The first westerner, foreboder, bringer of good tidings and also less good was Matteo Ricci of the Associate’s “Yesu”, the Jesuit
来自西方的利玛窦，给中国带来好消息和坏消息的耶稣会信徒
He was the first westerner, unlike Marco Polo, who really learned Chinese,
是第一个真正学习古代汉语和古典文化
who learned classical Chinese,
第一个真正接触中国古典文化的西方人
who came to contact with classical culture.
这是他与马可波罗的区别
and who for the first time introduced Confucianism to the west
他还第一次把儒教介绍给了西方
He spent 28 years in China and died in Bejing,
利玛窦在中国生活了28年 在北京去世
where his tombs still can be found
他的坟墓至今仍在北京
Shortly after the visit, the life of Matteo Ricci in China,
利玛窦死后不久
the last dynasty, the Qing dynasty,
就是中国的最后一个朝代 清朝
who not really of Chinese origin,
清朝的建立者并不是中原人士
but of Nvzhen from northern China,
而是中国北部的女真族
we now call them the national minorities,
也就是现在说的少数民族
the Manchus took power and reigned China from 1644 to 1911
满族他们统治着1644年至1911年的中国
This is dynasty marks the beginning of Chinese decline,
清朝标志着中国的衰落
the beginning of foreign encroachment
外国势力的入侵
China was then imposed upon in various ways
中国那时饱受压迫
and has to relinquish part of his sovereignty
被迫要放弃一部分主权
Through the so called unequal treaties
通过签订不平等条约
where foreign powers took but not give anything in return
中国的土地和财产几乎是拱手相让给西方列强
But at the same time this forceful opening of China
但是中国同时也被迫打开了国门
favored the export of Chinese goods to Europe but also to America
中国的商品出口到欧洲和美国
Where people greatly prized Chinese products and manufactured goods
受到高度评价和欢迎
Also at the same time
同时
Chinese culture and science spread to the west
中国的文化和技术也传播到西方
The first book that mentions Confucianism,
第一本提到儒教的书
that really is a treaty on Confucianism is called the Morals of Confucius
《儒家道德》 一本关于儒教的协约
by a Chinese philosopher published in London 1641
是由一位中国哲学家1641年在伦敦出版的
And the great minds of Europe at that day like Leibniz
欧洲伟大的哲学家莱布尼茨
In someway the father of today’s digitalization and computerization
可以说是当代数字化和电脑化之父
was the greatest scientist of his time
也是当时最伟大的科学家
was greatly influenced by Chinese thought, Chinese philosophy
就深受中国思想、中国哲学的影响
Also Europe in a rage adopt Chinese art
欧洲还十分钟爱中国的艺术
In stead of classical gardens, it adopted the Chinese gardens
欧洲的公园是中式的 而不是欧式
This is such a common feature we don’t even think about it
人们甚至都没有注意到这一点
But our garden art is purely Chinese
但是欧洲的园林艺术的确非常中国化
and find its root in the Taoism visions of nature I just showed
并且根植于中国道教对自然的理解
It changed the perception of nature and space fundamentally in the west
它完全改变了西方对自然和宇宙的看法
Here you have the example of the Q gardens,
这是Q公园
the English garden as is later called built in 1762
后来叫做英国公园 1762年建立
But everyone was mad at China,
所有人对中国痴迷
Chinese paper, Chinese wall paper and of course Chinese Ceramics, Chinese porcelain
中国的纸、墙纸、陶器、瓷器
This is a corner of an apartment in Paris, France
这是法国巴黎公寓的一角
decorated in china style, le style chinois in 1770
1770年 装饰成中国风格
And then you have export porcelain
中国那时就出口瓷器
My grandmother still had a cabinet of Chinese porcelain in her home in Holland
我的祖母直到现在在荷兰的家里还保存着一套中国瓷器
Where this kind of porcelain, this plate has the armories of my family,
这套瓷器上有我家庭的徽章
nota which means shipper
nota的意思是货主
This is the Latin translation
这是拉丁语
was made on order “ --- de command ”
这套瓷器是定制的
Made in China in Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province
是在江西景德镇做的
In the 17 and 18 century,
十七、十八世纪
you could write a letter to the east Indian company
你可以写一封给东印度公司
They would take it to China
信会寄到中国
Then it would go to Jingdezhen
到景德镇
Then the Chinese kilns would order your table service of 200 pieces,
然后中国的陶窑会按你的要求烧制整套餐具
with your armories on it
并把家庭的徽章也做在上面
Then they would pack it,
瓷器做好后包装
then they would ship it,
运输
then you would get it back in Amsterdam
然后你会在阿姆斯特丹收到它们
It would take several years
整个过程可能要用几年的时间
but not one piece would be missing
但是一片瓷器都不会少
Every body went about it.
每个人都对此迷恋不已
Kings of France in Versailles did not build the pleasure dome
住在凡尔赛的法国国王没有建造娱乐式的圆屋顶
But they built Chinese gardens and Chinese theme pavilions
而是中国公园和亭子
This was Luise XVI, says: le petite ----in Paris France, you can still see it
这是路易十六，上面写着：法国巴黎
Tea became the world’s rage.
茶也风行世界
Tea clippers raced to bring the new harvest of tea to England and to the US
茶商竞相把丰收的茶叶卖到英国和美国
In every house you’ll find this puter tea canners
每家每户都能见到---
Tea was expensive
茶叶很贵
But everybody drink tea
但是每个人都喝茶
Tea was a big invention, the big thing --
茶是一个很重要的发明
Tea also brought revolution, like the Boston Tea ***
茶带来了革命 比如波士顿倾茶事件
And then finally tea brought war
茶最终带来了战争
The balance of payment was so uneven
国际收支十分不平衡
The story of Rome buying Chinese silk repeated itself in such a cruel way
罗马购买中国丝绸的故事再一次残酷的重演
That the western treasuries were depleted by silvery being paid to China to buy tea
西方的财富都变成白银滚滚流入中国
King George III, put one of his most prized statesmen George Macartney
乔治三世的派自己的亲信George Macartney
to go to China as special ambassador
作为特使遣往中国
and leave no stone unturned and do whatever he took and spending and giving gifts to try to make some kind of agreement with the Chinese where china in exchange for tea would take western goods
让他想尽办法，赠送礼品，不惜一切代价与中国达成协议 希望能用西方的货物交换中国的茶叶
So Macartney brought a royal carriage to Emperor Qianlong,
所以Macartney给乾隆皇帝送去了一车礼物
who said I have no use for such things
但乾隆说这些东西我们都用不着
We Chinese have all we need.
