再谈日本人的耻感文化

∷林巍 文／译

原 文

[1] 的确，日本人有一种特殊的耻感，中国人恐怕难以完全理解。因特殊条件，我与日本人接触较多，也在日本生活过，故对此有着别样的体会与认识。

[2] 在日本时，邻居告诉我一件事：她朋友的丈夫在二次世界大战时曾在日本政府任职；日本投降时，他们在一个广场上聆听喇叭中传来的天皇宣读投降书，这时四座的人群中枪声断续响起，是不断有人自杀。她回到家，之后丈夫也回来了，她很惊诧地问他：“人家都就义了，你怎么还没有自杀？”

译 文

[1] Indeed, the Japanese have a peculiar sense of shame, which may be hard for the Chinese to understand. Conveniently, since I have had a lot of contact with them and lived in Japan for some time, I therefore have some first-hand knowledge and insight about it.

[2] Once in Japan, my Japanese neighbor told me a story: her friend’s husband used to be a civil servant in the Japanese government during World War II. On the Japanese surrender day,a crowd sat in the square, listening on tweeters to the Declaration of Surrender read by the Emperor.Then gunfire intermittently broke out as suicides were committed by people in the crowd. She then went back home, only to find out that her husband had returned as well. With great surprise, she asked him, “You saw others killing themselves for a good cause on the spot,but why haven’t you?”

[3] 由此耻感，也衍生出了日本人的相关性格。突出的一个是他们认真、细致甚至是极端的工作态度，另一个则是讲求“义理”与“人情”，这些与他们的要面子是相辅相成的。

[3] Out of this shame, specific Japanese characteristics are nurtured. Most notably, their work attitude of seriousness, meticulousness, total focus and their beliefs in giri and ninjo, which could be seen as the other side of their face-saving.

[4] 前者上次已叙，这里主要谈下后者。“义理”和“人情”二词虽都来自汉语，但其含义不尽相同。“义理”是指根据社会规范对某些有特殊关系的人所应尽到的义务；“人情”则是一种更加普世的由己推人的情绪和感觉。“义理”是一种相互间的纽带，一种高尚的道德情操；失去了“义理”也便失去了别人对你的信任和尊重。“义理”和“人情”在一般情况下是不矛盾的，而一旦发生冲突，后者要服从前者。然而，这与其说是道德感，不如说是耻辱感的威力。

[4] Since their work attitude has been previously discussed, their beliefs are to be touched upon here. The two phrases giri and ninjo, although originally borrowed from Chinese, have quite different connotations. Giri refers to the obligation to act according to the dictates of society in relation to a special group of people, while ninjo is a concept of more universal value, sympathy and affection toward others. Giri is a natural bond among the Japanese people and an indication of high moral worth, which should not be lost if you wish to maintain the trust and respect of other people.The two concepts generally do not contradict one another.However, should a conflict arise the Japanese are inclined to value giri over ninjo. The phenomenon, in my view, has less to do with morality than with a sense of shame.

[5] 对于日本人的耻感文化，学术界已有很多研究。如从文化属性上分类，西方的基督教信仰是一种“罪感文化”，依靠自我反省；而日本的集体主义是一种“耻感文化”，注重外界压力。

[6] 我的体会是，在日本的日常生活中，两种文化其实是难以截然分开的；问题可能要复杂得多，值得深入研究，因为其影响是多方面的，包括语言及表达方式等等。

[5] The Japanese shame culture has long aroused interest in the academic field, where a cultural dichotomy is defined—Christian belief in the West is deemed to be a guilt culture based on a person’s internal moral standard; while collectivism in Japan is a shame culture which relies heavily on external sanction.

[6] In my experience, however, the division between the two cultures is hardly so clearly cut since the issue may be more complicated than people expected and farreaching implications could be explored, including their reflections in the language and expressions.

译 注

从文化分类讲，世界上有东亚文明圈（即“儒教文明圈”）、西洋基督教文明圈、西亚中东伊斯兰文明圈和南亚佛教—印度教文明圈四大文明圈，日本文化属于“儒教文明圈”，故与中国文化在许多方面似乎有相同之处。然而，从文化的发展脉络考察，在相当长的历史阶段上，中国文化与日本文化都不是在一个发展层面上，即使是日本学者也承认：“当我们的祖先聚居在日本列岛上，长期停留在石器文化阶段而裹足不前时，大陆的汉族却很早就迎来了金属文化时代，建立了强大的国家。汉族向四周地区的扩展引人瞩目，其部分势力也达到日本列岛，给日本带来了金属文化和农耕技术。”（家永三郎，1992：13）

