买卖:西门庆的灵魂

TRADING: THE SOUL OF XIMEN QING

作为一个好色的男人和一个不安分的商人,西门庆的生活离不开女色和官权,他的灵魂也在与女性和官权的交往中得到了最充分的表现。西门庆婚外与任何一个异性的性交往都是一次“成功”的买卖,与官权的任何一次来往都是一笔肮脏的交易。在“重义轻利”、“重农抑商”的传统中国,张扬着一种全方位的交换意识和买卖精神。这是西门庆与传统中国人最大的不同,是西门庆对中国文化传统最大的挑战和反叛。

As a lecher and a businessman who did not act his part, the life of Ximen Qing was closely connected with women and officialdom and his soul was best displayed in dealing with them. Each of his extra-marital affair was a 'successful' transaction and each of his contact with officialdom a dirty deal. In China where people attached more importance to personal loyalty than material interest and agriculture than business, Ximen's such behavior was an all-round display of a sense of trading and making a deal. This was where he was different from the traditional Chinese, presenting the biggest challenge to, and rebel against Chinese cultural tradition.