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On Liberty — Page 11

English → Chinese Preface Level 9/10

But to be a critic of doctrine she was hardly qualified.

但她几乎没有资格成为教义的批评者。

Mill has made some clear admissions on this point.

穆勒在这一点上已作出了一些明确的承认。

"The only actual revolution which has ever taken place in my modes of thinking was already complete,"[2] he says, before her influence became paramount.

他说:"在她的影响变得至关重要之前,我的思维方式中唯一真正发生过的革命已经完成了。"

There is a curiously humble estimate of his own powers (to which Dr. Bain has called attention), which reads at first sight as if it contradicted this.

还有一段对他自身能力的奇特谦逊的评价(贝恩博士曾对此予以关注),乍一看似乎与此相矛盾。

"During the greater part of my literary life I have performed the office in relation to her, which, from a rather early period, I had considered as the most useful part that I was qualified to take in the domain of thought, that of an interpreter of original thinkers, and mediator between them and the public."

"在我文学生涯的大部分时间里,我对她所承担的职责,是我从相当早的时期便认为自己在思想领域中有资格担当的最有用的部分,即充当原创思想家的诠释者,以及他们与公众之间的调解人。"

So far it would seem that Mill had sat at the feet of his oracle; but observe the highly remarkable exception which is made in the following sentence:--

就此而言,穆勒似乎一直坐在其神谕脚下虔诚受教;但请注意下面这句话中所作的极为值得关注的例外:——

"For I had always a humble opinion of my own powers as an original thinker, _except in abstract science (logic, metaphysics, and the theoretic principles of political economy and politics.)_"[3]

"因为我对自己作为原创思想家的能力一向持谦逊的看法,*除了在抽象科学领域(逻辑学、形而上学,以及政治经济学和政治学的理论原则)之外。*"

If Mill then was an original thinker in logic, metaphysics, and the science of economy and politics, it is clear that he had not learnt these from her lips.

那么,如果穆勒在逻辑学、形而上学以及经济学和政治学领域是一位原创思想家,显然他并非从她口中习得这些知识。

And to most men logic and metaphysics may be safely taken as forming a domain in which originality of thought, if it can be honestly professed, is a sufficient title of distinction.

而对大多数人而言,逻辑学和形而上学可以放心地被视为一个领域,在此领域中,思想的原创性若能真诚地宣称拥有,便足以成为卓越的充分资格。

Mrs.

