中英雙語話史記 第67期:東晉十六國

The Sixteen States

十六國

The Sixteen Kingdoms (十六國）， or less commonly the Sixteen States, were a collection of numerous short-lived sovereignties in China proper and neighboring areas from AD 304 to 439 after the retreat of the Jin Dynasty (265—420) to South China and before the establishment of the Northern Dynasties.

“十六國”是公元304年至439年，也是在晉朝（265——420）撤回中國南方之後、北朝建立之前，中原地區及其周圍很多短暫存在的政權的集合。

Originally, the term was first introduced by Cui Hong in the lost historical record, Shiliuguo Chunqiu (the Spring and Autumn Annals of the Sixteen Kingdoms) and restricted to sixteen kingdoms of this era, namely the states of Han Zhao, Later Zhao, Cheng Han, Former Liang, Later Liang, Northern Liang, Western Liang， Southern Liang, Former Yan, Later Yan, Northern Yan, Southern Yan, Former Qin, Later Qin, Western Qin and Xia.

一開始，這個說法在丟失的史料《十六國春秋》中由崔鴻提出，當時僅僅指這個時期的16個國家——漢趙、後趙、成漢、前涼、後涼、北涼、西涼、南涼、前燕、後燕、北燕、南燕、前秦、後秦、西秦和夏國。

The term has been broadened to include all sovereignties from 304 to 439.

後來這個名詞所涵蓋的意義被擴大爲304至439年的所有政權。

These do not all exist through the entire period.

它們並不都存在與一整段時期。

A less used term, the Period of Sixteen Kingdoms represents this turbulent era from 304 to 439.

一個較少使用的說法是，十六國時期代表着從304年到439年間騷亂的時期。

Almost all rulers of the kingdoms were part of the Wu Hu ethnicity and claimed to be the emperors and wangs (kings).

幾乎所有的統治者都是五胡的一部分並各自稱帝。

The Han Chinese founded the four states: Northern Yan， Western Liang, Former Liang and the state of Wei.

漢人建立了四個國家——北燕、南涼、前涼和魏國。

Six Chinese rulers of the Former Liang remained titularly under the government of the Jin Dynasty.

前涼的六位統治者在晉朝政府的控制下處於名存實亡的狀態。

The Northern Wei Dynasty is not counted as one of the Sixteen Kingdoms even though it was founded during the Period.

北魏不被算做十六國之一,儘管它也是在這段時期建立的。