爪洼国、茜香国与女儿国:《红楼梦》外国地名考三题

The Kingdom of Java,the Madder Islands,and the Land of Maidens:On the Three Foreign Geographic Names in the Novel The Story of the Stone

《红楼梦》中西洋物品丰富繁多,令人眼花缭乱,然而书中涉及外国地理的部分却异常贫乏,有学者认为这是作者相关知识不足的反映。通过对《红楼梦》中“爪哇国”“茜香国”“女儿国”三个外国地理名称进行考证,发现其意义不在于提供确切的地理信息,而在于展示特定的文化内涵。在历史地理学视角下梳理“爪哇国”的名称演变,可知明清两代中国与东南亚国家出现“政冷经热”的变化,是中国“上国”心态在对外交往中的反映;从词源来分析考证“茜香国”名称与中国传统丝织品之间的关系,发现这一名称更多出于文学表现的需要而非真正实有所指;结合史籍文献与文学文本辨析“女儿国”的文学想象与思想史之间的关系,掲示了清中叶以来文人通过小说创作来表达对理学思想束缚的批判与反抗的意图。

Some scholars hold that the fictionist's lack of relevant knowledge contributed to the fact that Western artifacts in the novel The Story of the Stone are dazzlingly abundant while information about foreign geographies in the book is extremely scarce.However,by examining the three foreign geographical names,namely,the"Kingdom of Java",the"Madder Islands",and the"Land of Maidens",we propose that their significance lies not in providing accurate geographical information but in showcasing specific cultural connotations.From the perspective of historical geography,we can infer from the the name evolution of the"Kingdom of Java"the shift to"cold politics and warm economy"between China and Southeast Asian countries in the Ming and Qing dynasties,which,in essence,was a reflection of China's national mentality of"superior empire"in foreign exchanges at that time.Through etymological analysis and research on the relationship between the name of the"Madder Islands"and traditional Chinese silk fabrics,it is evident that its name is more for the purpose of literary expression than for factual reference.We hold that the relationship between the literary imagination of the"Land of Maidens"and the history of thought,in both historical literature and literary texts,demonstrated the resistant spirit against the constraints of Neo-Confucianism through fictions since the middle of the Qing Dynasty.