我们中国什么都有了
Our culture is superior and we don’t want your foreign goods
我们的文化优越 不需要外国的货物
So Macatrney, in the secret Memorandum said
这样 在机密备忘录里 Macartney写到：
if you don’t do it, we’ll import opium
如果你们不给我们茶叶 我们就进口鸦片
The opium trade and here it is painted by one of the people of his office,
这幅画的是鸦片贸易 是Macarney办公室的人画的
who escorted him here you see
就是站在他旁边的这一个
Macartney kneeling before emperor Qianlong,
Macarney跪在乾隆皇帝面前
in a completely fruitless undertaking
徒劳无功
So the British started cultivating opium “Bengal”
于是英国人开始种植鸦片
for the purpose of bringing it to China
目的就是卖给中国
In China then opium consumption, smoking opium was already forbidden
那时中国已经明令禁止了吸食鸦片
But that law was not respected
但是并没有得到执行
It really served its purpose from the British and western point of view
在英国人和西方眼中 鸦片贸易的确达到了效果
It dramatically reversed the balance of payment of trade
贸易收支平衡得到扭转
The amount of opium brought into China was approximately 2000 chests per year by1800
1800年 每年销售到中国的鸦片只有2000箱左右
A few years after the mission, the embassy of Macartney
Macartney来中国之后
15 years later that number had risen to 100,000 chests
15年以后 销量达到每年10万箱
The Chinese treasury was drained
中国的财富不断外流
and millions of Chinese became opium addicts
数百万中国人称为瘾君子
Faced with intolerable situation,
面对这种忍无可忍的情况
the Chinese government reinforced the opium prohibition
中国gover-ment加强了禁烟措施
and directed Commissioner Lin Zexu to enforce the ban.
并指派林则徐作为禁烟专员
Lin Zexu seized all opium that was entered into China illegally and burned them
林则徐收缴了所有非法流入中国的鸦片并且进行焚烧
That touched of the first opium war
这成为第一次鸦片战争的导火索
The first opium war ended into the first unequal treaties
第一次鸦片战争之后 中国签订了第一个不平等条约
For instance the linkage of Hong Kong to England as a composition
其中把香港割让给英国就是一部分
In spite of many attempts to turn the tide,
尽管做了很多努力
the Qing dynasty went under through outer aggression to inner risings.
清朝还是陷入了内忧外患
The second opium war brought the western troops into Beijing
第二次鸦片战争中 西方军队进入了京城
where they destroyed quite near from here the western style palace, style of Versailles
摧毁了凡尔赛式的园林 那座园林就离这里不远
To the right you have the originals of the building and
右边这幅是破坏之前的建筑
to the left the ruins that left
左边这幅是战争后的废墟
Other rebellions like the Taiping rebellion,
起义有太平天国革命
the rebellion fought against opium and the polices of the Qing government was defeated
反抗鸦片和清gover-ment政策的起义失败了
As a result of the impoverishment of China and the unstableness of the situation
中国变得贫穷 局势又不稳定
Many Chinese started to immigrate
很多中国人开始移民
They went to the US in great numbers
很多人去了美国
And worked to the building of the American rail roads
在美国当工人 修铁路
Other attacks like the Sino-French war was the most ridiculous of all because
中法战争是所有战争中最愚蠢的
On August 23 in 1884
1884年8月23日
the French destroyed the Chinese fleet at Fuzhou the place where I live that they had initially helped to build
法国人在福州摧毁了他们曾帮助建造的中国舰队，我就住在福州
And then comes the Sino-Japanese war and
然后是中日战争
here you see emperor Mizuhito with his ministers 这是mizuhito(明治？)天皇和他的大臣
all dressed in western clothes planning how to attack China
全都穿着西方的服饰 计划攻击中国
But in the mean time, a new tide was coming in China
同时 中国也出现了新的发展方向
And the lead of China, the Confucianism scholars
中国的领军人物 儒家学派
Like Kang Youwei you see here
比如康有为
thought about the plight of the nation and how it could be saved from destruction
目睹国民苦难 思索救国良策
He befriended the young emperor Guangxu
他是年轻皇帝光绪的好朋友
And persuaded him to adopt series of revolutionary decrees for the modernization of China
劝说皇帝接受一系列变法措施
during the hundred days of reform
也就是“百日维新”
following the defeat of China by Japan之后中日战争中中国战败His efforts were then blocked by the empress dowager “Cixi”
慈禧太后不支持变法
It came to nothing
百日维新最终失败
But after the second opium war and
但是第二次鸦片战争后
especially the defeat of the Taiping rebellion you see here
尤其是太平天国起义失败后
Great privileges had been granted to western missionaries
西方传教士获得了更多的特权
and the Chinese peasants rose up against that in so called “Box of Rising” of 1900,
1990年，由中国农民组成的“义和团”起义
which gave again the western powers the pretext to interference with China
给了西方列强又一个干涉中国的借口
and to launch another military expedition
开始了新一轮的军事攻击
Here you see the western troops entering into the imperial palace in Beijing in 1901
这是1901年西方军队进入北京故宫
In 1912, China became a republic
1912年 中华民国成立
From then on it stroke to take its place within the nations of the world
从此 中国开始努力恢复在世界上的地位
One of the first attempts that were made was to join in the allies in the first world war.
所作的努力包括在一战中加入协约国
In 1917, China became the member of allied triple entente
1917年，中国加入协约国集团
on the condition that an end would be made to these unequal treaties at least for Germany.
条件是至少终止于德国签订的不平等条约
At end of the war, if the war were successful,
战争结束后 如果协约国获胜
the German possessions in China would be returned to China
德国侵占中国的领土将归还给中国
That year in 1917, 140,000 Chinese were sent to France as labor corps,
1917年，14万华工被派到法国
they dig trenches, many died in France
挖战壕 很多人就死在法国
But when the war was over,
但是战争结束后
the Versailles treaties sealed the agreements between the allied nations and Germany,
《凡尔赛和约》让协约国和德国之间达成了协议
the German possessions were not returned to China but given to Japan
德国侵占的中国领土 没有还给中国 而是给了日本
That was something that China could not admit, could not condole
这一点是中国绝对不能容忍 不能接受的
So here the very important date in modern Chinese history
所以 在中国历史上重要的一天
May 4, 1919, a few days after the conclusion of Versailles Treaty
1919年5月4日 就在《凡尔赛和约》签订的几天后
Students of this university staged spontaneously a demonstration on the Ti’anmen place
就是这所大学的学生 在天安门广场举行了示威游行
to protest against what had been done
对做出的决定表示抗议
and how China had been spoiled his rightful claim of the German possessions in Shandong and his own sovereignty.
对中国的合理要求和主权遭到践踏表示不满 要求德国将中国在胶东半岛的主权归还中国
This movement sparked a whole nation wide movement of national renewal and national reconstruction.
