《论语·第八章》泰伯篇 -英语翻译教程-中英双语赏析

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子曰：“泰伯，其可谓至德也已矣。三以天下让，民无得而称焉。”

Tai Bo, said the Master, might be said to have the highest virtue, for he had thrice renounced the throne. He was beyond the praise of the people.

🎈某人可谓……. somebody might be said to … 例如，他可谓是班上最勤奋的学生。He might be said to be the most diligent in the class.

🎈泰伯，其可谓至德也已矣。/三以天下让，/民无得而称焉。这里注意根据逻辑关系进行断句和补充逻辑连接词，为什么“泰伯，其可谓至德也已”？是因为泰伯「三以天下让」，因此这两个分句在翻译时要补充出表示因果关系的连接词，许译增译了for。而“民无得而称焉”而是指人们对泰伯「三以天下让」的看法，另断为一句。

子曰：“恭而无礼则劳；慎而无礼则葸；勇而无礼则乱；直而无礼则绞。君子笃于亲，则民兴于仁；故旧不遗，则民不偷。”

Beyond propriety, said the Master, respect would lead to labor lost, caution to timidity, courage to violence, and even frankness would hurt. If cultured men are affectionate to their kins, then people will be inspired to do good. If old friends are not forgotten, then people will not be negligent.

🎈恭而无礼则劳；慎而无礼则葸；勇而无礼则乱；直而无礼则绞。这句话在翻译时合并同类项「无礼」，先提取出来译为状语beyond propriety。

🎈恭而无礼则劳，「恭而无礼」与「劳」是因果关系，可以理解为「恭而无礼」会导致「劳」，因此许译选词lead to，第一句话的译文中，respect would lead to labor lost, caution (would lead)to timidity, courage (would lead) to violence，后面两个分句省略了would lead。省略我们在前面几章已经多次提及，大家注意巩固复习。

曾子有疾，召门弟子曰：“启予足，启予手。《诗》云：‘战战兢兢，如临深渊，如履薄冰。’而今而后，吾知免夫，小子！”

When Master Zeng was ill, he summoned his disciples around him and said, “Uncover my feet and uncover my hands! It is said in the Book of Poetry: ‘Be careful as if you did stand On the brink of the gulf of vice Or tread upon the ice!’ From now on, I need not be so careful, my young friends.”

🎈《诗》云：……，It is said in the Book of Poetry: ‘…’ ，书中写道……，可以译为It is said in…例如，《论语》中写道：君子笃于亲，则民兴于仁。可译为It is said in the Analects of Confucius: ‘If cultured men are affectionate to their kins, then people will be inspired to do good.’

曾子有疾，孟敬子问之。曾子言曰：“鸟之将死，其鸣也哀；人之将死，其言也善。君子所贵乎道者三：动容貌，斯远暴慢矣；正颜色，斯近信矣；出辞气，斯远鄙倍矣。笾豆之事，则有司存。”

When Master Zeng was ill, Meng Jing Zi came to inquire after him. Master Zeng said, “When a bird is about to die, its song is mournful. When a man is about to die, what he says is good. In performing the rites, a cultured man will pay attention to three things: how to look inoffensive and respectful, appear trustworthy, and be free from vulgarity in speech. As to sacrificial service, he will leave it to officials in charge.”

🎈君子所贵乎道者三，译为In performing the rites, a cultured man will pay attention to three thing，增译了In performing the rites，使情境更加具体化。

🎈动容貌，斯远暴慢矣 how to look inoffensive and respectful，「容貌」体现在动词look上，远暴慢，译为inoffensive and respectful，将「远慢（避免怠慢）」译为respectful，采用了反译法。

曾子曰：“以能问于不能；以多问于寡；有若无，实若虚，犯而不校。昔者吾友尝从事于斯矣。”

Master Zeng said,“The capable may consult the incapable, the possessor of much may consult those of little; those who have may appear to have not, those who are full may appear empty; a man may take no care even when he is offended. Such was the way of one of my former friends.”

