WHO西太区与世界中医药学会联合会中医名词术语国际标准比较研究五行学说部分.docx

1、WHO西太区与世界中医药学会联合会中医名词术语国际标准比较研究五行学说部分WHO西太区与“世界中医药学会联合会”中医名词术语国际标准比较研究：五行学说部分【关键词】 语言学 科学术语 翻译 英语 中医名词 五行学说 Keywords: linguistics; terminology; translation; English; terms, traditional Chinese medicine; five elements theory WHO西太区传统医学国际标准名词术语1中，一共收录了51条有关五行学说的术语，“世界中医药学会联合会”的标准中医基本名词术语中英对照国际标准2中则收录了

2、103条。这些术语的翻译与通行译法基本一致，如将木、火、土、金、水译为wood，fire，earth，metal，water。但一些关键词语的翻译却多参照海外译法而行，如将“五行”译为five phases，将“生”译作engender，将“乘”译作overwhelming，将“侮”译作rebellion。将“克”译作restrain，倒与通行译法相近。下面试结合“世中联”的标准，对WHO方案中有关五行学说主要概念的翻译问题加以分析比较。 五行five phases the five phases: wood, fire, earth, metal and water, and their m

3、ovements and changes, also known as five elements. 木wood one of the five phases, with which the season spring, the color blue or green, the taste sourness, and the liver and gallbladder in the body are associated. 火fire one of the five phases, with which the season summer, the color red, the taste b

4、itterness, and the heart and small intestine in the body are associated. 土earth one of the five phases, with which the season of late summer, the color yellow, the taste sweetness, and the spleen and stomach in the body are associated. 金metal one of the five phases, with which the season autumn, the

5、 color white, the taste acridity pungent, and the lung and large intestine in the body are associated. 水water (1) one of the five phases, with which the season winter, the color black, the taste saltiness, and the kidney and bladder in the body are associated; (2) pathologic aspect of body fluid. “五

6、行”一般有3种译法：five elements, five phases, wuxing。从目前的使用情况来看，five elements 最为流行，且有约定俗成之势，值得采用。“世中联”的标准中就是将five elements作为首选译语，这与WHO的做法刚好相反。 “五行”中的“木、火、土、金、水”一般直译为wood, fire, earth, metal, water。对于“木”的翻译，以前也有过不同的意见。比如有的人认为，wood指木材，意即砍倒的树木；而“五行”的“木”则是指生长中的“树木”，所以建议用tree来翻译“木”。其实wood在英语中并不一定就是指经过加工的木材。 朗文当代

7、高级英语辞典给wood下的第一个定义就是“the material of which trunks and branches of trees are made, which is cut and dried in various forms for making material, for burning, for making paper or furniture, etc.”。 五行归类categorization according to the five phases classification of material things and phenomena into five

8、categories by comparing their structures, properties and actions with the five phases. 在“世中联”的标准中，无“五行归类”一词，但有“别异比类”，译作analogy。所谓“别异比类”，大约指的是中医学中“取象比类”吧。 相生engendering the relationship in which each phase and its associated phenomena give rise to or promote another sequential phase, also the same as

9、 generating. 木生火wood engenders fire the category of wood generates or promotes the category of fire, also the same as wood generating fire. 火生土fire engenders earth the category of fire generates or promotes the category of earth, also called fire generating earth. 土生金earth engenders metal the catego

10、ry of earth generates or promotes the category of metal, also called earth generating metal. 金生水metal engenders water the category of metal generates or promotes the category of water, also called metal generating water. 水生木water engenders wood the category of water generates or promotes the categor

11、y of wood, also called water generating wood. 在五行学说中，“相生”指事物之间具有相互资生、相互促进的一面。常译作mutual promotion, mutual generation或inter promotion, inter generation。mutual和inter 都表示相互的意思，只是mutual可以作为一个独立的词语来使用，而inter 则不能作为独立词语使用，只能作为一个构词成分使用。“相生”还有人译作engendering，WHO方案中就采用了这种译法。在“世中联”的标准中，“相生”则一律使用generate，反映了这一概念英

