從「眠獅」到「睡獅」： 梁啟超睡獅說淵源新論

From “Minshi” to “Shuishi”: On the Origin of Liang Qichao’s “Sleeping Lion” Discourse

有關於近代中國的「睡獅」意象的歷史探討分析研究工作，迄今為止的主要中英日文著作，均認為在近代中國的語境中，「睡獅」符號應是最早出現於梁啟超在1899年間所撰寫的〈動物談〉和〈瓜分危言〉之中。但有關梁啟超何以會運用「獅子」符號來對應所謂佛蘭金仙（怪物）的原因，迄今為止仍是令學者百思不得其解的謎題。針對此謎題，本研究認為在刊行於1898年5月1日的《知新報》上的翻譯文〈日人大澤龍論中國情勢〉（其中包含「往者曾紀澤嘗比支那於眠獅」行文），應是梁啟超睡獅符號的靈感來源。此外，此一新發現也表示明治日本時期的中國觀和國家動物符號想像，以及關於曾紀澤論述的種種相關評論，均和「中國為眠獅／睡獅」論述的出現有密切關連性。本文也試圖以「跨文化傳播」研究角度，對於此一符號為何在明治日本出現，提出一些初步的觀察和分析，對此議題的後續探索提供若干可能的新方向和研究視角。

By far the studies on the “Sleeping Lion” metaphor have reached a consensus that it was Liang Qichao, rather than Napoleon, who truly utilized the “Sleeping Lion” as a metaphor for China in his works published in the end of the 19th century. However, the question of why Liang came to choose the image of lion to symbolize China, and also described it as a counter image of Frankenstein, remains to be unanswered. In this study, I have argued that a Japanese article on China translated into Chinese in 1898 should be the key factor inspiring Liang’ use of the “Sleeping Lion” metaphor. This article by the Japanese author, Osawa Ryo, clearly contained the passage that Marquis Zeng has ever depicted China as a sleeping lion. This new discovery shows that sleeping lion discourse was actually initiated in Meiji Japan and later elaborated by Liang Qichao. Furthermore, by examining a number of key discourses on China during the Meiji period, this study also tried to make a preliminary investigation of how the “China as a Sleeping Lion” image was first emerged in Japan and then became enormously popular in China. My arguments will shed new light on this very significant transcultural and trans-lingual development in the modern intellectual and cultural history of East Asia.