夫人。

Vocabulary

dàn — But, however; introduces a contrasting clause.
tā — She, her; third-person singular feminine pronoun.
几乎
jīhū — Almost, nearly; very close to a certain degree.
没有
méiyǒu — Do not have; there is not; lack something.
资格
zīgé — Qualification, eligibility; the right to do something.
成为
chéngwéi — To become; to turn into something.
教义
jiàoyì — Doctrine, dogma; the teachings of a belief system.
de — Structural particle indicating possession or modification.
批评者
pīpíngzhě — Critic; a person who evaluates or criticizes others.
zài — At, in, on; indicates location or ongoing action.
这一点
zhè yīdiǎn — On this point; regarding this particular matter.
shàng — On, above; used to indicate a surface or aspect.
yǐ — Already; indicates a completed or prior action.
作出
zuòchū — To make, to produce; to carry out an action.
le — Particle indicating completed action or changed state.
一些
yīxiē — Some, a few; an unspecified small quantity.
明确
míngquè — Clear, explicit; unambiguous and clearly defined.
承认
chéngrèn — To acknowledge, admit; to recognize something as true.
tā — He, him; third-person singular masculine pronoun.
shuō — To say, speak; to express something verbally.
影响
yǐngxiǎng — Influence, impact; the effect one thing has on another.
变得
biàn de — To become, to grow; indicates a change in state.
至关重要
zhìguān zhòngyào — Of utmost importance; critically vital and essential.
之前
zhīqián — Before, prior to; earlier than a specific time or event.
wǒ — I, me; first-person singular pronoun.
思维方式
sīwéi fāngshì — Way of thinking; a person's mode of thought.
zhōng — In, within, middle; indicates being inside something.
唯一
wéiyī — The only one; sole, unique, without another.
真正
zhēnzhèng — True, genuine, real; not false or superficial.
发生过
fāshēng guò — Has occurred; something happened at some past time.
革命
gémìng — Revolution; a fundamental or radical change.
已经
yǐjīng — Already; something has happened before the present.
完成
wánchéng — To complete, finish; to accomplish a task fully.
还有
hái yǒu — There is also; in addition, furthermore.
一段
yī duàn — A passage, a period; a section of text or time.
duì — Toward, regarding; correct; a preposition of direction.
自身
zìshēn — Oneself, itself; referring to one's own self.
能力
nénglì — Ability, capability; the power to do something.
奇特
qítè — Peculiar, unusual; strikingly strange or distinctive.
谦逊
qiānxùn — Humble, modest; not arrogant about one's abilities.
评价
píngjià — Evaluation, assessment; a judgment of worth or quality.
博士
bóshì — Doctor, PhD; a person holding the highest academic degree.
céng — Once, formerly; indicates a past experience.
对此
duì cǐ — Regarding this; with respect to this matter.
予以
yǔyǐ — To give, to grant; formal expression meaning to provide.
关注
guānzhù — To pay attention to; to show concern for something.
乍一看
zhà yī kàn — At first glance; upon an initial, quick observation.
似乎
sìhū — It seems, apparently; gives an impression of something.
与此
yǔ cǐ — With this, in relation to this; connected to the above.
相矛盾
xiāng máodùn — To contradict each other; to be in mutual conflict.
文学生涯
wénxué shēngyá — Literary career; one's professional life in writing.
大部分
dà bùfen — Most, the majority; the larger part of something.
时间
shíjiān — Time; a measurable period or duration.
lǐ — Inside, within; indicates being contained in something.
suǒ — Particle preceding a verb to nominalize an action.
承担
chéngdān — To undertake, bear; to take on a responsibility or task.
职责
zhízé — Duty, responsibility; an obligation tied to a role.
shì — To be; the main linking verb in Chinese.
cóng — From, since; indicates a starting point in time or place.
相当
xiāngdāng — Quite, fairly; to a considerable degree.
zǎo — Early; happening before the expected or usual time.
时期
shíqī — Period, era; a span of time with distinct characteristics.
便
biàn — Then, thereupon; indicates a resulting or following action.
认为
rènwéi — To think, consider; to hold an opinion about something.
自己
zìjǐ — Oneself; a reflexive pronoun referring to the subject.
思想
sīxiǎng — Thought, ideology; ideas and ways of thinking.
领域
lǐngyù — Field, domain; a sphere of knowledge or activity.
有资格
yǒu zīgé — To be qualified; to have the right or eligibility.
担当
dāndāng — To take on, shoulder; to assume a role or responsibility.
zuì — Most, -est; superlative degree modifier.
有用
yǒuyòng — Useful, helpful; serving a practical purpose.
部分
bùfen — Part, portion; a section of a larger whole.
jí — That is, namely; used to clarify or specify.
充当
chōngdāng — To serve as, act as; to fill a particular role.
原创
yuánchuàng — Original, creative; produced independently and firsthand.
