從語言的角度分析鄭玄與朱熹對「慎獨」的解說及西方學者的詮釋

Abstract

「慎獨」概念在傳統中國思想非常普遍，不管是儒家、道家或其他的學派，為古今學者熱烈談論的話題。本文先介紹先秦及漢代的主要相關經典，再從語法的角度談論君子慎獨的主動性與被動性。這樣就可以分析鄭玄與朱熹對「慎獨」的理解。在這個基礎上可以探討東西學者歐語著作的基本立場。因為印歐語系的語言比較明確地表達動詞的主動式與被動式，因而這些西方譯著往往會縮小經書原文廣泛的涵義。最後大部分的譯者依靠理雅各（James Legge）的解說。即使理雅各在翻譯時已經意識到《中庸》原文的豐富涵義，但是為了讓西方人理解，不得不縮緊若干意義，這也使後代學者在詮釋時，受到他譯文的限制。總之，東西方學者在詮釋與翻譯過程中造成的影響對於儒家思想的詮釋有重要的形塑作用。

The expression “shendu” (慎獨), typically translated as “being watchful over oneself,” appears frequently in Chinese intellectual history, both in the literature from the Confucianism and the Daoist tradition. Scholars have intensely debated on this quote throughout history. This article will first introduce the relevant sources from ancient China and then use a linguistic perspective to analyze the active or passive orientation of “shendu.” Using this approach, we can study Zheng Xuan’s and Zhu Xi’s understanding of “shendu.” On the basis of this foundation, we are able to discuss academic works by both Western and Chinese scholars written in Western languages. Because verbs in Indo- European languages express the active and passive voice more clearly than those in the Chinese language, translators who translate Chinese into Western languages often feel compelled to restrict the broad semantic fi eld from the original Chinese text. Ultimately, most scholars seem to rely on James Legge’s infl uential translation. Thus, we will observe how a certain foreign rendering of a traditional Confucianism idea can shape intellectual patterns in the contemporary history of thought. Legge realized the rich semantic content of the original Zhongyong text but decided to narrow down the meaning because he was concerned that Western readers might be unable to comprehend it. This situation might have imposed some restrictions on interpretations by later scholars.