然而，日本的文化吸收并不是以牺牲其“主体文化”为代价的。就儒学的伦理思想而言，虽自古就传入了日本，仁、义、礼、智、信也成为日本人际关系的基本信念，但根据日本学者的研究，在日本人的心底深处，真正起作用的，仍然是传统日本的“心情的纯粹性、无私性的追求”的伦理观（相良亨，2008）。日本学研究的经典著作《菊与剑》（Chrysanthemum and Sword）中也指出：Both chu and ko Japan shares with China and in spite of the changes she has made in these concepts they have certain family likeness to moral imperatives familiar in other Eastern nations. But giri she owes to no Chinese Confucianism and to no Oriental Buddhism. It is a Japanese category and it is not possible to understand their courses of action without taking it into account. (Ruth Benedict, 2006： 133)（“忠”与“孝”的道德观在日本和中国都有，尽管这些概念在日本有了些改变，还是与东方民族所熟悉的道德规范有着很大的相似性。但是，日本的“义理”却并非源自中国的儒学，也不属东方佛教，而是日本所特有的。不了解“义理”便无法理解日本人的行为方式）。

因此，日本人的许多观念与中国人的看似相同，其实差距甚远，本文所探讨的“耻”概念便是典型一例。中文对此释为“羞愧：可耻，知耻”；“耻辱：声誉上所受的损害；可耻的事情”（《现代汉语词典》），而日文中“”的含义则要丰富得多，大致包括这样几个方面：1. 因不妥或内疚而产生的痛苦感情 / A painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt；2. 羞辱及丢脸的状态 / A state of shame or disgrace；3.缺乏正直与诚实（特别是易受贿赂的影响）/ Lack of integrity or honesty（especially susceptibility to bribery）；4. 极不光彩的情况 / A state of extreme dishonor；5. 玷污或羞愧 / Disgrace or shame；6. 剥夺人的自尊 / Depriving one of self-esteem；7. 不体面或丧失了自尊的状况 / State of disgrace or loss of self-respect等（笔者根据数部日文辞典综述并加中英文翻译）。二者含义的不同显而易见。

中、日文化其实是同流而不同源的两种文化，由此可窥见一斑。故在相关的翻译中，不应忽略这一最基本的事实。正如鲁思（Ruth）指出的，Japanese ethics are not easily simplified by introducing a Higher Law. As they have so often boasted,the Japanese do not have at hand a generalized virtue to use as a touchstone of good behavior... The Japanese follow more particularistic codes. (Ruth Benedict, 2006： 212)（日本人的伦理并不因崇尚高洁而被简化；他们常声称，日本人并无俯拾即是的普遍的善行标准……日本人所遵循的是一种更为特殊的行动准则）。

对于[2]中日本耻感文化的此种现象，笔者开始感到不解，后加研究、体悟，最终有所领会。其实，相关学者对此已有论述，如鲁思所指出的，对于西方人有罪感的行为，在日本人那里会转化为懊恼，而this chagrin can be very intense and it cannot be relieved,as guilt can be, by confession and atonement. A man who has sinned gets relief by unburdening himself.This device of confession is used in our secular therapy and by many religious groups which have otherwise little in common. We know it bring relief. Where shame is the major sanction, a man does not experience relief when he makes his fault public even to a confessor. So long as his bad behavior does not“get out into the world” he need not be troubled and confession appears to him merely a way of courting trouble. Shame cultures therefore do not provide for confessions, even to the gods. They have ceremonies for good luck rather than for expiation.（这种懊恼可以非常强烈，但却不会像罪感那样可以通过忏悔和赎罪得以减轻。以认罪来减轻重负，在我们的世俗疗法和许多宗教团体中都是这样做的，尽管二者在其他方面鲜有共同之处；我们的确会因坦白而释然。然而在以耻感为主要约束力的社会，即使向神父公开认错了，也不能减轻心理负担；但只要其恶行不暴露于世人面前，他便无需烦恼，而坦白不过是自寻烦恼。因而就“耻感文化”而言，并无忏悔一说，即使对天神亦如此；他们没有赎罪的仪式，而只有祈求幸运的仪式。）这似乎也可为我们理解日本人许多不可思议的行为举止（如对侵华战争、慰安妇、钓鱼岛等的态度）作出了注脚。

在[5]中，“对于日本人的耻感文化，学术界已有很多研究。如从文化属性上分类，西方的基督教信仰是一种‘罪感文化’，依靠自我反省；而日本的集体主义是一种‘耻感文化’，注重外界压力”。对此，鲁思的论述可作参考：In anthropological studies of different cultures the distinction between those which rely heavily on shame and those that rely heavily on guilt is an important one.A society that that inculcates absolute standards of morality and relies on men’s developing a conscience is a guilt culture by definition, ... In a culture where shame is a major sanction, people are chagrined about acts which we expect people to feel guilty about. (Ruth Benedict,2006： 222)（将不同文化区分为主要以“耻”和以“罪”为基础的文化，是人类学研究中的一项重要内容。以教诲为最高道德标准、主要依赖人们自身良心而维系的社会则为“罪感文化”；……而在以“耻”为主要约束力的文化中，对于我们西方人引以为“罪”的行为，他们却会为之懊恼。）该论述对此句的翻译有些可借鉴之处，如关于“耻”、“罪”文化的区分、内在与外在、不同的约束力等，但可稍作变通。

在[6]中，对于两种文化的“截然分开”，除了本译文外，还可用...completely separated between...; visible division; draw a sharp distinction between...等；“其影响是多方面的”不一定是 the impact on many aspects，此处的farreaching implications 算是一种意译。