12、语翻译的基本趋向。 相克restraining the relationship in which each phase and its associated phenomena restrict/check/control another phase. 木克土wood restrains earth the category of wood restricts or checks the category of earth, also called wood controlling earth. 火克金fire restrains metal the category of fire res

13、tricts or checks the category of metal, also called fire controlling metal. 土克水earth restrains water the category of earth restricts or checks the category of water, also called earth controlling water. 水克火water restrains fire the category of water restricts or checks the category of fire, also call

14、ed water controlling fire. 金克木metal restrains wood the category of metal restricts or checks the category of wood, also called metal controlling wood. 在五行学说中，“相克”指事物间具有相互制约、相互排斥的一面，常译作mutual restraint, mutual restriction, mutual inhibition或inter restraint, inter restriction, inter inhibition。从目前的使用情

15、况来看，mutual (inter ) restraint和mutual (inter ) restriction使用得最为普遍，虽然mutual (inter ) inhibition在语义上也有可取之处，但其使用范围远不及前两种译法广泛。在实际应用中，也有人不用mutual和inter ，而直接使用restraint或restriction。在“世中联”的标准中，“相克”一概译作restrict。 相乘overwhelming abnormally severe restraining of the five phases in the same sequence as normal re

16、straining, also known as over acting. “相乘”指克制太过，超过了正常的制约程度，常见的译法有over restraint, over restriction，也有译作subjugation。个别西方译者将“相乘”译作overwhelming。在“世中联”的标准中，“相乘”译为over restriction，与现行流行译法一致。 相侮 rebellion restraining opposite to that of the normal restraining sequence of the five phases, also known as insu

17、lting. “相侮”指相反方向的克制，常译作counter restraint, counter restriction或reverse restraint, reverse restriction。国外也有译作rebellion，显然是意译了。还有译作inter insult，有点直译太过。在“世中联”的标准中，“相侮”的译文是counter restriction，与现行译法保持一致。 五常five constants a collective term referring to wood, fire, earth, metal and water in normal movement.

18、 “五常”指木、火、土、金、水五类物质的正常运动，所以常译作motion of the five elements或normal motion of the five elements。这里译作five constants似乎有些不太恰当。因为在英语中，constant指数学中的常数和物理学中的恒量，很难用以表达五行的正常运动。 制化inhibition and generation the engendering and restraining for maintaining a relative balance coordination in the five phase theory r

19、elationships and normal. “制化”指五行之间既相互制约，又相互生化的关系，常译作restriction and generation, restraint and promotion, inhibition and generation等，意思基本一致。“世中联”采用了restriction and generation来翻译“制化”。 亢害承制harmful hyperactivity and responding inhibition one of the principles of the five phase theory indicating that hyp

20、eractivity of any phase is harmful, and its restriction will restore the normal balance. 所谓“亢害承制”，指五行有相互促进的一面，也有制约的一面。如只有促进而无制约,就会造成亢盛为害。因此必须抵御亢盛令其克制，才能维持五行的正常运动。所以早期的译者将其译作：Hyperactivity of the five elements causing damages should be suppressed，意思自然是比较准确的。有的词典也将其译作：Because excess brings harm, it sh

21、ould be restrained，语义上略微有点泛。WHO和“世中联”将其译作：Harmful hyperactivity and responding inhibition，含义似乎也不是非常明确。“亢害承制”中的“害”和“制”都是动词，“亢”和“承”则是名词，即内经六微旨大论所说的“亢则害，承则制”。按照内经的解释，“亢害承制”的意思是：Hyperactivity among the five elements will bring on harm and therefore has to be inhibited。对于这样的中医经典成语，译作名词短语，有时很难说得清楚。 母气moth

22、er qi qi of the viscus that engenders in the engendering sequential relationship of the five phases. 子气child qi qi of the viscus that is engendered in the engendering sequential relationship of the five phases. 在“世中联”的标准中，“母气”和“子气”分别译作mother element/phase/qi和child element/phase/qi，似不及WHO的译法简洁。另外，“子气

