《论语·第四章》里仁篇 -英语翻译教程-中英双语赏析

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子曰：“不仁者不可以久处约，不可以长处乐。仁者安仁，知者利仁。”

A man without virtue, said the Master, cannot endure adversity nor enjoy prosperity for long. A good man is content to be good; a wise man knows it pays to be good.

🎈不可以…不可以… cannot…nor…

🎈利仁，即利用仁，实际上是指［智者认识到仁德对他有长远而巨大的利益/好处，他便实行仁德］，因此许译为 a wise man knows it pays to be good. it pays to do something表示做xx是值得的/有好处的。例如，在2022考研英语真题中，有In this age of generalists, it pays to have specific knowledge or skills.

子曰：“苟志於仁矣，无恶也。”

孔子说：“如果立志追求仁德，就不会去做坏事。”

If a man, said the Master, has made up his mind to be good, he will do no wrong.

🎈原文没有主语，翻译时需补出主语a man

子曰：“富与贵，是人之所欲也；不以其道得之，不处也。贫与贱，是人之所恶也；不以其道得之，不去也。君子去仁，恶乎成名？君子无终食之间违仁，造次必于是，颠沛必于是。”

Wealth and rank, said the Master, are what men desire. If they could be attained only in an improper way, they should be relinguished. Poverty and obscurity are what men dislike, if they could be avoided only in an improper way, they should be endured. If a man had no virtue, how

could he be worthy of his fame? A cultured man cannot do anything contrary to virtue even for the shortest time of a meal. He must do nothing contrary to virtue even in haste or in distress.

🎈不以其道得之，不处也，无主语句，翻译时转换为被动语态。

🎈「贫与贱，是人之所恶也；不以其道得之，不去也」，这句话中，「得之」实际上应指「去之」，可能是古人的不经意处。在理解原文时，我们不能只局限于字面意思，当个翻译机器，而应该揣摩其真正的意思。「不去也」译文选词endure（忍受），采用了反译法，即译文以与原文相反的表达方式传递原文的含义。同理，「富与贵，是人之所欲也；不以其道得之，不处也」。中的「不处也」译文选词relinguish（放弃），也是使用了反译法。反译法在翻译中十分常见，例如，with dignity（不卑不亢）；safe and sound（万无一失；安然无恙）；soon enough（不久）；be fatally ill（无药可救）

🎈君子无终食之间违仁，造次必于是，颠沛必于是。终食之间(for the shortest time of a meal)、造次(in haste)、颠沛(in distress)都是指某种情况下，因此翻译时提取出来作状语。

🎈造次必于是，颠沛必于是。翻译时合并同类项，即造次、颠沛必于是。故译为He must do nothing contrary to virtue even in haste or in distress.

子曰：“我未见好仁者，恶不仁者。好仁者，无以尚之；恶不仁者，其为仁矣，不使不仁者加乎其身。有能一日用其力于仁矣乎？我未见力不足者。盖有之矣，我未见也。”

I have not seen anyone, said the Master, who really loves virtue and abhors vice. If one really loves virtue, how could anyone else be better than he? If one abhors vice, it is because he is afraid that vice would do harm to him. Is there anyone who has practised virtue with all his might all the day long? I have not seen one. Perhaps there are some, but I have seen none.

🎈无以尚之。尚，超过。译文使用疑问句How could anyone else be better than he? 语气更加强烈。

🎈我未见也。直译应为I haven’t seen any. 许译巧妙的将「未」后移（否定后移），通过none来体现，处理为I have seen none.

子曰：“人之过也，各于其党。观过，斯知仁矣。”

A man’s faults, said the Master, may reveal what kind of man he is. A man may be judged by his faults.

🎈人之过也，各于其党。这里翻译时用了C-C-E的技巧，原文句意为：人们所犯的错误，类型不一。结合下文「观过，斯知仁矣」，观察一个人所犯的错误，就可以知道他是怎样的人，可知「人之过也，各于其党」，实际上是指：一个人所犯的错误能够体现出他是什么样的人，因此译文处理为A man’s faults may reveal what kind of man he is.

🎈观过，斯知仁矣。这句话译文选用主语a man，由于a man是受评判的对象，因此谓语选用be judged，而“观过”则是judge的手段，因此引出by his faults.

子曰：“朝闻道，夕死可矣。”

If a man knows in the morning the right way of living, said the Master, he may die in the evening without regret.

