中英雙語話史記 第39期:焚書坑儒

Burning of Books and Burying of Scholars

焚書坑儒

1. Book burning

1、焚書

According to the Records of the Grand Historian, after the First Emperor of Qin annexed the State of Qi and unified China in 221 BC, his Chancellor Li Si suggested suppressing the freedom of speech, unifying all thoughts and political opinions.

根據《史記》的記載，秦始皇吞併齊國並一統中國之後，他的丞相李斯建議壓制演講的自由，統一思想和政見。

This was justified by accusations that the intelligentsia sang false praise and raised dissent through libel.

這個建議被指責知識分子阿諛奉承和進行文字誹謗的論點證明了它的合理性。

Beginning in 213 B.C, all classic works of the Hundred Schools of Thought----except those from his own, the school of philosophy known as Legalism----were subject to burning.

公元前213年開始，百家爭鳴的所有典籍，除了他所尊崇的法家學說以外，全部被焚燒。

Li Si proposed that all histories in the imperial archives except those written by the Qin historians be burned;

李斯建議帝國檔案館裏的所有史料，除去秦朝歷史學家所撰寫的，都應該被燒燬；

that the Classic of Poetry, the Classic of History, and works by scholars of different schools be handed into the local authorities for burning;

包括《詩經》、《書經》和那些由諸子百家所寫的著作都應被收至中央進行焚燒；

that anyone discussing these two particular books be executed;that those using ancient examples to satirize contemporary politics be put to death, along with their families;

任何人談論這兩本書都應被處死，任何人用過去的例子來諷刺當朝的政治都應被處死，他們的家人也應被行刑；

that authorities who failed to report cases that came to their attention were equally guilty;

朝廷中有任何人知情不報同樣該被治罪；

and that those who had not burned the listed books within 30 days of the decree were to be banished to the north as convicts working on building the Great Wall.

那些沒有按聖旨在30天內焚燒名單上書籍的人應被髮配到北疆和犯人們一起修建長城。

The only books to be spared in the destruction were books on medicine, agriculture and divination.

在焚書期間唯一得以流傳的書籍是有關醫藥、農業和占卜的。

2. Burial of the scholars

2、坑儒

After being deceived by two alchemists while seeking prolonged life, the First Emperor of Qin ordered more than 460 of them in the capital to be buried alive in the second year of the proscription, though an account given by Wei Hong in the 2nd century added another 700 to the figure.

自從在尋找長生不老方法的過程中被兩個煉金術士欺騙，秦始皇在放逐他們的第二年就在都城活埋了超過460個儒家學者，不過2世紀時衛宏又爲這個數據增加了700個人。

The Crown Prince Fusu counseled that, with the country newly unified, and enemies still not pacified, such a harsh measure imposed on those who respect Confucius would cause instability.

太子扶蘇勸諫說，對於一個剛剛統一的國家，外敵還未平定，對尊崇孔子學說的那些人採取這樣嚴酷的刑法會造成不穩定。

However, he was unable to change his father’s mind, and instead was sent to guard the frontier in a de facto exile.

但是，他不僅無法改變秦始皇的想法，甚至還被髮配至邊疆充軍。

The quick fall of the Qin Dynasty was attributed to this proscription.

秦朝如此快速的覆滅就源於這些對於人權的剝奪。

Confucianism was revived in the Han Dynasty that followed, and became the official ideology of the Chinese imperial state.

儒學思想在之後的漢代復興併成爲了中國封建社會的官方學說。

However, many of the other schools of thought disappeared.

然而，其他的思想學派卻消失了。