A Study Of Translation Of Key Words In Confucianism/Ruism With Special Focus On The Comments Of Master Kong On Odes(Kongzi Shilun 孔子诗论)

This dissertation attempts to find the probably most appropriate English translations for those key words embodying the Confucian thought of ren(仁)in the source text named the Comments of Master Kong on Odes(Kongzi Shilun孔子诗论).Confined to the prevailing meaning-for-meaning concept rooted in the history of Western translation theories,previous studies have not yet touched the essence of translation of key words in the Confucian Classics,including this text,in that the profound thought of those core words have not been fully demonstrated in English in the cross-cultural communication.In consideration of the aforementioned problem,a re-examination of intercultural translation of key words focusing on the Comments of Master Kong on Odes(Kongzi Shilun孔子诗论)is necessary needed under the guidance of perspective based on Chinese culture rather than that of the west,with the result that a methodology of interpretation of Confucianism/Ruism in terms of Confucianism/Ruism is provided.Different from the traditional research mode,the dissertation intends to seek out the possibly best-matched translated words in English for the key words by means of comparing and analyzing two renditions of this text as well as diverse interpretations of other Confucian Classics,hoping that the Confucian thought of ren behind the intercultural transmission of the key words from those texts can be digged out,and relying upon its own power,it can play an important role in Chinese-English translation of Confucian Classics and also be of benefit in providing a new metaphysical pointer and clue for the discipline in constructing its basic theories in translation studies.This dissertation is divided into five chapters:Chapter One is the introduction of the dissertation which begins with a brief lead-in,including the motivation and reason for choosing this topic,research questions,and research subjects.Then it proceeds to review the current literature home and abroad.With the previous studies analyzed and their drawbacks brought to light,the focus and the presumable innovative points of the present study are proposed.In addition,the significance of the project concerning its academic research gap is pinpointed and the procedure of the study as well as the organization of the dissertation are laid down accordingly.Chapter Two probes into the issue of meaning-for-meaning concept in the history of Western translation theories,and states its far-reaching impact on the English translations of the Confucian Classics.To be specific,(1)the pre-linguistics period of translation studies concentrate on translation practice and intend to convey the meaning of the original text faithfully in the target language.Aims of theorists in this discipline are mostly locked in a recurring and sterile debate as to whether translations should be“literal”(word-for-word)or“free”(sense-for-sense);(2)the linguistic-oriented approaches to the field of translation investigate how to explore the problems of equivalence in meaning between words at various levels of language through micro-analysis;(3)the cultural school of translation theories is critical of the concept of equivalence,thereby develops a more comprehensive model by bringing the richness of cultural,political and historical factors into translation studies.Theorists fight against the view of unified and invariable meaning of the source text and conversely approve of pursuing its diverse meanings in the target language given that translation is considered as a creative activity.However,there is no denying the fact that no matter“rewriting”or“manipulation”is claimed,translators still centers on how to transfer the meaning of words in the original language;and(4)deconstruction aims to subvert the source-text centralism,emphasizes translators’roles as key players in the process of translating,and advocates the absence of ultimate meaning of the source text,but searching for the fluidity and uncertainty of the original meaning in the target will lead to nihilism of translation studies.In sum,the history of Western translation theories shows that“meaning-for-meaning”translation(译意)occupies an important position and under the influence of this viewpoint,most translators directly substitute those animate and dynamic key words of Chinese Classics for its Western abstract notions,bringing about the fact that thick/rich thoughts of those core words in the original texts are difficult to be revealed in the target language and culture.Chapter Three focuses on the meaning-for-meaning translation problems in English translations of key words in Confucian Classics including the Comments of Master Kong on Odes(Kongzi Shilun孔子诗论)and reflections on the issues concerned above.The author holds that key words contained in Chinese Classics present unique cultural spirit,thus taking key words as the starting point of research can better resolve the relevant disputes of the translations