《孔夫子》：最初西文翻译的儒家经典

Early Translation in Western Languages of Confucian Classics

在中西文化交流的历史中,经典翻译扮演了很突出的角色。明末清初,来华传教士把大量西方科学、哲学、宗教经典译成中文。同时,他们还把中国哲学经典翻译成西文。儒家经典在西方的第一个译本是《孔夫子》,文章第一部分简略地介绍文本翻译的历史背景,第二部分着重分析传教士对《四书》的特别定义,第三部分试图考察耶稣会士的译文与新儒家对《四书》的诠释之间的关系,第四部分是对全文所作的一个总结。另外,文章对西方传教士所做的诠释选择跟他们本身思想和传教策略的联系,也给予了适当的关注。

In the cultural exchange between China and the West, the translation of classics has played an important role. By the end of Ming and the beginning of Qing dynasty, the missionaries coming to China have translated many Western scientific, philosophical and literary classics into Chinese. At the same time, they started to translate Chinese classics into Western languages. This article presents the first translation of Confucian classics in the West. First, it briefly describes the historical context of the translation, analyzing the special definition of the Four Books given by the missionaries. Then, it analyzes the translation itself and its connection to Neo-Confucian commentaries. In addition, the hermeneutical choices made by the missionaries are discussed against their own intellectual background.