From "Yanyi" To "Romance":A Polvsvstematic Approach To Brewitt-Taylor’s English Translation Of Sanguo Yanyi

Translation of Chinese classical literature exerts a profound influence on the overseas promotion of Chinese culture,and the translation of a literary work’s title will affect directly the first impression of foreign readers on this work.Sanguo yanyi,written by Luo Guanzhong in the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644),is recognized as one of the Four Great Classics in China.In the West,this classic is familiar to readers under the name "Romance of the Three Kingdoms",which was provided by the English translator,C.H.Brewitt-Taylor(1857-1938).This thesis focuses on the title of Brewitt-Taylor’s complete English version of Sanguo yanyi with Polysystem Theory as the theoretical base.Taking the English translation of the word "yanyi" as the starting point,through analyzing the influence of the position of Chinese translated literature in English literary system and other co-systems on the translator’s behavior,this thesis aims to explore the underlying reasons for which the translator chose "romance" to be the final title of his translation version.This research has found that translating "yanyi" as "romance" is not a simple literal equivalent translation.Brewitt-Taylor was influenced by various social and cultural factors in the process of translation,and translating "yanyi" as "romance" is a clear manifestation of his approach to the target culture system.When Romance of the Three Kingdoms was translated and published,Chinese translated literature occupied a relatively dominated position within English literature system.At the same time,the historical romances that emerged in the nineteenth century had a huge impact on the British literary system.Therefore,although the translator was aware of the literary differences between Chinese "yanyi" and English romance,he still translated "yanyi"as "romance" that was familiar to English readers,and followed its writing habit in dialogue presentation.In addition,to improve the intelligibility and acceptance of the translation,the translator also adopted the strategy of target-oriented translation to omit or interpret the Chinese cultural items in the original,reducing the reading burden of English readers.In terms of the influences of this translation,on the one hand,this translated name can attract more attention and reading interest in the target culture system.At the same time,the smooth translation of this classic contributes to its circulation among ordinary English readers;on the other hand,this translation may lead to westerners’ misunderstanding about Sanguo yanyi and cannot effectively spread Chinese culture.It is hoped that this research will enrich the studies on foreign translation of Chinese classical literature.