《论语·第三章》八佾篇 -英语翻译教程-中英双语赏析

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孔子谓季氏:“八佾舞于庭，是可忍也，孰不可忍也?”

Confucius said of the lord of Ji Family,“The royal dance of eight teams are performed in his courtyard. If this can be tolerated, what cannot?”

🎈要翻译好「八佾」，需要有一定的文化背景积淀。古时一佾8人，八佾就是64人，据《周礼》规定，只有周天子才可以使用八佾，诸侯为六佾，卿大夫为四佾，士用二佾。季氏是正卿，只能用四佾。所以这里「八佾」译为the royal dance of eight teams，增译royal必不可少。

三家者以《雍》彻,子曰：‘相维辟公，天子穆穆’，奚取于三家之堂？”

At the end of the Three Families’ sacrifice, King Wu’s prayer to King Wen was sung: “The princes at the side Of the king dignified,” The Master said, “What has the royal prayer to do with the Three Families? How could it be sung in their hall?”

🎈《雍》，也写作「雝」，《诗经·周颂》的一篇，朱熹确定此诗为周武王祭祀周文王后撤祭时所演唱的乐歌。故译为King Wu’s prayer to King Wen。这里译者用了释义法翻译，若直译《雍》，恐怕会让不了解文化背景的外国读者读译文时云里雾里。

🎈奚取于三家之堂？What has the royal prayer to do with the Three Families? How could it be sung in their hall? 这里作者没有一句一句对照翻译，而是根据语境重新改写。这就是说，某种程度上，翻译也是写作，译者需要在充分理解原文意思的基础上，重新创作出译文，有时不必一一对照。

子曰：“人而不仁，如礼何？人而不仁，如乐何？”

If a man is not good, said the Master, what is the use for him to perform the rites? If a man is not good, what is the use for him to perform music?

🎈注意一下“如礼何？如乐何？”的翻译句型，可提取为What is the use for somebody to do something? 在鉴赏名家译文时，我们不仅可以欣赏其选词，有时也可以提取出一些通用的句式，这样下次当我们遇到类似的句型时翻译起来会更加游刃有余。

林放问礼之本,子曰：“大哉问！礼，与其奢也，宁俭；丧，与其易也，宁戚。”

Lin Fang asked about the fundamental of the rites.“A significant question!” said the Master. “In ritual performance, it would be better to be thrift than lavish; in mourning service, it would be better to be deep in grief than minute in observance.”

🎈「礼」「丧」，在这里都处理为状语，表示在礼/丧的情况下，用in引出。

🎈「与其奢也，宁俭」、「与其易也，宁戚」，注意「与其… …，宁… …」可译为：it would be better to do A than do B

🎈丧，与其易也，宁戚。in mourning service, it would be better to be deep in grief than minute in observance.结尾增译了in observance，既不改变原文意思，又可以使minute in observance与than前面的deep in grief形成结构上的对称，从而更好体现形美。

子曰：“夷狄之有君，不如诸夏之亡也。”

The barbarian tribe with a sovereign, said the Master, is not so good as a civilized state without one.

🎈夷狄，泛称除华夏族以外的各族，和「蛮夷」一样是贬义词，故许用词barbarian。在翻译时，需要注意原文的感情色彩，如此才能合理选词。例如：Girls were all smiles on hearing the good news，译为：姑娘们听到这个好消息都满脸堆笑。合不合适呢？显然，这里「满脸堆笑」是贬义词，但原文表达的是褒义，所以译文选词不够恰当。可以改译为：听到这个好消息，姑娘们个个笑逐颜开。

🎈夷狄之有君(the barbarian tribe with a sovereign)与诸夏之亡(a civilized state without one)形成结构上的对称。注意「夷狄之有君」原文是短句，译文则将其处理为名词结构做主语。

季氏旅于泰山。子谓冉有曰：“女弗能救与？”对曰：“不能。”子曰：“呜呼！曾谓泰山不如林放乎？”

The lord of Ji Family was going to perform the royal ceremony of sacrifice to Mount Tai. The Master asked Ran You if he could prevent it, and Ran You answered he could not. Then the Master said,“Alas! does Mount Tai not know what Lin Fang does about the rites?” (Could it accept the royal sacrifice offered not by a prince but by a lord?)

