用英语讲中国秦朝.docx

用英语讲中国秦朝用英语讲中国秦朝秋连21B.C.中国本土的大部分地区在公元前221年获得了统一。InthatyearthewesternfrontierstateofQin,themostaggressiveoftheWarringStates,subjugatedthelastofitsrivalstates.(QininWade-GilesRomanizationisChin,fromwhichtheEnglishChinaprobablyderived.)那一年，战国时代最具野心的国度地处西陲的秦国征服了最后一个对手。(Qin在威玛妥式拼音法里的发音是Chin，这也是中国英文发音的来源。)OncethekingofQinconsolidatedhispower,hetookthetitleShiHuangdi(FirstEmperor),aformulationpreviouslyreservedfordeitiesandthemythologicalsage-emperors,andimposedQinscentralized,nonhereditarybureaucraticsystemonhisnewempire.秦朝的国君一确立本人的统治，就自称始皇帝(意为第一问君主)，这个名字原先称呼神和神话中的圣明天子的，如今则被始皇帝用来描绘秦国的集中且非世袭的官僚体制。InsubjugatingthesixothermajorstatesofEasternZhou,theQinkingshadreliedheavilyonLegalistscholar-advisers.在征服东周的其他六个主要国家时，秦国曾经非常依靠与法家学派的谏言者。Centralization,achievedbyruthlessmethods,wasfocusedonstandardizinglegalcodesandbureaucraticprocedures,theformsofwritingandcoinage,andthepatternofthoughtandscholarship.从冷酷的执政下获得的中央集权关注于标准化的法令和官僚流程、造币和书写的形式以及学派的考虑形式。Tosilencecriticismofimperialrule，thekingsbanishedorputtodeathmanydissentingConfucianscholarsandconfiscatedandburnedtheirbooks.为了消除人们对于帝国统治的异议，秦始皇放逐或处死了很多持不同意见的儒家学派学者，并把他们的典籍没收和燃烧。Qinaggrandizementwasaidedbyfrequentmilitaryexpeditionspushingforwardthefrontiersinthenorthandsouth.秦朝的扩张是借助于频繁的军事远征来扩大其版图的北部和南部。Tofendoffbarbarianintrusion,thefortificationwallsbuiltbythevariouswarringstateswereconnectedtomakea5000-kilometer-longgreatwall.为了抵御蛮族人的进犯，由战国的一些国家建造的防御城墙被连接起来构成了一个长达5000千米的长城。WhatiscommonlyreferredtoastheGreatWallisactuallyfourgreatwallsrebuiltorextendedduringtheWesternHan,Sui,Jin,andMingperiods,ratherthanasingle,continuouswall.我们通常所讲的长城其实是在西汉、隋朝、晋朝和明朝时期重建和扩展的四座长城而不是一座单一的持续了很长时间的长城。Atitsextremities,theGreatWallreachesfromnortheasternHeilongjiangProvincetonorthwesternGansu.长城最远从黑龙江省的东北部一直延伸至甘肃省的西北部。Anumberofpublicworksprojectswerealsoundertakentoconsolidateandstrengthenimperialrule.还有其他一些公共事业项目在进行以稳固和强化帝国的统治。Theseactivitiesrequiredenormousleviesofmanpowerandresources，nottomentionrepressivemeasures.这些活动需要征集大量的人力和物力，更不必讲一些镇压措施了。RevoltsbrokeoutassoonasthefirstQinemperordiedin210B.C.秦始皇在公元前210年一逝世，反叛就立即爆发了。Hisdynastywasextinguishedlessthantwentyyearsafteritstriumph.他的王朝在胜利之后仅仅存在了不到20年。TheimperialsysteminitiatedduringtheQindynasty,however,setapatternthatwasdevelopedoverthenexttwomillennia.然而，由秦朝首创的国家体系为今后两千多年的朝代建立了形式并得以发展。用英语讲中国秦朝：TheDespoticRuleofQin秦的暴政TheFirstEmperornotonlyunifiedthecountrysterritory,healsounifiedthelaws,thewrittenlanguage,currency,andasystemofweightsandmeasurements.秦始皇不仅统一了中国，还统一了法律、文字、货币和度量衡。ThewritoftheQinEmpirespreadfarandwide,givingrisetoitsinternationalnameChina，whichwasatransliterationofQin.