In The "three Kingdoms" Modern Translation And Medieval Chinese Study

A Comparative Study of Translations of the "Annals of the Three Kingdoms" into Modern Chinese and Japanese and the Chinese Lexicon in Middle AgesAn accurate understanding of the target text is of vital and pivotal import for the translations of ancient Chinese books into modern Chinese or into foreign tongues. This dissertation is the first all-around study of the problems and principles in the annotations and translations of the vocabulary in the classical book, "Annals of the Three Kingdoms" , via scrutinizing a dozen of the translations and annotations of the book into modern versions, which will be salutary to the systematic study of Chinese lexical items in Middle Ages, and the exegesis and renditions of ancient Chinese books into modern Chinese.The present study conducts a contrastive analysis, for the first time, of the Japanese rendition and the eleven translations of the "Annals of the Three Kingdoms" into modern Chinese, aiming to help us arrive at an appraisal of the overall study of ancient Chinese lexicon by Chinese researchers and their Japanese counterparts, and to unveil the differences in philosophy, principles and research contents between Japanese and Chinese scholars in annotating and translating ancient Chinese books.The dissertation will also shed light on the understanding and analysis of the status quo concerning the study of the "Annals of the Three Kingdoms" , which is an important classical book in the study of the historical grammar of Chinese, consequently enhancing the overall level in the study of the book. This dissertation dwells upon a brand new area in the study of the 'Annals of the Three Kingdoms' .This dissertation offers new perspectives in appraising the unique features of the Japanese translation of the "Annals of the Three Kingdoms" and other translations of the book into modern Chinese,presenting my own solutions to the existing problems and ways of understanding difficult words in the book. It also makes a clutch of remarks concerning the principles, methodology, and systems in annotating and translating ancient Chinese books.With respect to the translations of ancient Chinese books into Japanese, the study offers a host of preliminary viewpoints that remain untouched in previous studies by focusing upon the stylistic features and lexical equivalence in translation.The study of the lexical items in the "Annals of the Three Kingdoms" will provide a linguistic perspective for the exegesis and translations of ancient books, and explorations into contemporary annotations and renditions of ancient books will enhance and strengthen the study of Chinese lexical items in Middle Ages. What's more, the study of the sole, complete and contemporary Japanese rendition of the book will further promote international exchanges in the study of ancient Chinese books.The dissertation consists of three parts.The first part offers a brief review of the achievements and problems in the study of lexical items in the "Annals of the Three Kingdom" , and researches with regard to contemporary annotations and translations of the book, with its focus on the unique perspectives and methods adopted by Japanese scholars as well as the excellence manifest in the Japanese rendition. It will be of value for domestic scholars.The second part presents an all-encompassing analysis of the problems in the Japanese and Chinese translations in their treatment of lexical items of the "Annals of the Three Kingdoms" . It also discusses some unanswered questions in the Japanese rendition concerning the vocabulary of Middle Ages, which will be of supplementary value for the study of the lexicon, translations of the "Annals of the Three Kingdoms" into modern Chinese and the compilation of dictionaries.The third part centers upon the translations and annotations of the"Annals of Three Kingdoms" into modern Chinese, offering suggestionsfor the application of relevant theories in annotating and translatingancient books. It also proposes a number of original viewpoints for thetranslation of ancient Chinese books into Japanese from the perspectivesof literary genres, rhymes and homoforms.Starting from the perspective of general lexicology, the dissertation also integrates the major accomplishments of Chinese and Japanese scholars in the study of Chinese lexicon in Middle Ages, in particular the lexical items in the "Annals of the Three Kingdoms", into the current study, making a critical analysis of Mamoru's Fujii's "Annals of the Three Kingdoms Lexicon" and "Lexicon of the Annals of the Three Kingdoms with annotation by Pei " by grouping them under the rubrics of large-scale philological dictionaries and contemporary annotations and translations of the book. This will propel the study of Chinese lexical systems in Middle Ages, the addition of supplements to dictionaries, as well as the translation of ancient books into modern Chinese. Taking into account the factor of structural consistence, I put these discussions in Appendix I and Appendix II as topic-oriented discussions.