The Republic — Page 9
Or a more general division into two parts may be adopted; the first (Books I - IV) containing the description of a State framed generally in accordance with Hellenic notions of religion and morality, while in the second (Books V - X) the Hellenic State is transformed into an ideal kingdom of philosophy, of which all other governments are the perversions.
或者也可以采用一种更为笼统的两分法：第一部分（第一至四卷）描述了一个大体上按照希腊人的宗教与道德观念构建的国家，而在第二部分（第五至十卷）中，这个希腊式的国家被转化为一个哲学的理想王国，所有其他政体都是对它的偏离与堕落。
These two points of view are really opposed, and the opposition is only veiled by the genius of Plato.
这两种观点实际上是相互对立的，而这种对立只是被柏拉图的天才所掩盖。
The Republic, like the Phaedrus (see Introduction to Phaedrus), is an imperfect whole; the higher light of philosophy breaks through the regularity of the Hellenic temple, which at last fades away into the heavens.
《理想国》如同《斐德罗篇》一样（见《斐德罗篇》导言），是一个不完整的整体；哲学的更高光芒穿透了希腊神庙的规整秩序，而神庙最终消融于苍穹之中。
Whether this imperfection of structure arises from an enlargement of the plan; or from the imperfect reconcilement in the writer's own mind of the struggling elements of thought which are now first brought together by him; or, perhaps, from the composition of the work at different times—are questions, like the similar question about the Iliad and the Odyssey, which are worth asking, but which cannot have a distinct answer.
这种结构上的不完整究竟是源于写作计划的扩展，还是源于作者在自己心中未能完美调和那些由他首次汇聚在一起的相互角力的思想元素，抑或是源于该作品在不同时期分批写成——这些问题就如同关于《伊利亚特》和《奥德赛》的类似问题一样，值得提出，却无法得到明确的答案。
In the age of Plato there was no regular mode of publication, and an author would have the less scruple in altering or adding to a work which was known only to a few of his friends.
在柏拉图所处的时代，并不存在固定的出版方式，一位作者对于修改或增补一部仅为少数友人所知的作品，自然也就更少顾虑。
Vocabulary
- 或者
- huòzhě — or; used to present alternatives
- 也
- yě — also; too; as well
- 可以
- kěyǐ — can; may; it is possible to
- 采用
- cǎiyòng — to adopt; to use a particular method
- 一种
- yī zhǒng — a kind of; one type of
- 更为
- gèng wéi — even more; to a greater degree
- 笼统
- lǒngtǒng — general; vague; not detailed or specific
- 的
- de — structural particle indicating possession or modification
- 两分法
- liǎng fēn fǎ — dichotomy; method of dividing into two parts
- 第一
- dì yī — first; number one
- 部分
- bùfen — part; section; portion of a whole
- 至
- zhì — to; until; reaching up to
- 四卷
- sì juàn — four volumes; the fourth volume
- 描述
- miáoshù — to describe; to give an account of
- 了
- le — particle indicating completed action or change
- 一个
- yī gè — one; a single (general measure word)
- 大体上
- dàtǐ shàng — generally speaking; on the whole; roughly
- 按照
- ànzhào — according to; in accordance with
- 希腊人
- Xīlà rén — Greek person; the Greeks
- 宗教
- zōngjiào — religion; religious belief or system
- 与
- yǔ — and; with; together with
- 道德
- dàodé — morality; ethics; moral principles
- 观念
- guānniàn — concept; idea; notion; way of thinking
- 构建
- gòujiàn — to construct; to build; to establish a structure
- 国家
- guójiā — country; state; nation
- 而
- ér — but; yet; and then; transitional conjunction
- 在
- zài — at; in; on; located at
- 第二
- dì èr — second; the second one
- 第五
- dì wǔ — fifth; the fifth one
- 十卷
- shí juàn — ten volumes; the tenth volume
- 中
- zhōng — in; among; within; middle
- 这个
- zhège — this; this one
- 希腊式
- Xīlà shì — Greek-style; in the manner of the Greeks
- 被
- bèi — passive marker; indicates the subject is acted upon
- 转化
- zhuǎnhuà — to transform; to convert into something else
- 为
- wéi — to be; to become; as
- 哲学
- zhéxué — philosophy; the study of fundamental questions
- 理想
- lǐxiǎng — ideal; perfect; one's aspirations or goals
- 王国
- wángguó — kingdom; realm; a monarchical state
- 所有
- suǒyǒu — all; every; everything owned or included
- 其他
- qítā — other; the rest; remaining ones
- 政体
- zhèngtǐ — form of government; political system or regime
- 都是
- dōu shì — all are; every one is
- 对
- duì — toward; against; with respect to
- 它
- tā — it; third-person singular for objects
- 偏离
- piānlí — to deviate from; to stray away from
- 堕落
- duòluò — to degenerate; to decline morally or in quality
- 这
- zhè — this; these
- 两种
- liǎng zhǒng — two kinds; two types
- 观点
- guāndiǎn — viewpoint; perspective; point of view
- 实际上
- shíjì shàng — in fact; actually; in reality
- 是
- shì — to be; is; are
- 相互
- xiānghù — mutually; each other; reciprocal
- 对立
- duìlì — to oppose; to be in opposition; contradictory
- 这种
- zhè zhǒng — this kind of; this type of
- 只是
- zhǐshì — merely; only; it is just that
- 柏拉图
- Bólātú — Plato; ancient Greek philosopher
- 天才
- tiāncái — genius; exceptional natural talent
