翻譯名義集 1.15

1.15

夫翻譯者，謂翻梵天之語，轉成漢地之言。音雖似別，義則大同。《宋僧傳》云：「如翻錦繡，背面俱華，但左右不同耳。」譯之言易也，謂以所有易其所無。故以此方之經，而顯彼土之法。《周禮》掌四方之語各有其官，東方曰寄，南方曰象，西方曰狄鞮，北方曰譯。今通西言而云譯者，蓋漢世多事北方，而譯官兼善西語。故摩騰始至而譯《四十二章》，因稱譯也。言名義者，能詮曰名，所以為義。能詮之名，胡梵音別，自漢至隋皆指西域以為胡國；唐有彥琮法師，獨分胡梵，葱嶺已西並屬梵種，鐵門之左皆曰胡鄉。言梵音者，劫初廓然，光音天神降為人祖，宣流梵音。故《西域記》云：「詳其文字，梵天所制，原始垂則，四十七言。寓物合成，隨事轉用，流演枝派，其源浸廣。因地隨人微有改變，語其大較未異本源，而中印度特為詳正，辭調和雅與天音同，氣韻清亮為人軌則。」

As for “translation,” it refers to translating the speech of the Brahma Heavens and converting it into the language of the Han land. Although the sounds seem distinct, the meanings are largely identical. The Song Biographies of Eminent Monks states: “It is like turning over embroidered brocade: both the front and back display patterns, yet left and right are reversed.” “Translation” (yi) means exchange (yi); it refers to exchanging what is present for what is absent. Therefore, using the scriptures of this land, one reveals the Dharma of that land. The Rites of Zhou specifies that the officials in charge of the languages of the four quarters each had their own titles: those of the east were called ji, those of the south were called xiang, those of the west were called didi, and those of the north were called yi. The reason why all Western languages are now comprehensively referred to as “translation” (yi) is that during the Han dynasty, affairs were largely concerned with the north, and the northern translation officials were concurrently skilled in the Western languages. Thus, when Kāśyapa Mātaṅga first arrived and translated the Sūtra of Forty-Two Chapters, it came to be called “translation” (yi). As for “names and meanings,” that which can express is called the “name,” while that which is expressed is the “meaning.” As for names that can express, Hu and Sanskrit sounds differ; from the Han through the Sui, the Western Regions were uniformly regarded as Hu states. In the Tang, Dharma Master Yancong was the only one to distinguish Hu from Sanskrit: everything west of the Congling Mountains belongs to the Sanskrit stock, while everything to the left of the Iron Gate is called Hu territory. As for the Sanskrit sound: at the beginning of the kalpa, in the vast expanse, deities from the Ābhāsvara Heaven descended to become the ancestors of humanity, propagating the Sanskrit sounds. Therefore, the Records of the Western Regions states: “Examining their script, it was formulated by the god Brahmā, establishing the initial rules with forty-seven phonemes. Combining them to designate things, they adapt and function according to circumstances; their lineages branch out, and their source has gradually expanded. Varying slightly according to locality and people, their general outline has not diverged from the original source. Central India is particularly detailed and standard; its phrasing and intonation are harmonious and elegant, identical to divine sounds, and its clear, bright resonance serves as a model for men.”