🎈注意一下译文中in the morning和in the evening的位置，一般我们会把时间状语放在句子末尾，但是在文学作品中，也经常看到时间状语位于句中的情况（多是在谓语动词后面）

🎈夕死可矣，「可」处理为without regret，运用了反译法，贴合文意。

子曰：“士志于道，而耻恶衣恶食者，未足与议也。”

If an intellectual, said the Master, has made up his mind to find out the right way of life but feels ashamed of plain clothes and plain food, I do not think he is worth talking with.

🎈士，这里指读书人，因此译为an intellectual

🎈志于道，指志于求道，因此译文增译了 find out

🎈恶衣恶食，这里的「恶」指的不是“凶狠”，而是指“朴素”，因此译文选词plain。翻译时应突破字面意思寻求真正的文意，这样翻译时才能找到更恰当的词来表达。

子曰：“君子之于天下也，无适也，无莫也，义之与比。”

A cultured man, said the Master, does not set his heart for or against anything in the world. He only does what is right.

🎈朱熹《集注》中说，「无适（读为敌）无莫（读为慕）」便是「无所为仇，无所欣羡」。其中「适」与「莫」译文巧妙地转化为介词for or against

🎈比，bì，挨着，靠拢，为邻。

子曰：“君子怀德，小人怀土；君子怀刑，小人怀惠。”

A cultured man cares for virtue, said the Master, and an uncultured man for the land. The former cares for order and the latter for favor.

🎈译文中A cultured man cares for virtue, and an uncultured man (cares) for the land. 后半句省略了cares避免重复。并列句中，如果后面句子和前面句子有相同的成分，往往会省略，以避免重复。The former cares for order and the latter (cares) for favor. 也是同理。

🎈The former cares for order and the latter (cares) for favor. 这里译文用the former指代a cultured man；用the latter指代an uncultured man。通过同义替换避免重复。

🎈总结：英文中经常需要避免重复，方法主要有省略、同义替换等。

子曰：“放于利而行，多怨。”

Those who do everything only in their own interest, said the Master, would arouse discontent.

🎈注意Those/One who…这种译法，在翻译《论语》时比较常见，比如，子曰：“温故而知新，可以为师矣”。One who can learn something new while reviewing what he has learned, said the Master, is fit to be a teacher.

🎈「放于利而行」与「多怨」之间是什么关系？「放于利而行」会招致/引起「多怨」，因此译文选词arouse。放，通仿，表依照。

子曰：“能以礼让为国乎？何有？不能以礼让为国，如礼何？”

If a country can be governed, said the Master, in accordance with the ritual system, what more need I to say? If not, what is the use of the ritual system?

🎈能以礼让为国乎？无主语句，译文将其转换为被动语态，将“国”提取出来作主语。

🎈不能以礼让为国，译为 If not, 这里用not代替后面的从句（不能以礼让为国），避免重复前文内容。

🎈如xx何？处理为what is the use of …?

子曰：“不患无位，患所以立。不患莫己知，求为可知也。”

Be more concerned, said the Master, with your mission than your position. Fear not that you are unknown, but that you are unworthy to be known.

🎈不患A，患B。两个分句合并翻译为Be more concerned with B than A.

🎈译文中mission与position押韵，体现音韵美（许渊冲翻译三美之一）

子曰：“参乎！吾道一以贯之。”曾子曰：“唯。”子出，门人问曰：“何谓也？”曾子曰：“夫子之道，忠恕而已矣。”

The Master said,“Shen, you know how my principles can be simplified.” Master Zeng Shen answered,“Yes.” When the Master was out, other disciples asked what the Master meant. Master Zeng said,“Our Master’s principles can be simplified into loyalty and leniency.”

🎈一以贯之，即简而言之，译文选词simplify

子曰：“君子喻于义，小人喻于利。”

A cultured man cares for what is proper and fit while an uncultured man cares for the profit.

🎈义，处理为what is proper and fit。在翻译时，当一个抽象概念找不到确切的对应词时，我们可以尝试用what引导的名词性从句表达。

子曰：“见贤思齐焉，见不贤而内自省也。”

When you see a man better than you, said the Master, you should try to equal him. When you see a man doing wrong, you should ask yourself if you have done the same.

🎈贤，a man better than you；不贤，a man doing wrong。联系第二章中提到的，举善而教不能。其中，善，贤能之士，the worthy；不能，能力低下的人，the incompetent。这里我们积累到了两种表达[某类人]的方式，一种是a man+后置定语，一种是the+adj.

子曰：“事父母几谏，见志不从，又敬不违，劳而不怨。”

In serving one’s parents, said the Master, one may make remonstrance. If it is rejected, the son should show no discontent, but resume an attitude of deference and reiterate his remonstrance without complaint.

