中英雙語話史記 第23期:周朝概況

Zhou Dynasty

周朝

General

概況

In the years around the 10th century BC, after defeating the last Shang ruler， King Wu with a family name of Ji founded the Zhou Dynasty,

大約公元前10世紀，姬氏家族的武王在打敗了商朝的最後一個統治者後，建立了周朝。

making Haojing his capital city, near the present city of Xi’an in Shaanxi Province.

他定都鎬京，也就是今天的陝西省西安市附近。

As a semi-nomadic tribe, the Zhou learned how to communicate with people of different cultures and gain the allegiance of disaffected city-states.

作爲一個半遊牧的部落。周朝人學會了如何與來自不同文化的人交流以及如何獲得心懷不滿的城邦的忠心。

The early Zhou system was proto-feudal, being a more sophisticated form of earlier tribal organization, in which effective control depended more on familial ties than on feudal legal bonds.

周朝早期的制度就是具有封建制度模型的，而這較之早期的部落體系來說更加複雜。早期部落體系中的有效控制更多的依賴於家族的聯繫而不是封建法治的維繫。

Whatever feudal elements there may have been decreased as time went on，the Zhou amalgam of city-states became progressively centralized and established increasingly impersonal political and economic institutions.

隨着時間的推移，不管封建元素是否消退，有不同城邦組成的周朝變得日益集權並且建立了一個更加獨立的政治與經濟制度。

These developments, which probably occurred in the latter Zhou period, were manifested in greater central control over local governments.

這些發展，可能出現在周朝後期，表明了中央對於地方政府的掌控。

The Zhou adopted much of the Shang lifestyle.

周朝採納了商朝許多的生活方式。

In order to utilize the knowledge of the Shang artisans, they often imported Shang families or communities to the new towns they built.

爲了利用商朝工匠的知識，周朝讓商朝的家族或團體居住在他們修建的村莊裏。

The Zhou also adopted much of the Shang writing system, rituals, and administration techniques.

周朝還採納了商朝很多的文字系統、儀式和管理技巧。

Agriculture in Zhou Dynasty was more intensive.

周朝的農業更加集中。

All farming lands were owned by nobles, who then gave their land to their serfs,

貴族擁有所有的土地，然後把這些土地給他們的奴隸。

a piece of land was divided into nine squares in the shape of the character jing, with the grain from the middle square taken by the government and that of surrounding squares kept by individual farmers.

一塊地會被劃分成“井”字型的九塊，中間那塊的糧食收歸政府所有，旁邊土地的糧食分給個體農戶。

This way, the government was able to store surplus food and distribute them in times of famine or bad harvest.

通過這種方式，政府可以囤積足夠的糧食並在饑荒或收成不好時分配糧食。

Some important manufacturing sectors during this period include bronze making, which was integral in making weapons and farming tools.

這個時期重要的生產部門包括青銅製造，而青銅是武器和農具製造中必不可少的一部分。

Again, these industries were dominated by the nobility who direct the production of such materials.

同樣，這些產業由貴族掌控，他們管理着這些材料的生產。

Historians divide the Zhou era into Western Zhou from late 10th century BC to late 9th century up until 771 BC and Eastern Zhou from 770 up to 221 BC.

歷史學家將周朝分爲西周（公元前10世紀至公元前9世紀末，直到公元前771年）和東周（公元前770年至公元前221年）。

The beginning year of Western Zhou has been disputed----1122 BC，1027 BC and other years within the hundred years from late 12th century BC to late 11th century BC have been proposed.

西周開始的年份存在爭議。有可能是公元前1121年，公元前1027年或者是公元前12世紀至公元前11世紀100年之間的某一年。

Chinese historians take 841 BC as the first year of consecutive annual dating of the history of China, based on the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian.

中國的史學家依據司馬遷《史記》的記載將公元前841年定爲連續紀年的元年。

From the beginning of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty to the unification by Qin, China was marked by disunity and continuous conflicts.

從東周的開始到秦朝的統一，中國一直處於割據戰亂的狀態。