古文鉴赏:韩愈《师说》 (中英文)
(2008-06-23 09:44:44)
下一个
古之学者必有师。师者,所以传道受业解惑也。人非生而知之者,孰能无惑?惑而不从师,其为惑也,终不解矣。生乎吾前,其闻道也,固先乎吾,吾从而师之;生乎吾后,其闻道也,亦先乎吾,吾从而师之。吾师道也,夫庸知其年之先后生于吾乎?是故无贵无贱,无长无少,道之所存,师之所存也。
嗟乎!师道之不传也久矣,欲人之无惑也难矣。古之圣人,其出人也远矣,犹且从师而问焉;今之众人,其下圣人也亦远矣,而耻学于师。是故圣益圣,愚益愚。圣人之所以为圣,愚人之所以为愚,其皆出于此乎?爱其子,择师而教之;于其身也,则耻师焉,惑矣。彼童子之师,授之书而习其句读者,非吾所谓传其道、解其惑者也。句读之不知,惑之不解,或师焉,或不焉,小学而大遗,吾未见其明也。巫医、乐师、百工之人,不耻相师。士大夫之族,曰“师”曰“弟子”云者,则群聚而笑之。问之,则曰:彼与彼年相若也,道相似也,位卑则足羞,官盛则近谀。呜呼!师道之不复,可知矣。 巫医、乐师、百工之人,君子不齿,今其智乃反不能及,其可怪也欤!
圣人无常师。孔子师郯子、苌弘、师襄、老聃。郯子之徒,其贤不及孔子。孔子曰“三人行,则必有我师。”是故弟子不必不如师,师不必贤于弟子。闻道有先后,术业有专攻,如是而已。
李氏子蟠,年十七,好古文,六艺经传皆通习之,不拘于时,学于余。余嘉其能行古道,作《师说》以贻之。
In ancient times those who wanted to learn would seek out a teacher, one who could propagate the doctrine1, impart professional knowledge, and resolve doubts. Since no one is born omniscient, who can claim to have no doubts? If one has doubts and is not willing to learn from a teacher, his doubts will never be resolved. Anyone who was born before me and learned the doctrine before me is my teacher. Anyone who was born after me and learned the doctrine before me is also my teacher. Since what I desire to learn is the doctrine, why should I care whether he was born before or after me? Therefore, it does not matter whether a person is high or low in position, young or old in age. Where there is the doctrine, there is my teacher.
Alas! The tradition of learning from the teacher has long been neglected. Thus it is difficult to find a person without any doubts at all. Ancient sages, who far surpassed us, even learned from their teachers. People today, who are far inferior to them, regard learning from the teacher as a disgrace. Thus, wise men become more wise and unlearned men become more foolish. This explains what makes a wise man and what makes a foolish man.
It is absurd that a person would choose a teacher for his son out of his love for him, and yet refuse to learn from the teacher himself, thinking it a disgrace to do so. The teacher of his son teaches the child only reading and punctuation, which is not propagating the doctrine or resolving doubts as the aforementioned. I don"t think it wise to learn from the teacher when one doesn"t know how to punctuate, but not when one has doubts unresolved, for that I find to be the folly of learning in small matters, but neglecting the big ones. Even medicine men, musicians and handicraftsmen do not think it disgraceful to learn from each other. When one of the literati calls another man his "teacher"and himself his "student" people will get together and invariably laugh at him. If you ask them why they are laughing, they will say that since he is almost of the same age and as erudite as another man, it would be degrading for him to call the other man "teacher" if the other man"s social rank is lower than his; and it would be flattering if the other man"s social rank is higher. Alas! It is clear that the tradition of learning from the teacher can no longer be restored. Medicine men, musicians and handicraftsmen are despised by the gentlemen. How strange it is that gentlemen are less wise than these people!
The ancient sages did not limit themselves to particular teachers. Confucius had learned from people like Tanzi2, Changhong3, Shixiang4, and Laodan5, who were not as virtuous and talented as Confucius. Confucius said "If three men are walking together, one of them is bound to be good enough to be my teacher."A student is not necessarily inferior to his teacher, nor does a teacher necessarily be more virtuous and talented than his student. The real fact is that one might have learned the doctrine earlier than the other, or might be a master in his own special field.
