关于《论语》中“君子”和“小人”的英文翻译

　　导语：《论语》中君子和小人出现的频率极高，因此准确解读君子和小人的内在含义，对《论语》的整体翻译尤为重要。下面是CNFLA学习网小编为大家带来的“关于《论语》中“君子”和“小人”的英文翻译”，希望对大家有所帮助。

　　作为中国儒家思想的经典作品，《论语》所反映的孔子的思想不仅深深融入了整个中华民族，也影响了整个世界。自十六世纪以来，众多国内外学者都相继推出《论语》的英译本。由国外学者翻译的英译本，较为广泛流传的是理雅各和威利版本，国内翻译或节译过的学者有辜鸿铭、林语堂、丁往道等。

　　《论语》中“君子”和“小人”出现的频率极高，因此准确解读“君子”和“小人”的内在含义，对《论语》的整体翻译尤为重要。在各种英译本中对“君子”一词有多种译法，比如“the gentleman”, “the scholar”，“the good man”，“the superior man”，“intelligentle man”等，对“小人”一词也有多种译法，如“common people”，“the inferior man”，“the small man”，“the unworthy man”等。本文将以不同译本为参考，探讨两个词语在不同语境下的含义极其译法。

　　例1、君子坦荡荡，小人长戚戚。

　　威利译：The gentleman is calm and at ease; the Small Man is fretful and ill at ease.

　　丁往道译：The gentleman is open and at ease; the small man is full of worries and anxieties.

　　鲁金华译：The superior man is broad-minded and free of worries, while the inferior man is always heavy-hearted and sorrowful.

　　周仪译：A man of virtue is open-minded and always at ease; a man of meanness is full of distress at all times.

　　解析：三位译者的译文句式工整，用词简洁。此句表示君子心胸坦荡，思想坦率，其面容行为自然安定舒畅。而小人欲念丛生，心事满满，其外貌动作就会表现得忐忑不安，心神不宁。鲁金华译为“the superior man”和“the inferior man”强调的是君子和小人地位的差别，其他两位译者选用的“the gentleman”和“the small man”强调的仍是出身高贵与低贱的差异。周仪译为“a man of virtue”和“a man of meanness”较为接近原意，此句中“君子”和“小人”的主要区别在于个人的德识修养上。

　　例2、子曰：“君子不重，则不威;学则不固。”

　　理雅各译：The master said, “ If the scholar be not grave, he will not call forth any veneration, and his learning will not be solid.”

　　辜鸿铭译：Confucius remarked, “ A wise man who is not serious will not inspire respect; what he learns will not remain permanent.”

　　威利译： “If a gentleman is frivolous, he will lose the respect of his inferiors and lack firm ground upon which to build up his education.”

　　许渊冲译： An intelligentle man, said the Master, should not be frivolous, or he would lack solemnity in his behavior and solidity in his learning.

　　解析：原文的意思是君子应以虔诚笃诚之心，严肃庄重之态来学习和待人。本句中的“君子”偏重学识抱负方面，因此理雅各译为“the scholar”较为准确传达原文的意思。而辜鸿铭译为“a wise man”范围过于空泛。威利译为“gentleman”在此处并不十分合适，因为“gentleman”更侧重家境较好，受过良好教育，彬彬有礼的男士。而许渊冲更是别出心裁地创造了一个新词“intelligentle man”,将“intelligent”和“gentleman”合并在一起，充分发挥了译者的主观能动性。

　　例3、子曰：“君子周而不比，小人比而不周。”

　　理雅各译： The Master said, “ The superior man is catholic and no partisan. The mean man is a partisan and not catholic.”

　　辜鸿铭译：Confucius remarked, “ A wise man is impartial, not neutral. A fool is neutral but not impartial.

　　丁往道译：Confucius said, “ The gentleman unites and does not plot with others; the small man plots and does not unite with others.”

　　解析：“小人”在《论语》中主要有两种意思，一是平民百姓，二是道德低下，见识简陋的人。显然，此处的小人指后者。三位译者的对“小人”的译法都不相同，辜鸿铭译为 “a fool”，理雅各为“mean man”，丁往道为“small man”，相比而言后两种译文更贴切原文传达的意思，表现出小人卑鄙自私，心胸狭隘的特点。另外对“周”的翻译也不同，分别为“catholic”, “impartial”，“unite”都较好地反映了本意。不过“catholic”源于“宗教”一词，更符合西方读者的思维。

　　例4、子曰：“君子怀德，小人怀土；君子怀刑，小人怀惠。”

　　理雅各译：The Master said, “ The superior man thinks of virtue; the small man thinks of comfort. The superior man thinks of the sanctions of law; the small man thinks of favors which he may receive.”

