交错的“铁道”:近代中日铁路认知的互动

Crisscross“Tiedao”:The Interaction of Railway Cognition between China and Japan in Modern Times

"铁道"等译词的历史起源与传播轨迹反映了近代中国与日本铁路认知互动情形的复杂性。中国的铁路认知起源于第一次鸦片战争前,早于日本,且以"铁路"等译词影响后者。"铁道"在中国源自1866年张德彝的《航海述奇》和威妥玛的《新议略论》,但于洋务运动时期使用频率很低。"铁道"在日本源自1860年玉虫左太夫的《航米日录》,随着明治维新时期铁路事业的飞跃而成为通用词。明明"铁道"在两国各有源头,后来却往往被误以为是日式译词。借助计量分析可知,"铁道"在甲午战争后逐渐流行于中国,形成与"铁路"两者并用的局面并延续至今。这段交错的、流动的概念史,折射出近代中日接触西方科技文明的背景相近,中国虽得认知先机却发展后劲不足,后不得不在铁路等科技领域技不如日本时进行转型追赶。进而言之,厘清思想概念的源流固然重要,而不同的源流也会汇入同一条历史长河之中。

The historical origin and propagation of"Tiedao"and other translated words reflect the complexity of the interaction of railway cognition between Chinese and Japanese in modern times.The origin of Railway cognition in China occurred before the First Opium War,earlier than that in Japan and influenced the latter with translation words such as"Tielu".In China,"Tiedao"originated from Zhang Deyi’s Hang Hai Shu Qi in 1866 and Sir Thomas Francis Wade’s"Xin Yi Lve Lun",but it was seldom used during the Westernization Movement.In Japan,"Tiedao"originated from Hang Mi Ri Lu written by Yusuf in 1860 and became a common word with the leap of the railway industry during the Meiji Restoration period.It’s clear that"Tiedao"has its own origins in both countries,but later it was often mistaken for a Japanese translation.By means of econometric analysis,"Tiedao"gradually became popular in China after the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895,forming a situation in which both"Tiedao"and"Tielu"were used together,which continues to this day.This staggered and fluid conceptual history reflects the similar background in which China and Japan came into contact with western scientific and technological civilization in modern times.Although China had to recognize the first opportunity,it lacked the momentum of development,and then it had to transform and catch up when it was inferior to Japan in railway and other scientific and technological fields.Furthermore,it’s important to clarify the origin of the ideological cognition,but different origins sometimes converge into the same historical river.