英译中，来自每日翻译

·英译中：

原文：

In the Western imagination, China’s history has been inextricably linked to the notion of “empire”. But in fact, more than a millennium of Chinese history passed before anything resembling an empire ever existed. For centuries, seven separate states battled for military supremacy, until in 221 b.c. the Qin dynasty defeated the last of its rivals and unified the country. Military conquest is only part of the imperial story, however. China owes its ability to endure across time, and to re-form itself again and again after periods of disunity, to a fundamental reshaping of Chinese culture by the earliest dynasties, the Qin and the Han.

译文：

在西方人眼中，中国的历史与“帝国”的概念密不可分。但实际上，中国历史自发轫起，历经千年，仍未出现任何类似“帝国”的政权。数百年间，七个独立国家为了争夺军事霸权，烽火不断，直到公元前221年，秦朝打败了最后一个对手，最终统一全国。然而，军事征服只是帝国故事的一部分。中国历经岁月洗礼，多次分裂后仍能一次又一次重塑自身，原因就在于秦汉两个最早的王朝对中国文化的根本性重塑。