Pan, the son of Li"s family, who is only seventeen years old, loves to study Chinese classics of the Qin and Han dynasties, and masters the six jing6 and their annotations. He does not follow conventions and is willing to learn from me. I appreciate his ability to act in accordance with the old tradition of learning. Therefore I dedicate this piece to him.
译文:
古时候求学问的人一定有老师。所谓老师,就是(用来)传授道理、授与专业知识、解答疑难问题的人。人不是生下来就懂道理的,谁能够没有疑难问题呢?有疑难问题却不跟老师请教,那些成为疑难的问题便终究不会解决了。出生在我前面的,他懂得道理本来比我早,我跟随他,以他为师;出生在我后面的,他懂得道理要是也比我早,我也跟他学习。我学习的是道理,哪管他出生在我之前还是在我之后呢?因此,不论地位高还是低,不论年龄大还是小,道理存在的地方,老师也就在那里。
唉!从师学习的传统不被继承已经很久了,要人们没有疑难问题是很困难的了!古时候的圣人,超出一般人够远了,尚且跟从老师请教;现在的一般人,他们不如圣人也够远了,却以向老师学习为耻辱。因此,圣人就更加圣明,愚人就更加愚蠢。圣人的所以成为圣人,愚人的所以成为愚人,大概都是由于这个原因吧?人们爱自己的孩子,就选择老师来教他们;对于自己呢,却不肯从师学习,这真糊涂了。那些儿童们的老师,是教给儿童们读书和学习书中文句的,不是我所说的那种传授道理、解释疑难问题的老师。不懂得书中的文句就从师学习,疑难问题不得解释,却不向老师请教,小事学习,大事反而丢弃,我看不出他们明白道理的地方。巫医、乐师、各种工匠,不把相互学习当作难为情。读书做官的这类人,一听到有人以“老师”、“学生”相称,就许多人聚集在一起讥笑人家。问他们为什么这样,他们就说:“他和他年纪差不多,学问也差不多。称地位低的人为师,就感到羞耻,称官位高的人为老师,就近于拍马。”唉!从师学习的传统不能恢复,从这里可以知道了。巫医、音乐师和工匠,是所谓上层人士看不起的,现在那些“上层人士”的明智程度竟然反而不及这些人,岂不是可以奇怪的么!
圣人没有固定的老师。孔子曾以郯子、苌弘、师襄、老聃为师。郯子这些人,他们的品德才能并不如孔子。孔子说:“三个人一起走,那一定有可以当我老师的。”所以,学生不一定不及老师,老师不一定比学生高明。懂得道理有先有后,技能业务各有钻研与擅长,不过这样罢了。
李家的儿子名叫蟠,十七岁,爱好古文,六经的经文和传注全都学了,不被时俗拘束,来向我学习。我赞许他能实行古代的从师之道,写这篇《师说》来赠给他。
赏析:
韩愈的《师说》是我国教育史上第一篇专门论述教师的文章。中国是一个有着尊师传统的国家。古人曾用“天、地、君、亲、师”来表达对教师的尊重。“天”和“地”都是虚的,教师是排在国君和父母之后的,实际上名列第三位,可见其重要性。教师是传播人类文明的使者,没有教师,人类的文明之火就无法传递下去。韩愈看到这一点,并对魏晋以来直到唐代社会上形成的以从师为耻的风气深为不满。他勇敢地站出来指出教师具有“传道、受业、解惑”的重要作用。韩愈把“传道”放在第一位。“传道”是什么意思?就是发扬光大以儒家经典为核心的正统思想。