诸子百家指的是中国古代先秦至汉初大量涌现并繁荣发展的各个学派的总称。春秋战国时代是从奴隶社会向封建社会转变的时代,涌现出了众多哲学家和哲学流派,纷纷著书立说,相互论战,形成“百家争鸣”的局面。1 、这一时期也被称为中国哲学的黄金时代。在众多哲学流派中,最著名的是儒家、墨家、道家、法家。后来,秦王朝的崛起和随后的“焚书坑儒”宣告了这一时代的结束。至汉武帝吋,推行“罢黜百家,独尊儒术”的政策,于是以孔子、孟子为代表的儒家思想成为正统,统治中国思想与文化两千余年。
The Hundred Schools of Thought refers to the various schools of thought that emerged and flourished during the period from pre-Qin times to the early Han Dynasty of ancient China. The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period witnessed the transition from slavery society to feudal society. There emerged a large number of philosophers and philosophical schools, who wrote books to advertise their thoughts and debated with others. This phenomenon is called the Contention of a Hundred Schools of Thought. The era is also known as the Golden Age of Chinese philosophy. Most well-known among the many schools were Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism, and Legalism. This era ended with the rise of the Qin Dynasty and the subsequent burning of books and burying of scholars. By the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu promoted the policy of rejecting the other schools of thought and respecting only Confucianism. As a result, the  Confucianism represented by
Confucius and Mencius became the orthodox thought which dominated Chinese ideology and culture for over 2,000 years.
翻译简析:
1.  本句内容多,句子长,采用分译法,译为三句。“春秋战国时代是……的时代”的译文用了动词witnessed,地道简练。“涌现出了……”译作There emerged…,后面是一个带非限定性定语从句的名词性短语,自然流畅。“形成‘百家争鸣,的局面”的翻译也比较灵活,在译文中自成一句,增加主语This phenomenon承前启后,衔接自然。
2. 本句也是长句,采用了分译法,原因和结果分译为两句。这里的“百家”不是实实在在的一百,是虚数,指其他众多思想派别。因此“百”不宜直译为one hundred。译文最后一句用As a result开头,不仅起到衔接作用,也指明了与上一句之间的因果关系。
四书五经是中国儒家的经典书籍,是儒家思想的核心载体, 体现了儒家思想的核心价值和思 想体系。1、四书包括《大学》、《中庸》、《论语》、《孟子》。明清时期,四书成为科举考试的核心科目。2 、五经是儒家作为研究基础的 五本古代经典书籍的合称,包括 《诗》、《书》、《礼》、《易》和《春秋》。3 、西汉时期,儒被国教化, 五经也因此变得更加重要,明清时期被用作科举考试的教科书。 四书五经是中国传统文化的重要组成部分,更是中国历史文化古籍中的宝典。它在世界文化史、
思想史上也具有极高的地位。
The Four Books and the Five Classics are the classic books and the main carriers of Confucianism, illustrating the core value and ideological systems of Confucianism. The Four Books include The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects of Confucius, and Mencius. They were, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, made the core of the official curriculum for the imperial civil examinations. The Five Classics is a collective name given to five ancient classics which were used by Confucianism as its basis of study, namely The Book of Songs, The Book of History, The Book of Rites, The Book of Changes, and The Spring and Autumn Annals. During the Western Han Dynasty, Confucianism was adopted as the state ideology, making the Five Classics even more important. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Five Classics were used as textbooks for the imperial civil examinations. The Four Books and the Five Classics are not only an integral part of traditional Chinese culture but also treasured books of Chinese historical and cultural classics. They also rank very high in the cultural and intellectual history of the world.
翻译简析:
1.  本句原文是并列句,英译为简单句,后面用分词短语作状语,主次分明,句法严谨,表达自然。
2.  科举考试相当于封建时代的公务员考试,所以译为imperial civil examinations。
3.  本句提到的五经和上文提到的四书所采用的译名,都是国内外学界较通用的,宜熟读成诵。
4.  “具有极高的地位”译为rank very high,表达自然。注意rank在这里是半系动词,后面用形容词high,而不是副词highly。
孟子
孟子又称孟轲,是战国时期伟大的思想家、教育家、政治家。 孟子继承并发扬了孔子的思想,被认为是继孔子之后儒家学派最重要的代表。孟子继承了孔子的德治思想,主张仁政,即对人民“省刑罚,薄税敛”。1 、当权者若无视人民需求或统治残暴,人民可将其推翻或诛灭。孟子还继承了孔子的性善学说,主张性善论。2、 他认为人天生具备道德意识,可通过内省和道德教育去保持和扩充,以免腐化堕落。3 、孟子对孔子学说的诠释、发展与推广和孔子学说一样对中国传统思想影响深远,二者的思想被称为“孔孟之道”。孟子的思想收录在《孟子》 中,由孟子和其弟子收集记录。《孟子》是四书之一和《论语》一样,是儒家学说的经典之一。
Mencius, also known as Meng Ke, was a great philosopher, educator, and statesman in the Warring States Period. He inherited and developed Confucius’ thought and was identified as the most importa
nt representative of Confucianism after Confucius himself. Mencius inherited Confucius’ idea of governing by virtue, advocating a benevolent government which should reduce penalties and taxation toward its people. It is permissible for people to overthrow or kill a ruler who ignores the public’s needs or rules harshly. Mencius also inherited Confucius’ teachings of i nnate goodness of human nature, asserting the innate goodness of the individual. He argued that human beings are born with an innate moral sense, which could be preserved and expanded through self-examination and moral cultivation to avoid being corrupted. His interpretations, development, and spread of Confucius’ teachings became as influential in traditional Chinese ideology as the ideas of Confucius himself. The thoughts of these two great thinkers are referred to as the "Doctrine of Confucius and Mencius”. Mencius' teachings were recorded in the book Mencius, which was collected and recorded by Mencius and his disciples. Mencius is one of the Four Books, Just like The Analects of Confucius,Mencius is one of the classics of Confucianism.
