作者：双语君

本文来源：中国日报双语新闻（Chinadaily_Mobile)

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你是否好奇过，“小人”这个颇具特色的词语该如何翻译？

小编来给你科普一下，不是“little man”，而是“petty man”！

（图源：视觉中国）

除此之外，你知道“浩然之气”“赏善罚恶”“人道”这些词该怎么说吗？

让我们从一系列的中华思想文化术语中寻找答案。

中英文内容来自中华思想文化术语传播工程核心成果——《中华思想文化术语》丛书。

小人Petty Man


“小人”最初用以表明人的社会身份与地位，通常指被统治者或地位低下之人。后世又以人的德行高下来界定“小人”。德行卑下者被称作“小人”（与“君子”相对），“小人”只关注和追逐个人的权力或利益，为了获取私利不惜违背道义，缺乏对“道”的理解与尊重。

The term was originally used to indicate a person’s social status, usually referring to the rulers’ subjects or those low in social ranking. Later generations also used the term to indicate one’s moral standard in a disapproving way. Those of base character were called petty men as opposed to men of virtue. A petty man only pursues his personal interests or profits, even by violating morality and righteousness; and such people have no understanding of or regard for Dao. 

▌引例
君子喻于义，小人喻于利。 （《论语·里仁》）A man of virtue understands and observes what is morally right; while a petty man only has his eyes on and goes after what brings him personal gains.

公正Fair/Just

公平正义或公平正直。在现代社会，公正主要体现在制度公正、法律公正、社会财富与公共资源分配公正及人心公正等方面，被认为是培育美好品德、构建美好社会的核心价值之一。The expression means fair and just. In modern society, fairness finds its expression mainly in the way that institutions, laws, and people are just and social wealth and public resources are fairly distributed. It is seen as one of the core values conducive to good morality and society. 
▌引例
毋以私好恶害公正，察民所恶，以自为戒。 （《管子·桓公问》）Do not harm the fairness because of personal likes and dislikes. Find out what the people detest and take that as a warning to oneself. 
人道Way of Man

为人之道，指人类社会必须遵循的行为规范（与“天道”相对），也是人类社会得以维持和运行的关系及法则。近代以后，西学东渐，它演变为以尊重和关爱人的生命、幸福、尊严、自由、个性发展等为原则的行为规范和权利。The way of man refers to the code of conduct that people must observe and also the relations and norms that keep human society on the right track. The way of man stands in contrast to the way of heaven. When Western culture was introduced to China in modern times, the term gained the meaning of respect and care for people’s lives, well-being, dignity, freedom, and individuality.

▌引例
天道远，人道迩。 （《左传·昭公十八年》）The way of heaven is far away; the way of man is near.
赏善罚恶Reward Good and Punish Evil

奖赏善人，惩罚恶人。它是诚信精神和善恶观念的有机统一。
Good and evil should be identified and rewards and punishments should be meted out in accordance with the law. Rewards and punishments help people to develop integrity and tell good from evil. 
▌引例
善人赏而暴人罚，则国必治矣。 （《墨子•尚同下》）
With the good rewarded and the evil punished, the state will surely be well governed. 
勇Courage

“勇”的基本含义是勇敢。“勇”作为一种德行，要求在行事之时，不畏惧困难，不计较个人利害，始终坚守道义的原则，敢于制止违背道义的行为。

The basic meaning of yong (勇) is courage, which is a virtue. When necessary, a courageous person is expected to fearlessly stop any act that violates ethical principles without giving any consideration to his own personal interests. 

▌引例
子曰：“非其鬼而祭之，谄也。见义不为，无勇也。” （《论语·为政》）Confucius said: “One who offers sacrifices to other people’s ancestors is a flatterer. One who knows what is right but takes no action is lacking in courage.”

浩然之气

Noble Spirit

盛大而充盈于生命之中的正直之气。孟子（前372？—前289）认为“浩然之气”是与道义相匹配的，由内而生，非得自于外。个人能够坚守善道，反省自身行事能无愧于心，“浩然之气”就会自然发生并逐渐充盈。一旦养成“浩然之气”，行正义之事便能果决勇敢而无所疑虑。

Noble spirit is a powerful source of cultivating integrity in one’s life. In Mencius’ （372？-289 BC） view, it goes hand in hand with morality and justice and originates from within rather than from without. If one lives an ethical life and regularly conducts soul searching, he will be imbued with noble spirit and will willingly stand up for what is right.

▌引例
“敢问何谓浩然之气?”曰:“难言也。其为气也，至大至刚，以直养而无害，则塞于天地之间。其为气也，配义与道。无是，馁也。” （《孟子·公孙丑上》）

“May I ask what noble spirit is?”“It is something hard to describe,” Mencius answered. “As a vital force, it is immensely powerful and just. Cultivate it with rectitude and keep it unharmed, and it will fill all the space between heaven and earth. Being a vital force, noble spirit becomes powerful with the accompaniment of righteousness and Dao. Without righteousness and Dao, noble spirit will be weak and frail.”

来源 | 中国日报双语新闻制作｜绢生审核｜肖英 / 万顷终审｜清欢