这次运动在全国范围内掀起了复兴和重建的高潮
The second Chinese Japanese war took place from July 7 1937 to September 9 1949
第二次中日战争是1937年7月7日至1949年9月9日
It was the largest Asian war in the 20th century
这是二十世纪亚洲规模最大的战争
The war is known in China as the “Kangzhan”
中国把它叫做“抗战”
First of all until 1941, China fought alone
1941年以前，一直是中国孤军奋战
But after Pearl Harbor,
但是 珍珠港战役后
the war against Japan became a part of the allied course
同盟国也加入抗日战争
After the Kangzhan, the Chinese communist party, who took an important role in fighting against Japanese, took over power, and the People’s Republic of China was proclaimed on October 1 1949.
中国***在抗战中起到了重要作用 抗日战争胜利后 中国***建立政权 并且在1949年10月1日宣布中华人民共和国成立
This classical historical picture of Chairman Mao Zedong proclaiming the founding of the People’s Republic of China is known to all Chinese.
这是***主席宣布中华人民共和国成立的照片 每个中国人都很熟悉
The Chinese has stood up.
中国人民站起来了
The nation integrity was recovered
国家主权得以恢复
Here we have the historical date in 1997,
这是1997年 历史性的一天
the day Hong Kong was united with mother land
中国香港终于回归母亲的怀抱
I have come almost to the end of my talk
我的讲座到这里也基本结束了
I just want to take you a very short excursion to the place you are going to see this afternoon
我还想再给你们讲讲你们今天下午将要去看的宫殿
The imperial palace
故宫
You will enter here through this historical place
你们将会从这个历史性的地点进入故宫
Where the People’s Republic was proclaimed
在这里 中国人民共和国宣告成立
Where the demonstration of 4 May also took place
在这里 “五四运动”示威游行
Where the boxer rebellion was fought
在这里 义和团义士抛洒鲜血
The Ti’anmen
这就是天安门
You’ll go in through this vast building
然后您们就走进了巨大的殿堂
Which is called the “old palace”, “gugong”
故宫
Which is still built on the same model as the imperial palace of Kublai Khan as the centre of world
还是在忽必烈建立的“世界的中心”的基础上建立的
You will see this grandeurse stage of Chinese culture splendor
在这个中华文化的璀璨舞台上
But you will see no cannons
没有大炮
You will see no military display
也没有军队
You will see very simple, beautiful and grandeurse architecture
你看到的是简洁、壮丽、庄严的建筑
Of course compared to the Versailles Palace or the Louvre Palace or the White House
当然我是说跟凡尔赛宫、卢浮宫和白宫比
I mean the Imperial Palace of Beijing is absolutely incomparable
这些宫殿根比无法和故宫比拟
It’s so big
故宫很大
Please put on good shoes this afternoon
下午一定要穿上舒服的鞋子
It’s enormous and you will only see a small part of it
故宫太大了 今天下午大家只能欣赏一部分
It’s grandeurse but at the same time very simple
它庄严而简洁
It was until 1911 the residence of the son of heaven
1991年之前一直是天子的居住的地方
It was imperial without being imperialistic
它有着皇家气派却并不显得帝国专制
It was stern without guns
严肃但没有枪炮
Beautiful but without luxury
华美但不奢华
grand and yet human
宏伟壮丽又不失人性
The old palace was intended for the great rites and ceremonies of the Chinese state
故宫本来中国进行盛大仪式和典礼的地方
this always remained based on the Chinese classics
根据中国传统一直保留
so it looks outside very Confucian
所以它外表看起来很儒家
But in fact, in the innermost recess of the palace
但事实上，在宫殿的最深处
There is this room where the most important decisions of the state were taken
有一个房间 最重要的国家决策在那里制定
Here we see an inscription above the tomb
这块墓碑上写着
Which says “do nothing”
“无为”
A Taoist precept “wuwei”
是道教的告诫
Do not interfere against nature and all will be in order
不要打乱自然的秩序 一切都会恢复正常
Or even more clearly
或者说的更明白一点
Adapt to the circumstances
随遇而安
And also a little known fact
还有一点知道的人并不多
That at the very summit, the very apex to the utmost north place
在故宫的最北端
The most noble place in the imperial palace
故宫里最神圣的地方
There is a Taoist temple
是一座道观
It’s called the Taoist Temple of Imperial Peace, Qinangong
叫做
Because indeed between the two main ways of thoughts in China
确实 在中国的两种主要哲学思想中
There is a higher king
都存在着一个更高的王
Confucius is the disciple of Laozi
孔子是老子的门徒
Culture is the disciple of nature
文化是自然的门徒
Natura antes agister
Together the union of culture and the union of nature
文化的统一和自然的统一
make the heaven and man,
让天和人
Heaven standing for nature
天就是自然
The natural order are united
实现了天人合一
Together they comminute in the cosmic principle of –---yin and yang principle
Because everything always changes
因为万物在变
Taoism in Chinese culture stresses adaptation
中国文化的道教强调的是适应
The highest good is to be like water
上善若水
Confucianism stresses learning
儒教重视的是学习
To study and to ever possible apply what you’ve learned is the source of joy is
学而时习乎 不亦乐乎
The first sentence of Confucian Analects
是《论语》的开篇语
Today everywhere in the world people learn Chinese
现在 世界各地的人都在积极学习汉语
Chinese food, Chinese medicine and Chinese self-cultivation practice are welcomed everywhere
中餐、中医和中国的修身养性之道为世界各地所欢迎
Here is a picture in London
这是在伦敦
People start practicing Taijiquan
人们开始练习太极拳
My conclusion is that
我的结论是
culture exchange brings culture development
文化交流带来文化发展
And only when we are willing to learn from each other
只有我们都愿意相互学习
Can humanity enjoy peaceful progress
人类才能实现和平进步
Thank you very much
非常感谢大家
Thank you, thank you
thank you，thank you very much.
谢谢，谢谢，谢谢，非常感谢
I am very sorry I’ve been to long
抱歉我讲的时间太长了
But just like you I am suffering from jet lag
但是我跟大家一样 时差还没调过来呢
I am just back from Europe.
我刚从欧洲回来
I am just a bit slow
反应还有点慢
I had a lot to say
我有很多东西都想讲
I am sorry
实在抱歉
If you feel drowsy and feel like sleeping
如果你们觉得昏昏欲睡
You are perfectly excused
那完全不是你们的错
But I hope the organizers will allow us a few minutes more
但是我仍然希望组织方能再给我们几分钟的时间
Because I very much look forward to hearing a little bit from you too
因为我非常想听一听你们的意见
This may be the one moment in your trip
现在 是我们畅游中国文化的旅途中
that we can have a discussion with Chinese friends through me or directly
大家能够与通过我与中国朋友交流 或者直接交流的时候
So to whom I gave the word first?
