A Critical Analysis of Three Chinese Translations of <i>The </i><i>Spirit of Laws</i> from a Translation History Perspective

本文从翻译史视角切入，以孟德斯鸠《论法的精神》1844年法文版为母本，对比分析严复(1913年《法意》)、张雁深(1961年版)与钟书峰(2020年版)三个中译本的翻译策略与语言风格。通过术语处理、句式重构、文化适应等译例的细部对比，揭示译本差异背后的历史语境与译者主体性：严复以“信达雅”为纲，融入传统哲学术语，实现西学思想的创造性转换；张雁深译本凸显科学性与普及性，采用现代白话文降低接受门槛；钟书峰译本追求法学学术表达的精确性，但存在语言生硬问题。研究表明，译本差异折射中国近代以来西方法治思想本土化的阶段性特征，为翻译史研究提供跨时代典型案例。This study examines the translation strategies and linguistic styles of three Chinese versions of Montesquieu’s The Spirit of Laws (1844 edition), Yan Fu’s Fayi (1913 edition), Zhang Yanshen’s version (1961 edition), and Zhong Shufeng’s version (2020 edition), from a translation history perspective. Through detailed comparisons of terminology rendering, syntactic adaptation, and cultural domestication, the analysis reveals how historical contexts and translator subjectivity shaped these versions: Yan Fu used the principle of “faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance” as the guiding principle, integrated Western ideas with classical Chinese philosophy through creative reinterpretation; Zhang prioritized scientific rigor and accessibility in modern vernacular; Zhong emphasized jurisprudential precision at the expense of readability. The findings highlight the evolution of Western legal thought localization in China and offer a cross-era case study for translation historiography.