　　辜鸿铭译：Confucius remarked, “ A wise man regards the moral worth of a man; a fool only his position. A wise man expects justice; a fool, only expects favours.”

　　丁往道译：Confucius said, “ The gentleman bears in mind virtues; the small man his homeland. The gentleman bears in mind the law; the small man favours.”

　　解析：本句再次对比“君子”和“小人”不同的人生境界。君子心系天下，胸怀远大，道德高尚。而小人思乡恋土，计较恩惠，考虑个人生计。但此处的“小人”虽不及君子品行高尚，但表现出来的也无功无过，只是普通百姓的想法和行为罢了。所以，此处若还将“小人”翻译为“a fool”,“small man”语气不免太重了，可译为“ordinary man”或“common people”。

　　译无定法，每位译者和读者都有自己的理解和偏好。本文的目的只是想借名家译文，说明“君子”和“小人”蕴含的意义是多层面的，不可一言概之。

　　拓展阅读

　　《论语》中反复出现的“君子”,可说是孔子心目中理想人格的一种典范。《论语》中 孔子对“君子”的界定,以比较具体的道德规范充实了“君子”的内涵,形成一个完整的“君子”理论体系,即:“君子”的修进之道、“君子”的特质,从而反映出孔子思想体系中的“君子”观。

　　一、“君子”的修进之道

　　在《论语先进》篇,子曰:“德行:颜渊,h子q,冉伯牛,仲弓。言语:宰我,子贡。政事:冉有,季路。文学:子游,子夏。”。德行、言语、政事、文学被后世誉为孔氏四门,孔子认为君子应尽可能地修身砺己,在这四科中求得精进。

　　二、“君子”的特质

　　对于君子之道,孔子在《论语》中屡有提及。子曰:“志于道,据于德,依于仁,游于艺。”(《述而》) 这是对君子人格系统多方面、多层次的界定。子谓子产:“有君子之道四焉:其行己也恭,其事上也敬,其养民也惠,其使民也义。”(《公冶长》) 孔子在评论子产时说他有四种德行:“行为态度谦逊、庄重;侍奉君长严肃、尊敬;抚养百姓有恩惠;役使百姓合理而适当。”曾子言曰:“君子贵乎道者三:动容貌,斯远暴慢矣;正颜色,斯进信矣;出辞气,斯远鄙倍矣。”君子注重容貌,端正态度,注意谈吐。(《泰伯》) 子曰:“君子道者三,我无能焉:仁者不忧,智者不惑,勇者不惧。”(《宪问》) 智、仁、勇是所谓“三达德”,既是道德,又是传统的文化积淀。

　　与孔子的一贯主张相同,为君子之道,依然注重自身的内在条件。在孔子看来,君子应是仁、智、勇的统一体。“三戒”、“三畏”、“九思”、“三变”,君子时刻在自警;不忧、不惑、不惧,态度恭敬,对君主尊敬、对人民恩惠。这些对君子道德修养的“定量”规定,反映了孔子对君子之德的严格要求和多方赞美。

　　为明确君子的特质，《论语》中一度将君子与小人并提。孔子认为,区分君子与小人的关键是道德。君子道德品质高尚,小人道德品质低劣。君子以义为先,见义忘利;小人以利为本,见利忘义。君子为人处世以仁为本,依礼而动;小人为人处世弃仁忘义,违礼而行。君子追求真理,寻求善道;小人追求享受,寻求私利。君子崇尚道德,为政以德;小人推崇武力,为政以刑。君子和小人在性格、好恶、器量、作风、思想、行为等方面都是相背的,在道德修养上彼此对立不同。然而,正是在这种比对中,二者的形象更加鲜明,也使得孔子界定的“君子”更加丰满。

　　三、孔子对“君子”的界定

　　据现有文献所记载“, 君子”一词最早出现于《尚书》,虽然沿用至今,但其涵义却经历了不断的变化。“子”在古代是对男子的尊称,“君子”的本义源于“君”字。许慎《说文解字》注:“君,尊也,从尹,发号,故从口。”上面表示手执笔,即“尹”字,与“父”近形,有“父辈掌权”的意思,

