严复“信、达、雅”来源考辨及其译学意义重释

The Origin of Yan Fu's “Xin,Da and Ya”and Their Reinterpretation in Contemporary Translation Studies

严复于1898年在其经典译作《天演论》首个通行本《译例言》中提出"译事三难:信、达、雅",日后成为了中国译学的圭臬。然而,有学者对严复"信、达、雅"的来源提出了质疑。我们认为,这是中国译学的一个重大理论问题,亟需理清。目前学界关于严复"信、达、雅"的来源问题主要有四种观点:一,来源于中国古代佛经翻译经验;二,来源于西方翻译理论;三,来源于严复本人;四,来源于以严复为中心的集体智慧。本文首先对上述四种主要的来源说进行阐述和辨析,以期理清这一中国译学理论最重要的学说的来源;然后,探析严复"信、达、雅"的理论形态:翻译思想vs.翻译理论;最后,分析"信、达、雅"为何成为了中国译学颠扑不破的"真理",对其译学意义进行重释,以期对今后中国译学的理论建构提供启示。

Yan Fu's dictum that translations ought to measure up to the standards of “faithfulness(xin),comprehensibility(da)and elegance(ya)” has since its issuance in 1898 become the most important Chinese statement on translation and has gained global recognition as well.The origin of this dictum,however,remains a hotly debated issue among Chinese translation scholars.Four theories have been advanced to account for the source of Yan's statement:that it derived from the experiences of ancient Chinese translation of Buddhist sutras;that the idea was traceable to western translation theories;that it resulted from Yan Fu's original thoughts;and that it was the collective wisdom of Yan Fu’s translation team.This study first offers an in-depth analysis of these four opinions so as to clarify the origin of this vitally important statement in the history of Chinese Translation Studies.It then explores the thoughts and theories of translation on which the dictum was based.An attempt is also made to account for why“Xin,Da and Ya”has become an indisputable commonplace in Chinese Translation Studies and to assess its significance to developing contemporary translation theory in general.