Origin of Species Ping (Translation of Famous Works)

Author: Darwin
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1995-01-01
Features: This book is Darwin's masterpiece and a fundamental work of the theory of evolution. Darwin's theory of evolution was first systematically presented in this work. The postscript of the revised edition of this translation was published by the Sanlian Bookstore in 1954, which has been nearly forty-nine years ago. Later, the Sanlian Bookstore transferred it to the Commercial Press, which was reprinted once in 1963 and has been reprinted many times since 1981, but no revisions were made.
When the first edition was published, it coincided with the peak of studying Darwin's theory of evolution in China. Universities' biology departments, agricultural colleges, and secondary schools all established courses on "Darwinism." High school students were required to take the "Darwinism" exam when applying to universities, showing the emphasis placed on evolution education at the time. However, what was taught was the Soviet-style "Darwinism," also known as "the so-called creative Darwinism of Michurin." They believed that the theory of evolution had errors and weaknesses, primarily because Darwin applied Malthus's theory of population to biology, acknowledging the existence of "overproduction" in the biological world and considering the struggle within species caused by overproduction as the main driving force of biological evolution. They also criticized Darwin's gradualist view of evolution and what they called other idealistic errors in Darwin's work. Under these circumstances, those unwilling to blindly follow naturally had a desire to read Darwin's original works, especially to read "On the Origin of Species" to understand Darwin's comprehensive views and to see what exactly were the idealistic errors he had made. However, at that time in China, there was only one translation of "On the Origin of Species" published in classical Chinese in 1918 (translated by Ma Junwu), which could no longer meet the objective needs. Although Mr. Zhou Jianren had a translation published by the Sanlian Bookstore in Hong Kong during the War of Liberation, he modestly believed that his translation was not perfect. Therefore, he invited me, and I then invited Fang Zongxi, who was editing "The Foundations of Darwinism" at the Education Press at the time, to collaborate on a joint translation of "On the Origin of Species." Due to the urgent need, we divided the translation into three parts based on the three major sections of the original text, publishing one part after completing it, resulting in three separate volumes.
When the first edition was published, we explicitly stated that it was a "trial translation," meaning that we were not entirely satisfied with it at the time and planned to revise it for a second edition. However, due to continuous political movements, this wish was never realized. But for more than thirty years, I have always been concerned about this unfinished work. Mr. Zhou and Mr. Zongxi were the same. Before his death, Mr. Zhou published an article in the Beijing Evening News (March 1982) saying, "The joint translation of Darwin's 'On the Origin of Species' has recently been reprinted and published by the Commercial Press. However, there are some inaccuracies in my part of the translation. Due to my age, I am no longer able to revise it, but I always feel uneasy about it." The sentiments of a ninety-year-old man looking back on his life at the time of his death are understandable. Before Mr. Zongxi left for the United States to give lectures in 1984, I met him in Beijing, and he was also deeply concerned about revising the translation of this great work. Unsurprisingly, he passed away suddenly upon his return. Now, of the three translators, only I remain alive, and I am also past seventy, nearing the end of my days. Therefore, while my mental faculties have not yet completely declined, I spent a year revising the translation, comparing it with the original text and referring to Japanese translations. I have done my utmost, but due to my limited knowledge of biology and language, there may still be inaccuracies. I hope that a better translation will eventually appear in the future.
After completing this work, the past political movements once again came to mind. If it were not for them, why would the revision of this book have taken so many years? It is a great regret, but it is also something unavoidable!