🎈「季氏旅于泰山」，这句话译文同样增译了royal一词，更贴合原文意思。

🎈子谓冉有曰：“女弗能救与？”对曰：“不能。”这里两个直接引语译文都做转述处理，因为不是这个段落里的重点。

子曰：“君子无所争，必也射乎！揖让而升，下而饮。其争也君子。”

Cultured men do not contest, said the Master. Even in archery, the archers bow and make way for each other before the contest and drink after it. Such is the rivalry between cultured men.

🎈君子，cultured men，回忆一下前两章「君子」的译法，intelligentlemen

🎈Even in archery，这里增译了even一词，表示程度上的递进，使前后逻辑衔接更加自然，表「即使是… …」

🎈「揖让而升，下而饮」，无主语句，根据上下文可以推断出主语是射箭者，故译文增译主语the archers

子曰：“夏礼，吾能言之，杞不足征也；殷礼吾能言之，宋不足征也。文献不足故也，足则吾能征之矣。”

The rites of the Xia dynasty, said the Master, can be described, but I do not rely on the evidence supplied by its descendants of Qi. The rites of the Yin dynasty can be described, but I do not rely on the evidence supplied by its descendants of Song. For there are no sufficient documents. Otherwise, the rites of Qi and Song can be described.

🎈「夏礼，吾能言之」，译文以「夏礼」为主语，故需转换为被动语态。

🎈杞(its descendants of Qi)、宋(its descendants of Song)，注意增译了its descendants of…，可以直接体现出杞与夏、宋与殷的关系，使外国读者更容易理解。

🎈「文献不足故也，足则吾能征之矣」，在两分句之间增译衔接词otherwise，逻辑更加顺畅。

子曰：“禘自既灌而往者，吾不欲观之矣。”

At the ancestral sacrificial service of the Duke of Lu, said the Master, I would not attend after the libation, for the royal ceremony should not be performed by a duke.

🎈禘，是指古代一种极为隆重的大祭之礼，只有天子才能举行。不过周成王曾因为周公旦对周朝有过莫大的功勋，特许他举行禘祭。以后鲁国之君都沿此惯例，「僭」用这一禘礼，因此孔子不想看。了解了这一背景，我们就可以理解为什么结尾要增译for the royal ceremony should not be performed by a duke.

或问禘之说。子曰：“不知也。知其说者之于天下也，其如示诸斯乎！”指其掌。

Asked about the imperial sacrifice, the Master said,“I do not know it. Those who know it may see an empire as clearly as his palm.”

🎈或问，即有人问，我们在第二章解析中提到，有人（somebody）通常不需要直译出来，而是转化为被动语态，即当孔子被问及xx，译为When (he is) asked。这里「或问… …，子曰：… …」译为：Asked about…, the Master said,… 则是直接将「或问」处理为非谓语，且因为ask和the Master之间是被动的关系，因此用过去分词。

🎈「指其掌」在翻译时没有像原文一样单独成一句，而是与说话内容糅合，即Those who know it may see an empire as clearly as his palm. 译文更加精简。

祭如在，祭神如神在。子曰：“吾不与祭，如不祭。”

Sacrifice to the dead as if they were living, and to the divinities as if they were present. If I do not think they are present, said the Master, I had better not sacrifice at all.

🎈「祭如在」，祭的宾语是什么？由「在」可以推断出祭的宾语是「不在」，即已经离世的先辈。故译文增译宾语the dead

🎈as if they were living. as if+从句，虚拟语气，表示与现实相反。

🎈Sacrifice to the dead as if they were living, and (sacrifice) to the divinities as if they were present. and后面省略了sacrifice，避免重复。

王孙贾问曰：“‘与其媚于奥，宁媚于灶’，何谓也？”子曰：“不然，获罪于天，无所祷也。”

Wangsun Jia asked if it would be better to pray to home divinities than to those in Heaven. “No,”said the Master,” if you sin against Heaven, what is the use of praying?”

🎈「与其媚于奥，宁媚于灶」，可以直接套用我们上面积累到的句式，it would be better to do A than do B. 并且，译文it would be better to pray to home divinities than (pray) to those in Heaven. than后面省略了pray，避免重复。

🎈「无所祷也」，直译应为：There is no use of praying. 译文则处理为疑问句，即what is the use of praying? 语气更加强烈。

子曰：“周监于二代，郁郁乎文哉！吾从周。”

The Zhou dynasty, said the Master, has profited from the two preceding dynasties. What a wealth of culture it has accumulated! I would rather follow the Zhou system.