那谁第一个说呢
Who wants to say something?
谁想发表一下看法
Thank you
谢谢
First of all, I'd like to thank you for sharing your words with us
首先 感谢您与我们分享您的观点
Whether you are new to the history or not
不管原先我们是否了解中国历史
Your scholarly wisdom and scholarship have certainly enriched my understanding about China
您的智慧和学识大大加深了我对中国文化的理解
For that I thank you
我对此表示由衷的感谢
I just finished Simon Winchester’s delightful book,
我刚刚读完Simon Winchester的引人入胜书
the man who love China
书名叫《爱上中国的男人》
Which is very much like the story your friend and mentor as you described Joseph Needham
他的经历跟您的导师和朋友Joseph Needham很像
And his life long love of China and his research and scholarship here
书中讲了他对中国的长久的热爱以及他的研究和学问
From my academic perspective
从我的学术观点来看
Much of that book dwells on the question as to
这本书大部分是在探讨
why China over the last 400 or 500 years sort of lost its reputation, lost its way with regard to innovation
为什么中国在过去四五百年中，丧失了世界大国的地位，没能走上创新的道路
Much of the earlier story chronicles the amazing innovation,
中国早期的历史 有令人惊叹的发明
innovative history here in China in medicine, science and engineering
不管是机器、科学还是工程，都显示着创新
But then prior to the last 30 years
但是过去三十年以前的中国
China seemed to have gone into a slumber
中国似乎沉睡了
At least that is the thesis of the book
至少这本书是这样讲的
I am gathering from your commentary here today
从您今天的演讲中
that you believe much of that slumber or the period of decline
我觉得您认为中国的沉睡，或者说中国的衰落
might have been a result of foreign aggression and subjugation
是由于外国势力的入侵和掌控
Is that fair to say that if not
那么是不是可以说 如果没有入侵
why did the innovation seem to shift over the last 400 or 500 years to Europe and the new world away from China?
为什么过去四、五百年 创新的中心从中国转向了欧洲和其他新兴的地区？
Well, thank you very much for this question.
感谢你的提问
I can’t say I was looking forward to it but I am very happy
我其实没想到会有这样的问题 但是还是很高兴有人这样问
I of course have no clear answer
我没有确切的答案
But someone I respect very much
但是有一位我很尊敬的人
And have been a far closer collaborator than Joseph Needham
我跟他的合作关系比Joseph Needham还有亲密
is Nathan Steven
他就是Nathan Steven
Now working at the University of Pennsylvania
现在在宾夕法尼亚大学教书
He is still teaching although he has reached retirement age
尽管已经过了退休的年龄 但还是在教学
He has written very insightful responses to Needham’s famous question:
他对Needham著名的问题做了出色的解答
Why didn’t the scientific revolution take place in China or did it?
为什么中国没有发生科学技术的革命，或者说革命已经发生了？
Because in fact it’s far more complicated
因为事实情况非常复杂
Sure imperial decline,
帝国的衰落
that fact that the power of China was taken over by the Manchu
中国的政权为满清掌握
who had not this high civilization background at the end of Ming
他们的文化水平还远远达不到明末汉人的水平
but was very much against it
也十分抵制文化
was very important
这一点对科学的创新来说有很大影响
the fact that Joseph Needham often says that
Joseph Needham经常说
when you want to make a career in China,
那时若想实现你的宏图之志
unlike the Ming dynasty
与明朝不同
to be proficient, to be knowledgeable and to be innovative in technical and or scientific ways wasn’t answered any more
明朝所重视的科技上的精通熟练、创新发明已经不管用了
only the more fundamentalistic knowledge of the classics,
只有諳知四书五经
the reciting of the classics, the writing of classical Chinese
会背诵经典 会写八股文
the literally skills opened the way to the office, to coming ahead and getting ahead in life
只有具备写文章的本领才能高中头榜 升官发财
that was major the discouragement for the fine arts spirits of the nation
这一点大大打击了一个国家追求创新的精神
this is of course a message we have to ponder on
这个观点确实值得我们思索
but it didn’t say,
但是 Nathan Steven并没有说
and that is Nathan Steven’s brilliance
这也是他聪明的地方
It didn’t say that Chinese had any inherent or hereditary or linguistic
他没有说中国有一种内在的、遗传的或者说语言上问题
Because some people pretend that that is the question of language
因为有人觉得中国科技的落后是由于语言造成的
In Chinese language you could not think logically and so on
汉语不利于思考逻辑等等
Nonsense of course
当然是一派胡言
In fact this university now boosts so many Noble Prize winners
我们看看北京大学出了多少诺贝尔奖
It is of course already an approval
这种说法就不攻自破了
But what is more interesting is that
但是有趣的是
when the western science was introduced
当西方的科学引入中国
First of all by Matteo Ricci who brought Euclidian mathematics to China and translated it
首先是利玛窦将欧几里的《几何原本》翻译成中文介绍给中国
That is extremely welcomed by the Chinese as well as western astronomy
中国人像西方天文学家一样欢迎这本书
Very soon they were better than their European mentors
很快 他们在这方面就超过了欧洲
And not only they were better than the mentors
不仅是学生超过了老师
But they made a very important distinction
中国还指出了一个重要区别
Because if you read Matteo Ricci’s introduction to Euclid
利玛窦介绍欧几里德时说
He says Euclid shows that the God is the great mathematician
欧几里德说上帝是一个伟大的数学家
The great geometry
伟大的几何学家
He planned the world
上帝设计了世界
He kind of mixed his own theology with what we call, well, just science
他把自己的神学和我们所谓的科学混淆在了一起
And the Chinese immediately saw through that
中国人很快就看透了这一点
They said he is trying to amalgamate two things that are both respectful
说利玛窦把两种都十分让人尊敬的东西混淆在了一起
They didn’t disparage religion, no
中国人没有蔑视宗教
But they said you can’t mix these things
只是说不能把两种混为一谈
One is a matter of believe
一种是信仰
And the other one is a question of demonstration of ---- thinking
一种是思想的表现
When Ricci still was in China
利玛窦还在中国时
The thinker from southern China
中国南方的思想家
Lizhi, in Quanzhou
泉州的李贽
Wrote already famous commentary and said
就写了著名的评论
This is fine
这样很好
He brings all the science
他带来了科学
We very much welcome it
我们十分欢迎
But the other thing you know
但是也带来了其他东西
Is not that I don’t like it
并不是我不喜欢
It’s interesting, Adam and Eve, and the creation of the world
故事当然十分有趣 亚当、夏娃、创世纪
But we heard that already from the Arabs
但是我们从阿拉伯人那里已经听说了
We know that
我们知道这样的故事
That’s some other way of thinking
这是另外一种思维方式
That is something not the same
是与科学不一样的东西
He made the clear distinction
李贽把科学和宗教分开
So they did something at that time in Europe no one except for Galileo perhaps, was able to say publicly
在欧洲，除了伽利略，没有一个人敢公开这样说
So this is one of the many questions
这只是其中一个问题
And I think today…and sorry we won’t say the last word about it
今天就不全部讲了
Anyway, thanks for you
谢谢你的提问
Any other questions?
