晚清译著《植物学》外文原本再探——兼与芦笛先生商榷

A Further Exploration of the Original of the Late Qing Translation Zhiwuxue and a Reconsideration of the Views of Mr.Lu Di

晚清译著《植物学》是中国第一部介绍西方近代植物学的书籍,由韦廉臣和艾约瑟辑译,李善兰笔述,全书共有8卷。此书所依据的外文原本,至今尚未完全探明。在前人研究的基础上,经过分析和查考,确认了卷一的前半部分主要来源于1848年出版的《钱伯斯国民百科》(Chambers’s Information forthe People)第1卷的"植物生理学"和"动物学"条目。分析和纠正了前六卷内容来源相关信息的错误,指出探寻某些来源的线索,并对一些可商榷之处进行了简要的探讨。

The 8-volume late Qing translation Zhiwuxue, translated by Alexander Williamson and Joseph Edkins, and transcribed by Li Shanlan, is the first Chinese book that introduced modern Western botany to China.Its original source remains controversial up to now. On the basis of previous studies, we confirm the first half of the first volume of the Chinese version was mostly translated from the entries of 'Vegetable Physiology' and 'Zoology'in the first volume of Chambers’ s Information for the People, which was published in 1848, by our analyses and textual researches. We analyze and rectify the erroneous information on the original sources of the first six volumes,pointing out some clues for identifying original sources and presenting a brief discussion on the controversial issue.