秦朝的法令广为流传，它因而获得了一个国际名号China，这是Qin的音译。Unificationofthecountryfreedthepeopleofincessantwars.国家的统一使人们免于接连的战争。Thedespoticruleoftheemperor，however，plungedthemintoanotherabyssofsuffering.然而君主的暴政将他们推入了另一个苦难的深渊。Qinlawwasharshandmerciless,embodiedbymanygruesomepunishments.秦朝的法令是严酷且残忍的，详细表现为很多可怕的惩罚。Thedeathpenaltycouldbecarriedoutbytearingaparttheconvictalivebytypinghisfourlimbsandheadtofivewagonspullinginfivedirections,orslashinghimintohalvesbythewaist,cuttingopenhisbelly,orboilinghiminabigpot,etc.死刑的执行可能是将罪犯的四肢和头绑在五匹马车上向五个方向活生生地拉死，可以能是从腰部将其砍成两段又或是剖开犯人的腹部或将他放入大锅中煮沸。Otherpunishmentsincludedthecuttingoffofafoot,anose,ortheinscriptionandinkingofmarksontheface,etc.另外一些惩罚还包括砍掉一条腿或鼻子、在脸上刻字或刻图案等等。Evenpettymistakescouldbringonseverepunishment.就算是小错可以能带来严厉的惩罚。Also,whenamangotintotrouble,hisfamily,friends,andcolleaguescouldallbeincriminated.假如一个人犯了错误，他的家人、朋友和同事也同样会被治罪。AstheFirstEmperorbelievedonlyinpowerpolitics,hisministersviedtocatertohiswhimsbywantonlymetingoutpunishment.由于秦始皇只相信强权政治，官员们争先通过肆意行刑来迎合他的爱好。Harshlawsandcruelofficialsmadelifenearimpossibleforthepeople.严酷的刑法和残忍的官员让人们几乎难以生存下去。TheterracottawarriorsandhorsesinthetomboftheFirstEmperorandtheGreatWallbuiltonhisordersareregardedaswondersofhumancivilization.秦始皇陵里的兵马俑和在他指令下修建的长城被以为是人类文明的奇观。Theyalsostandastestimonytothesweatandbloodshedbythebuilders.但它们同样是建造者血汗的证实。Researchhasshownthatitwouldhavetakentwomonthsforfivetosixpeopletoconstructeachlife-sizeterracottasoldierorhorse.研究显示，建造每一个真人大小的陶俑需要消耗五到六个工人两个月的时间。Itbogglestheimaginationastohowmanypeoplehadtotoilforhowlongtoproducethetensrepresentmerelyoneofthenumerouslarge-scaleprojectscarriedoutduringhisreign.我们几乎难以想象有多少人在其在位间会要做多久的苦工来建造他数以万计的大规模工程中有代表性的一个。Thepopulationwasabout20millionbackthen,withmorethan2millionpeoplesubjecttoforcedlaboreveryyear!那个时候的人口大概有20000000，每年却又超过2000000的人被迫去做苦力。Moreover,theFirstEmperordideverythingtocontrolpeopledthinking.不仅如此，秦始皇用尽一切办法来控制人们的思想。Forinstance,heorderedtheburningofallbooksin213B.C,withtheexceptionofthefewthatweresanctionedbythegovernment.比方，他在公元前213年下令焚毁所有书籍，除了被政府许可的。Thenextyearheorderedthekillingofmorethan460Confucianscholarsbyburyingthemalive.一年后，他下令活埋超过460名儒学学者。TheseatrocitiescausedimmeasurabledamagetoChineseculture.这些暴行对中国的文化造成了难以估量的损害。TheFirstEmperordiedduringaninspectiontourinthe7thmonthof209BC.秦始皇死于公元前209年7月的一场巡视。HissecondsonusurpedthethronetobecometoSecondEmperor.他的二儿子篡权夺位，成为了秦朝的第二任皇帝。Heimposedanevenmorebarbarousrule.秦二世实行了更为残暴的统治。Thepeopleddissentandangerwerenowbrewinglikethelavainsideavolcanoatopofwhichthedynastystood.人民的反对与仇恨就像是这个朝代所站立在的火山内部将要喷涌而出的岩浆。