晚清文人包天笑為教育小說之翻譯家，其翻譯的教育三記膾炙人口，其中尤以《馨兒就學記》最為人所熟知。此書原作為義大利作家亞米契斯(Edmondo de Amicis)的作品，書名原為Cuore，民國之後夏丏尊譯為《愛的教育》。不過，其實早在《馨兒就學記》問世之前，包天笑翻譯的《兒童修身之感情》便是取自Cuore書中最長的一篇每月故事。過去的研究者往往以為《兒童修身之感情》是包天笑從日譯本摘譯而來，但經過筆者查證出版資料並詳細比對文本之後，可以確定包天笑並非自行摘譯，而是根據日譯本《三千里》全書翻譯而成，其日譯者為原抱一庵，而原抱一庵的《三千里》與其同年的另一譯作《十二健兒》才是摘譯自Cuore在美國的第一個英文譯本，譯者為哈普古德(Isabel Florence Hapgood)。本研究經過細讀文本之後，除了確認這段三手翻譯的歷史之外，更進一步分析三位譯者在各自譯作中的翻譯特色，並從中發現包天笑其實不全然如過去研究者所認為的那樣不忠於原作。整體來說，他的譯作會與原作有所差異，主要還是受到日譯本的影響。另外，本研究也提出了影響這段轉譯過程的其他因素，包括出版者文明書局，以林紓為榜樣的文言翻譯，以及晚清時期對「少年中國」與「新世界」的嚮往。最後，本研究以此個案再次肯定文本細讀(close reading)對翻譯史研究的重要性。

As one of the most important translators in the late Qing Dynasty, Bao Tianxiao rendered plenty of education novels. Xin’er jiuxueji, translated from Cuore, an Italian novel by Edmondo de Amicis, was the most well-known among them. Ertong xiushen zhi ganqing (Children’s Moral Cultivation), another education novel translated in 1905 from Cuore, has always been regarded as an earlier version selectively translated by Bao. However, after my investigation of the publication information, as well as careful comparison of several texts, I verify that Ertong xiushen zhi ganqi was actually a complete translation from the Japanese version 3000 Leagues. The selective translator was Hara Hōitsuan, the Japanese translator, instead of Bao. Hōitsuan’s Japanese version in 1902, however, was not derived from the Italian original but from an English translation by Isabel F. Hapgood in 1887.
In addition to clarifying and confirming the translation history of this story, I try to observe the features shown in these translations. The main methodology used in this study is close reading. It is a thorough method particularly essential for the research of translation history. The research results reveal that Bao was not an unfaithful translator as he has always been regarded. His translation was mostly influenced by his source text, the Japanese translation, among other factors, such as his admiration of Lin Shu’s traditional writing style. In addition, the hope for a juvenile China, rather than the old China, was reflected in the young boy’s pursuit in this touching story, and the new world, with its modernity, was presented as a metaphor of utopia.