严复《法意》的英文底本与翻译动机考辨

The source text and translation motives of Yan Fu’s translation of The Spirit of Laws

作为"严译八大名著"之一,严复《法意》的研究价值重大但受到学界关注较少。本文通过文献梳理、副文本比对,结合严复日记、书信、著述等多种史料,考证出《法意》确切的英文底本,并结合时代背景和严复个人的学术思想脉络,探讨严复翻译《法意》的多重动机。研究结论纠正了现有《法意》研究中存在的误区,明确翻译底本和翻译动机等关键信息,从而为更深入地发掘严译《法意》在近代翻译史上的思想价值奠定基础。

As one of the"Eight Famous Works"by the renowed Chinese translator Yan Fu,Fayi,the Chinese translation of Montesquieu’s The Spirit of Laws,receives little attention from researchers in translation studies.Through detailed reading of paratexts in Fayi,Yan Fu’s diary,letters and otherhistorical materials,this study aims to identify the English source text and explore Yan Fu’s translation motives.The findings correct a number of misunderstandings in previous studies and provide a more accurate reference for analysis of Yan Fu’s translation,leading to a thorough discussion of the importance of Fayi in the translation history of the 20 th century China.