《论语·第七章》述而篇 -英语翻译教程-中英双语赏析

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子曰：“述而不作，信而好古，窃比于我老彭。”

I narrate, said the Master, but not create. I believe and delight in the ancients, and make bold to compare myself to the Old Master.

🎈原文我主语，根据「窃比于我老彭」推断出主语是「我」，翻译时应补出主语。

子曰：“默而识之，学而不厌，诲人不倦，何有于我哉？”

If I can learn by heart, said the Master, not tired of learning nor of teaching, what more shall I need?

🎈学而不厌，诲人不倦。这里翻译时合并同类项「不厌」「不倦」，故译为not tired of learning nor of teaching

子曰：“德之不修，学之不讲，闻义不能徙，不善不能改，是吾忧也。”

Virtue uncultivated, said the Master, knowledge unpropagated, the right undone, and the wrong unrighted, these are my worries.

子之燕居，申申如也，夭夭如也。

Unoccupied, the Master took it easy and looked pleased.

🎈「燕居」处理为unoccupied，形容词做状语

子曰：“甚矣，吾衰也！久矣，吾不复梦见周公。”

How decrepit have I grown! said the Master. For long have I not dreamed of the sage.

🎈周公，姓姬，名旦，周文王的儿子，武王的弟弟，成王的叔父，鲁国的始祖，又是孔子心目中最敬服的古代圣人之一。故译文处理为the sage（圣人）

子曰：“志于道，据于德，依于仁，游于艺。”

Aim at truth, said the Master, depend on virtue, rely on the good and delight in the arts.

🎈志于（aim at），据于（depend on），依于（rely on），游于（delight in）译文和原文一样，四个小分句间结构相似，读来朗朗上口。

子曰：“自行束脩以上，吾未尝无诲焉。”

I would teach, said the Master, any student above fifteen who would bring me a bundle of dried flesh.

🎈吾未尝无诲焉，「诲」的对象是谁呢？学生，译文将「诲」的宾语student译出来后，将「自行束脩以上」处理为student的定语从句。

子曰：“不愤不启，不悱不发，举一隅不以三隅反，则不复也。”

I will not instruct. said the Master, those who are not eager to learn, nor enlighten those who are not anxious to discover. If I show a man one corner of the table and he cannot infer the other three, I will not repeat the lesson.

🎈「举一隅不以三隅反」注意这里主语是什么，「举一隅」的主语是老师，即「我」，故译文补出主语，「不以三隅反」的主语是学生。

子食于有丧者之侧，未尝饱也。

Taking a meal by the side of a mourner, the Master would never eat to the full.

🎈「食于有丧者之侧」处理为非谓语作伴随状语。

子于是日哭，则不歌。

The Master would not sing after he had wept at a funeral.

🎈译文增译at a funeral

子谓颜渊曰：“用之则行，舍之则藏，惟我与尔有是夫！”子路曰：“子行三军，则谁与？”子曰：“暴虎冯河，死而无悔者，吾不与也。必也临事而惧，好谋而成者也。”

The Master said to Yan Hui,“Ride when employed and hide when unemployed, that is what you and I would do.” Zi Lu asked the Master, “Who would you employ if you were in command of three armies?” The Master said, “I would not employ one who would fight a tiger with bare hands or cross a river with broken legs and die without regret and remorse. I would employ one considerate when confronted with difficulties, and deliberate when accomplishing a task.”

🎈用之、舍之分别用ride和hide译出，一方面传达出原文意思，另一方面又押了韵，满足message beauty和prosodic beauty。

🎈临事而惧选词considerate，好谋而成选词deliberate，这两个词也押韵，符合音韵美。

🎈死而无悔，die without regret and remorse，注意这里regret and remorse押头韵，读起来朗朗上口。押头韵十分常见，如Chinese high tech brims with vigor and vitality. 这里vigor and vitality也是押头韵，读来更有音韵美。

子在齐闻《韶》，三月不知肉味，曰：“不图为乐之至于斯也。”

Hearing the music of succession in Qi, the Master did not know the taste of meat for three months, saying, “I did not realize that music could have been so delicious.”

🎈不图为乐之至于斯也。I did not realize that music could have been so delicious.「至于斯」结合上文「三月不知肉味」，处理为delicious

冉有曰：“夫子为卫君乎？”子贡曰：“诺，吾将问之。”入，曰：“伯夷、叔齐何人也？”曰：“古之贤人也。”曰：“怨乎？”曰：“求仁而得仁，又何怨？”出，曰：“夫子不为也。”

Ran You said,“Is our Master on the side of the Prince of Wei who contended for the throne with his father?” Zi Gong said, “I do not know. I will ask him.” Coming in, he asked the Master, “What do you think of the two Yin brothers who yielded the crown?” The Master said, “They

were two worthy ancients.”Zi Gong asked, “Did they regret?” The Master said, “They sought to be worthy men. Why should they regret?” Coming out, Zi Gong said, “Our Master is not on the side of the Prince.”

