中国古典文论在西方的英译:历史进程与基本特征

A Historical Account of the Translation and Transmission of Classical Chinese Literary Theories in the English-speaking World

作为东学西渐的一部分,中国古典文论在西方的英译与传播至今已有三百多年的历史。本文采用宏观史学与微观史学相结合的方法,在再现中国古典文论英译三百年整体史的基础上,将其划分成五个阶段,进而考察每个阶段中西文化交流的历史背景与西方汉学的发展状况,然后从微观史学的角度对各个阶段中国古典文论在西方的英译活动做实证性历史文献考察,从而揭示中国古典文论英译在西方从17世纪末至19世纪初的"酝酿期"推进到19世纪初至20世纪初的"萌发期",之后消退到20世纪初至20世纪中的"过渡期",再上升到20世纪中至20世纪末的"发展期",然后进入20世纪末至今的"成熟期"的历史进程,同时分析了西方的中国古典文论英译在不同阶段呈现出来的基本特征,即在"酝酿期"是传教事业的副产品,在"萌发期"属于中国经学研究的一部分,在"过渡期"成为新旧汉学交替的载体,在"发展期"变成一种普遍的自我存在,而在"成熟期"则成为比较诗学研究的内容。考察发现,中国古典文论在西方的英译与传播不仅与不同历史时期中西文化交流的态势相关,更与西方英语国家汉学研究从传教士汉学演化到学院汉学,再到传统汉学与新型汉学的交织并存,之后到新型汉学"中国学"的强势崛起,直至整个英语国家汉学走向深化和国际化的发展轨迹一脉相承、息息相关。

This paper makes a historical analysis of the translation in English language of classical Chinese literary theories in the West, which has lasted for more than three hundred years. It first makes a macro-historical account of the English translation of the classical Chinese literary theories in the last three hundred yearsbybreaking it into these five periods: gestation, germination, transition, expansion and sublimation. Based on the examination of the specific historical situation, especially the development of sinology in the English-speaking world of each period, the paper then, at the micro-level of history, makes an empirical analysis of the small units of the translation activities, including the translators, the translated works, the publication and transmission of the translations, etc., period by period, revealing that the English translation of the classical Chinese literary theories was different in nature and scope in different periods in the West: it was the by-product of missionary work in the gestation period, part of the Chinese classics studies in the germination period, a vehicle of the transformation of sinology in the transition period, an activity in its own right in the expansion period and the object of investigation of comparative poetics in the sublimation period. This paper concludes that the trajectory of the translation and transmission of classical Chinese literary theories in the English-speaking world has been shaped by the historical situation of the intercultural communication between China and the West, and even more by the evolution of the sinology in the English-speaking countries, which has undergone its missionary, institutional, transitional, Chinese-studies-dominant and global phases successively so far.