严复中英文简介.pdf

严复(1853——1921)：tripleprincipleoftranslation

信(faithfulness)：忠实准确

达(expressivenesS:通顺流畅

雅(eleganc^：文字古雅

Yanfuputforwardthis“threceharacterguide”inhisprefacetothe

translationofT.H.HuxleysbookEvolutionandEthicsandOtherEssays

(《天演论》译例言1898)

译事三难信达雅。求其信已大难矣。顾信矣不达。虽译尤不译也。则达尚

焉。……易曰修辞立诚。子曰辞达而已。又曰言之无文。行之不远。三者

乃文章正轨。亦即为译事楷模。故信达而外。求其尔雅。此不仅期以行远

已耳。实则精理微言。用汉以前字法句法。则为达易。用近世利俗文字。

则求达雅。往往抑义就词。毫厘千里。审择于斯二者之间。夫固有所不得

已。岂钓奇哉。……

Translationhastodothreedifficultthings：tobefaithful，expressive，

andelegant。Itisdifficultenoughtobefaithfultotheoriginal，andyetif

atranslationisnotexpressive，itistantamounttohavingno

translation.Henceexpressivenessshouldberequiredtoo

Changessaysthatthefirstrequisiteofrhetoricistruthfulness.Confucius

saysthatexpressivenessisallthatmattersinlanguage。Headdsthatif

onesIanguagelacksgraceitwontgofar.Thesethreequalitiesthen,are

thecriteriaofgoodwritingand,Ibelieve,ofgoodtranslation

too.HeneebesidesfaithfuInessandexpressiveness,Ialsoaimat

eleganee」striveforeleganeenotjusttomakemytranslationstravelfarbut

toexpresstheoriginalwritersideasbetter,forIfindthatsubtlethoughts

arebetterexpressedinthevocabularyandsyntaxofpre-Hanprosethan

thoseofthevulgarwritingsoftoday.Usingthelatteroftenleadstodistortion

ofmeaning,which,howeverslight,resultsinvastmisunderstanding.

WeighingtheprosandconsIoptedfortheformer,asamatterofnecessity

nottryingtobedifferent.

YanFu

(simplifiedChinese:严复;

traditionalChinese嚴復;

pinyin:YdnFQ

Wade-Giles:YenFu;

courtesynameJiDao,幾道;

8January1854—27October1921)

wasaChinesescholarandtranslator,mostfamousforintroducingwestern

ideas,includingDarwinsnaturalselectiontoChinainthelate19thcen

tury.

Life

YanFustudiedat