还有其他问题吗？
Thank you very much for your lecture
感谢您的讲座
I enjoyed it immensely
我十分喜欢
This is not a question but I heard tea became very popular among the Zen monks
我听说茶受日本禅僧的欢迎
because the caffeine content helped the Zen monks to endure the long chants
是因为茶里的咖啡因可以让他们念经
And especially the meditation.
尤其是打坐时
They are not supposed to sleep
不打瞌睡
So kind of ----between tea and Zen monks
That’s one thing I heard
这是我听来的故事
My question is that sometimes Confucius teaching is considered as a religion
我的问题是有时人们把儒教当成一种宗教
And sometimes it is considered as a philosophy
有时是一种哲学
I am not playing the terminology, the semantics game here
我在这里并不是玩文字游戏
Is it really a religion or is it a philosophy
儒教到底应该是宗教还是哲学呢
How it is considered in today’s Chinese teaching?
中国现在怎么看待这个问题
Well thank you very much
非常感谢
It’s a very important question
这是一个重要的问题
My friend Du Weiming from Harvard university
我的朋友 哈佛大学的杜维明
who is following the footsteps of Kang Youwei,
跟康有为一样也是儒学家
I showed him in our power point presentation
刚才大家在幻灯片里见过康有为
These are modern Confucius scholars who think that China should have a national religion again
有一些现代的儒学家认为中国应该重新设立一个国教
And Confucianism is the answer
这个国教就是儒教
I respect their endeavors
我欣赏他们的努力
I wonder if it is realistic to think so
但是认为这并不现实
Perhaps I am a bit more conservative
也许我比较保守
I don’t think it’s completely doing what be called Confucianism
我认为这完全超出了儒教的应有之义
The thought of Kongzi as we know it as we can understand it through many versions of west sayings and commentaries
现在我们从西方著作和评论中了解到的孔子的思想
I don’t think it’s using justice to something very fundamental in China
并不能反映中国的本质
As I said, the Five Classics who are supposed to be the foundation,
我说过 五经被认为是中国的基础
the Torah, the meshina of Confucian, that is the commentary elaboration,
是圣经-----，这是评论界的解释
where all considered just as our own Pentateuch with the rites, with ritual, with worship, with sacrifice
认为像我们的摩西五书一样，有仪式，有膜拜，有祭祀
What Kongzi did was to elaborate a system of thought
孔子阐释的是思想体系
An explanation giving meaning to this religious form of the worship, behavior and so on
他让所有的宗教仪式、行为都有了意义
He gave a new meaning to it
而且是赋予了新的意义
And the new meaning was that it all meant that you have to be a good person
那就是所有的宗教形式都是让你去做一个好人
You should behave morally
人要做一个有道德的人
That the state should not abuse its power
国家不能滥用其权力
That we should love each other and help each other
人与人之间要互相友爱 相互帮助
That is the elaboration on the basis of religious practice
这是在宗教行为基础上的阐释
Much as in early philosophy like Decart
很像Decart这样的早期哲学
Based his logical system on a theological background
把自身的逻辑体系建立在神学背景上
We see the same thing very early in China
中国很早以前就出现了这种情形
From the background of theological thought
在神学思想的背景下
A philosophy was born
哲学诞生了
Is it a philosophy?
真的是哲学吗？
Is it just wisdom, sageliness?
还是仅仅是智慧、圣贤
I don’t think we should be subjective
我想我们应该避免主观
There is some very philosophical way of thinking there
确实有非常明显的哲学思维方式
And it’s absolutely clear that Confucius himself,
而且孔子本人
and that you can make up for anything that happened,
你可以随便找一个事例
made a clear distinction between the practice of religion and his own thought system
也把宗教行为和自己的思想体系做了明显的区分
So therefore
因此
Thanking you for your question
我要感谢你问了这个问题
I really think Confucianism is a philosophy
我认为儒教是一种哲学
Thank you for your class today
谢谢您的讲座
Many people in American see China rising naturally and inevitably to the position as dominate world power
现在很多美国人认为中国将不可避免的崛起为世界强国
First you see the future of China
看到了中国未来发展的方向
And then what are the major challenges China have negotiate to get there
您认为中国在发展过程中有哪些主要挑战？
What are the circumstance that might interfere with China eventually achieving that position
哪些因素会阻碍中国实现它的目标？
I am sorry you have to repeat because the resonance here is very hard under this roof it didn’t come over so could you reform it once more please?
对不起 请重复一下你的问题 回音太重我没有听清楚 您能在讲一遍吗？
Many people in American see China rising naturally and inevitably to the position as dominate world power
现在很多美国人认为中国将不可避免的崛起为世界强国
Do you see that as the future of China?
您认为是这样吗
And what are the major challenges of China would have to negotiate
中国在发展过程中有哪些主要挑战？
And what circumstance might interfere with China rising to that dominate world power
哪些因素会阻碍中国实现它的目标？
Yes, thank you very much
好的 谢谢
We see a rival in the world nowadays of what 100 years ago was called the yellow parrel
我们现在的对手 一百年前叫做------
There is some kind of idea
有人会想
Wow what’s going to happen?
哇 将会发生什么
In France there was a statesman called Rouge Palfe
法国有一个政客叫Rouge Palfe
I don’t know if he has been much translated into English
我不知道是否有英文译本
He wrote one book after the other when China stirs, the world will change when China wakens
他写了很多书 说中国觉醒后 世界会发生变化
Napodium has said that too you know
Napodium也这样说过
There’s some myth
现在存在一些误读
There’s some great myth
很大的误读
One is the myth that China is a big market
第一个是认为中国是一个很大的市场
you just have to walk into and you sell you stuff and you get rich over night
来到中国 卖出东西 你就能一夜暴富
Well, it isn’t that easy you know
当然 这可不是那么容易的
China is a big market
中国是一个大市场
for people who know Chinese
但那是对懂中文的人来说
I don’t just think the language, but also the culture, and the people of China
我指的并不仅仅是语言 还包括文化和人文
People of China are not to be urged to rob
中国人不会---
and to manufacture goods for our sake
更不对为了我们生产东西
They are right to produce things they are also useful for them
他们当然有权利生产对自己有用的东西
I am sorry for saying that
请原谅我这样说
There are things we have to learn still after all these things
经历了很多之后 我们还有许多东西需要学习
The other myth is that China repents danger
另外一个误读是 中国是威胁
I don’t talk about ancient China
我说的不是古代中国
2000 years before it became imperial state
2000年前中国就是一个帝国了
But I have shown you the pictures of t he Imperial Palace
但是我给大家看了故宫的图片
Is that a place of violence?