🎈能，the capable；不能，the incapable。the+形容词表示一类人，在前几章讲解中，我们也提到了 贤人，the worthy；无能之人，the incompetent。

🎈以多问于寡，the possessor of much may consult those of little。这里those of little=the possessor of little，为了避免和上文重复，用代词those进行指代。

🎈昔者吾友尝从事于斯矣。Such was the way of one of my former friends.译文以such开头，句子要部分倒装。以so，such，to such a degree，to such an extent，to such extremes，to such a point等开头的句子，句子要部分倒装。如：To such a degree did the story touch me that I took notes of it.

曾子曰：“可以托六尺之孤，可以寄百里之命，临大节而不可夺也。君子人与？君子人也。”

Master Zeng said,“Is he not an intelligentleman who can be entrusted with a helpless orphan prince and the fate of a state, and who dare to face danger without fear? Yes, he is.”

🎈可以托六尺之孤，可以寄百里之命，临大节而不可夺也。君子人与？这句话在翻译时先翻译了「君子人与」（Is he not an intelligentleman），然后再将「可以托六尺之孤，可以寄百里之命，临大节而不可夺也」这些描述「君子」的话用定语从句译出，修饰an intelligentleman。

🎈托六尺之孤，寄百里之命，这里在翻译时可以合并动词同类项「托」「寄」，统一译为somebody be entrusted with something。

曾子曰：“士不可以不弘毅，任重而道远。仁以为己任，不亦重乎？死而后已，不亦远乎？”

Master Zeng said,“An intellectual should be strong and steady, for his duty is heavy and his journey will be long. Is it not a heavy duty to be a man of men? Is his journey not long which will not end until his death?”

🎈「士不可以不弘毅」双重否定句表肯定，许译直接处理为肯定句should be…

🎈为什么“士不可以不弘毅”？是因为其「任重而道远」。因此在翻译时需要增加逻辑连词译出这层因果关系，许译增加了逻辑连词for。

🎈不亦……乎？反问句，译为Is it not…? 我们在第一章就提到过了反问句的译法，大家注意巩固。

子曰：“兴于《诗》，立于礼，成于乐。”

A man, said the Master, may be inspired by poetry, established in performing the rites, and perfected by music.

🎈兴于《诗》，立于礼，成于乐。无主语句，翻译时补出主语a man。

子曰：“好勇疾贫，乱也。人而不仁，疾之已甚，乱也。”

If a daring man, said the Master, suffers from poverty, he will disobey the order. If he hates to excess those who are unkind, he will rise in revolt.

🎈好勇疾贫，中文原文里「好勇」和「疾贫」是并列成分，而许译则将「好勇」处理为形容词daring，将「疾贫」处理为主干成分（谓语）suffer from poverty，注意这两种处理手法。

子曰：“如有周公之才之美，使骄且吝，其余不足观也已。”

If a man, said the Master, is arrogant and narrow-minded, what could we learn from him even if he is gifted as the Duke of Zhou?

🎈其余不足观也已。否定句，许译处理为疑问句what could we learn from him even if…?语气更加明显强烈。

子曰：“三年学，不至于谷，不易得也。”

It is not easy, said the Master, to find one who has studied for three years without thinking of reward.

🎈三年学，不至于谷，不易得也。许译为It is not easy to do something。这符合中文先事实（三年学，不至于谷）后评价（不易得），英文先评价（It is not easy）后事实（to find one who has studied for three years without thinking of reward）的特点。在翻译时我们需要注意这一语言间的差异。

🎈当泛指地描述一个怎样怎样的人时，我们可以用one+who引导的定语从句来表达。

子曰：“笃信好学，守死善道。危邦不入，乱邦不居。天下有道则见，无道则隐。邦有道，贫且贱焉，耻也；邦无道，富且贵焉，耻也。”

Be firm in belief and fond of learning, said the Master. Do not fear to die for truth. Do not enter a tottering state nor dwell in one in disorder. Appear where truth is followed and disappear where it is not. It is a shame to be poor and dishonored in a well-governed state as to be rich and honored in an ill-governed one.