思想家
sīxiǎngjiā — Thinker, intellectual; one who develops original ideas.
诠释者
quánshìzhě — Interpreter, expounder; one who explains ideas to others.
以及
yǐjí — As well as, and; used to connect related items.
他们
tāmen — They, them; third-person plural pronoun.
yǔ — And, with; connects nouns or indicates accompaniment.
公众
gōngzhòng — The public; the general population or audience.
之间
zhījiān — Between, among; in the space or relationship separating things.
调解人
tiáojiě rén — Mediator; a person who facilitates between two parties.
就此
jiù cǐ — In this regard; with respect to this specific matter.
而言
éryán — Speaking of, in terms of; used to frame a perspective.
一直
yīzhí — Always, continuously; without interruption over time.
坐在
zuò zài — To sit at or in; to be seated at a location.
qí — His, her, its, their; third-person possessive pronoun.
神谕
shényù — Oracle, divine pronouncement; a prophetic or authoritative statement.
脚下
jiǎo xià — At one's feet; literally beneath the feet of someone.
虔诚
qiánchéng — Devout, pious; showing sincere religious or deep reverence.
受教
shòujiào — To receive instruction; to learn humbly from a teacher.
qǐng — Please; a polite word used before a request.
注意
zhùyì — To pay attention, notice; to be mindful of something.
下面
xiàmiàn — Below, following; what comes next or underneath.
这句话
zhè jù huà — This sentence; referring to a specific statement made.
所作
suǒ zuò — What is done or made; actions or works performed.
极为
jí wéi — Extremely, exceedingly; to a very high degree.
值得
zhídé — Worth, deserve; meriting a particular action or attention.
例外
lìwài — Exception; a case that does not follow the general rule.
因为
yīnwèi — Because, since; introduces a reason or cause.
作为
zuòwéi — As, in the capacity of; used to indicate a role.
一向
yīxiàng — Always, consistently; habitually over a long period.
chí — To hold, maintain; to keep or adhere to a view.
看法
kànfǎ — View, opinion; one's way of seeing or judging things.
除了
chúle — Except for, besides; used to exclude or add items.
抽象
chōuxiàng — Abstract; not concrete, dealing with general concepts.
科学
kēxué — Science; systematic study of the natural world.
逻辑学
luójíxué — Logic; the study of valid reasoning and argument.
形而上学
xíng ér shàng xué — Metaphysics; philosophy dealing with ultimate reality.
政治经济学
zhèngzhì jīngjìxué — Political economy; study of economics and political systems.
hé — And; connects words or phrases of equal grammatical status.
政治学
zhèngzhìxué — Political science; the academic study of politics.
理论
lǐlùn — Theory; a set of ideas explaining a phenomenon.
原则
yuánzé — Principle; a fundamental rule or standard.
之外
zhīwài — Outside of, beyond; excluding or apart from something.
那么
nàme — Then, in that case; used to introduce a conclusion.
如果
rúguǒ — If, supposing that; introduces a conditional clause.
经济学
jīngjìxué — Economics; the study of production and resource allocation.
一位
yī wèi — One (person); polite measure word for a person.
显然
xiǎnrán — Obviously, evidently; clearly apparent without doubt.
并非
bìng fēi — Is not at all; used to emphatically negate a claim.
口中
kǒu zhōng — From the mouth; orally, from someone's spoken words.
习得
xídé — To acquire, to learn; to gain knowledge through practice.
这些
zhèxiē — These; plural demonstrative pronoun for nearby items.
知识
zhīshi — Knowledge; information and understanding acquired through experience.
ér — And yet, but; connects contrasting or sequential clauses.
大多数人
dà duōshù rén — Most people; the majority of individuals in a group.
可以
kěyǐ — Can, may; indicates permission or possibility.
放心
fàngxīn — To feel at ease, relax; to be free from worry.
de — Adverbial particle; links adverbs or phrases to verbs.
bèi — Passive marker; indicates the subject receives an action.
视为
shì wéi — To regard as, consider; to treat something as something else.
一个
yī gè — One; the most common measure word for general objects.
cǐ — This; a formal demonstrative pronoun.
原创性
yuánchuàngxìng — Originality; the quality of being novel and creative.
ruò — If, should; a formal conditional conjunction.
néng — Can, be able to; indicates capability or ability.
真诚
zhēnchéng — Sincere, genuine; honest and without pretense.
宣称
xuānchēng — To claim, declare; to assert something publicly.
拥有
yōngyǒu — To possess, own; to have something as one's own.
足以
zúyǐ — Sufficient to; enough to achieve a certain result.
卓越
zhuóyuè — Outstanding, excellent; remarkably superior in quality.
充分
chōngfèn — Fully, adequately; to a sufficient or complete degree.
夫人
fūren — Madam, Mrs.; a respectful title for a married woman.
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