of those classical texts.In the light of this,the chapter is unfolded through 5 parts structurally separated but logically interlinked.Firstly,it starts with a brief account of historical era and cultural background of Master Kong and his disciples’comments on the Book of Songs(shijing诗经);secondly,the chapter attempts to reveal the Confucian thought of ren in the remarks of the sage on the aforementioned text appearing in the Analects(Lunyu论语);thirdly,it is found that this line of thinking also runs through the Comments of Master Kong on Odes(Kongzi Shilun孔子诗论)in a three-dimensional commentary perspective;therefore,fourthly,key words presenting the Confucian thought of ren in the text are selected and defined and the study of inter-lingual translations of them opens up an avenue accordingly;however,fifthly,it is clearly shown that the“meaning-for-meaning”translation influenced by the Western translation theories has had an impact on the cross-cultural communication of the Comments of Master Kong on Odes(Kongzi Shilun孔子诗论),especially those key words,and also has affected the English translation of Chinese literary theories as well as Confucian Classics;thus,the author turns the perspective of the West to that of the East in translation studies,hoping that the Confucian thought of ren with its own unique charm can have a crucial impact on coping with the dilemma confronted by meaning-for-meaning notion in the Western translation theories in rendering key words of Confucianism.Chapter Four makes an investigation into the English translations of key words of the Comments of Master Kong on Odes(Kongzi Shilun孔子诗论).Following the guideline of the Confucian thought of ren,the author divides those key words step by step into four levels,which respectively are:(1)ren(仁),wen(文)and zhi(志);(2)tian(天),ming(命)and de(德);(3)xing(性),li(礼)and xin(心);and(4)cheng(诚)and xin(信),seeking to find the probably best-matched words in the target language by compare with their English translations in other Chinese Classics.The more important idea arising therein is that the Confucian thought of ren will be refined from the above translating discussions,so that this line of thinking could be used in cross-cultural interpretations of Confucian Classics.The dissertation claims that“仁(ren)consists in loving others(仁者爱人)”,suggesting people communicating with each other from heart to heart,with the result that“life-living”(生意,implying that one should respect life,cherish it,and finally return to the state of life)can be brought about.Such a line of thinking of ren evolves eventually into a dynamic process of“life-living and re-living”(生生)to ensure the possibility of the agreement among tian(天),di(地),man(人)and things(物).As is seen in cross-cultural translation,the Confucian thought of ren(仁):(1)allows the Dao of ren to speak itself,that is to say,lets the words embodying the thought of ren speak itself;(2)requires translators to render the Confucian key words from the perspective of ren in order to restore the original essence of the Confucianism,exactly speaking,to dig out the spirit or thought of Confucian Classics;and(3)only in such a way can inter-lingual translation be considered to be appropriate since it has the power to highlight the Confucian thinking of“life-living and re-living”(生生).On the basis of the above-mentioned,the Confucian key words such as ren,de,xing and cheng,instead of their correspondingly abstract notions such as benevolence,virtue,nature and sincerity,can be translated as man-manning(ren仁),virtue[looking straight into the heart and then acting](de德),cultivating heart and mind(xing性),and word-becoming(cheng诚),consequently,Master Kong’s intention can be satisfactorily revitalized in another language and culture.However,it is admitted that the Confucian thought of ren demonstrated in the dissertation is at such an initial stage of construction,and its extensive application into translation practice takes time.Chapter Five makes a summing-up of what have been explored in the body of the dissertation and also points out its limitations and the possibilities of further study enlightened by the author.The final conclusion of this dissertation is that:the interlingual translation of key words in the Comments of Master Kong on Odes(Kongzi Shilun孔子诗论)is no longer an abstract meaning-for-meaning replacement between languages but an animate and dynamic thought-for-thought transformation.Only in this way can Confucian key words be revitalized in another language and culture.In addition,the research on this subject is still in its infancy,so its depth and breadth of study need to be extended.And the main prospects of follow-up researches include:(1)To complete and perfect the translation theories refined from the Confucian thought of ren(仁)and put it into translation studies in a better and more valid way;(2)Such a thought and its application in translation practice in the dissertation will be viewed as a constructive attempt in dealing with Chinese-English cultural interpretations of Confucian Classics in the future.