§第一节 中华民族
#§1.
THE CHINESE NATION
§我们中国是世界上最大国家之一，它的领土和整个欧洲的面积差不多相等。
#§China is one of the largest countries in the world, her territory being about the size of the whole of Europe.
在这个广大的领土之上，有广大的肥田沃地，给我们以衣食之源；有纵横全国的大小山脉，给我们生长了广大的森林，贮藏了丰富的矿产；有很多的江河湖泽，给我们以舟楫和灌溉之利；有很长的海岸线，给我们以交通海外各民族的方便。
# In this vast country of ours there are large areas of fertile land which provide us with food and clothing; mountain ranges across its length and breadth with extensive forests and rich mineral deposits; many rivers and lakes which provide us with water transport and irrigation; and a long coastline which facilitates communication with nations beyond the seas.
从很早的古代起，我们中华民族的祖先就劳动、生息、繁殖在这块广大的土地之上。
# From ancient times our forefathers have laboured, lived and multiplied on this vast territory.
§现在中国的国境：在东北、西北和西方的一部，和苏维埃社会主义共和国联盟接壤。
#§China borders on the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in the northeast, the northwest and part of the west;
正北面，和蒙古人民共和国接壤。
the Mongolian People's Republic in the north;
西方的一部和西南方，和阿富汗、印度、不丹、尼泊尔接壤。
Afghanistan, India, Bhutan and Nepal in the southwest and part of the west;
南方，和缅甸、越南接壤。
Burma and Indo-China in the south;
东方，和朝鲜接壤，和日本、菲律宾邻近。
and Korea in the east, where she is also a close neighbor of Japan and the Philippines.
这个地理上的国际环境，给予中国人民革命造成了外部的有利条件和困难条件。
# China's geographical setting has its advantages and disadvantages for the Chinese people's revolution.
有利的是：和苏联接壤，和欧美各主要帝国主义国家隔离较远，在其周围的国家中有许多是殖民地半殖民地国家。
# It is an advantage to be adjacent to the Soviet Union and fairly distant from the major imperialist countries in Europe and America, and to have many colonial or semi-colonial countries around us.
困难的是：日本帝国主义利用其和中国接近的关系，时刻都在迫害着中国各民族的生存，迫害着中国人民的革命。
# It is a disadvantage that Japanese imperialism, making use of its geographical proximity, is constantly threatening the very existence of all China's nationalities and the Chinese people's revolution.
§我们中国现在拥有四亿五千万人口，差不多占了全世界人口的四分之一。
#§China has a population of 450 million, or almost a quarter of the world total.
在这四亿五千万人口中，十分之九以上为汉人。
# Over nine-tenths of her inhabitants belong to the Han nationality.
此外，还有蒙人、回人、藏人、维吾尔人、苗人、彝人、壮人、仲家人、朝鲜人等，共有数十种少数民族，虽然文化发展的程度不同，但是都已有长久的历史。
# There are also scores of minority nationalities, including the Mongol, Hui, Tibetan, Uighur, Miao, Yi, Chuang, Chungchia and Korean nationalities, all with long histories though at different levels of cultural development.
§中华民族的发展（这里说的主要地是汉族的发展），和世界上别的许多民族同样，曾经经过了若干万年的无阶级的原始公社的生活。
#§Developing along the same lines as many other nations of the world, the Chinese people (here we refer mainly to the Hans) went through many thousands of years of life in classless primitive communes.
而从原始公社崩溃，社会生活转入阶级生活那个时代开始，经过奴隶社会、封建社会，直到现在，已有了大约四千年之久。
# Some 4,000 years have gone by since the collapse of these primitive communes and the transition to class society, which took the form first of slave and then of feudal society.
在中华民族的开化史上，有素称发达的农业和手工业，有许多伟大的思想家、科学家、发明家、政治家、军事家、文学家和艺术家，有丰富的文化典籍。
# Throughout the history of Chinese civilization its agriculture and handicrafts have been renowned for their high level of development; there have been many great thinkers, scientists, inventors, statesmen, soldiers, men of letters and artists, and we have a rich store of classical works.
在很早的时候，中国就有了指南针的发明。
# The compass was invented in China very long ago.
还在一千八百年前，已经发明了造纸法。
# The art of paper-making was discovered as early as 1,800 years ago.
火药的应用，也在欧洲人之前。
# The use of gunpowder was known to the Chinese before the Europeans.
所以，中国是世界文明发达最早的国家之一，中国已有了将近四千年的有文字可考的历史。
#§Thus China has one of the oldest civilizations in the world; she has a recorded history of nearly 4,000 years.
§中华民族不但以刻苦耐劳着称于世，同时又是酷爱自由、富于革命传统的民族。
# The Chinese nation is known throughout the world not only for its industriousness and stamina, but also for its ardent love of freedom and its rich revolutionary traditions.
以汉族的历史为例，可以证明中国人民是不能忍受黑暗势力的统治的，他们每次都用革命的手段达到推翻和改造这种统治的目的。
# The history of the Han people, for instance, demonstrates that the Chinese never submit to tyrannical rule but invariably use revolutionary means to overthrow or change it.