A Study On The Cross-cultural Interpretation Of"You"in Zhuangzi:

"You", one of the core ideas in the thoughts of Zhuangzi, not only has been a focus of Chinese interpreters in all dynasties, but also has assumed different qualities under English interpretation environment. Based on the analysis of classical cases from Chinese commentaries and English translations, this thesis is trying to present, expand and deepen the cross-cultural interpretation space of "You" in Zhuangzi.The thesis is composed of five parts:The first chapter is introduction, which mainly defines and explains the significance, the research background, the methodology and the construction of this subject. This chapter also provides the basic text sorting-out and analysis.The second chapter is the case study of "You" in classical Chinese commentaries. Firstly I give a general view of all the Chinese Commentaries and Sub commentaries, and then select Guo Xiang, Zhi Dun and Lin Xiyi as cases for analysis. Guo’s interpretation was "to suit one’s nature" to gain "enjoyment", hoping Scholar-officials could accept their social status and responsibilities; Zhi refuted Guo’s argument, pointing out that "You" is extrication from the limitation and implication of the world, which is internally linked with the thought of Buddhism; Lin’s interpretation came from neo-Confucianism, he thought "You" as a state of joyfulness in obedience to the principle of heaven, telling people to keep a positive mind while facing hardships.The third chapter is the case study of "You" in English translations. I have also given a general view of all the English translation versions of Zhuangzi, and then show my reason for selecting Legge, Watsons and Kuang-ming Wu as my study cases. Legge integrated the understanding of Confucianism and Christianity, defining "You" as the enjoyment gained under the guidance of godlike "Tao"; Watsons started from his understanding of Zhuangzi’s literary features, pointing out that "You" is a kind of unconstrained free wandering, emphasizing Zhuangzi’s rebellion against the society, culture and language, thus showing his personal romance; Kuang-ming Wu translated "You" in an alienated way and interpreted from the aspect of phenomenology, realizing the paradoxical unification between its transcendental and backward meaning.The fourth chapter is the comparison and analysis between these cases. Chinese commentaries mostly focus on the reason and method of "You", so they interpreted it as an abstract procedure of spiritual cultivation; English interpretation cases complimented it from different aspects. Legge’s interpretation is similar to Lin Xiyi’s, but with a tinge of Christianity; Watsons and Kuang-ming Wu turned back to its original form, making its meaning more specific and visualized; moreover, Watsons noticed Zhuangzi’s interaction with his texts, his free and rebellious features of "You", which have expanded the interpretation possibilities of "You"; Wu discussed different levels of "You", pointing out its paradoxical unification system. Different interpretations between Chinese and English have proven and completed each other, and have made the connotation of "You" wider and deeper.The last part is conclusion. According to the description and explanation above, we find that Chinese commentaries and English translations are all "misunderstandings" from different backgrounds of interpreting. By their fusion of horizons, the idea of "You" has gained multi-directional interpreting space under a cross-cultural view.