🎈卫君，译为 the Prince of Wei who contended for the throne with his father，增译了who contended for the throne with his father；伯夷、叔齐，译为the two Yin brothers who yielded the crown，增译了who yielded the crown。这两个增译的定语从句在含义上形成对比，这样译文读者才能理解原文所表达的是什么意思，即为什么冉有提问的是“卫君”，但子贡请教孔子时问的却是「伯夷、叔齐」

🎈入，coming in；出，coming out。都处理为非谓语作伴随状语。在中文原文中，当出现多个动词时，我们在翻译时经常利用非谓语进行处理，这样可以使句子更主次分明，有层次感。

🎈古之贤人，古代的贤人，也可理解为贤能的古人，故译文处理为worthy ancients。注意「贤」选词worthy，之前提到过贤人（the worthy），无能之人（the incompetent）

子曰：“饭疏食饮水，曲肱而枕之，乐亦在其中矣。不义而富且贵，于我如浮云。”

There is delight, said the Master, in plain food and water while pillowing the head on the arm. I would keep ill-gotten wealth and rank as far away as floating cloud.

🎈不义而富且贵，译文巧妙地将「不义」处理为形容词ill-gotten修饰富贵（wealth and rank）

子曰：“加我数年，五十以学《易》，可以无大过矣。”

Give me a few more years, said the Master, to study the Book of Change after fifty, I may be free from error.

🎈《易》，the Book of Change

叶公问孔子于子路，子路不对。子曰：“女奚不曰：其为人也，发愤忘食，乐以忘忧，不知老之将至云尔。”

The Duke of She asked Zi Lu about Confucius. Zi Lu made no reply. Then the Master said, “Why did you not tell him that I am a man who forgets his hunger while thirsty for knowledge, and neglects his sorrow while drowned in delight so as not to perceive the coming of old age?”

🎈叶公问孔子于子路，子路是对话的对象，孔子是对话的话题，注意分清楚。

子曰：“我非生而知之者，好古，敏以求之者也。”

I was not born with innate knowledge, said the Master. Fond of history, I am eager in pursuit of the experience accumulated in it.

🎈我非生而知之者，（意群1）/好古，敏以求之者也。（意群2）这句话有三个小分句，需要做意群划分。意群1讲的是我不是一个怎样的人，意群2讲的是我是一个怎样的人，根据文意进行断句。

🎈我非生而知之者，我并不是生下来就有知识的人，I was not born with innate knowledge。这里译文增译了innate，符合原文语境。

🎈好古，敏以求之者也。「好古」译为fond of history，形容词短语做状语。

🎈求之，这里的「之」指的是历史中蕴含的知识，许译处理为the experience accumulated in it。

子不语：怪、力、乱、神。

The Master never talked of monstrosity, violence, disturbance and divinity.

子曰：“三人行，必有我师焉。择其善者而从之，其不善者而改之。”

When three men walk together, said the Master, there must be one worthy to be my teacher. I will choose what is good in him to follow, and avoid what is not good.

🎈善者，what is good in him；不善者，what is not good。之前也提到过在翻译时，可以巧用what引导的名词性从句。

子曰：“天生德于予，桓魋其如予何？”

I have the innate virtue in me, said the Master, What have I to fear for the Minister of War?

🎈天生德于予，I have the innate virtue in me，采取了倒译的手法，即把「上天赋予品德于我」转换说法为「我生来就有品德」

🎈桓魋，又称向魋，东周春秋时期宋国（今河南商丘）人。任宋国主管军事行政的官——司马，掌控宋国兵权。因此译文处理为the Minister of War。在《论语》中，对话里经常出现很多人名，许译在处理时经常根据对话中所传达的意思增译出人物的身份或者特点、经历。

子曰：“二三子以我为隐乎？吾无隐乎尔！吾无行而不与二三子者，是丘也。”

Two or three of you, said the Master, may think I have secret from you. In fact, I have no secret at all. I have done nothing which I should keep secret from you. Otherwise, how could I be myself?

🎈是丘也。许译处理为Otherwise, how could I be myself? 译文处理为反问句，凸显语气。我们常说译文要信、达、雅，在小编看来，「信」指的不仅仅是内容上的传达，也包括对原文语气、情感的传达。

子以四教：文，行，忠，信。

The Master taught four things: culture, conduct, faithfulness and trustworthiness.

🎈信，trustworthiness，复习一下我们在第一章里提到的仁义礼智信的译法。仁(benevolence)、义(righteousness)、礼(courtesy)、智(wisdom)、信(trustworthiness)

子曰：“圣人，吾不得而见之矣；得见君子者，斯可矣。”子曰：“善人，吾不得而见之矣，得见有恒者斯可矣。亡而为有，虚而为盈，约而为泰，难乎有恒乎。”

I cannot hope, said the Master, to see a sage, but only a cultured man, nor can I hope to see a man of men, but only a consistent one. A consistent man will not take nothing for something, nor the empty for the full, nor the poor for the rich. Otherwise, he cannot be called a consistent man.

