晚清中外条约作准文本探析

An Analysis of the Authorized Text of Sino-Foreign Treaties in the Late Qing Dynasty

条约是隆重煌煌的国际交换文件,签约所用语言代表着国家沟通的官方语言。清代以来,中外条约作准文本有所演变:鸦片战争之前,以缔约方或第三方的文字为准,体现了平等理念。战后,不平等成为约章主调,但出于传统习惯,汉文本仍是依准本。至1858年的中英《天津条约》,作准文本改头换面,开启外文本在中外条约中居于基准的时代,这是列强对中国的语文强加。不能夸大清朝统治在条约文本中的“民族”成分与“种族”色彩,有清一朝,就约本来看,清朝统治者并没有突出的“国语”意识。

Treaties are very important for international exchanges,and the language they use represents the official language of communication between states.During the Qing dynasty,the authorized text of Sino-foreign treaties underwent a change:before the first Opium War,a treaty’s official language was that of both parties or a third party,reflecting the idea of equality;but after the Opium War,“inequal”became the leitmotif of treaties,although tradition and custom meant that the Chinese text was still official.The Treaty of Tianjin of 1858 between China and Britain completely changed the position of the official text,launching an era in which the foreign language text was the official standard in Sino-foreign treaties.This represented a linguistic imposition on China on the part of the powers.One cannot overplay the“national”component and“ethnic”coloration of Qing rule in treaty texts;the texts do not reflect any heightened awareness of a“national language”among the rulers.