文化交流阅读材料:第二篇 Passage 2

第二篇 Passage 2

The Spread and Influence of Confucius' Teachings in Western Countries

Confucius, born in Qu Fu, China, lived in the late Spring and Autumn period (770—476 B.C). He founded Confucianism------the famous philosophical school in the history of China. In his last years, Confucius lived in relative poverty and enjoyed no great fame. But after his death, his thought continued to influence the Chinese people for over 2500 years. As the kernel of the traditional culture of ancient China, Confucius' teachings greatly influenced not only the historical development of Oriental society, but also the social life of some European countries.

In Italy Confucius' influence on Italy has something to do with the missionaries who came to China to do missionary work. In 1582, the Society of Jesus sent Matteo Ricci to China. In order to do their missionary work well, he studied Confucianism very hard. Matteo Ricci was the first person who used Confucianism to express Christianity. He arrived in Beijing in 1601 and lived there for ten years. He published the Latin version of the Four Shus which were the earliest classical books of Confucius translated into European Language. Matteo Ricci had made some contributions to the cultural exchange between the East and the West, so he was called “the first man facilitated the flow of culture between China and Western countries”, “Learned Western Confucianism” and “Christian Confucius”. The study of Confucius in today's Italy has made some progress and several groups of books about Confucius have been published.

In France Among European countries, Confucianism has its greatest effect in France. It was introduced to France soon after it was introduced to Italy. During the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, Confucianism had made some positive contributions to the bourgeois revolution in France. Its influence on the French Revolution can be seen in the Declaration of the Right of Man and of the Citizen, drafted by Robes Pierre, leader of Jacobin Club. The declaration says that freedom is the right belonging to all those who do not do harm to others, the principle of freedom is nature, the rule is justice, the guarantee is the law and the moral limits are in the following, "Don't treat others in the way you do not want to be treated."

The Chinese Study Institute of Paris University is the major one that studies Confucianism in France. The subjects include Confucian Classics and Confucianism. In Grand Larousse Encyclopedique published in 1973, under the entry of Confucius, Confucius and Confucianism are introduced and discussed systematically. As a representative work of Confucian study in France it starts its discussion with Confucius and ends with Mr. Feng Youlan, a Chinese expert at Confucian study.

In Germany Confucianism was introduced into Germany also through the Society of Jesus, the same way as it was introduced into other European countries. The teachings of Confucius had influenced the Enlightenment in Germany. German scholar Leibniz had studied and introduced Confucianism thoroughly. Goethe, the great German poet, had read about works of Confucius in quite early days. He was called "Confucius of Weimar." In the Enlightenment, Confucius had influenced the philosophic circle and the literature circle in different degrees in German. After 1960, the world situation changed. The study of Sinology including Confucianism in Germany has made great progress. Several groups of monographs about Confucianism have been published.

In England The study of Confucius and Confucianism in England has gone through many difficulties and setbacks. After the teachings of Confucius were introduced into England by missionaries, they served commercial purpose and Britain's colonial affairs in China. No achievement was made in academic field.

After the People's Republic of China was founded, the study of Confucius and Confucianism was started in England and nowadays in some aspects the country has been in the lead. The entry of Confucianism in New Britainac Encyclopedia can be regarded as the representative of English scholars' points of view about Confucius. Giving a thorough and systematic discussion in every field of Confucianism, it contains 40,000 words if translated into Chinese.

In America Americans began to study Confucianism through missionary activities, motivated by capital expansion. The study has been pushed forward while the U.S.-China policy and international conditions are changing frequently. From the end of the 19th century to the early 20th century, especially during WWI and WWII, more attention was paid to the work because of political and military reasons. The changes of the international conditions after 1960's, especially the changes in Sino-U.S. relationship, have made Chinese study in America, including the study of Confucius develop quickly. In the American academic field, Confucius has been given a thorough study and review. More and more Americans began to understand and respect Confucius as a famous intellectual in Chinese history and Confucianism as the representative of Chinese feudal traditional culture. In People's Almanac Handbook, published in 1985 in America, Confucius heads the list of the ten great thinkers in the world.

(Excerpts from the World of English, September 1999)

课文词语 Words and Expressions from the Text

Confucius 孔子

Spring and Autumn period 春秋时期

Confucianism 儒学

the kernel of… 核心

missionary 传教士

Society of Jesus 耶稣会

Matteo Ricci 利玛窦

Four Shus 四书

Learned Western Confucianist 博学西儒

Christian Confucius 基督教孔子

the Enlightenment 资产阶级启蒙运动 Jacobin Club 雅各宾俱乐部

Don't treat others in the way you do not want to be treated. 己所不欲，勿施于人。

Grand Larouse Encyclopedique 《拉鲁斯大百科全集》

Confucius of Weimar 魏玛的孔夫子

Sinology 汉学

monograph 专著

People's Almanac Handbook 《人民年鉴手册》