言不尽意——译者的困惑与动力

Limitations of Words——Translators' Perplexities and Motives

“言不尽意”属于中国古代形而上学的概念,主要强调的是语言表意的局限性。本文从三个方面论证了语言与意义的差异,即,言词的普遍性和意义的特殊性、语言本身的多义性与意义的单一性。通过对“言不尽意”的语言哲学研究,指出“言不尽意”给译者造成了文本的理解和语言表达的困惑;其次文章又从解释学理论和古代“立象”概念着手,提出“言不尽意”对译者来说又是一种动力,它能够激发译者的创造性,给予译者充分的想象、阐释和翻译的空间。

The term ＂Limitations of words＂, a concept of metaphysics in traditional Chinese philosophy, is mainly about the defect of words in their expression of meaning. The paper analyses from three aspects the gap between words and meaning-the discrepancies between the universality of words and the specific characteristics of meaning, the multiplicity of linguistic meaning and the individuality of it. With this philosophical research of it, the paper points out the impossibility for translators to avoid the perplexities aroused from the ＂limitation of words＂. Then through a further research of hermeneutic theory and ＂image creation＂, the paper puts forth that ＂Limitations of words＂ is, meanwhile, a motive, which fires imagination and inspires creativity in translators and provides a vast space for translators in understanding and translating the potential meaning.