“真理”的去魅——西方哲学名词Truth正义及翻译研究

Zhenli Demystified:A Study of the Correct Meaning and Chinese Translation of the Term“Truth”in Western Philosophy

Truth是西方哲学中最常见的名词之一。然而,长期以来,我们普遍将其误解和误译为“真理”。本文通过对该词在一本学术性的英语词典和两本专业的哲学词典中的定义的考察,并结合对该词在多部经典哲学著作中的用法的分析,对其意义和翻译问题做了深入研究。研究结果表明,truth一词是个多义词,作为其意义之一的“真理”是个科学概念,并不是个哲学概念。作为一个哲学概念,其意义是“是真的”这种性质,应该翻译为“真性”。把“真性”误解为“真理”犯了概念混淆的错误。最后,对这种长期盛行的误解误译现象做了反思。

As one of the most common terms in Western philosophy,“truth”has been widely misunderstood and mistranslated into Chinese as zhenli for a long time.Through an examination of the definitions of“truth”provided in an academic English dictionary and two philosophical dictionaries,together with an analysis of its usage in several philosophical classics,an in-depth study is made of its meanings and Chinese translations.The results show that the word“truth”is polysemous and that zhenli,as one of its meanings,is a scientific concept rather than a philosophical one.As a philosophical concept,it means the quality of being true and should be correctly translated as zhenxing.Mistaking zhenxing for zhenli is a conceptual confusion.Finally,a reflection is made on the long-term,prevalent misunderstandings and mistranslations.