23、”还有另外一层含义，即孕妇腿部水肿。 母子相及mother and child affecting each other influence of one phase exerted on the phase that it engenders or that engenders it sequentially. “世中联”标准中有关五行学说及其相关概念的翻译，多与通行译法一致，且在数量上多于WHO标准中所罗列的用语。有些概念是WHO方案中所没有收录的，如“木曰曲直”、“火曰炎上”、“土爰稼穑”、“土生万物”、“金曰从革”、“金气萧杀”、“水曰润下” 根据笔者对标准化“概念”的分析3，似乎可以

24、不必将“木曰曲直”这样一些中医常用语作为名词术语去翻译并对其翻译进行标准化。因为这些常用语其实就是一个个陈述句或判断句，一般不会按名词术语的要求去翻译。如“木曰曲直”虽然在“世中联”的标准中被译为wood characterized by bending and straightening，但也完全可以翻译成wood tends to grow freely。另外，“金气萧杀”译作metal characterized by clearing and downward，似乎不是很完整，因为downward可以作形容词或副词，但却不能作名词。 天人相应correspondence between

25、 nature and human one of the basic concepts in traditional Chinese medicine which emphasizes that humans are in adaptive conformity with the natural environment. “天人相应”指人体组织结构、生理现象以及疾病同自然界的相应关系，早期的译文是the relationship between human body and environment，以后逐步简化为correspondence between nature and human。

26、整体观念holism one of the philosophical ideas regarding the human body as an organic whole, which is integrated with the external environment. “整体观念”的译法不是很统一，常见的是organic wholeness或concept of organic wholeness。而holism则是近年来开始使用的一个较为modern的词语，因其简洁，所以逐步为大家所采用。 辨证论治pattern identification/syndrome differentia

27、tion and treatment diagnosis of the pattern/syndrome, through comprehensive analysis of symptoms and signs, which has implications for determining the cause, nature and location of the illness and the patients physical condition, and their treatment. “辨证论治”的翻译曾经很不一致，而且比较繁琐。早期常见的译法有differential diagn

28、osis in accordance with the eight principal syndromes; analyzing and differentiating pathological conditions in accordance with the eight principal syndromes等。与中文原文相比，译文显然过于冗长。目前“辨证论治”已基本简洁为treatment based on syndrome differentiation 或syndrome differentiation and treatment或differentiating syndrome t

29、o decide treatment。有人还干脆将其简化为differentiation and treatment。 中西方译者在“辨证论治”的翻译方面，思路与方法已基本趋同，只是在个别词语的使用方面存在一定的差异。如中国译者多倾向于将“辨”和“证“译作differentiation和syndrome，而一些西方译者则倾向于将其译作identification和pattern。WHO所提供的译文，实际上就反映了这一差异。 本文概要地分析比较了WHO和“世中联”所制定的中医名词术语英译国际标准中有关五行学说术语的翻译问题。从中我们可以看出，两个标准尽管在五行学说相关概念和术语的翻译方面有一定的

30、相同或相近之处，但差异也是显而易见的。“世中联”的标准比较多地采纳了目前较为流行的译法，特别是中国译者的实践。而WHO的标准，则比较多地采用了西方一些译者的习惯做法。 【参考文献】 1 World Health Organization Western Pacific Region. WHO international standard terminologies on traditional medicine in the Western Pacific Region. 2007. 2 Li ZJ. International standard Chinese English basic n

31、omenclature of Chinese medicine. Beijing: Peoples Medical Publishing House. 2008. Chinese.李振吉. 中医基本名词术语中英对照国际标准. 北京: 人民卫生出版社. 2008.3 Li ZG. International standardization of English translation of traditional Chinese medical terminology: concept, principles and methods. Zhongguo Fan Yi. 2008; 29(4): 63 70. Chinese with abstract in English.