長城翻譯成 The Great Wall，最初源於哪裡？為什麼？
有「葡萄牙的李維」之稱的史學家若昂·德·巴羅斯（Jo?o de Barros）在1563年的里斯本出版了《亞洲旬年史之三（Terceira Décadas da ásia）》，其第二卷第七章首次在西方介紹了「長城」的存在，但還沒有與「偉大」等詞直接關聯在一起：
Este muro vem lan?ado em huma carta de Geographia de toda aquella terra, feita pelos mesmos Chijs, onde vem siduados todolos Montes, Rios, Cidades, Villas, com seus nomes escritos na letra delles, a qual mandámos vir de lá com Chij pera a interpreta??o della, e de alguns livros seus, que tambem houvemos...E o que sobre isso nos davam a entender era n?o ser per todo continuado, sómente haver entre os Chijs, e os Tátas huma corda de serras mui asperas, e em alguns passos estava este muro feito; mas agora que per elles o vimos pintado, fez-nos grande admira??o.
此城，由前述中國人繪於中國全圖之上，是圖以漢字名山川、城邑，均由彼譯出，並與它書並帶至此（即里斯本）......關於此城，略有耳聞，向以為並非連續，然而竟是橫亘於漢人、韃靼人土地之間，依山而建之通路，且據此圖，亦是完全連續的，實使人大為驚奇。
The last king of the lynage of this woorthie Vitey, was called Tzintzon: this did make the mightie and great wall aforesaide. Finding himselfe to be greatly troubled with the king of Tartarie, who did make warre vppon him in many places of his kingdom, he did ordaine the making thereof, and for the furnishing of the same, he did take the third man of the countrie to the worke; and for that manie people did die in this tedious worke, by reason they went so farre from their owne houses, and in diuers climes cleane contrarie vnto that where as they were bred and borne: it grew that the king was hated and abhorred of all people, in such sort that they did conspire his death, which in effect they did accomplish and slew him, after he had reigned fortie yeares: and also his sonne and heyre, who was called Aguizi.
黃帝（Vitey）世系之末帝，名喚嬴政 （Tzintzon），乃營造前述壯觀長城者也。蓋韃主於其疆多有滋擾，遂令營之，乃役黔首其五之三以為徭力。民人背井離鄉，不習水土，多有勞死，於帝日有怨懟，乃謀革命，卌年竟功成，其子二世（Aguizi）亦被誅。
伏爾泰1764年出版的《哲學詞典（Dictionnaire philosophique）》「古人與今人」詞條提到「La grande muraille de la Chine 」，說明「長城」與「偉大」掛鉤，在西方語言專名翻譯中基本定型：
乾隆五十九年訪華的著名的英國使團正使馬戛爾尼伯爵在其1793年9月5日的私人日誌中提到「the Great Wall」，說明英語中「the Great Wall of China」已經成為「長城」廣為流傳的固定名稱：Les Chinois, plus de deux cents ans avant notre ère vulgaire, construisirent cette grande muraille qui n』a pu les sauver de l』invasion des Tartares... La grande muraille de la Chine est un monument de la crainte ; les pyramides sont des monuments de la vanité et de la superstition. Les unes et les autres attestent une grande patience dans les peuples, mais aucun génie supérieur.
中國人於主前二百年，即築此長城，然終不能阻韃靼入侵......中國萬里長城為畏懼之碑，埃及金字塔實虛妄之識。此類僅證其民懷極大之忍耐，非有卓越之才。
After breakfast we set out from Cou-pe-kiou in order to visit this celebrated wall which we had heard such wonders of, and after passing through the outermost gate on the Tartar side, we began our peregrination on foot, there being no other method of approach...If the other parts of the wall be similar to those which I have seen, it is certainly the most stupendous work of human hands, for I imagine that if the outline of all the masonry of all the forts and fortified places in the whole world besides were to be calculated, it would fall considerably short of that of the Great Wall of China.
朝食迄，發古北口以觀長城，此城久負盛名，界漢韃之地。過關門，地既崎嶇，唯徒步就之......若此城全部於吾今所見之一部相近，則吾可斷言舉世著名之工程雖盡合一處，亦絕難與此中國萬里長城之工相敵。
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