An analysis of manipulation in Matteo Ricci’s Chinese translation work and its causes
利玛窦汉译工作中的操控现象及其原因分析

摘要

利玛窦是明末清初时期引领西学东渐、传播西学科技的重要传教士之一，对其能成功在中国传播西学的原因进行剖析，能够让中国翻译史学习者对该时期翻译史有着更加透彻的认识。本研究旨在以安德烈·勒菲弗的操控理论为理论框架，深入分析明末清初意大利耶稣会士利玛汉译西方著作过程中所采取的操控策略及其动因。研究聚焦利玛窦在华期间进行的代表性翻译工作，探讨其如何在特定的历史、文化语境下，为达成传播西学与天主教义的双重目的而实施翻译操控。研究方法主要基于操控理论的核心要素——意识形态、诗学和赞助人，结合具体汉译文本进行案例分析。研究发现，利玛窦的汉译实践本质上是特定历史条件下多重操控力量共同作用下的“改写”，这种操控策略虽成功促成了西学东渐初期的知识传播与文化交流，并为其传教活动创造了条件，但也不可避免地导致了译介内容与其原意的偏差。

Abstract

Matteo Ricci was a pivotal missionary who facilitated the Eastward Transmission of Western Learning and disseminated Western scientific knowledge during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Analyzing the reasons for his success in introducing Western learning to China enables learners of Chinese translation history to gain deeper insights into translation practices of that era. This study employs Lefevere’s Manipulation Theory as its theoretical framework to investigate the manipulation strategies adopted by the Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci in translating Western works into Chinese and the underlying motivations. Focusing on Ricci’s representative translation projects in China, the research explores how he implemented translational manipulation within specific historical and cultural contexts to achieve the dual objectives of spreading Western knowledge and Catholic doctrines. The methodology centers on the core elements of Manipulation Theory—ideology, poetics, and patronage—supported by case studies of specific translated texts. The findings reveal that Ricci’s translation practice essentially constituted a "rewriting" shaped by multiple manipulative forces under historical constraints. While this manipulation strategy successfully fostered knowledge dissemination and cultural exchange in the early phase of Eastward Transmission of Western Learning and created conditions for missionary activities, it inevitably led to discrepancies between the translated content and its original meaning.