CAJ | 학술논문

美国＂新清史＂学者欧立德等人认为,欧洲称中国为＂中华帝国＂,是17世纪中叶以后才有的事情,其中,清朝入关并通过征服建立大清国,可谓欧洲论述里中国从＂地区＂或＂王国＂跃升为＂帝国＂的重要转折点。大量欧洲古文献证明,其基本观点和一些具体说法存在问题。早在明朝时期,欧洲通过耶稣会士等媒介,将中国称之为＂中华帝国＂的说法已然确立并初步流行开来。欧洲人最初所谓的＂中华帝国＂,恰是对＂大明＂及其此前中国的一般感知与印象。当时在欧洲,＂帝国＂一词的使用较为宽泛,如果简单地从今日社会科学特别是政治社会学所界定的＂帝国＂概念出发,去说明历史上曾经存在过的＂帝国＂概念之内涵及其使用,重构欧洲早期汉学知识的系谱,容易造成不必要的误解。
미국＂신청사＂학자구립덕등인인위,구주칭중국위＂중화제국＂,시17세기중협이후재유적사정,기중,청조입관병통과정복건립대청국,가위구주논술리중국종＂지구＂혹＂왕국＂약승위＂제국＂적중요전절점。대량구주고문헌증명,기기본관점화일사구체설법존재문제。조재명조시기,구주통과야소회사등매개,장중국칭지위＂중화제국＂적설법이연학립병초보류행개래。구주인최초소위적＂중화제국＂,흡시대＂대명＂급기차전중국적일반감지여인상。당시재구주,＂제국＂일사적사용교위관범,여과간단지종금일사회과학특별시정치사회학소계정적＂제국＂개념출발,거설명역사상증경존재과적＂제국＂개념지내함급기사용,중구구주조기한학지식적계보,용역조성불필요적오해。
Mark Eliot, among other historians of the ＂neo Qing history＂, believes that the Europeans did not call China as an ＂empire＂ until the mid 17th century, when the Qing dynasty＇s conquering of China and the consequential state building finally changed the image of China in the minds of the Europeans from a geographical region into an empire. But a closer textual study of the early European sources about China demonstrates this argument problematic in term of historical accuracy. The Europeans had begun to frequently address China as an empire （imperium） in the previous Ming dynasty. By the late 16th century, the Portugal colonists, merchants, Catholic missionaries, especially the Jesuits had helped to popularize the image of China as an empire in Europe. But the Western notion of ＂empire＂ associated with the Ming began by analogy with the political entity in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Europe. The indiscriminative applying the more strictly defined modern sociological term ＂ empire＂ to the history could be misleading in reconstructing of the genealogies of European Sinological knowledge.