十九世纪朱子太极观英译的发起与演进

English Translations of Zhu Xi's Concept of Taiji in the 19th Century

"太极"是朱子理学的最高范畴,被誉为"新儒家形而上学讨论之起点"和“新儒家哲学之基石”。19世纪传教士汉译《圣经》时爆发了关于God的“译名之争”,进而引发了首次以朱子太极观为核心的理学英译高潮。本文结合具体的历史语境,考察了麦都思、裨治文、麦丽芝和湛约翰四位译者在这一历史时期对朱子太极观的英译历程以及就其英译而展开的争论,分析了西方传教士选译朱子太极观的历史渊源和个人意图,试图揭示这些英译活动的实质及其潜在的历史文化价值,为当下中国文化国际传播提供历史借鉴。

The 19th-century missionary-translators'controversy over what should be the Chinese equivalent of the term God had accidentally generated much interest in the notion of taiji,the highest category of Zhu Xi's metaphysics,giving rise to the first wave of mass English translations of Zhu's philosophical works.Critically examining the renditions of taiji in their historical contexts by leading missionary-translators such as Medhurst,Bridgman,McClatchie and Chalmers,this paper offers a detailed analysis of the situational and personal factors contributing to the various ways of rendering Zhu's concept of taiji.By disclosing the historical and cultural values underlying the missionarytranslators*interpretations of this Neo-Confucian category,the paper means to provide a point of reference for current efforts to spread Chinese culture overseas.