韩愈在《原道》一文中指出“道有君子小人,而德有凶有吉”。他明确指出,自己所说的道,非老子之道,非佛家之道,而是儒家之道,即“古之欲明天下者,先治其国。欲治其国者,先齐其家。欲齐其家者,先修其身。欲修其身者,先正其心。欲正其心者,先诚其意”。修身、齐家、治国、平天下,这是儒家思想的核心,历代奉为圭臬。韩愈是以传这个“道”为己任的。因此,对道的理解是解读《师说》的一把钥匙。“受业”也是受儒学之业;“解惑”是指解答学者在学习儒学的过程中遇到的疑惑问题。三者的内涵与外延都没有超出儒学范畴,因此韩愈说:“彼童子之师,授之书而习其句读者,非吾所谓传其道解其惑者也。”这就严格区分了两者的不同,实际上是点明了论题的核心。
至于本文的写作特点,最突出的应是对比手法的运用了。宋代学者黄震在《黄氏日钞》中写道:“(《师说》)前起后收,中排三节,皆以轻重相形:初以圣与愚相形,圣且从师,况愚乎?次以子与身相形,子且择师,况身乎?末以巫医、乐师、百工与士大夫相形,巫、乐、百工且从师,况士大夫乎?”黄震用了“轻重相形”四个字,精妙至极!孰为“轻重”?何谓“相形”?圣、身、士大夫为“重”,愚、子、巫乐、百工为“轻”。“相形”就是对比。以轻衬重,轻重对比,从而说明重者从师的必要性和重要性。
不过我认为还应深入一步。韩愈何必列三组轻重相形呢?岂无堆砌赘疣之嫌?我认为,“古之圣人”与“今之众人”的对比是远与近、上与下的对比,目的在于区分圣人与愚人产生的原因,强调圣人具有虚怀若谷的品质,众人就更应该从师。但是,拿圣人这样的“高标”来要求众人,未免有些不切实际。于是第二个对比出现了:要求孩子从师,自己却以从师为耻。自身应做孩子的表率,不应对孩子要求严,对自身要求宽。这是身边事,贴切,实际,增强了说服力。巫医、乐师、百工之人,地位低下,正是这些被士大夫瞧不起的人,也像圣人一样具有从师的品质。至此,读者恍然大悟:第一个对比是拿比自身高的圣人来相形,第二个对比是拿身边事来相形,第三个对比是拿比自身地位低的人来相形。无论比自身高的还是比自身低的,都具有从师的品质,就连孩子也具有这种品质,惟独“自身”不具备这种品质!这就撕下了以从师为耻的士大夫的虚伪的假面具,使之无地自容。
韩愈简介:
韩愈(768~824)唐代文学家、哲学家。字退之。河南河阳(今河南省孟县)人,祖籍河北昌黎,自称郡望昌黎,世称韩昌黎。因官吏部侍郎,又称韩吏部。谥号“文”,又称韩文公。在文学成就上,同柳宗元齐名,称为"韩柳"。他是唐代古文运动的倡导者,提倡先秦两汉的文章,世盛称其“文起八代之衰”。是唐宋八大家之首。
韩愈三岁而孤,受兄嫂抚育,早年流离困顿,有读书经世之志,虽孤贫却刻苦好学。20岁赴长安考进士,三试不第。25~35岁,他先中进士,三试博学鸿词科不成,赴汴州董晋、徐州张建封两节度使幕府任职。后回京任四门博士。36~49岁,任监察御史,因上书论天旱人饥状,请减免赋税,贬阳山令。宪宗时北归,为国子博士,累官至太子右庶子。但不得志。50~57岁,先从裴度征吴元济,后迁刑部侍郎。因谏迎佛骨,贬潮州刺史。移袁州。不久回朝,历国子祭酒、兵部侍郎、吏部侍郎、京兆尹等职。政治上较有作为。 死谥文公,故世称韩吏部、韩文公。诗力求险怪新奇,雄浑重气势。
韩愈的思想渊源于儒家,但亦有离经叛道之言。他以儒家正统自居,反对佛教的清净寂灭、神权迷信,但又相信天命鬼神;他盛赞孟子辟排杨朱、墨子,认为杨、墨偏废正道,却又主张孔墨相用;他提倡宗孔氏,贵王道,贱霸道;而又推崇管仲、商鞅的事功。他抨击二王集团的改革,但在反对藩镇割据、宦官专权等主要问题上,与二王的主张并无二致。这些复杂矛盾的现象,在其作品中都有反映。