盡管中國古代神話(mythology)沒有十分完整的情節(jié),神話人物也沒有系統(tǒng)的家譜(genealogy),但它們卻有著鮮明的東方文化特色,其中尤為顯著的是它的尚德精神(the spirit of esteeming virtue)。這種尚德精神在與西方神話特別是希臘神話比較時,顯得更加突出。在西方神話尤其是希臘神話中,對神的褒貶標準多以智慧、力量為準則,而中國古代神話對神的褒貶則多以道德為準繩。這種思維方式深植于中國的文化之中。幾千年來,這種尚德精神影響著人們對歷史人物的品評與現(xiàn)實人物的期望。
譯文:
Although ancient Chinese mythology does not have relatively complete plot and mythological figures don't have systematic genealogy, they have distinct features of oriental culture, among which the spirit of esteeming virtue is particularly significant.When compared with Western mythology, especially Greek mythology, this spirit of esteeming virtue is even more prominent.In Western mythology, especially Greek mythology,the criteria for judging whether a god is good or not are mostly the god's wisdom and strength,while in ancient Chinese mythology, the criterion lies in morality. This way of thinking is deeply rooted in Chinese culture.For thousands of years, this spirit of esteeming virtue has affected people's comments on historical figures and expectations of real people.