🎈危邦不入，乱邦不居。Do not enter a tottering state nor dwell in one in disorder. 不……不……处理为not…nor…；后半句中one=a state，为了避免与前文重复，使用one进行指代。

🎈邦有道，贫且贱焉，耻也；邦无道，富且贵焉，耻也。It is a shame to be poor and dishonored in a well-governed state as to be rich and honored in an ill-governed one. 这两个分句在翻译时提取同类项“耻也”，即：A（邦有道，贫且贱焉）和B（邦无道，富且贵焉）都耻也，译为It is a shame to do A as to do B. 大家注意学习这个句型译法。同时，这里在翻译时也体现了中文先事实后评价，英文先评价后事实这一特点。

子曰：“不在其位，不谋其政。”

Do not interfere, said the Master, into the matter you are not in a position to.

子曰：“师挚之始，《关雎》之乱，洋洋乎盈耳哉！”

How pleasant to the ear, said the Master, are the Prelude played by the Music Master of Lu and the Chorus of Cooing and Wooing ! What a flood of music!

🎈许将“洋洋乎盈耳哉！”进行了拆译，先在句首译出“洋洋乎（How pleasant to the ear）”，后在句末译出“盈耳哉（What a flood of music）”。

子曰：“巍巍乎！舜、禹之有天下也而不与焉。”

How sublime, said the Master, were Emperors Shun and Yu, who ascended the throne without striving for it!

🎈舜、禹之有天下也而不与焉。许译将「有天下也而不与焉」处理为定语从句修饰「舜、禹」

子曰：“大哉尧之为君也！巍巍乎，唯天为大，唯尧则之。荡荡乎，民无能名焉。巍巍乎其有成功也，焕乎其有文章！”

How great, said the Master, was Emperor Yao as sovereign of the state! How sublime was he who imitated the boundless Heaven! So majestic was he that people could not find a name for him! How glorious were his achievements! How dazzling was his culture!

🎈「巍巍乎，唯天为大，唯尧则之」，其中，唯尧则之，「之」指的是「天（heaven）」，而「天」是怎样的呢？大（boundless），即：唯尧则大的天。因此许译为：he who imitated the boundless Heaven。

🎈注意感叹句译法。How+adj.+be+主语！

子曰：“禹，吾无间然矣。菲饮食，而致孝乎鬼神；恶衣服，而致美乎黻冕；卑宫室，而尽力乎沟洫。禹，吾无间然矣！”

As for Emperor Yu, said the Master, I have nothing to say against him. He took plain food and drink for himself, but offered plentiful sacrifice for the divinities. He wore poor garment but put on magnificent dress in ritual ceremonies. He lived in a humble house but spared no effort to dig ditches and canals for the people. So what can I say against him?

🎈菲饮食，而致孝乎鬼神；恶衣服，而致美乎黻冕；卑宫室，而尽力乎沟洫。无主语句，翻译时增译主语he（Emperor Yu）

🎈吾无间然矣！译为疑问句what can I say against him? 语气强烈。

重点表达

某人可谓……. somebody might be said to…

至德 have the highest virtue

让位 renounce the throne

民无得而称 beyond the praise of the people

笃于亲 be affectionate towards the kins

能人 the capable

无能之人 the incapable

受托 somebody be entrusted with something

弘毅 strong and steady

任重而道远 his duty is heavy and his journey is long

疾之已甚 hate it to excess

笃信好学 be firm in belief and fond of learning

守死善道 don’t fear to die for truth

危邦 a tottering state

登基 ascend the throne

未经允许不得转载：帕布莉卡 » 《论语·第八章》泰伯篇 -英语翻译教程-中英双语赏析