| After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895,China realized the importance of learning Western ideas through Japan,then began to send a large number of students to Japan to study,establish new schools,translation agencies...A lot of Japanese books and Japanese neologisms flowed in,facilitating the learning of Western new ideas and exerting great influence on the Chinese vocabulary system.This influence is also reflected in the compilation of dictionary.The Dictionary of Philosophy(1926)compiled by Fan Bingqing is the first Chinese dictionary of philosophy,representing the systematic summary of Chinese philosophy after its comprehensive acceptance of Western philosophy from the late Qing Dynasty to the May 4th.However,according to prior research,Fan Bingqing’s dictionary actually references both Japanese and English sources.Xia(1926)and Fujimoto(2018)clearly put forward the possibility that Fan Bingqing’s dictionary could refer to the Dictionary of Philosophy(1905)compiled by Asasaga Sanguro,but they did not give convincing evidence.Therefore,on the basis of previous research,this paper attempts to explore the relationship between Fan Bingqing’s dictionary and the Japanese dictionary from the aspects of form and content.In addition to Asasaga Sanguro’s Dictionary of Philosophy(1905),I have also noticed another dictionary with great potential for reference,the Great Dictionary of Philosophy(1912)compiled by the Dongmunkwan.The comparison results show that Fan Bingqing did refer to the above two dictionaries,and the proportion of reference of the latter is larger.Fan Bingqing was influenced by Japan when he wrote the Dictionary of Philosophy,but on the other hand,he did not blindly absorb the words and interpretations of foreign dictionaries.In the process of reference,Fan Bingqing always adhered to the attitude of "combining Chinese and Western".While absorbing Japanese neologisms,he still included a large number of local Chinese words.When referring to the Japanese dictionary,it also adds the contents of Chinese Confucianism and Taoism,and uses examples and concise words to reintegrate the interpretation,making the explanation of obscure philosophical words easier to be understood by readers.Chinese students studying in Japan,scholars and visionaries introduced many new Western ideas through Japan and made great contributions to the rejuvenation of the nation.Fan Bingqing’s Dictionary of Philosophy,as a summary of western philosophical words,provides convenience for learners of Western philosophy.Among them,the role of Japanese neologisms can’t be underestimated.As a matter of fact,it became a bridge of communication between China and Western and had a great influence on the formation of western philosophical vocabulary in Chinese.Today,the Japanese words in Fan Bingqing’s Philosophical Dictionary are still widely used in our daily life and have strong vitality. |
