海為界的國土意識,是農耕文明的反映。

Within the Four Seas means within the territory of China. The ancient Chinese thought China’s territory was surrounded by the Four Seas (the East, West, North, and South seas). Within the Four Seas refers to the landmass surrounded by the Four Seas. It reflected the ancient Chinese belief that the seas were the natural boundary of a country, demonstrating the influence of an agriculture civilization.

引例 CITATIONS

今欲並天下,凌萬乘,詘敵國,制海內,子元元,臣諸侯,非兵不可。 (《戰國策·秦策一》) (如果想吞併天下,凌駕大國之上,使敵國屈服,控制海內,統治百姓,臣服諸侯,就非用武力不可。)

If our country wants to conquer all under heaven, rise above the big powers, subdue enemy states, control the territory within the Four Seas, govern the subjects and rule over the feudal lords, military force is indispensable. (Strategies of the Warring States)

海內存知己,天涯若比鄰。 (王勃《杜少府之任蜀州》) (四海之內都會有知己,縱使遠隔天涯海角也如近鄰一樣。)

If you have a bosom friend within the Four Seas, even at world’s end he remains close to you. (Wang Bo: Seeing Off a Friend Who Has Been Appointed to a County Post in Shuzhou)

~~海外:Outside the Four Seas / Overseas~~

“四海之外”,指古代中國疆域之外、國外,也指邊遠地區。古人認為中國疆域四周環海,各依方位稱“東海”“南海”“西海”和“北海”,合稱“四海”,所以稱中國以外的地方為海外。其中隱含著古人以海為界的國土意識。它體現出古人以自我中心而又具開放性的空間感,及其對於境外遙遠地方的嚮往。

Outside the Four Seas refers to the territory outside China, foreign lands, or remote areas. The ancient Chinese thought that China’s territory was surrounded by the Four Seas (the East, West, North, and South seas). Therefore, places outside China were outside the Four Seas. It reflected the ancient Chinese belief that the seas were the natural boundary of a country. It also suggested that the ancient Chinese were on the one hand self-focused and on the other open-minded, longing to explore the unknown world outside the Four Seas.

引例 CITATION

相土烈烈,海外有截。 (《詩經·商頌·長髮》) (相土威武勇猛,邊遠地區的人都對他一齊順服。)

Xiangtu was so brave that he was recognized and extolled even by those outside the Four Seas. (The Book of Songs)

注:本文摘自《中華思想文化術語》(叢書),由外語教學與研究出版社出版。

中华文化里有关“天下”的几个词的翻译(II)

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