“尔雅”的审美之维

AESTHETIC DIMENSION OF "ELEGANCE

严复“信、达、雅”的翻译标准,尤其是有关“雅”的标准,一百年来众说纷纭、褒贬不一。本文研究了各种对严复“雅”字翻译标准的评论,结合中国古典美学思想中的言(象)意论、“美善统一论”观点,认为严复求雅的翻译旨趣是中国古典美学的传统使然,但作为翻译标准,“尔雅”的内涵应该重新界定为对原文风格的忠实。

Yan Fu s triadic translation criteria, especially the criterion of ' being elegant in language ', have triggered out different comments in the past century. Summarizing the major schools of ideas pertinent to the issue under discussion, this paper employs the 'Speech - Image - Meaning Theory' and the 'Beauty - Benevolence Unity Theory of classical Chinese aesthetics and arrives at the conclusion that Yan's pursuit of elegant language in translation is the influence of Chinese aesthetical heritage upon him. Only when it is redefined as fidelity to the style of the source language can the requirement of 'being elegant' be treated as a criterion for translations of different purposes.