《社会契约论》在近代中国的传播——以首个汉译本的重刊和引用为中心

Rousseau in China's Transformative Era——A Study of Chinese intellectuals'Reprinting and Interpretation of the first Chinese translation of Du Contrat Social

中江兆民所作《民约译解》,作为卢梭《社会契约论》(Du Contrat Social)的首个汉译本,是含义极其丰富的政治思想文献。中国人对该文本的接受,对其中含义的发掘,不是一次性的,而是有一个不断重新发现、重新认识的过程。1898年以后二十年间不同阶段的政治使命,从立宪到反清革命到反袁之后再造共和,每每促使中国知识精英在中江译本中获取营养,并通过重印(往往有所改动)、评介、引用该译本与国人分享他们的阅读体验,这些重印本因而成为在中国传播卢梭思想或卢梭式思想最重要的媒介。不仅如此,对该译本的创造性解读还为中国政治思想超出宪政民主向更为激进的无政府主义和社会主义、向人民革命转变提供了契机。

Nakae Chomin's Minyaku Yakukai was the first Chinese translation of Rousseau's Du Contrat Social.The annotated translation is a text of political thought with extremely rich meanings.It had attracted quite a few modern Chinese intellectuals in their search of freedom and equality.Since 1898 Chinese intellectuals had been motivated by different political missions,ranging from anti-Manchu revolution to the rebuilding of the Republic of China after Yuan Shikai's dictatorship,to read and reread Nakae's translation.They reprinted,commented on,and quoted the translation to share their understanding of Rousseau's theory with their compatriots.Their reprinted versions became the most important media for spreading Rousseau's theory in China.Moreover,their creative interpretations of the translation provided opportunities for Chinese intellectuals to embrace not only constitutional democracy but also more radical political projects,such as anarchism,socialism and communist revolution.