04道德经英译本85种-第466章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　English…speaking　people　as　is　the　original　to　the　educated　native　Chinese。　While　linguistic　obscurities　have　been　removed　as　much　as　possible；　the　sense　has　upon　the　whole　not　been　rendered　more　definite　than　the　original　or　the　traditional　interpretation　would　warrant。　Stock　phrases　which　are　easily　understood；　such　as　〃the　ten　thousand　things；〃　meaning　the　whole　world　or　nature　collectively；　have　been　left　in　their　original　form；　but　expressions　which　without　a　commentary　would　be　unintelligible；　such　as　〃not　to　depart　from　the　baggage　wagon；〃　meaning　to　preserve　one's　dignity　（Chap。　26）；　have　been　replaced　by　the　nearest　terms　that　cover　their　meaning。

　　The　versification　of　the　quoted　poetry　is　as　literal　as　possible　and　as　simple　as　in　the　original。　No　attempt　has　been　made　to　improve　its　literary　elegance。　The　translator　was　satisfied　if　he　could　find　a　rhyme　which　would　introduce　either　no　change　at　all　in　the　words　or　such　an　indifferent　change　as　would　not　in　the　least　alter　their　sense。

　　The　present　edition　contains　also　an　introduction　and　comments　in　which　my　prior　explanations　of　Lao…tze's　thought　are　restated　in　a　condensed　form　together　with　some　new　observations　which　in　their　appropriate　places　have　been　incorporated。

　　The　division　into　chapters　as　well　as　the　chapter　headings　were　not　made　by　Lao…tze　but　are　the　work　of　later　Chinese　editors。

　　I　have　sought　the　advice　of　Mr。　Ng　Poon　Chew；　editor　of　the　Chung　Sai　Yat　Po；　the　Chinese　daily　paper　of　San　Francisco；　for　the　interpretation　of　some　difficult　words；　and　for　doubtful　passages　I　deemed　a　comparison　with　the　Manchu　translation　desirable；　for　which　purpose　I　have　availed　myself　of　the　assistance　of　Dr。　Berthold　Laufer　of　the　Field　Museum　of　Chicago。

　　Prof。　Paul　Pelliot；　of　Paris；　has　recently　published　in　the　T憃ung　Pao　（1912；　pp。　351…430）　an　account　of　a　Sanskrit　translation　of　the　Tao　Teh　King　made　in　the　seventh　century　for　King　Kumara　of　Assam；　vassal　to　the　famous　Harsha　Ciladitya；　king　of　Magadha。　Unfortunately　this　version　is　lost。




　　For　further　information　on　Lao…tze　the　reader　is　referred　to　the　author's　essays　Chinese　Philosophy　（Religion　of　Science　Library　No。　30）；　Chinese　Thought；　〃The　Authenticity　of　the　Tao　Teh　King〃　（The　Monist；　Vol。　XI；　pp。　574…601）；　written　in　reply　to　Prof。　Herbert　A。　Giles；　〃Medhurst's　New　Translation　of　the　Tao　Teh　King〃　（The　Open　Court；　XX；　174）；　and　the　former　more　complete　edition　of　Lao…Tze's　Tao　Teh　King。

　　This　our　larger　book；　entitled　Lao…Tze's　Tao　Teh　King；　which　contains　a　verbatim　translation　of　the　Chinese　text；　has　not　become　entirely　antiquated；　but　we　warn　students　that　it　stands　in　need　of　a　revision　on　the　basis　of　the　present　emendated　edition。




　　May　this　little　book　fulfil　its　mission　and　be　a　witness　to　the　religious　spirit　and　philosophical　depth　of　a　foreign　nation　whose　habits；　speech；　and　dress　are　strange　to　us。　We　are　not　alone　in　the　world；　there　are　others　who　search　for　the　truth　and　are　groping　after　it。　Let　us　become　better　acquainted　with　them；　let　us　greet　them　as　brothers；　let　us　understand　them　and　appreciate　their　ideals！





　　Introduction

　　A　few　comments　on　Lao…tze's　favorite　expressions　will　help　the　reader　to　understand　the　drift　of　his　thought。

　　The　character　tao　being　composed　of　the　characters　〃moving　on〃　and　〃head；〃　depicts　a　〃going　ahead。〃　The　original　meaning　of　the　word　is　〃way〃　in　the　same　sense　as　in　English；　denoting　both　〃path〃　and　〃method。〃

　　The　same　association　of　ideas　prevails　in　almost　all　languages。　The　Greek　word　methodos　is　a　derivative　of　hodos　〃path〃　（combined　with　the　preposition　meta；　〃according　to；〃　〃after〃）　and　so　〃method〃　too　originally　means　〃way〃　or　rather　〃according　to　a　way。〃　In　the　sense　of　method　the　word　Tao　acquires　the　significance　of　〃principle；　rationality；　or　reason；〃　then　〃the　right　way；〃　or　〃truth；〃　the　Urvernunft　of　German　mystics。　Finally　Tao　comes　to　possess　the　meaning　of　〃rational　speech〃　or　〃word；〃　and　in　this　sense　it　closely　resembles　the　Greek　Logos；　for　in　addition　to　its　philosophical　significance　the　term　Tao　touches　a　religious　chord　in　the　souls　of　the　Chinese　just　as　did　the　word　Logos　among　the　Platonists　and　the　Greek　Christians。　The　term　Tao　denotes　〃word〃　and　also　〃way〃　in　the　same　religious　sense　in　which　they　are　used　in　the　New　Testament：　the　former　in　the　first　verse　of　the　Fourth　Gospel；　〃In　the　beginning　was　the　word〃；　and　the　latter　in　the　saying　of　Christ；　〃I　am　the　way；　the　truth；　and　the　life〃　（John　xiv。　6）。　In　both　passages　the　word　Tao　is　the　right　term　by　which　to　translate　〃word；〃　〃way；〃　and　〃truth。〃

