《中国传统文化关键字》崇本息末 -英语翻译教程-中英双语赏析

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崇本息末

Revere the Fundamental and Dismiss the Specific

尊崇“本”以止息“末。是对待“本”“末”关系的一种方式。王弼在解释老子思想时提出了“崇本息末”的思想，与“崇本举末”相对。这里的“本”指无形、无名者，即“道”；“末”指人为造作的各种形、名。“崇本息末”即是 要发挥“道”或“无”的作用以实现万物的自然，同时止息对人为造作的各种形名之物的追逐。在政治领域，“崇本”特指君主以“道”为依据，施行无为之治。君主通过“崇本”，止息有关道德、礼法的教化以及各种浮华、虚伪的言行。

This term deals with the relationship between the fundamental and the specific. In interpreting Laozi, Wang Bi put forth the idea of “revering the fundamental and dismissing the specific,” as opposed to the idea of“revering the fundamental and keeping the specific unchanged.” The fundamental here means Dao which is shapeless and nameless, while the specific refers to man-made things in various forms and names. The term “revere the fundamental and dismiss the specific” is meant to give full rein to Dao and void so as to maintain the inherent nature of all things and at the same time stop the pursuit of all kinds of man-made things in various forms and names. Politically,“revere the fundamental” means that a sovereign should govern on the basis of Dao and do nothing that goes against nature. At the same time, he should dismiss the rigid inculcation of moral values and rules and stop all false and pretentious rhetoric and behaviors.

🎈译文略去了原文的第一句的翻译。因为题目已经给出了“崇本息末”的翻译，因此译文直接翻译第二句“是对待“本”“末”关系的一种方式”，使得译文简洁流畅不冗长。

🎈译文在翻译“王弼在解释老子思想时”一句时，将“解释老子思想”译为了一个状语（In interpreting Laozi），再翻译其提出了“崇本息末”的思想，符合英文的行文习惯。

🎈在翻译““本”指无形、无名者，即“道”；“末”指人为造作的各种形、名”时，译文在两个短句之间使用了“while”，表示一种对立或者对比关系。

🎈在翻译“在政治领域”时，译文直接采用了一个副词“Politically”而非生硬的译为“In the political field”，简洁明了。

🎈在翻译“止息有关道德、礼法的教化以及各种浮华、虚伪的言行”一句时，译文没有拘泥于原文，而是将“道德、礼法的教化”译为了“moral values and rules”（道德价值观和准则）；且在对于“言行”，译文不仅译出了“behaviors”，还增译出了“rhetoric”，即修辞、花言巧语之意，与本句的“浮华虚伪”相呼应。

🎈重点表达

崇本举末 revere the fundamental and keep the specific unchanged

崇本息末 revere the fundamental and dismiss the specific

本末 the fundamental and the specific

与…相对 as opposed to

无形无名 shapeless and nameless

充分发挥 give full rein

无为而治 do nothing that goes against nature

道德、礼法的教化 moral values and rules

浮华、虚伪的言行 false and pretentious rhetoric and behaviors

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