这是一个充满暴力的地方吗
Is that a place of aggression?
这是一个让你感受到侵略的地方吗
Is that a place stolen or conquering?
这是偷来的东西或是战利品吗
No
都不是
There is a Chinese way of expansion
中国有自己扩张的方式
It is misunderstood
这种方式被误解了
When I talked about all those Chinese restaurants and all those Chinese students
我提到的那些在国外的中国餐馆和中国学生
People are talking about the Chinese Diaspora
人们把他们说成是流落他乡
Right?
对吗
Well, get that notion of mine please
请大家不要误解我的意思
When you have the Diaspora, like the Jews
我们说到犹太人的出埃及记
You have lost your country
犹太人丧失了自己的国家
But the Chinese in the United States or in Canada
但是在美国或加拿大的中国人
They are now so predominant in Vancouver or somewhere else
在温哥华等地华人非常多
Anywhere in the world
不管在哪儿
They haven’t lost their country
他们都没有失去自己的国家
They are part of global expansion
他们全球扩张的一部分
but in a different way from our capitalist expansion
但与我们帝国主义的扩张不同
Our capitalist expansion from our cooperation is from above
帝国主义的扩张是自上而下的
Investing a lot of money,
投资很多钱
sending high paid people patriots who need their purse their houses their special schools and all that
给那些为金钱、为房子、为了孩子上好学校的人付以高薪
Cost a lot of money
成本非常高
Is it effective?
但是有效吗
Not really
不见得
The Chinese expansion is the Buddhist expansion
中国的扩张是佛教式的扩张
It’s from the under world
是自下而上的
It’s the poor guy
是穷人进行的
Who says may I come in
我能在这里工作吗
Nothing to eat at home
家里没吃的了
My mother is hungry
老母亲还在挨饿
I come and earn little money sent back home please
我想挣一点钱寄给家里
Ok, then he comes.
好 然后他就工作了
He does all the work others perhaps didn’t want to do like building those rail roads and did it very well
做的都是别人不愿意做的活 比如修铁路
They stand until today
他们今天仍然有立足之地
They work as very skilled workers Those Chinese worked on the American railroads
那些在美国修铁路的华工 成了熟练的技术工人
And then they sent their children to school
然后他们就有钱送孩子去上学
And then they built, they come up from above
他们有了基础 可以社会上层发展
That is kind of peaceful expansion
这是一种和平的扩张
I think we should all welcome
我想我们都应该欢迎
And together they bring culture
他们也带来了文化
They bring food culture to the Unites States
他们给美国带来了饮食文化
Was about time perhaps
假以时日
They bring another food culture, another way of eating
就会有一种新的饮食文化 另外一种饮食方式
It’s good for you
对大家身体有益
Ok, shall we call it a day?
我们今天就讲到这里吧
Thanks a lot!
非常感谢！
And have a good time in China!
希望大家在中国玩的愉快
Do not hesitate to write to me
可以写信给我
My email address is on the internet site of the Hanban
我的电子邮箱在汉办的网页上
So if you have any questions
有问题的话写信给我
Do not hesitate to write I will be glad to answer
我非常乐意解答
Thank you
谢谢
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施舟人教授简历 (Kristofer Schipper)
学历：
1954-58年: 国立巴黎东方语言大学(INALCO)中文专业。
1958-62 年: 国立法国高等研究院(EPHE)汉学博士。
1983年: 获法国国家文学博士(Doctorat d'Etat ès Lettres)。
工作经历：
1962-1970年:国立法国远东研究院(EFEO)研究员，台湾中央研究院访问学者；
1971-2001年: 国立法国高等研究院(EPHE)教授；
1993-1999年: 国立荷兰莱顿大学(LEIDEN)中国史讲座教授；
2001年至今: 在福州大学创办西观藏书楼。领衔主持《中华五经翻译》国际学术工程。
职务与荣衔：
法国国家科技中心(CNRS)东方学主任委员；
法兰西科学院汉学研究所所长；
荷兰国立莱顿大学汉学院院长；
2003：中国福建省友谊奖；
2004: 法国荣誉骑士勋位；
2004：中国人民共和国友谊奖；
2008：”感动中国”国际友人之一。
主要学术成就与代表作：
1960年代在台湾从事八年的田野调查后，应聘在法国高等研究院从事中国宗教史教学与研究，并于1970年代在巴黎发起成立了欧洲汉学协会，组织了当时欧洲汉学界最大的学术项目”道藏通考”。1979年起与中国大陆学术界建立联系，与北京大学侯仁之教授、中国社科院徐萍芳教授等共同组织了”圣城北京”国际汉学合作项目。受业博士弟子在欧美、中国大陆港台二十多所高等院校或研究机构担任汉学教职或负责人。
施舟人教授著作选:
《汉武帝内传研究》、《黄庭经索引》 、 《抱朴子内篇索引》 、 《抱朴子外篇索引》 、 《云笈七签索引》 、 《道藏通检》 《道藏索引 ─ ─ 五种版本道藏通检》《金箓分灯卷帘科仪》《汉武帝内传研究》《对于都功职务功能的几点考察 》 、 《关于敦煌文书中所见道士的法位 》 、 《唐代的道教仪礼和地方崇拜》 、 《赵宜真和道教清微派》《The Taoist body》（《道教之体》）《La religion de la Chine : la tradition vivante》《Le corps taoïste : corps physique - corps social》《Il Corpo Taoista : Corpo fisico - corpo sociale》《道体论》，原著法文，有英、荷、日、意等文本。《The Taoist canon : a historical companion to the Daozang》《道藏通考》，原著英文，美国芝加哥大学出版社出版。《庄子》、《老子》、《论语》荷兰文译本，由荷兰Augustus出版社出版。另有《汉武帝内传研究》、《中国文化基因库》等汉学论著十多种、论文近百篇。
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施舟人教授介绍(法文)
Kristofer Schipper
Diplômé de l'EPHE, 5e section (1962), licencié de chinois à la faculté des lettres de Paris (1961), diplômé de l'École des langues orientales (chinois, 1958 ; japonais, 1960) et ancien élève de l'École du Louvre (1957-1958), Kristofer Schipper est membre de l'EFEO de 1962 à 1972 et affecté à Taiwan de 1962 à 1970, pour y établir la première antenne sinologique. Il quitte l'École pour devenir directeur d'études des religions de la Chine à l'EPHE, Ve section (1973). Par la suite, il est de nouveau envoyé pour une courte mission par l'EFEO à Taiwan, en 1974, afin de recueillir des documents et veiller sur les travaux d'impression en cours. Il est docteur d'Etat ès lettres en 1983.
