On Liberty — Page 15

English → Chinese Preface Level 9/10

In the tract on _Liberty_, Mill is advocating the rights of the individual as against Society at the very opening of an era that was rapidly coming to the conclusion that the individual had no absolute rights against Society.

在《论自由》这本书中，密尔在一个时代的开端倡导个人对抗社会的权利，而那个时代正迅速走向这样一个结论：个人对于社会并无绝对的权利。

The eighteenth century view is that individuals existed first, each with their own special claims and responsibilities; that they deliberately formed a Social State, either by a contract or otherwise; and that then finally they limited their own action out of regard for the interests of the social organism thus arbitrarily produced.

十八世纪的观点认为，个人先于社会而存在，每个人都有其特定的主张与责任；他们经由契约或其他方式有意识地组成了社会国家；最终，他们出于对这一任意产生的社会有机体之利益的考量，对自身的行为加以限制。

This is hardly the view of the nineteenth century.

这几乎不是十九世纪的观点。

It is possible that logically the individual is prior to the State; historically and in the order of Nature, the State is prior to the individual.

从逻辑上说，个人或许先于国家而存在；但从历史和自然秩序来看，国家先于个人而存在。

In other words, such rights as every single personality possesses in a modern world do not belong to him by an original ordinance of Nature, but are slowly acquired in the growth and development of the social state.

换言之，现代社会中每个个体所拥有的权利，并非源自自然的原初法则，而是在社会国家的成长与发展过程中逐渐获得的。

It is not the truth that individual liberties were forfeited by some deliberate act when men made themselves into a Commonwealth.