　　表示治理事务,是对做官者的通用称呼;下面的`“口”字表示发布命令。“君”主要是对社会地位高的贵族的称号,有时也指国家元首。“君子”合称,多是对贵族的专有称号。而《论语》中的“君子”一词已经突破身份、地位的高贵而增加了道德品质的内涵,孔子继承和发展了前代以来“君子”与道德品行有关联这一点,第一次从大到安邦治国,小到修身养性,全面具体地阐释了“君子”的内涵。《论语》通俗而多方面地阐释了“君子”的为人处世之道及其道德评判标准,多视角、多层次地探讨了“君子”应具有的内在人格和外在表现。

　　孔子从内、外两方面对君子作了界定,对内,即自身修养;对外,即立身行事。自身修养方面“, 文质彬彬,然后君子”。“质”指人的内在品格“, 文”指人的外在仪表。在立身行事方面,孔子认为君子应“以合宜为原则,以礼节实行它,用谦逊的言语说出它,用诚实的态度完成它”。

　　四、《论语》中的君子之行

　　（一）君子在家如何侍奉父母和对待兄弟。孔子认为要实现治国平天下的宏愿，就必须从治家开始，治家如治国，治国如治家，治国治家一体。孔子认为对待父母要孝，不违背父母意愿，“父母在不远行“。对兄弟要悌，对兄要听其言，要像对待父母一样对待兄长；对弟要怜爱和关心，帮助其健康成长，要和兄弟和睦相处。

　　（二）君子为政。孔子认为君子应以德教化百姓，为政以德。统治者应该明白治国之道是非常重要的，不能随心所欲，不要乱开战事和滥用民力，要爱护老百姓，提倡节俭，减轻赋税和徭役，使老百姓能休养生息。.治理老百姓不能只用政治和刑法，用道德加礼法才是治国的根本之道。

　　（三）君子在外如何交友

　　1.孔子认为“益者三友，损者三友”。

　　2.认为做人应该做到“温、良、恭、俭、让”。

　　3.君子之交，重的是义气和情谊，有高尚德行和节操的人，才能赞扬人和批评人，他们知道什么才是值得追求的什么不是我们该拥有的。另外,孔子认为君子应“敏于行，讷于言”。

　　英文翻译

　　The repeated appearance of "gentleman" in the Analects of Confucius can be said to be a model of Confucius' ideal personality. Confucius' definition of "gentleman" in the Analects of Confucius enriches the connotation of "gentleman" with more specific moral norms, and forms a complete theoretical system of "gentleman", that is, the way of cultivation and the characteristics of "gentleman", which reflects the view of "gentleman" in Confucius' ideological system.

　　1、 The cultivation of "gentleman"

　　In the advanced Analects of Confucius, Confucius said: "Virtue: Yan Yuan, H Zi Q, ran boniu, Zhong Gong. Speech: kill me, Zi Gong. Political affairs: ran you, Ji Lu. Literature: Zi you, Zi Xia.". Virtue, speech, politics and literature are known as the four schools of Confucius in later generations. Confucius believed that gentlemen should cultivate themselves as much as possible and strive for excellence in these four subjects.

　　2、 Characteristics of "gentleman"

　　Confucius often mentioned the way of a gentleman in the Analects of Confucius. Confucius said: "ambition is based on Tao, virtue, benevolence and art." (Shuer) this is a multi-faceted and multi-level definition of the gentleman's personality system. Zi said Zi Chan: "there are four ways of a gentleman: he is respectful in his actions, respectful in his affairs, beneficial to the people and righteous to the people." (gongyechang) when commenting on Zichan, Confucius said that he had four virtues: "humble and solemn attitude; serious and respectful service to the monarch; grace in raising the people; reasonable and appropriate servitude to the people." Zeng Ziyan said, "a gentleman is more important than the Tao. When he moves his appearance, he is far from violent and slow; when he is in the right color, he is far from believing; when he is angry, he is far from despicable." A gentleman pays attention to his appearance, correct his attitude and pay attention to his speech. (Taber) Confucius said, "a gentleman has three ways. I am incompetent: benevolent people don't worry, wise people don't doubt, and brave people don't fear." (Xianwen) wisdom, benevolence and courage are the so-called "Three Virtues", which are both moral and traditional cultural accumulation.

