本文以译者个人视角,叙述詹姆斯·M.布坎南的《自由的限度》中译本出版受挫的曲折经历,从一个侧面揭示中文世界理解和接受布坎南理论思想存在隔膜和障碍。结合布坎南学术自传材料,简要回顾其理论发展的基本线索和思想源流,指出此书在其整个学术生涯中具有特殊地位。参照首次公开发表的布坎南为该书中译本撰写的序言,本文主张中文学术界有必要重新认识其思想特征,努力消除过去对其理论适用性的误解,重视其社会秩序思想所具有的普遍适用性;而片面强调其自由理念所衍生的政策主张,甚至错误地为他贴上保守主义者的标签,进而无视和抛弃其基于古典自由主义立场而不排斥建构论的社会思想中的秩序理念和公共推理,则是巨大误解,无异于买椟还珠。 This article, from the perspective of translator, describes the twists and turns of frustration in the publication of James M. Buchanan’s “Freedom Limitations” and reveals from one side that the Chinese world understands and embraces the defects and obstacles of Buchanan’s theoretical thinking. Combined with Buchanan’s academic autobiographical materials, briefly review the basic clues and ideological origin of its theoretical development, pointing out that this book has a special status in its entire academic career. Referring to the preamble published by Buchanan for the first time in the Chinese translation, this paper argues that it is necessary for Chinese academia to re-understand the characteristics of his thoughts, to eliminate misunderstandings about the applicability of his theory in the past, and to emphasize the prevalence of his ideas of social order Applicability; while one-sidedly emphasizing the policy ideas derived from its concept of freedom and even falsely labeling him as a conservative, then ignoring and abandoning the concept of order in social ideology based on the classical liberal position without excluding constructive theory And public reasoning, it is a huge misunderstanding, is tantamount to buying Huan beads.