中级口译：中国哲学的特征

However, because of their unique identity as sorcerers, Chinese philosophers were not merely pursuing knowledge out of a pure "love of wisdom" as did their western counterparts. While they also tried their best to explain naturally occurring phenomena¹, what concerned them most were social issues. The purpose of learning the "orders of things" was to provide a better and more complet systematic² explanation to human matters, rather than solving the problem of the absence of spiritual dependence³ after the collapse⁴ of primitive⁵ religious beliefs in ancient China.

然而，由于信奉巫术的传统，中国哲学家们“爱智慧”（小编注：“哲学”的英文philosophy源自希腊语，意为“爱智慧”）并不像西方哲学家们那样纯粹的。尽管中国哲学家们也尝试着解释一些自然现象，然而他们最关注的还是社会问题。因为，在先前的信仰体系崩溃之后，“了解事物运行的规律”（小编注：哲学的基本主题之一）是为了对的现有的社会存在做出更加全面、系统的解释，而不是像西方哲学那样为人们提供一个精神的归宿。

The specific social and historical conditions that nurtured⁶ the birth of Chinese philosophers have not only contributed to the features of Chinese philosophy, but also influenced the characters of Chinese people."To examine heavenly order to learn human affairs," -- perhaps considered the prime task by ancient Chinese philosophers --characterized Chinese philosophy with the distinct feature of giving great attention to societal needs. The focal point on people led to Chinese philosophers’ suffering and worries about society, especially at the times of social chaos⁷.

这一特定的社会和历史条件不仅仅孕育出了中国哲学，也深深中国人的本性产生了深远的影响。“究天理而知人事”——被中国古代的哲学家们认为是最重要的任务。因而，中国哲学也是就自然而然的形成了关注社会需求多于关注自然的特性。同时，对于人世的贯注也使得中国的哲人们在社会动荡时期尤为痛苦。

On the other hand, ancient Chinese had a good tradition of theoretical thinking. Though the focus was always on human affairs, Chinese philosophers were always looking for a reason to develop thought that explained ordinary or mundane⁸ affairs of the day-to-day world.

另一方面，中国古人有很好的理论思考传统。尽管思考通常集中在社会事务方面，中国哲人们也试图建立、发展着能够解释宇宙万物的思想体系。

学，分享智慧……

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