耶稣会士对明清时期司法体系的异域审视

Jesuits' Exotic Review of the Judicial System in the Ming and Qing Dynasties

耶稣会士对中国司法体系的译介是明清时期中西文化交流的重要内容。基于自己的欧洲背景和在华的亲身经历,他们对明清司法体系的审视,较之先前,在客观真实性层面上有显著提高,也在认知层面上有所提升,触及到了该制度的部分本质。他们的介绍对欧洲了解中国司法,进而构建西方的中国政体形象产生了深远影响。欧洲启蒙思想家利用耶稣会士记述的中国司法制度和案例,塑造了不同的"中国政体"形象,其中的负面形象对中国产生了不利影响。

The Jesuits'translation of Chinese judicial system was an important part of the cultural exchange between China and the West in the Ming and Qing dynasties.Based on their European background and personal experience in China,their examination of the judicial system in the Ming and Qing dynasties was significantly improved from their predecessors in terms of objectivity,au⁃thenticity,and depth of cognition,revealing some essence of the system.Their introduction had a profound impact on Europe's un⁃derstanding of Chinese judicial system and the construction of the western image of the Chinese polity.European enlightenment thinkers used the Jesuits’accounts of China’s judicial system and cases to create different images of the“Chinese polity”in Eu⁃rope,the negative image of which has had a negative impact on China.