孟德斯鸠的"中国印象"之印象

走出欧洲的人们留下的游记或通信(包括耶稣会士中国通信),促使了欧洲十八世纪的思想家们对人类命运以及人类社会组织形式作理性思索和理想设计,孟德斯鸠即是此类欧洲思想家之一.他在大量阅读来华人士记述的基础上得出了较清晰的"中国印象",他在阐述三种政府理论时多次引用他的"中国印象",并常常一语中的揭示出"中国印象"的实质,这是一种理性的真实.我们今日重读孟德斯鸠有关中国的论述,对我们自己本土文化的来龙去脉别有一番认识.这种"印象之印象"应该也成为"跨文化对话"的研究课题之一.

Reflections on "Reflections on China" by Montesquieu

The travelogue and correspondence, including those of the members of the Society of Jesus, written by those visiting Europeans in China prompted the 18 th century European thinkers' rational consideration and ideal designing of human destiny as well as forms of human society. Among those European thinkers was Montesqieu. After reading widely the records by those Europeans who had been to China, he formed a relatively clear idea of "Reflections on China". In his exposition of the theory of three different kinds of governments, he frequently quoted his "Reflections on China", and could often lay bare its nature, i.e. a kind of rational truth. While reviewing Montesquieu's views of China, we can refresh our awareness of the origin and development of our native culture. Therefore, "Reflections on 'China Reflections'" deserves to become an issue for transcultural studies.