“经典”概念之探与辨

Analysis of the Chinese Culture-Specific Term"JingDian"and its English Counterpart the Classic

中华文明源远流长,辉煌灿烂,积淀了深厚的文化传统,留下了浩如烟海的文化典籍。这些文化典籍经五千余年的淘洗沉淀,酝酿琢磨,形成了对一代又一代中国人产生重大影响的文化经典。经典是中华文化的精华。因此,在汉语言文化中的“经典”一词是中国文化一特有术语,蕴含丰富的历史文化内涵,极具中国文化特质。在中外文化交流中,人们常用英语词classic与汉语词“经典”互译。但汉语言文化中的“经典”和classic毕竟分属两个差异巨大的文化系统,它们的含义会没有区别?二者真能完全对等?故本文的目的便是要借助各种渠道,详细考察二者的内涵与实质,辨析二者的异同,知己知彼。

"JingDian"is a culture-specific item,which contains rich historical and cultural connotations,with cultural idiosyncracy of China.In cultural exchanges,"JingDian"has been used to translate the English culture-specific item"the classic".By so doing,"JingDian"and the classic are taken as equivalents and counterparts.However,since they have been embedded respectively in two totally different cultural systems,isn’t there any difference between"JingDian"and the classic?If there is,what’s that?Thus,the present paper is to delve into these two terms etymologically and genealogically,so that their similarities and discrepancies will be uncovered.