第二讲 明末清初的科技翻译.doc

Lecture 2 Sci-tech Translation in the Late Ming Dynasty and the Early Qing DynastyIn this period lasting more than one hundred years, the western missionaries, with the collaborated effort of the Chinese scholars, translated numerous books on natural sciences into Chinese, apart from Christian texts.The translation in this period was mainly sci-tech translation covering nearly every branch of natural sciences and was done through the collaboration of western Jesuits and Chinese elites. And this is the salient characteristics of the tide of translation in this period.Renowned translators were: 代表人物： Matteo Ricci 利玛窦， Johann Adam Schall von Bell 汤若望， Ferdinand Verbiest （南怀仁 ）, Jules Aleni 艾儒略 etc. among the foreign Jesuit missionaries and Xu Guangqi 徐光启、Li Zhizao李之藻、Yang Tingjun杨庭筠、Li Tianjing李天经etc. among the Chinese elites.利玛窦 (Matteo Ricci,15521610)An Italian Jesuit, a sinologist and a translator. He came to China in 1582 and went out of his way to make friends with Chinese scholars and officials in order to convert them into Christians and gain a foothold in china. He arrayed striking clock, triple prism, armillary sphere(自鸣钟、三棱镜、 浑天仪) and hung the map of the world in his abode to attract visitors.The world map shattered the Chineses die-hard belief that China was the center of the whole world. Later on, Xue Guangqi (徐光启) wrote 山海舆地图经解，interpreting the map in Chinese language, which became the first book on disseminating western scientific knowledge.On September 22, 1596 Matteo Ricci successfully forecasted a solar eclipse(日食）in China, and quickly became well-known.Matteo Ricci, working together with Xu Guangqi, translated the first six volumes of Euclids Elements （欧几里得几何原本前六卷） in 1607.He was also the first to translate some of the Four Books into Latin, being the first to introduce Chinese classics into the western world. & The coming of Matteo Ricci kindled the enthusiasm of Chinese scholars to learn western knowledge. And from then on Chinese scholars became open-minded and developed an interest in learning from the western countries, which as a result touched off the ideological revolution of the Chinese people that lasted for more than one century. 汤若望（Johann Adam Schall von Bell 1591-1666）A German, who came to Beijing in 1623. Following the example of Matteo Ricci, he displayed the scientific instruments in his abode to attract Chinese officials for a visit and made a list of the books and submitted it to the emperor. Shortly afterwards, he successfully predicted the lunar eclipse (月食）of the year and that of the following year. With the help of Li Zubai 李祖白, he wrote 远镜说, introducing in Chinese Galileos telescope, the latest invention in Europe then. The book was published in 1629, expounding in detail the principle, structure, function, and usage of the telescope, laying the foundation for the promulgation of photology and the making of telescopes and exerting far and wide influence upon later generations. 成为传播光学和望远镜制造技术的奠基性著作，对后世有重要影响。 Later in 1630. he was recommended by Xu Guangqi to the emperor and began to serve in the imperial court. While serving in the court, he made various astronomical instruments with Jacques Rho (罗雅各 an Italian Jesuit missionary). In 1634, the seventh year of the reign of the Chongzhen Emperor (崇祯七年)，he assisted Xu Gangqi and Li Tianjing etc. in compiling Chongzhen Almanac 崇祯历书, which was regarded the greatest contribution he had made to China. 协助徐光启、李天经编成崇祯历书一百三十七卷。Ferdinand Verbiest 南怀仁A Belgian Jesuit who came to China in 1658. He taught the emperor Kangxi, who was keen on learning western knowledge, geometry, astronomy, calendric science and music for a long time. He compiled 西方要纪，introduced western medicine in China. 使西医传入中国Jules Aleni 艾儒略 An Italian Jesuit, who came to China in 1610. With great learning and well versed in both western and eastern knowledge, he was called “Confucius from the West”.学识渊博，兼通中西, 有西来孔子之称。 His famous translations on science and technology were 西学凡、几何要法、 职方外纪、坤舆图说，etc. 