🎈事父母，即在事父母时，因此译文用in+doing引出。

子曰：“父母在，不远游，游必有方。”

When father and mother are alive, said the Master, a good son should not go afar. If he does, they should be informed where he is going.

🎈译文中If he does(=goes afar)，通过do替代句中的一部分(go afar)，构成省略，避免与前文重复。这样的例子有很多。例如，Mary looks very happy. She always used to do(=look very happy), I remember.

子曰：“三年无改于父之道，可谓孝矣”。

A son, said the Master, who does not alter his father’s ways three years after his death may be called filial.

🎈原文为无主语句，根据“父之道”可以推断出主语应为“子女，”因此译文补出主语a son

🎈在翻译时，三年无改于父之道，处理为定语从句修饰主语a son，「可谓孝矣」则处理为主句谓语。

子曰：“父母之年，不可不知也。一则以喜，一则以惧。

The age of one’s parents, said the Master, should not be forgotten. Old age may bring comfort on the one hand and worry on the other.

🎈父母之年，不可不知也。 其中，「不知」处理为forget，运用了反译法。

🎈一则以喜，一则以惧。译文选用old age做主语，再考虑谓语动词选用什么，old age （谓语动词）comfort and worry，可以推断出（谓语动词）应表示带来、导致之意，因此选用bring。这就是我们在翻译时常用的隐词法。动词处理「隐词法」主要是指在具体语境下，有了主语和宾语，你完全可以推测添加适当的动词，如同本人写作一般，如“改革开放……了人们的生活。这里我们就可以轻松地推断出谓语动词是「改变、改善」

子曰．“古者言之不出，耻躬之不逮也”。

The ancients, said the Master, would not say what they could do, for they would be ashamed if their deeds disagreed with their words.

🎈「古者言之不出」与「耻躬之不逮也」之间存在什么逻辑关系？「耻躬之不逮也」是「古者言之不出」的原因，因此译文增译了逻辑衔接词for。我们之前说过，中文的逻辑关系通常隐藏在句意中，英文则会直接通过逻辑衔接词体现出来，这是我们在进行中英双语转换时需要注意的一点。

子曰：“以约失之者鲜矣”。

Few would make mistakes, said the Master, who could control themselves in accordance with the rules of propriety.

🎈「以约失之者鲜矣」这句话中，「鲜矣」位于句末，而译文Few则位于句首。这是因为中文常常先事实后评价，而英文则常常先评价后事实。例如，选择合适的职业（先事实）很难（后评价）。译为It is difficult （先评价）to choose a right career.（后事实）

子曰．“君子欲讷于言而敏于行。”

A cultured man, said the Master, may be slow in word but prompt in deed.

🎈讷于言，be slow in word；敏于行，be prompt in deed。注意积累be+品质adj.+in…这样的表达方式，在《论语》翻译中十分常见，例如在第一章解析里，我们积累到了：敏于事(be prompt in action)，慎于言(be cautious in speech)，与“敬事(be respectful in deed)而信(faithful in word)，节用(thrifty in expenditure)而爱人(affectionate towards the people)”

子曰：“德不孤，必有邻。”

A good man never feels lonely, said the Master, good neighbors will come up to him.

子游曰：“事君数，斯辱矣；朋友数，斯疏矣。

Zi You said,“Repetition of remonstrances would lead to loss of favor in the service of a prince, and to estrangement in friendship.”

🎈数，shuò，密，屡屡。「事君数」，译文将这个小分句处理为名词结构做主语，通过repetition of…引出。

🎈事君数，斯辱矣。「事君数」与「斯辱矣」之间的关系是什么？「事君数」会导致/带来/招致“斯辱矣”，因此译文选用谓语动词lead to。

🎈朋友数，斯疏矣。译文 and (repetition of remonstrances would lead) to estrangement in friendship. 省略了与前文重复的部分。

重点表达

为生活增添美好add beauty to life

久处约，长久地安于穷困endure adversity

长处乐enjoy prosperity

知者利仁a wise man knows it pays to be good

做xx是值得的/有好处的it pays to do something

仁者a benevolent man

志於仁make up one’s mind to be good

无恶，不会去做坏事do no wrong

富与贵wealth and rank

贫与贱poverty and obscurity

造次，在匆忙紧迫的情况下in haste

颠沛in distress

好仁love virtue

恶不仁abhor vice

士，读书人an intellectual

志于真理make up one’s mind to find out the right way of life

对…感到可耻feel ashamed of…

恶衣恶食plain clothes and plain food

依据个人利益in one’s own interest

招致怨恨arouse discontent

礼制ritual system

忠恕loyalty and leniency

远游go afar

讷于言be slow in word

敏于行be prompt in deed

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