　　The　Tao　of　man；　jan　tao；　is　the　process　of　ratiocination；　and　as　such　it　is　fallible；　but　there　is　an　Eternal　Reason；　ch慳ng　tao；　also　called　t慽en　tao；　〃Heaven's　Reason；〃　i。　e。；　the　world…order　which　shapes　all　things；　and　the　burden　of　Lao…tze's　message　is　to　let　this　Heaven's　Reason　or　Eternal　Reason　prevail。　The　man　who　is　guided　by　the　Eternal　Reason　is　the　master；　chi黱；　the　superior　thinker；　chi黱　tze；　he　is　the　holy　man；　shan　jan；　the　man　of　Reason；　yin　tao　che　or　tung　y？tao　che；　and　the　man　of　truth；　chen　jan。

　　We　translate　Tao　by　〃Reason；〃　and　we　capitalize　the　word　in　order　to　remind　the　reader　that　it　is　not　the　reason　of　the　rationalist；　nor　the　rationality　of　argument；　but　the　universal　world…order；　or　in　other　words；　the　eternal　Reason　of　the　divine　dispensation；　the　Logos；　to　which　man　looks　up　with　reverence。

　　The　second　word　of　the　title；　Teh；　〃virtue；〃　which；　strange　enough；　Legge　translates　〃attribute；〃　is　made　up　of　characters　meaning　〃man；〃　〃heart〃　and　〃straight。〃　It　denotes　man's　straightness　of　heart。

　　The　favorite　phrase　of　Lao…tze's　ethics；　which　furnishes　a　key　to　his　mode　of　thought；　reads　wei　wu　wei；　〃act　non…act；〃　and　we　have　commonly　translated　the　words　by　〃act　with　non…assertion。〃

　　The　Chinese　wei　means　not　only　〃to　do　something；〃　but　also　〃to　act〃　as　on　the　stage；　or　〃'to　make　a　show；　to　show　off；　to　pose；　to　parade　oneself。〃　The　phrase　wei　wu　wei　might　be　translated　〃to　do　without　ado〃　or　〃to　act　without　acting〃　（viz。；　without　posing）；　were　it　not　for　the　fact　that　the　moral　element　is　uppermost　in　Lao…tze's　mind。　He　denounces　the　vanity　of　self…display　and　egotism；　and　so　we　believe　that　wei　wu　wei　is　best　rendered　by　〃acting　with　non…assertion。〃　The　meaning　is　clear　through　the　context；　and　there　is　no　need　of　interpreting　Lao…tze's　words　either　in　a　mystical　or　a　quietist　sense。

　　There　are　three　negatives　in　Chinese：　pu；　〃not；〃　the　simple　negation；　wu；　〃lacking　in；　non…existent；　without〃；　and　fei；　〃by　no　means。〃　Though　we　can　not　lay　down　a　general　rule　about　their　distinctions；　there　are　different　shades　of　meaning　according　to　the　context　which　we　have　tried　to　bring　out　in　our　English　version。　Sometimes　the　meaning　of　the　negated　word；　or　the　ironic　sense　in　which　it　is　used；　influences　the　negative。　In　Chapter　49　pu　shan；　〃ungoodness〃；　means　〃evil；〃　but　in　Chapter　38；　pu　teh；　〃unvirtue；〃　means　that　higher　virtue　which　makes　no　show　and　does　not　even　assume　the　name。　In　Chapter　57　wu　shi；　〃non…diplomacy；〃　is　that　higher　mode　of　statesmanship　with　which　a　good　ruler　will　unostentatiously　govern　the　empire。　On　the　other　hand　Lao…tze　speaks　of　both　fei　tao；　i。　e。；　〃lack　of　reason〃　or　〃anti…reason〃　（Chapter　53）　and　pu　tao　（Chapters　30　and　55）　〃unreason；〃　which　soon　ceases；　while　〃the　reason　that　can　be　reasoned〃　（tao　ko　tao）　is　declared　to　be　〃by　no　means　the　eternal　Reason　（fei　ch慳ng　tao）。〃

　　The　term　wu；　〃non…existence〃　（Chapter　40）；　is　not　annihilation　but　denotes　absence　of　concrete　particularity　or　of　materiality。　It　is　intended　to　describe　what　we　would　call　the　purely　formal；　including　purely　formal　thought；　viz。；　the　prototypes　of　things　as　well　as　ideals。　Materiality　makes　things　real　but　non…materiality；　as　set　forth　in　Chapter　11；　while　giving　shape　to　things　by　cutting　away　certain　portions；　renders　them　useful。

　　Lao…tze's　appreciation　of　oneness　is　to　be　expected　of　a　philosopher　of　the　Tao；　of　Divine　Reason。　He　speaks　of　oneness　15　as　giving　character　to　things　that　are　units　（Chapter　39）　and　unity　cannot　be　disintegrated　（Chapter　10）。