职方外纪, published in 1622, is the first book written in Chinese on world geology. 中国历史上第一部用汉文撰写的世界地理著作，艾儒略编译。西方答问, issued in 1637, introduced encyclopedic knowledge about western culture to Chinese people.西方答问以百科知识形式介绍西方文化。 In this tide of sci-tech translation during the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, the most brilliant chinese translators were Xu Guangqi, Li Zhizao and Yang Tingjun,(徐光启、李之藻、杨廷筠) etc. 徐光启Xu GuangqiA precursor in sci-tech translation in China中国科技翻译先驱; A precursor in Chinese science of modern times and a forefather in scientific translation中国近代科学的先驱、是中国科学译著的先师He made monumental contributions in Chinese astronomy, agriculture and water conservancy, etc. The most famous book he translated is the first six volumes of Euclids Elements, translated with the collaboration of Matteo Ricci in 1607. He made painstaking efforts to coin Chinese mathematic terms for those in the source text. It was from him that such Chinese mathematic terms as “三角形”、“对角”、“直角”、“锐角”、“钝角” originated. As soon as his translation of the first six volumes of Euclids Elements was published in 1607, it became a must for all those who were engaged in the field of mathematics. 梁启超赞为“字字精金美玉，为千古不朽之作”。 From then on, western geometry was transmitted symmetrically to China, playing an important role in the development of geometry in China. In 1612，Xu Guangqi, cooperating with Sabbatino De Ursis (熊三拔, a German missionary), translated 泰西水法，which was the first book introducing systematically knowledge about western irrigation and water conservancy.泰西水法是我国第一部系统介绍西方农田水利技术的著作,介绍了西方的水利知识。Apart from the above, he also wrote or compiled or co-translated books on agriculture, astronomy, and so on, among which were 农政全书、崇祯历书*、测量法义、 勾股义. Of them, 测量法义first introduced to Chinese people the precise concept of longitude and latitude (经纬度的精确概念）Xu Guangqis translation ideas:1. Translatinglearning overtaking“翻译 会通 超胜” To surpass the west we must learn its scientific knowledge and in order to learn it we must translate it. 提出“欲求超胜，必须会通；会通之前，必须翻译”2. 2. Seeking knowledge and truth to the benefit of the present age求知 ,求真理 , “裨益当世” ;3. Set priorities in translation. Those in urgent need shall be translated first.抓重点 ,抓 “急需” 。In sum, Xu Guangqi was an outstanding scientist, a great translator, a pioneer in scientific translation, and a precursor in modern science in China. He was also the first Chinese to extend the scope of translation into the field of natural sciences.He was honored as “a forefather in scientific translation”. 被尊为“科学译祖”。李 之 藻 Li Zhizao A celebrated scientist, translator, and publisher in the Ming Dynasty.Li Zhizao was noted for his modesty and earnestness in learning from the west. He was never seen without a book in hand. When he was getting on in years, he lost one of his eyes. But that couldnt stop in his journey of scientific pursuit. Being a versatile scholar of superb talent in many fields, he was almost matchless in his time. 迨至高年 一目失明，仍苦读不辍 “博学多通，时辈罕有其匹。其文汪洋浩瀚，才气四溢”。His famous translations: 浑盖通宪说 经天该 圆容较义 同文算指名理探寰有诠 天学初函 浑盖通宪图说, co-translated with Matteo Ricci, facilitating the development of Chinese astronomy in the 17th century. 同文指算was on mathematics, and 圜容较义on geometry. 寰有诠and 明理探were two earliest translations of western philosophy with the latter being the first to introduce Aristotles logics. From the year of 1583 to 1630, he translated and published nearly fifty books, introducing western philosophy and natural sciences, making almost as great contributions as Xu Guangqi. His translation ideas: “pragmatism” and “adapting foreign things to Chinese needs”. “经世致用”, “洋为中用” When the emperor Yongzheng ascended to the throne, he enforced a policy of closing China to international exchanges. As a result western missionaries were expelled from China and this tide of technical translation with the mutual effort of both Jesuits and Chinese scholars came to a sudden stop. Lasting for more than 100 years, Translation in this period formed the second tide in Chinese history of tran