第三届国际口笔译大赛汉译英组优秀译文

第三届国际口笔译大赛汉译英组优秀译文

原文：

中国的士大夫与民本思想

陈嘉映

翻开历史我们会看到，中国历史上充满了残酷的压迫、剥削、残杀，但是欧洲也一样。我们没有公民概念，但是有所谓民本思想。人民生活的保障，不是通过伸张权利，而且通过例如官员和士人为民请命诸如此类。

民本思想和中国独特的政治结构有关系。简短地说，这个政治结构就是，中国有士和士大夫的阶级。士不像贵族或草莽英雄，由于血统或英雄气概获得权力，他们的长处是受过教育、富有理性。他们本身不是权力的来源，而只是皇帝的办事员。士大夫之所以要服从于皇帝，是因为需要皇帝的权力，皇帝赋予他权力才能保证民本的实现。所以，他们劝谏皇帝，上疏、进谏，有时候是不要命的。在很大程度上，民本思想是因士大夫阶层的存在而存在的。而西方更多的是通过每一个公民自己以及公民社会进行权利上的斗争来保障自己的利益。虽然今天的中国跟传统上的中国相比已经面目全非了，但这一特点仍然依稀可见，在中国人的政治心理上仍然相当明显。

无论从社会身份上说，还是从思想内容上说，中国的士人都不大像西方的自由知识分子。他们在学问上、知识上，首先有的是政治关怀。他们的研究、思考方式始终都是高度的政治化、社会化或者伦理化的。对于中国读书人来说，很难设想他会去从事纯粹智性的追求，而和政治伦理无关。任何知识上的追求都是要跟“齐家、治国、平天下”连在一起，

否则大家会觉得他太古怪，几乎要把他当成一个异类。

译文：

Chinese Scholar-officials and Populist Ideas Chen Jiaying

A glimpse of Chinese history offers, like that of Western history, a daunting array of poignant persecution, demeaning exploitation and brutal killings. Unlike the Western world, we have no concept of citizenship. Instead, we hold populist ideas. The improvement of people’s life stems not from legal justice, but from pleading by scholar-officials and officials to top-rank officials or emperors on behalf of the general public.

Populist ideas are related to the distinctive political fiber of China which, if put briefly, is characterized by the stratum of scholar-officials. Unlike greenwood outlaws and the noble clan, who gain power by blood or by heroic spirit,

scholar-officials are cultivated and sensible in human dealings. They are no source of power, but run errands for Emperors with utter obedience, which arises from the need for royal authority to materialize populist ideas. Scholar-officials resort to persuasion and suggestion, sometimes even at the risk of their own lives. To a large extent, populist ideas exist due to scholar-officials. Westerners safeguard their own interests by fighting for rights as an individual or a civil society. Though China’s present differs vastly from its past, the association of scholar-officials with

populist ideas remains a salient feature in the political psyche of Chinese people.

Socially or ideologically, scholar-officials in China bear little resemblance to liberal intellectuals in the West. Political concern permeates their pursuit of knowledge. The political, social and ethical tint in their research or thinking is marked. It’s hard for an intellect in China to pursue purely intellectual knowledge. Any knowledge should be pursued in connection to the management of a family and the government of a country, and the failure to do so will be deemed weird and unacceptable.

译文作者：第三届北京语言大学国际口笔译大赛一般性文本汉译英组一等奖选手桑秋波