马礼逊《华英字典》及其对中华文化的解读与呈现

Robert Morrison's A Dictionary of the Chinese Language and Its Interpretation and Presentation of Chinese Culture

作为来华的第一位新教传教士,马礼逊不惜耗时十三载,编纂了第一部英汉—汉英字典《华英字典》。这部字典展示了马礼逊对汉语的认知和中华文化的解读。通过对字典里汉字释义的文化考察,不仅能够明了一位优秀的汉语学习者对中国语言文化的掌握和体认,同时该字典广博的文化容量也为汉语的传播提供了更多的途径和视角。本文简要介绍了马礼逊的汉语学习经验,重点探讨该字典所呈现出的中华文化的内涵及其编者的解读,包括哲学思想与宗教神话、官僚体系与社会制度;着力梳理其中所涉及的文史经典、世俗民情、时事新闻、俗语警句等,希望不仅能初步彰显这部中西文化"百科全书"的风貌,更能为当今的汉语文化教学、中华文化传播及学习型字典的编纂提供有益的借鉴。

As the first protestant missionary that came to China, Morrison compiled the first English-Chinese and Chinese- English dictionary--A Dictionary of the Chinese Language, which took him 13 years. This dictionary shows Morrison＇s understanding of the Chinese language and interpretation of Chinese culture. A cultural investigation of the definitions in the dictionary shows a good Chinese learner＇s mastery and recognition of the Chinese language and culture. The extensive cultural capacity of the dictionary also provides more ways and perspectives for the spreading of the Chinese language This article briefly introduces Morrison＇s experience of learning Chinese, and focuses on the cultural connotations of the dictionary and the lexicographer＇s interpretations, including philosophical ideas, religion and mythology, bureaucratic system and social system, and more importantly, the historical and literary classics, folklore, news and events, sayings and aphorisms, etc. referred to in the dictionary. This article aims to not only reveal the style of the encyclopedia which embodies both Chinese and Western cultures, but also provide a useful reference for the teaching and spreading of Chinese culture and the compilation of learner＇s dictionaries