论近代杨荫杭译西方形式逻辑四类直言命题——与汉学家顾有信讨论

Yang Yinhang's Translation of the Four Types of Categorical Propositions in Western Formal Logic——A Discussion with Joachim Kurtz

中国逻辑学界把西方形式逻辑“A”“E”“I”“O”四类直言命题分别通译为“全称肯定命题”“全称否定命题”“特称肯定命题”“特称否定命题”。20世纪初近代国人杨荫杭,极有可能循袭了19世纪末近代日人千头清臣的日式汉字译名,把它们分别译为“太阳命题”“太阴命题”“少阳命题”“少阴命题”,其中“太阳”“太阴”“少阳”“少阴”是《易》之“四象”哲学术语的一种可能的解释。德国汉学家顾有信忽视了杨译之前的日译史,未能把握这段完整的译史,因而针对该译史给出的看法不太完密。顾氏对该译事做出的分析也较为浅显,事实上这件译事是一次在翻译上运用“归化—格义”消化吸收西方形式逻辑的独特且重要的尝试,却未被引起足够重视。

It is generally accepted by Chinese scholarship on logic that the terms of the four types of categorical propositions(Forms A,E,I,and O) in Western formal logic are respectively translated into Chinese “quancheng kending mingti 全称肯定命题 ”,“quancheng fouding mingti 全称否定命题 ”,“techeng kending mingti 特称肯定命题 ”,and “techeng fouding mingti 特称否定命题 ”.However,in the early 20th century,Yang Yinhang,a modern Chinese intellectual who was most likely following(and even copying) the translation in kanji as Kiyōmi Chikami had already done at the end of the 19th century,respectively translated those terms into Chinese “taiyang mingti 太阳命题 ”,“taiyin mingti 太阴命题 ”,“shaoyang mingti 少阳命题 ”,and “shaoyin mingti 少阴命题 ”,among which “taiyang 太阳 ”,“taiyin 太阴 ”,“shaoyang 少阳 ”,and “shaoyin 少阴 ” are one possible interpretation of the philosophical terms of the four emblematic symbols in the Appended Remarks to the Book of Changes.Joachim Kurtz,a contemporary German Sinologist who failed to grasp such a complete translation history,overlooked the origin of this translation from Japan,leading to an incomplete view about it.Kurtz also made an analysis of the motive for this translation,which looks superficial,but in fact this translation case is an important attempt to apply the “domestication-isogesis” method in translation to “Sinicize” formal Western logic,which,however,has not been given enough attention.