求放心以成中庸的英译:以“民鲜(能)久矣”为个案

On the English Translation of Zhongyong by Finding the Strayed Heart:With the Statement of“The Sagely Way Has Been Long Not Followed”/“People Have Long Not Been Able to Follow It”As a Case Study

因对儒家宇宙论中"天"的忽视,传统《论语》的阐释纠缠于人事或俗务,有违中庸执两用中的要求。对此经和《中庸》此一类似表达的今译和英译的研究显示,这种倾向复因"心源"未能建立、天人无法互动而造成释解难通;相关英译试图直接以目的语现成词语来取代经文关键词,不合夫子之教意旨,更进一步使之沦为庸常之识。依熊十力洞见,"中庸"意为"心常";参照《道德经》的"常道",启用莎士比亚的heart,并配以海德格尔的die Anwesung(在场化)的英译,则"中庸"可得新译:the-heart-ever-presencing。若儒学关键词其跨文化翻译已如此不得正解,译界面临的历史任务十分繁重:如何以儒家的方法论,来译介其思想。

Due to its neglect of Tian(天)of the Confucian cosmology,traditional exegesis of the Analects is entangled in human or worldly affairs,which is contrary to the principle of zhongyong(中庸)to grasp the two ends and make use of their middle(执两用中).A study in the direction shows that,the modern Chinese and English translations of the two similar expressions in the book and the text of Zhongyong,are misleading,for not having established the heart as the resource of psychic energy,and putting aside the interaction between Tian and man.The English versions have gone further in trying to find given words in the target language,and replace rather than represent what is said in the two books,which is not in keeping with the teaching of Confucious and further reduces it to commonplace knowledge.According to Xiong Shili,Zhongyong means the constant presence of the heart(心常).Thus,consulting Daodejing(道德经),and making use of the Shakespearian heart and the English version of the Heideggerian die Anwesung,we propose a new translation:the-heart-ever-presencing.If the cross-cultural translation of the key words of Confucianism has become so inaccurate,there is a great historical challenge to the translators concerned in re-introducing and re-rendering cross-culturally Confucian thought by using Confucian methodology.