中英双语话史记 第133期:辛亥革命

The Republic of China

中华民国

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(中华民国）.

因为起义发生在1911年辛亥年，故被称为辛亥革命，辛亥革命推翻了统治中国的清王朝（也叫作满族王朝），并且建立了中华民国。

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

革命始于武昌武装起义，并于南部诸省掀起了呈燎原之势的暴动，在北京清政府和南京民国政府漫长的谈判后，革命以宣统皇帝退位告终。

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

在1900年，清政府决定建立一支现代化军队，并命名“新军”。

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.

当时，湖北沿江城市武昌拥有现代化程度最高的军事工业，因此成为了为新军生产武器和其他军事装备的基地。

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

孙中山的革命思想广泛影响了武昌新军中的军官和士兵，许多人由此加入了革命组织。

The uprising itself broke out largely by accident.

起义的爆发极大程度上算是一个意外。

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

意图推翻清政府的革命者一直在生产炸弹，然而其中一个不慎爆炸。

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

这引来警察前来调查，暴露了新军中的一群革命者。

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

此时，这些革命者选择起义而不是就范。

The provincial government panicked and fled.

省政府闻之惊慌逃跑。

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，起义被认为只不过是发生在中国南部的新一轮骚乱，可以在很短时间内平息。

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.

然而因为清政府推迟了镇压起义的行动，起义造成了越来越大的影响，南方很多省政府宣布独立并加入起义。

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.

孙中山本人并没有直接参与起义，他当时正在美国四处奔走，试图取得更多海外华人的支持。

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

他在报纸上知道了起义事件。

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

有观念认为起义的原因是因为清朝失了天命。

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

在中国，失天命的证据通常是火灾或是洪水等自然灾害。

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

1911年长江泛滥，而起义军就驻扎在江边。

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.

这样大的洪水对于政府官员，起义军，农民和长江附近的中国人们带来了深远的心理影响，这场巨大的灾难造成了10万人死亡。

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

清政府在最关键的几周未能及时做出对应。

This gave the revolutionaries time to declare a provisional government.

这就给革命者时间去成立了一个临时政府。

Other provincial assemblies then joined the revolutionaries.

其他省议会也逐渐加入革命者行列。

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

一个月内，脱离清政府统治的省份都派出代表，开会讨论并宣布了中国民国的成立。

A compromise between the conservative gentry and the revolutionaries saw Sun Yat-sen chosen as provisional president(临时大总统）.

在保守贵族和革命者的妥协下，孙中山被选为临时大总统。

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.

辛亥革命作为一个震惊世界的的政治事件，在中国现代史上留下了浓墨重彩的一笔，这是民主共和的旗帜第一次飘扬在中国的土地上。

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

它推翻了清王朝，建立了民主共和国。

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

并将人民从封建制度的统治中解放出来。