中西文学中龙的隐喻及文化误读

The Metaphors of Dragon in Literature and the Cultural Mis-reading

本文例举了中西方文学中有关龙的典故、故事,并相应阐释了典故、故事中龙的隐喻与象征意义。通过比较分析中西文学中"龙"的隐喻与象征意义的异同,探寻中西"龙"文化相异的哲学根源。西方以主客体二元论的思维方式为主,而中国以天人合一的一元论的思维方式为主。思维方式的不同导致了对"龙"的隐喻的不同,从而也导致文化误读。解决误读的方法有两个,其一是将"龙"在西语中的对应语改作"loong",以此来替换原有的对应语,如英语及法语中"dragon";其二是采用更开放的心态,对待文化差异,宣传中国"龙"的文化内涵,打造"龙"的多元形象。

This paper collects some allusions,quotations,and stories related with 'dragon' in both Chinese and Western Literature,and contrasts the different metaphors of 'dragon' in the two relative cultures.This difference,in the writer's point of view,originates from the different outlook of the two relative cultures.Predominantly,The Western believes in the dualism of 'Subjectivity-Objectivity',and Chinese the monism of 'God and Man in One',which leads to the different metaphors,and thus mis-reading of 'dragon' in two cultures.Two solutions are available.One is to replace the original western equivalent translation of the Chinese character '龙',e.g.'dragon' in English and French with a new equivalence 'loong';The other is to public the positive meaning of Chinese dragon and let the world more open-minded with the cultural difference and accept the Chinese dragon.