2018英语专八翻译练习：中国民族哲学

中国民族自古以来不把人看作高于一切，在哲学文艺方面的表现都反映出人在自然界中与万物占着一个比例较为恰当的地位，而非绝对统治万物的主宰。因此我们的苦闷，基本上比西方人为少为小;因为苦闷的强弱原是随欲望与野心的大小而转移的。农业社会的人比工业社会的人享受差得多，因此欲望也小得多。况中国古代素来以不滞于物，不为无役为最主要的人生哲学。并非我们没有守财奴，但比起莫利哀与巴尔扎克笔下的守财奴与野心家来，就小巫见大巫了。中国民族多数是性情中正平和、淡泊、朴实，比西方人容易满足。
　

　参考译文：
　　Since ancient times the Chinese nationalities have never considered human beings to be superior to every other species.As is reflected in Chinese philosophy, literature and art, in the natural world human beings occupy a positioning proportion to all other creatures and the former do not absolutely dominate the latter.Therefore,generally speaking,we Chinese feel depressed less often and less severely than people in the west, for the intensity of one’s depression literally changes along with the magnitude of one’s desire and ambition.As people in an agricultural society enjoy much fewer comforts than those in an industrial society, they have fewer desires or wishes.Besides, ancient Chinese always took it as their most fundamental philosophy of life that one should not merely be confined to material pursuits,or be kept in bondage by material things.It is quite true that there are misers in China.But Chinese misers prove less miserly and less ambitious when they are compared with those misers and careerists described by Moliai and Balzac.Being very mild-tempered,most of the ethnic groups in China live a simple life without worldly desires.In comparison with western people,the Chinese people are easily satisfied.