🎈「亡而为有，虚而为盈，约而为泰」之人，「难乎有恒乎」。言外之意就是有恒之人不会这样做，因此许译处理为a consistent man will not…

子曰：“盖有不知而作之者，我无是也。多闻，择其善者而从之；多见而识之，知之次也。”

There are those, said the Master, who do what they do not understand. but I am not among the number. I would learn again and again and choose and follow what is good and bear it in mind. Knowledge acquired is only next to innate gift.

🎈有……者 可译为There are those who…

🎈「不知而作之」这里的「之」指代的是「不知」，因此许译处理为do what they do not understand

🎈知之次也，是指：这样的知，是仅次于‘生而知之’的。

子曰：“文，莫吾犹人也。躬行君子，则吾未之有得。”

In word, said the Master, perhaps I am no better than others. In deed, I dare not say that I am an accomplished intelligentleman.

🎈莫吾犹人也，大概我同别人差不多，译为perhaps I am no better than others。同别人差不多处理为no better than others（不比别人好），这里使用了反译法。

🎈译文中两个分句以in word和in deed开头，形成对称。

子曰：“若圣与仁，则吾岂敢？抑为之不厌，诲人不倦，则可谓云尔已矣。”公西华曰：“正唯弟子不能学也。”

The Master said,“The sage and his benevolence are beyond me. What I claim is only the untiring effort to learn and to teach.” Gongxi Hua said, “That is just what we disciples are incapable of.”

🎈抑为之不厌，诲人不倦，则可谓云尔已矣。what I claim is only the untiring effort to learn and to teach. 这句话翻译有几个地方值得学习

1.what I claim，善用what引导的名词性从句

2.「不厌」「不倦」在翻译时提取同类项，合译为一个词untiring

3.在英文翻译中，如果某种行动需要用名词性结构表达出来，则可以用the effort to do something巧妙引出，例如，这里「为之不厌，诲人不倦」表达的是某种行动，而在译文中what I claim is… 省略号部分需要的结构是名词性结构，才比较符合语法需求，因此这里就选用了the effort to do something引出。这个方法在翻译政府工作报告时十分常见，「我们将继续积极推动中国同联合国合作迈向新台阶」，We will continue our active efforts to take China’s cooperation with the United Nations to a new level

🎈正唯弟子不能学也。译为That is just what we disciples are incapable of. 注意善用what引导的名词性从句。

子疾病，子路请祷。子曰：“有诸？”子路对曰：“有之。《诔》曰：‘祷尔于上下神祇。’”子曰：“丘之祷久矣。”

When the Master was very ill, Zi Lu asked leave to pray for him. The Master said, “Did the ancients pray?” Zi Lu said, “Yes, it is said in the Book of Prayer that we may pray to the divinities above and below.” The Master said, “Then I have been praying for a long time.”

🎈子曰：“有诸？”孔子问：“有这回事吗？”即有这个先例吗？换句话说就是古人有人这么做吗？因此译文翻译时补出主语the ancients。

🎈丘之祷久矣。许译为Then I have been praying for a long time. 这里用have been doing现在完成进行时突出一种持续的状态，足以表达出「久矣」

子曰：“奢则不孙，俭则固。与其不孙也，宁固。”

Extravagance, said the Master, leads to insubordination, and frugality to obstinacy. But it would be far better to be obstinate than to be insubordinate.

🎈Extravagance, said the Master, leads to insubordination, and frugality (leads) to obstinacy.后半句省略了leads，避免与前半句重复。

🎈与其do B宁do A 这个句型我们在之前有点拨过译法，这里可以直接套用，即It would be better to do A than to do B

子曰：“君子坦荡荡，小人长戚戚。”

An intelligentleman, said the Master, is carefree while an uncultured man is careworn.

🎈carefree和careworn这两个词形成对比，注意选词，很有意思。

重点表达

喜爱delight in doing/be fond of doing

斗胆做某事make bold to do

将A比作B compare A to B

用心记住… learn…by heart

学而不厌，诲人不倦be not tired of learning and teaching

吃饱eat to the full

死而无悔die without regret and remorse

支持某人be on the side of somebody

古之贤人the worthy ancients

曲肱而枕之pillow the head on the arm

《易》the Book of Change

发愤忘食forget one’s hunger while thirsty for knowledge

乐以忘忧forget one’s sorrow while drowned in delight

生而知之be born with innate knowledge

对某人有所隐瞒have secret from somebody

文，行，忠，信culture, conduct, faithfulness, trustworthiness

坦荡荡carefree

长戚戚careworn

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