🎈二代，即夏朝和商朝，译文处理为 the two preceding dynasties，既能明确表达，又不至太过冗杂。

🎈郁郁乎文哉！What a wealth of culture it has accumulated! 积累一下感叹句译法。

🎈「吾从周」，这里的「周」指的是周代的制度，故译文具体化译为the Zhou system。在翻译时我们首先需要明确原文表达的具体是什么，这样翻译时才不会只局限于表面意思。

子入太庙，每事问。或曰：“孰谓鄹人之子知礼乎？入太庙，每事问。”子闻之，曰：“是礼也。”

When the Master entered the grand temple, he asked about everything there. Someone remarked, “Who would say this son of a villager from Zou knows the rites? When he entered the grand temple, he asked about everything.” Hearing of this, the Master said, “This is just a part of the rites.”

🎈「每事问」，即每遇到一件事都细细地询问，我们可能译为When he encountered every single thing, he would make a detailed inquiry. 但再看「每遇到一件事都细细地询问」，这个句子里有两个动词，一是「遇到」，一是「询问」，显然「询问」的地位更加重要，而「遇到」实际上可有可无，因此可以去掉「遇到」并调整语序为：他询问每一件事。故许译为he asked about everything there，更加精简。

子曰：“射不主皮，为力不同科，古之道也。”

In archery, said the Master, the principal thing is to hit, not to pierce through. Such is the way of the ancients. For archers are not equal in strength.

🎈力不同科，archers are not equal in strength。原文是「力」为主语，翻译时重新选择主语archers，而将「力」作为状语(in strength)，表示「在力气这一方面」，这种重新选择主语，而将原文主语在翻译时转化为状语（表示在某方面）的手法，在翻译时其实十分常见。例如，中国经济态势良好，China grows steadily in its economic performance.

子贡欲去告朔之饩羊，子曰：“赐也！尔爱其羊，我爱其礼。”

Zi Gong wanted to do away with the sacrificial sheep on the first day of each moon. The Master said, “Zi Gong, you care for a sheep while I care for the rites.”

🎈告朔之饩羊，the sacrificial sheep on the first day of each moon。「朔」提取出来作时间状语；告，告祭，翻译时将动词（告祭）转换为形容词(sacrificial)修饰sheep。在翻译时常常需要进行词性的转换，即译者无需拘泥于原文用词的词性，而主要着眼于其意思，翻译时可根据表达需要可自由转换词性。

子曰：“事君尽礼，人以为谄也。”

One who serves his prince nowadays in strict accordance with the rites, said the Master, would be considered as a sycophant.

🎈事君尽礼，原文没有主语，添加泛指主语one

🎈人以为谄也，译文转换为被动语态，即…would be considered as…。中文常用主动，英文则多用被动，特别是在“人们认为/相信/认可… …”这样的句式中。例如，人们都认为… …(It is believed that…)；大家公认… …(It is recognized by all that …)；据说(It is said that…)

定公问：“君使臣，臣事君，如之何？”孔子对曰：“君使臣以礼，臣事君以忠。”

When Duke Ding asked how a prince should employ his ministers and how ministers should serve their prince, Confucius replied,“The prince should employ his ministers in accordance with the rites and the ministers should be devoted to the prince.”

🎈「臣事君以忠」许译没有直接按照原文语序译为the ministers should serve the prince with devotion. 而是在理解原文的基础上重新选择动词，「臣事君以忠」，可理解为：臣忠心待主，许译选用谓语be devoted to，表达更精简。

子曰：“《关雎》，乐而不淫，哀而不伤。”

Cooing and Wooing (the first song in the Book of Poetry ), said the Master, tells us pleasure and grief should not go to excess.

🎈《关雎》，Cooing and Wooing (the first song in the Book of Poetry )，括号内对Cooing and Wooing进行解释说明，从译文读者角度考虑。在汉译英时，译者需要考虑外国读者的知识背景，对于一些文化概念、地理概念等可以采用释义法，从译文读者角度考虑。例如，「广东省」译为 in south China’s Guangdong Province，增译出south China就是为了让不了解中国省份位置的外国读者在读译文时有更清晰的认识。

🎈「乐而不淫，哀而不伤」，这句话译文没有直接对照原文一句句翻译，而是将原文意思进行提炼概括，即乐悲不宜过度，故译文处理为pleasure and grief should not go to excess.这个方法（根据原文提炼概括大意进行翻译）在我们翻译成语时应用的比较多，例如，筋疲力尽(total exhaustion)

哀公问社于宰我。宰我对曰：“夏后氏以松，殷人以柏，周人以栗，曰：使民战栗。”子闻之，曰：“成事不说，遂事不谏，既往不咎。”

When Duke Ai asked Zai Wo what symbol was used in the altar, Zai Wo replied, “The Xia rulers used the pine, the Yin rulers used the cypress, and the Zhou rulers used the chestnut, which means to chase the people off their nut.” Hearing of this, the Master said, “What is done cannot be undone; what is accomplished need not be criticized, what is bygone need not be blamed.”