- 所
- suǒ — particle used before a verb to form a noun phrase
- 掩盖
- yǎngài — to cover up; to conceal; to mask
- 理想国
- Lǐxiǎng Guó — The Republic; Plato's famous philosophical dialogue
- 如同
- rútóng — just like; similar to; as if
- 一样
- yīyàng — the same; alike; just like
- 见
- jiàn — see; refer to (used as a cross-reference)
- 导言
- dǎoyán — introduction; preface; introductory remarks
- 不完整
- bù wánzhěng — incomplete; not whole; lacking parts
- 整体
- zhěngtǐ — whole; entirety; the complete entity
- 更高
- gèng gāo — higher; even taller; superior in degree
- 光芒
- guāngmáng — radiance; rays of light; brilliant glow
- 穿透
- chuāntòu — to penetrate; to pass through; to pierce
- 希腊
- Xīlà — Greece; relating to ancient or modern Greece
- 神庙
- shénmiào — temple; shrine dedicated to a deity
- 规整
- guīzhěng — orderly; neat and regular in arrangement
- 秩序
- zhìxù — order; discipline; organized arrangement
- 最终
- zuìzhōng — ultimately; finally; in the end
- 消融
- xiāoróng — to dissolve; to melt away; to fade into
- 于
- yú — in; at; from; a literary preposition
- 苍穹
- cāngqióng — the vast sky; the firmament; the heavens
- 之中
- zhī zhōng — within; among; in the midst of
- 结构
- jiégòu — structure; composition; framework of a whole
- 上
- shàng — on; above; regarding; in terms of
- 究竟
- jiūjìng — actually; in the end; after all
- 源于
- yuányú — to originate from; to stem from
- 写作
- xiězuò — writing; the act of composing a text
- 计划
- jìhuà — plan; scheme; to plan ahead
- 扩展
- kuòzhǎn — to expand; to extend; to broaden in scope
- 还是
- háishi — or; still; used in questions or alternatives
- 作者
- zuòzhě — author; writer; creator of a work
- 自己
- zìjǐ — oneself; self; one's own
- 心中
- xīn zhōng — in one's heart; in one's mind
- 未能
- wèi néng — unable to; failed to; did not manage to
- 完美
- wánměi — perfect; flawless; without defect
- 调和
- tiáohé — to harmonize; to reconcile; to blend together
- 那些
- nàxiē — those; those ones (plural demonstrative)
- 由
- yóu — by; through; due to; from
- 他
- tā — he; him; third-person masculine singular
- 首次
- shǒucì — for the first time; the first occurrence
- 汇聚
- huìjù — to converge; to gather together in one place
- 一起
- yīqǐ — together; at the same time and place
- 角力
- jiǎolì — to wrestle; to struggle; to compete forcefully
- 思想
- sīxiǎng — thought; idea; ideology; way of thinking
- 元素
- yuánsù — element; component; basic constituent
- 抑或
- yìhuò — or; alternatively; whether… or…
- 该
- gāi — this; the said; the aforementioned
- 作品
- zuòpǐn — work; literary or artistic creation
- 不同
- bùtóng — different; distinct; not the same
- 时期
- shíqī — period; phase; a particular time period
- 分批
- fēn pī — in batches; in separate groups or stages
- 写成
- xiě chéng — to finish writing; to compose and complete
- 这些
- zhèxiē — these; these ones (plural demonstrative)
- 问题
- wèntí — question; problem; issue
- 就
- jiù — then; just; regarding; exactly
- 关于
- guānyú — about; concerning; regarding
- 和
- hé — and; with; together with
- 类似
- lèisì — similar; alike; resembling each other
- 值得
- zhíde — worth; deserving of; meriting attention
- 提出
- tíchū — to raise; to put forward a question or proposal
- 却
- què — but; yet; however; unexpectedly
- 无法
- wúfǎ — unable to; no way to; cannot
- 得到
- dédào — to obtain; to receive; to get a result
- 明确
- míngquè — clear; definite; explicit; unambiguous
- 答案
- dá'àn — answer; solution; correct response
- 所处
- suǒ chǔ — the situation one is in; one's position
- 时代
- shídài — era; age; historical period
- 并不
- bìng bù — not at all; does not (emphatic negation)
- 存在
- cúnzài — to exist; existence; to be present
- 固定
- gùdìng — fixed; set; established; stable
- 出版
- chūbǎn — to publish; to issue a book or publication
- 方式
- fāngshì — method; way; manner of doing something
- 一位
- yī wèi — one person (polite measure word for people)
- 对于
- duìyú — regarding; as for; with respect to
- 修改
- xiūgǎi — to revise; to amend; to make corrections
- 或
- huò — or; either… or…
- 增补
- zēngbǔ — to supplement; to add to; to augment
- 一部
- yī bù — one work; one volume (for books or films)
- 仅为
- jǐn wéi — only for; merely for; limited to
- 少数
- shǎoshù — a small number; minority; few people
- 友人
- yǒurén — friend; a person who is a friend
- 所知
- suǒ zhī — what is known; knowledge one has
- 自然
- zìrán — naturally; of course; nature
- 也就
- yě jiù — and so; that means; naturally then
- 更少
- gèng shǎo — even less; fewer; to a lesser degree
- 顾虑
- gùlǜ — misgiving; worry; concern about consequences
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