Formé par Rolf A. Stein et Max Kaltenmark, il est spécialiste de l'histoire du taoïsme. Dès son arrivée à Taiwan, il découvre ce que J. J M. De Groot avait subrepticement évoqué un siècle plus tôt : la religion taoïste vivante. Pour appronfondir cet aspect, honni à l'époque par les intellectuels chinois et ignoré de leurs collègues occidentaux, il suit lui-même une initiation de maître taoïste, qui aboutira en 1968 à son ordination. Grâce à cette « observation participante » avant la lettre, il mène des enquêtes sur l'une des dernières églises vivantes du taoïsme et réunit une masse considérable de documents originaux et de renseignements de première main. Désireux de guider les futurs chercheurs dans les labyrinthes du taoïsme, il dirige parallèlement l'établissement d'index d'ouvres taoïstes classiques. Résultat de son expérience de terrain et de son savoir, son ouvre majeure, Le Corps taoïste, décrit et analyse la manière dont le corps social (les participants aux rituels communautaires), le corps physique (celui de l'adepte pratiquant l'alchimie intérieure) et le corps cosmique (le corps comme macrocosme) sont imbriqués. Ses plus récentes recherches l'ont amené à s'intéresser de très près aux structures liturgiques de la ville de Pékin, dont les résultats paraissent, numéro après numéro, dans la revue qu'il a fondée en 1997, Sanjiao wenxian. Matériaux pour l'étude de la religion chinoise (Paris/Leyde, École pratique des hautes études/Center for Non-Western Studies).
Fondateur et directeur du Centre de documentation et d'étude du taoïsme de l'EPHE, il a été également directeur de l'Institut des hautes études chinoises du Collège de France (1987-1992), directeur du projet Tao-tsang, qui doit prochainement aboutir dans la publication, en collaboration avec Franciscus Verellen, de The Taoist Canon: A historical compendium to the Daozang. Il a été par ailleurs responsable de deux groupes de recherche du CNRS : « Bibliographie taoïste » (1979-1985) et « Pékin ville sainte » (1996-1999).
(Né à Järnskog (Pays-Bas), 1934.
Membre de l'EFEO de 1962 à 1972.)
施舟人教授学术著作选：
Publications of Professor Schipper Kristofer (EPHE PARIS) :
1965
L'empereur Wou des Han dans la légende taoïste, Han-wou-ti nei-tchouan, Paris, EFEO (PEFEO, 58).
1965
Concordance du Pao-p'ou-tseu nei-pien, Paris, IHEC.
1970
Concordance du Pao-p'ou-tseu wai-pien, Paris, IHEC.
1975
Concordance du Tao-Tsang : titres des ouvrages, Paris, EFEO (PEFEO, 102).
1975
Le Fen-teng, rituel taoïste, Paris, EFEO (PEFEO, 103).
1975
Concordance du Houan-T'ing, Nei-King et Wai-King, Paris, EFEO (PEFEO, 104).
1981-82
Index du Yunji Qiqian, vol. 1 : Traits 1-8, vol. 2 : Traits 9-33. Paris, EFEO (PEFEO, 131).
1982
Le corps taoïste - corps physique, corps social, Paris, Fayard.
2005
The Taoist Canon: A historical compendium to the Daozang, (éd. avec F. Verellen), Chicago, University Of Chicago Press.
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《施舟人五经翻译 感动中国》
《诗经》、《尚书》、《礼记》、《易经》、《春秋》——《五经》是中华文明之源头。五经之重，无庸赘言。中华五经，八种语言定本翻译，国际学术工程。终于。
比起别国的经典，含义深邃的中国经典，在国际书籍视野中，几乎不存在。因为直至今日，仍然缺乏系统的、学术的、优雅的外文翻译。而这，并非是中国人自己能做得了的。
由于“历史原因”，对《中华五经》研究与翻译没有引起足够重视。不仅在世界范围内的认知度还不高，而且至今没有一套完整的适应世界各国人民进一步认识、学习中国文化需要的多语种译本，个别经文只有英文或法文译本，有的译本甚至还是一二百年前传教士翻译的，零散而不够准确。这种尴尬现状，与中华文明之世界地位，与五经之深刻意义极为不符，非常令人遗憾。
《中华五经翻译》国际学术工程委员会委员名单
工程总主持人：施舟人
名誉委员（10 位）
饶宗颐 (Jao Tsung-i) 教授，香港中文大学艺术系及中国文化研究所伟伦荣誉艺术讲座教授
汪德迈 (Léon Vandermeersch) 教授，法国巴黎高等研究院研究主任
鲁惟一 (Michael Loewe) 教授，英国剑桥大学汉学系
李学勤 (Li Xueqin) 教授，清华大学历史系，出土文献研究与保护中心主任
康达维 (David Knechtges) 教授，美国华盛顿大学东亚系
汤一介 (Tang Yijie) 教授，北京大学哲学系，《儒藏》编撰中心主任
杜维明 (Tu Weiming) 教授，美国哈佛大学东亚系
许嘉璐 (Xu Jialu) 教授，北京师范大学汉语文化学院，世界汉语教学学会会长
袁行霈 (Yuan Xingpei) 教授，北京大学中文系，国学研究院院长
朱维铮 (Zhu Weizheng) 教授，复旦大学历史系中国思想文化研究室主任
委员（36 位）
施舟人 (Kristofer Schipper) 教授，法国巴黎高等研究院研究主任
伊维德 (Wilt Idema) 教授，美国哈佛大学东亚系主任
艾兰 (Sarah Allan) 教授，美国达特茅斯学院中文系主任
安乐哲 (Roger T. Ames) 教授，美国夏威夷大学哲学系
白杰明 (Geremie Barmé) 教授，澳大利亚国立大学亚太学院
卡多纳 (Alfredo Cadonna) 博士，意大利威尼斯大学副教授
陈德鸿 (Leo Tak-Hung Chan) 教授, 香港岭南大学翻译系主任
齐思敏 (Mark Csikszentmihalyi) 教授，美国威斯康辛大学东亚系
丁荷生 (Kenneth Dean) 教授，加拿大蒙特利尔麦基尔大学东亚系
包弼德 (Peter Bol) 教授，美国哈佛大学东亚系
戴卡琳 (Carine Defoort) 教授，比利时天主教鲁汶大学中文系
杜润德 (Stephen Durrant) 教授，美国俄勒冈大学东亚系
伊若泊 (Robert Eno) 教授，美国印第安纳大学东亚系
叶翰 (Hans van Ess) 教授，德国慕尼黑大学汉学院院长
何志华 (Ho Che Wah) 教授，香港中文大学中国文化研究所
柯马丁（Martin Kern）教授，美国普林斯顿大学东亚系
祁泰履 (Terry Kleeman) 教授，美国科罗拉多大学东亚系
李炽昌 (Archie Chi-Chung Lee) 教授，香港中文大学宗教系
李零 (Li Ling) 教授，北京大学中文系教授
李惠仪（Li Wai-yee）教授，美国哈佛大学东亚系
李集雅 (Tiziana Lippiello) 教授，意大利威尼斯大学中文系
梅约翰 （John Makeham）教授，澳大利亚阿德来德大学
闵福德 （John Minford）教授，澳大利亚国立大学亚太学院
裴宜理 (Elizabeth Perry) 教授，美国哈佛燕京学社社长
尤锐 (Yuri Pines) 教授，以色列希伯来大学东亚系主任
浦安迪 (Andrew Plaks) 教授，美国普林斯顿大学中文系
普鸣 (Michael Puett) 教授，美国哈佛大学东亚系
桂思卓（Sarah Queen）教授，美国康涅狄格大学中文系
李孟涛 (Matthias Richter) 教授，美国科罗拉多大学东亚系
夏含夷 ( Edward Shaughnessy) 教授，美国芝加哥大学东亚系
苏芳淑 (Jenny Fong-Suk So) 教授, 香港中文大学中国文化研究所所长
斯泰格 (Brunhild Staiger) 博士，欧洲汉学学会会长
袁冰凌 (Yuan Bingling) 教授, 福州大学西观藏书楼创办人，国家汉办特聘专家
乐黛云 (Yue Daiyun) 教授, 北京大学跨文化研究中心主任
马克 (Marc Kalinowski) 教授，法国巴黎高等研究院研究主任
胡司德 (Roel Sterckx) 教授，英国剑桥大学汉学系主任
TOWARDS A NEW TRANSLATION
The Five Classics are the Odes 詩, the Documents 書, the Rites 禮, the Changes 易 and the Annals 春秋. They are China’s oldest, most sacred books. For thousands of years, they have been the canons of Chinese culture, the very heart of its thought and the foundation of its statecraft. Formerly, they were learned by heart by all students. A thorough and profound knowledge of the Wujing and their exegesis was a prerequisite for all candidates at the imperial civil service examinations.
Over the centuries, the study of the Wujing gave rise to a vast corpus of erudite commentaries, philosophical interpretations and text critical editions, just as this has been the case for the sacred canons of other cultures.