🎈成事(what is done)、遂事(what is accomplished)、既往(what is bygone)，这里三个词都处理为what引导的名词性从句结构。注意在考场上翻译时，有时如果我们很难想起一个名词的确切表达，不妨尝试使用名词性从句进行巧妙转化。

子曰：“管仲之器小哉！”或曰：“管仲俭乎？”曰：“管氏有三归，官事不摄，焉得俭？”“然则管仲知礼乎？”曰：“邦君树塞门，管氏亦树塞门；邦君为两君之好，有反坫。管氏亦有反坫，管氏而知礼，孰不知礼？”

The Master said,“Guan Zhong was not a great minister.” When asked if Guan Zhong was frugal, the Master said, “Guan Zhong had three granaries while his official duties were not performed, how could he be considered frugal?” When asked if Guan Zhong knew the rites, the Master said, “Only the prince may build a wall to screen the gate of his mansion, but Guan Zhong had one before his. Only the prince may use a stand for cups to entertain his guests, but Guan Zhong used one. If he knew the rites, who does not?”

🎈管氏而知礼，孰不知礼？If he knew the rites, who does not (know the rites)? 译文末尾省略了know the rites，避免重复。

仪封人请见，曰：“君子之至于斯也，吾未尝不得见也。”从者见之。出曰：“二三子何患于丧乎？天下之无道也久矣，天将以夫子为木铎。”

The guardian of the border at Yi asked to be presented to the Master, saying, “When a man of renown has come here, I have never been denied an interview.” A follower of the Master presented him. After the interview, he said to two or three of the followers, “Why are you distressed at your master’s unemployment? The world has gone out of the right way for long. Heaven would employ your master as an alarm bell.”

🎈「仪封人请见，曰」，这句话有两个谓语，当中文原文中一句话中出现多个谓语时，我们常常将其中重要的动词处理为谓语，其他的则处理为非谓语。许译将「请见」处理为谓语(ask)，而将「曰」处理为非谓语(saying)

🎈出曰：“二三子何患于丧乎？”注意这里「二三子」译文的处理方式，he said to two or three of the followers, Why are you distressed at your master’s unemployment? 译文先将「二三子」（说话的对象）提取出来翻译，在翻译直接引语时用人称代词you，这样更符合对话语境。

子谓《韶》：“尽美矣，又尽善也。”谓《武》：“尽美矣，未尽善也。”

The Master said of the Inauguration Music as perfectly beautiful and perfectly good, and the Martial Dance as perfectly beautiful but not perfectly good.

🎈say of 谈及、评价

🎈这句话在翻译时，原文两处直接引语都没有保留，而是与文意糅合翻译。

🎈《韶》，the Inauguration Music

《武》，the Martial Dance

子曰：“居上不宽，为礼不敬，临丧不哀，吾何以观之哉！”

High office filled without generosity, said the Master, ceremony performed without reverence, and mourning observed without grief, how can I bear to see such things!

🎈「居上不宽，为礼不敬，临丧不哀」这三个分句译文运用非谓语动词作后置定语(filled without generosity修饰High office；performed without reverence修饰ceremony；observed without grief修饰mourning)，处理为名词短语，与such things相呼应。

重点表达

礼之本the fundamental of the rites

夷狄the barbarian tribe

文明国家a civilized state

与其do B，宁do A It would be better to do A than to do B

泰山Mount Tai

君子 cultured men

射箭archery

射箭者archer

为…让路make way for

神the divinities

获罪于天somebody sin against God

前二朝代the preceding dynasties

从…获益profit from…

丰富的文化积淀a wealth of culture

严格遵守礼节in strict accordance with the rites

谄媚者sycophant

役使臣子employ ministers

事君以忠be devoted to the prince

《关雎》Cooing and Wooing

过度go to excess

松pine

柏cypress

栗chestnut

使xx战栗chase somebody off their nut

既往不咎what is bygone need not to be blamed

节俭的frugal

以成，直到最后to the end

谈及、评价say of

《韶》the Inauguration Music

《武》the Martial Dance

未经允许不得转载：帕布莉卡 » 《论语·第三章》八佾篇 -英语翻译教程-中英双语赏析