个人自由是在人们组成国家共同体时经由某种蓄意行为而被放弃的——这一说法并不符合事实。

Vocabulary

在: zài — At, in, on; indicates location or ongoing action
论自由: lùn zìyóu — 'On Liberty'; title of Mill's famous philosophical work
这本: zhè běn — This (book); demonstrative with book measure word
书中: shū zhōng — In the book; within this written work
一个: yī gè — One; a single (person or thing)
时代: shídài — Era, age, epoch; a period of historical time
的: de — Structural particle indicating possession or modification
开端: kāiduān — Beginning, start, opening of something
倡导: chàngdǎo — To advocate, promote, champion a cause or idea
个人: gèrén — Individual, personal; a single person's rights
对抗: duìkàng — To resist, oppose, stand against a force
社会: shèhuì — Society; the organized community of people
权利: quánlì — Rights; entitlements a person legally possesses
而: ér — And yet, but; conjunction linking contrasting clauses
那个: nàgè — That (one); demonstrative pronoun for a specific thing
正: zhèng — Just, exactly, in the process of doing something
迅速: xùnsù — Rapidly, swiftly, at great speed
走向: zǒuxiàng — To move toward, head in a certain direction
这样: zhèyàng — Like this, in this way, such
结论: jiélùn — Conclusion, final judgment reached through reasoning
对于: duìyú — Regarding, with respect to, concerning something
并无: bìng wú — There is simply none; absolutely does not have
绝对: juéduì — Absolute, unconditional; without any exception
十八: shíbā — Eighteen; the number 18
世纪: shìjì — Century; a period of one hundred years
观点: guāndiǎn — Viewpoint, perspective, standpoint on an issue
认为: rènwéi — To believe, consider, think that something is true
先于: xiān yú — Prior to, before, preceding something else
存在: cúnzài — To exist; existence, being present
每个人: měi gèrén — Every person, each individual, everyone
都有: dōu yǒu — All have, everyone possesses something
其: qí — His, her, its, their; formal possessive pronoun
特定: tèdìng — Specific, particular, designated for a purpose
主张: zhǔzhāng — To advocate; a claim, position, or assertion
与: yǔ — And, with; connects nouns or clauses formally
责任: zérèn — Responsibility, duty, obligation one must fulfill
他们: tāmen — They, them; third-person plural pronoun
经由: jīngyóu — By means of, through, via a process or route
契约: qìyuē — Contract, covenant, social agreement between parties
或: huò — Or; indicates an alternative choice
其他: qítā — Other, else; remaining alternatives not specified
方式: fāngshì — Method, manner, way of doing something
有意识: yǒu yìshí — Consciously, deliberately, with full awareness
地: de — Adverbial particle; modifies following verb or adjective
组成: zǔchéng — To form, constitute, make up something together
了: le — Particle indicating completed action or change of state
国家: guójiā — State, nation, country as a political entity
最终: zuìzhōng — Ultimately, finally, in the end
出于: chūyú — Out of, stemming from, motivated by something
对: duì — Toward, for, regarding; a preposition of direction
这一: zhè yī — This particular; referring to a specific item
任意: rènyì — Arbitrarily, randomly; at one's own discretion
产生: chǎnshēng — To produce, generate, give rise to something
有机体: yǒujītǐ — Organism; an organized living or social entity
之: zhī — Formal possessive particle; literary equivalent of 的
利益: lìyì — Interest, benefit, profit derived from something
考量: kǎoliáng — To consider carefully, weigh, deliberate about something
自身: zìshēn — Oneself, one's own self, one's own behavior
行为: xíngwéi — Behavior, conduct, action performed by someone
加以: jiāyǐ — To apply, impose; used before abstract verbal actions
限制: xiànzhì — To restrict, limit, constrain someone or something
这: zhè — This; demonstrative pronoun referring to nearby thing
几乎: jīhū — Almost, nearly, virtually; not quite completely
不是: bùshì — Is not; negation of identity or characterization
十九: shíjiǔ — Nineteen; the number 19
从: cóng — From; starting point of time, place, or perspective
逻辑: luójí — Logic; systematic reasoning and argumentation
上: shàng — On, above; from the perspective of something
说: shuō — To say, speak; from the standpoint of
或许: huòxǔ — Perhaps, maybe, possibly; expressing uncertainty
但: dàn — But, however; introduces a contrasting idea
历史: lìshǐ — History; the record of past human events
和: hé — And, with; connects two nouns or ideas
自然: zìrán — Nature; natural, occurring without human intervention
秩序: zhìxù — Order, discipline; structured arrangement of society
来看: lái kàn — From the viewpoint of, looking at it from
换言之: huàn yán zhī — In other words, that is to say, namely
现代: xiàndài — Modern era, contemporary times, the present age
中: zhōng — In, within, among; inside a space or context
每个: měi gè — Every, each; referring to all individuals separately
个体: gètǐ — Individual, single entity distinct from the collective
所: suǒ — Particle used before verbs to nominalize or emphasize
拥有: yōngyǒu — To possess, own, have something as one's own
并非: bìng fēi — Is not at all; emphatic negation of a claim
源自: yuán zì — Originating from, derived from a particular source
原初: yuánchū — Original, primordial, from the very beginning
法则: fǎzé — Rule, law, principle governing natural or social order
而是: érshì — But rather, instead; introduces the true alternative
成长: chéngzhǎng — To grow up, develop, mature over time
发展: fāzhǎn — Development, growth, progress of something over time
过程: guòchéng — Process, course, progression of events or change
逐渐: zhújiàn — Gradually, little by little, step by step
获得: huòdé — To obtain, acquire, gain something through effort
自由: zìyóu — Freedom, liberty; the state of being unrestricted
是: shì — To be; links subject with predicate or identity
人们: rénmen — People, persons; referring to human beings generally
共同体: gòngtóngtǐ — Community, collective; a group sharing common identity
时: shí — When, at the time of; temporal conjunction
某种: mǒu zhǒng — A certain kind of, some type of something
蓄意: xùyì — Deliberately, intentionally, with premeditated purpose
被: bèi — Passive marker; indicates subject receives the action
放弃: fàngqì — To give up, abandon, relinquish something voluntarily
说法: shuōfǎ — Way of saying, claim, explanation, or argument
并不: bìng bù — Does not at all; emphatic negation of a verb
符合: fúhé — To conform to, accord with, be consistent with
事实: shìshí — Fact, reality, the actual truth of a matter

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