　　As Confucius always advocated, it is the way of a gentleman and still pays attention to its own internal conditions. According to Confucius, a gentleman should be the unity of benevolence, wisdom and courage. "Three precepts", "three fears", "nine thoughts" and "three changes", a gentleman is always vigilant; Don't worry, don't be confused, don't be afraid, have a respectful attitude, respect the monarch and be kind to the people. These "quantitative" Regulations on the moral cultivation of gentlemen reflect Confucius' strict requirements and praise for the morality of gentlemen.

　　In order to clarify the characteristics of gentleman, gentleman and villain were once mentioned in the Analects of Confucius. Confucius believed that the key to distinguish a gentleman from a villain was morality. The moral character of a gentleman is noble, and the moral character of a villain is poor. A gentleman takes righteousness first and forgets profit when he sees righteousness; Villains are profit-oriented and forget righteousness in the face of profit. A gentleman is based on benevolence and moves according to propriety; A villain is a person who abandons benevolence and forgets righteousness and acts against etiquette. A gentleman pursues truth and goodness; Villains pursue enjoyment and self-interest. A gentleman advocates morality and acts morally for the government; Villains advocate force and punish for politics. Gentleman and villain are opposite in character, likes and dislikes, measure, style, thought and behavior, and are opposite to each other in moral cultivation. However, it is in this comparison that the images of the two are more vivid, which also makes the "gentleman" defined by Confucius more plump.

　　3、 Confucius' definition of "gentleman"

　　According to the existing literature, the word "gentleman" first appeared in Shangshu. Although it is still used today, its meaning has undergone continuous changes. "Zi" was a respectful title for men in ancient times, and the original meaning of "gentleman" originated from the word "Jun". Xu Shen's "Shuowen Jiezi" note: "Jun, zunye, from Yin, issued a number, so from the mouth." The word "Yin" means to write by hand, which is similar to "father" and means "father's generation is in power",

　　It refers to governance affairs, which is a general name for officials; The word "mouth" below indicates issuing a command. "Jun" mainly refers to the title of nobility with high social status, and sometimes refers to the head of state. "Gentleman" is commonly known as the exclusive title of nobility. The word "gentleman" in the Analects of Confucius has broken through the nobility of identity and status and increased the connotation of moral quality. Confucius inherited and developed the connection between "gentleman" and moral conduct since the previous generation. For the first time, he comprehensively and concretely explained the connotation of "gentleman" from large to stable state governance and small to self-cultivation. The Analects of Confucius explains the way of life and its moral evaluation standard of "gentleman" in a popular and multifaceted way, and discusses the internal personality and external performance of "gentleman" from multiple perspectives and levels.

　　Confucius defined the gentleman from the internal and external aspects, that is, self-cultivation; External, that is, stand up and act. In terms of self-cultivation, "be gentle, and then a gentleman". "Appearance" refers to the internal character of man. In terms of standing and acting, Confucius believed that a gentleman should "take appropriateness as the principle, implement it with etiquette, speak it with humble words and complete it with an honest attitude".

　　4、 The journey of a gentleman in the Analects of Confucius

　　（1） How a gentleman serves his parents and treats his brothers at home. Confucius believed that to realize the great wish of governing the country and flattening the world, we must start from governing the family. Governing the family is like governing the country, governing the country is like governing the family, and governing the family is one. Confucius believed that we should treat our parents with filial piety and not against their wishes. "Parents are not going far away". We should be kind to our brothers, listen to their words, and treat our brothers like our parents; we should love and care for our brothers, help them grow up healthily, and live in harmony with our brothers.

　　（2） A gentleman's government. Confucius believed that a gentleman should educate the people with morality and serve the government with morality. Rulers should understand that the way of governing the country is very important. They can't do whatever they want. They should not open wars and abuse the power of the people. They should love the people, advocate thrift, reduce taxes and corvee, so that the people can recuperate Governing the common people can not only use politics and criminal law, but also use morality and courtesy law is the fundamental way of governing the country.

　　（3） How do gentlemen make friends abroad

　　1. Confucius believed that "those who benefit have three friends and those who lose have three friends". He believes that being a man should be "gentle, kind, respectful, thrifty and accommodating". 3. Friendship between gentlemen focuses on righteousness and friendship. Only those who have high morality and integrity can praise and criticize people. They know what is worth pursuing and what we should not have. In addition, Confucius believed that a gentleman should be "sensitive to action and slow to speech".