This great tradition came to a sudden stop when the imperial examinations were abolished in 1905. Although the study of the Wujing was not abandoned, Chinese scholarship during the 20th century mainly turned to other aspects of China’s cultural heritage. Research on vernacular literature, on Buddhism and Daoism – fields that had been hitherto received little attention – greatly developed. Simultaneously, enormous advances were made in China’s archaeology. The knowledge of Early China, its history, its writing and its material culture, was completely renewed. On this basis, great strides were made in the understanding of the social and science history of later times. In consequence not only China itself has today greatly changed, but also our knowledge and understanding of its unique civilization.
As a corollary to all these new developments, the erstwhile so highly valued Classics have received far less attention. Only one of these sacred books, the Changes 易 has become internationally famous, whereas the others have entered into a relative oblivion. Today, except for a small number of Chinese and foreign scholars, most people do not know very much about the Wujing.
This neglect has certainly gone too far. As many young scholars in the field of classical studies have remarked, the fact so many ancient texts have been rediscovered these last decennia does not entitle us to forget the most ancient and revered Wujing. It is time that Five Classics finds their place among the sacred books of the great world civilizations. The Five Classics have been formerly translated and mainly in English, French and German. Most of these translations are very old, some dating from more than a century ago, whereas the knowledge and understanding of the history and culture have made enormous progress. Therefore new, modern translations should now be made and not only into the major Western languages, but in all important languages of the world. This is our ambition, our project and our great enterprise. Please help us to make it a success!
THE VALUE OF THE FIVE CLASSICS
One of the reasons that the Five Classics remain almost unknown outside China is because their value is not sufficiently understood. Although their importance in the context of world civilization is certainly not inferior to the ancient books of Israel (the Five Books of Moses, also called the Pentateuch) or the Four Veda’s of Ancient India, the Wujing are essentially different. The Sacred Books of Israel are traditionally accepted as the word of God as told to Moses. As to the Four Vedas of Ancient India, they are seen as to be not of the authorship of man, but of divine origin.
In the case of the Wujing, there is no such belief. They are not considered to be of supernatural origin. They rather deal with the human world and the natural universe. In the Songs are heard the voices of the people; in the Documents, we read the words of the ancient kings. The Changes reveal the structure of the natural universe. As to three books that now represent the Rites, they contain the words of the ancient sages for regulating the society and the government. Seen in this way, the Five Classics are to be understood as the fundamental texts for preserving peace and order in the world. As such, the Chinese Classics do not refer to metaphysics, but only to the human world. They thought is not seen as representing a religion, but rather as the basis of a philosophy. This philosophy can be said to be China's one of the most important contributions to mankind.
THE NATURE OF THE TRANSLATION
Until now, most translations of the Five Classics have followed the academic tradition. That is: texts were translated as close as possible to the meaning of the original Chinese, without much regard for the style and usage of the foreign language. Therefore the syntax of the translation often followed the Chinese syntax. Also Chinese idiomatic terms were translated literally.
A literal translation is not the same as a good translation. A good translation conveys more of the real meaning and also the literary value of the original. For this new translation of the five Classics, we aim at translating the texts in a way that the meaning is understandable for everyone and that the translated text is agreeable to read. Classical Chinese is very different from contemporary colloquial English. It is therefore necessary to understand the Chinese profoundly before adapting it in a flexible way so as to translate the meaning in a significant and easily comprehensible way that preserves the flavor of the original.
THE WUJING PROJECT
The idea of *** a new translation of the five Chinese Classics into the major languages of the world was first conceived in 1979 by Jao Tsung-I and Kristofer Schipper. After having asked in vain for support from several academic and research institutions, it was tentatively put forward as a scholarly activity of the Library of the Western Belvedere (Xiguan cangshu lou) in Fuzhou but equally without success. . In the spring of 2008 the project was presented to the Confucius Institutes Headquarters in Beijing. After being evaluated by an ad-hoc committee composed of Chinese and foreign scholars, it was accepted by the above–mentioned institution with the undersigned as directing editors and with an international committee of scholars from China and abroad as advisors and supervisors.
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Schipper Kristofer Marinus
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