吴汝纶与严译西学

吴汝纶自幼接受传统教育,是晚清桐城派的末代宗师。严复早年留学英伦,接受西式教育,是中国近代著名的启蒙思想家。尽管吴汝纶与严复的师承关系以及受教育的经历有较大差异,但思想观念和文化认识的趋同奠定了他俩友谊关系的基础。严复拜吴汝纶为师,服膺桐城派,擅长以桐城古文译介西学。严译西学与吴汝纶的序言,可谓珠联璧合,影响深远。与其说严复请吴汝纶作序有借重其学界名望的考虑,毋宁说是吴汝纶信奉进化论而推崇严译西学。

WU Ru-lun and YAN Fu's Translation of Western Works

Receiving traditional education during childhood,WU Ru-lun was among the last generation of learned masters of the Tongcheng school in the late Qing Dynasty.YAN Fu,who studied abroad in his early years and received education of the western style,was a famous initiation thinker in modern China.Despite the great differences in their mentoring relationship and education experiences,the convergence of their ideas and cultural understanding underlay their friendship.Formally acknowledging WU Ru-lun as his master and following the tradition of the Tongcheng school,YAN Fu was expert in translating western works with classic Chinese.His translations and WU Ru-lun's preface were well-matched and profound in influence.As for why YAN Fu invited WU Ru-lun to preface his translations,most of people may regard the latter's academic reputation as the reason.I would rather hold that it was because WU Ru-lun believed in the evolutionary theory that he praised highly YAN's translation of western works.