翻译简析:
1.  本句有一些具有中国文化特的词汇,如“德治”“仁政”,可分别意译为g idea of governing by virtue,a benevolent government。此外,“省刑罚,薄税敛”出自《孟子•梁惠王上》,意为减免刑罚,减轻赋税,“省”和“薄”,其实都是“减少”的意思,所以译文仅用一个动词reduce。
2.  本句涉及儒家的核心学说“性善”,是指人天生是善良的,人的本性是好的,所以译为
innate goodness of human nature。
3.  本句后半句是对前面“道德意识”的说明,所以译文釆用了which引导的非限定性定语从句,句法紧凑。把握英汉两种语言特点,有助于提高译文的可读性。
4. 本句分译为两句,第一句突出《孟子》为四书之一。也可译为Just like The Analects of Confucius, Mencius, one of the Four Books, is a the classic of Confucianism.
长城是世界上最伟大的奇迹之一,1987年被列为联合国教科文组织世界文化遗产。1 、它宛如一条巨龙,蜿蜒曲折,穿越草地、沙漠和高山,自西向东绵延8,851.8公里(明长城)。
2 、经过两千多年的沧桑,长城部分城墙已经被毁或湮灭。3、 但是,由于它建筑雄伟,历史悠久,长城现今依然是世界上最具吸引力的景点之一。长城始建于春秋战国时期的燕、赵、秦等国,作为防御工事。秦始皇将各段城墙连接起来,抵御北方部落的侵袭。4 、从那时起,长城就成为中华民族的一道丰碑,此后历朝历代都在不断扩建和修缮。5、 今天我们看到的长城主要建于明代。长城承载着丰富的中国文化,体现了中国人民的智慧和顽强。长城与黄河、长江一起,成为了中华民族的象征。
The Great Wall, one of the greatest wonders of the world, was listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1987. Like a giant dragon, the Great Wall winds its way across grasslands, deserts and mountains, stretching approximately 8,851.8 kilometers (the Ming walls) from west to east of China. With a history of more than 2,000 years, some of the sections are now in ruins or have disappeared. However, it is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world owing to its architectural grandeur and historical significance. The Great Wall was originally built in t he Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period as a defensive project by states including Yan, Zhao, and Qin. Emperor Qinshihuang, founder of the first unified empire in Chinese history, succeeded in his effort to have the walls joined together to fend off the invasions from tribes in the north. Since then, the Great Wall has served as a monument of the Chinese nation. It went through constant extensions and repairs in later dynasties. The Great Wall we see today was mostly built during the Ming Dynasty. The Great Wall carries a considerable part of Chinese culture and demonstrates t he wisdom and tenacity of the Chinese people. It has become a symbol of the Chinese nation along with the Yellow River and the
Yangtze River.
翻译简析
1 、原文对主语“长城”的说明包含两个部分,其中前者为次要信息,后者为主要信息。因此在翻译时没有将二者译为并列成分,而是将前者译为同位语。
五经四书
2 、本句在结构上与第一句相仿,译文重点突出长城的“蜿蜒曲折”,译为句子的核心winds its way,其他内容则译为状语。原文的动词“穿越”译为介词across,这种词类转换在翻译中比较常见。
3、 “两千多年的沧桑”主要指长城历史悠久,因而译作a history of more than 2,000 years。汉语中有些词意蕴丰富,难以紧扣字面意思译成英文,翻译过程中应重点挖掘其背后信息,重在达意,不宜过分追求词藻,舍本逐末。
4 、本句中的“秦始皇”,译文先用音译,然后用一个同位语作说明,便于外国读者理解其背后的文化信息。
5、原文虽是一句,但有两层意思,所以分译成两句。
故宫位于北京市中心,是明清两代24位皇帝的皇宫。1 、故宫首建于明成祖年间,历时14 年竣工。2 、没有皇帝特许,禁止任何人进宫,因此这里又叫“紫禁城”。故宫外观呈长方形,是世界上最大的宫殿,占地约72万平方米,四面环绕着52米宽的护城河和10 米高的城墙。3、 城墙四面各有一座城门,
南北门相距961米, 东西门相隔753米。4 、故宫分为两部分。南部又称外朝,是皇帝行使最高权力的地方;北部又称内廷,是皇帝和皇室生活的场所。5、由于黄是皇族的标志,故宫内以黄为主。6 、屋顶铺的是黄琉璃瓦, 宫里的装饰品也被漆成黄。 但是有一个例外,皇帝的书斋文渊阁是黑顶,原因是当时人们认为黑代表水,可以灭火。7、 故宫用作皇宫约有五百年历史,藏有大量奇珍古玩。8、1987年,故宫被联合国教科文组织列为世界文化遗产。现在,故宫已成为全世界最受欢迎的景点之一,对国内外游客开放。
Lying at the center of Beijing, the Palace Museum was the imperial palace for 24 emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was built during the reign of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty,