book-burning(n.)
"焚书坑儒",指将被认为是淫秽、腐败等的出版物用火进行大规模破坏,始于1850年,源自 book(n.)和 burn(v.)的动名词。作为形容词,最早见于1726年(约翰·托兰是其受害者)。
What an irreparable destruction of History, what a deplorable extinction of arts and inventions, what an unspeakable detriment to Learning, what a dishonor upon human understanding, has the cowardly proceeding of the ignorant or rather of the interested against unarm'd monuments at all times occasion'd! And yet this Book-burning and Letter-murdring humor, tho far from being commanded by Christ, has prevail'd in Christianity from the beginning .... [John Toland, "The History of the Druids," 1726]
这种愚蠢的行为,即对无辜的文物进行毁灭,对历史造成了不可挽回的破坏,对艺术和发明造成了可悲的消失,对学问造成了无法言喻的损害,对人类理解的尊严造成了侮辱。然而,这种焚书坑儒的行为,虽然远非基督所命令,但从基督教的开始就盛行了.... [约翰·托兰,《德鲁伊历史》,1726年]
该词起源时间:1850年