中英雙語話史記 第133期:辛亥革命

The Republic of China

中華民國

Xinhai Revolution

辛亥革命

The Xinhai Revolution(辛亥革命），named for the Chinese year of Xinhai (1911)，was the overthrow of China’s ruling Qing Dynasty(清朝）， sometimes known as the Manchu Dynasty, and the establishment of the Republic of China(中華民國）.

因爲起義發生在1911年辛亥年，故被稱爲辛亥革命，辛亥革命推翻了統治中國的清王朝（也叫作滿族王朝），並且建立了中華民國。

The revolution began with the armed Wuchang Uprising (武昌起義） and the spread of republican insurrection through the southern provinces, and culminated in the abdication of the Xuantong (宣統）Emperor after lengthy negotiations between rival Imperial and Republican regimes based in Beijing and Nanjing respectively.

革命始於武昌武裝起義，並於南部諸省掀起了呈燎原之勢的暴動，在北京清政府和南京民國政府漫長的談判後，革命以宣統皇帝退位告終。

In 1900, the ruling Qing Dynasty(清朝） decided to create a modernized army, called the “New Army”（新軍）.

在1900年，清政府決定建立一支現代化軍隊，並命名“新軍”。

At the time, the city of Wuchang, on the Yangtze River in the province of Hubei, had the most modernized military industry, so it became the site where weapons and other military equipment for the New Army was manufactured.

當時，湖北沿江城市武昌擁有現代化程度最高的軍事工業，因此成爲了爲新軍生產武器和其他軍事裝備的基地。

The revolutionary ideas of Sun Yat-sen extensively influenced officers and soldiers of the New Army in Wuchang, and many participated in revolutionary organizations.

孫中山的革命思想廣泛影響了武昌新軍中的軍官和士兵，許多人由此加入了革命組織。

The uprising itself broke out largely by accident.

起義的爆發極大程度上算是一個意外。

Revolutionaries intent on overthrowing the Qing dynasty had built bombs and one accidentally exploded.

意圖推翻清政府的革命者一直在生產炸彈，然而其中一個不慎爆炸。

This led police to investigate, and they discovered lists of revolutionaries within the New Army.

這引來警察前來調查，暴露了新軍中的一羣革命者。

At this point elements of the New Army revolted rather than face arrest.

此時，這些革命者選擇起義而不是就範。

The provincial government panicked and fled.

省政府聞之驚慌逃跑。

Initially, the revolt was considered to be merely the latest in a series of mutinies that had occurred in southern China, and was widely expected to be quickly put down.

最初，起義被認爲只不過是發生在中國南部的新一輪騷亂，可以在很短時間內平息。

The fact that it had much larger implications was due to the fact that the Qing dynasty delayed acting against the rebellion, allowing provincial assemblies in many southern provinces to declare independence from the Qing and allegiance to the rebellion.

然而因爲清政府推遲了鎮壓起義的行動，起義造成了越來越大的影響，南方很多省政府宣佈獨立並加入起義。

Sun Yat-sen himself had no direct part in the uprising and was traveling in the United States at the time in an effort to recruit more support from among overseas Chinese.

孫中山本人並沒有直接參與起義，他當時正在美國四處奔走，試圖取得更多海外華人的支持。

He found out about the uprising by reading a newspaper report.

他在報紙上知道了起義事件。

A sense of the Qing dynasty’s having lost the mandate of heaven may have contributed to the revolt.

有觀念認爲起義的原因是因爲清朝失了天命。

Evidence of the loss of the mandate of heaven， in China, often constitutes of natural disasters, such as fires and floods.

在中國，失天命的證據通常是火災或是洪水等自然災害。

The Yangtze overflowed its banks in 1911, and the revolting troops were, of course, situated near that river.

1911年長江氾濫，而起義軍就駐紮在江邊。

Such a flood would have had a profound psychological impact on any government officials, rebels, peasants, and other Chinese in the vicinity, and the flood was a notable disaster, with 100 000 fatalities.

這樣大的洪水對於政府官員，起義軍，農民和長江附近的中國人們帶來了深遠的心理影響，這場巨大的災難造成了10萬人死亡。

The Qing government failed to respond for a crucial few weeks.

清政府在最關鍵的幾周未能及時做出對應。

This gave the revolutionaries time to declare a provisional government.

這就給革命者時間去成立了一個臨時政府。

Other provincial assemblies then joined the revolutionaries.

其他省議會也逐漸加入革命者行列。

Within a month, representatives of the seceding provinces had met to declare a Republic of China.

一個月內，脫離清政府統治的省份都派出代表，開會討論並宣佈了中國民國的成立。

A compromise between the conservative gentry and the revolutionaries saw Sun Yat-sen chosen as provisional president(臨時大總統）.

在保守貴族和革命者的妥協下，孫中山被選爲臨時大總統。

Leaving the brilliant impression on China modem history, the Xinhai Revolution is a great piece of political affair shocked around the world, which is the first time to flag Democracy republic on China.

辛亥革命作爲一個震驚世界的的政治事件，在中國現代史上留下了濃墨重彩的一筆，這是民主共和的旗幟第一次飄揚在中國的土地上。

It overthrew the Qing dynasty and founded the Republic of China.

它推翻了清王朝，建立了民主共和國。

This emancipated the people from the rule of the feudal system.

並將人民從封建制度的統治中解放出來。