The Diversified Translations Of The Key Term Ren (仁) In Lun Yu-from The Perspective Of Hermeneutics

Lun Yu--the representative work of the Chinese Confucian culture is the mainembodiment of Confucius’s philosophy. At the same time, this classic is also a preciouspearl in the river of traditional Chinese culture, which has great impact upon the traditionalChinese culture and plays an irreplaceable role in the Chinese mode of thinking.For a long time, this classic has been the focus of researches among the scholars andexperts and the reason lies in two facets. On one hand, Lun Yu is a classical text, brief andconcise in language, rich and comprehensive in content, covering many fields, namely,politics, philosophy, literature, etc. and therefore, it is a rich mine that cannot be exhaustedimmediately. On the other hand, Lun Yu plays a vital role in the course of communicationbetween the East and the West and consequently, it enjoys high research value in the circleof global communication.Long before the period of Confucius, the concept of Ren (仁) had appeared in someliterary works like The Book of History and The Book of Poetry, but it was Confucius whoupgraded the concept of Ren (仁) for the first time by providing it with comprehensiveconnotations and a significant status that it never enjoyed before. Therefore, the concept ofRen (仁) is not only important to the traditional Chinese culture but also to the Confucianphilosophy. As the ideal status for moral cultivation, Ren (仁) has different meanings andinterpretations by different scholars. In the light of the hermeneutics theory, this thesis setsout to investigate different translators’ different approaches to the translation of Ren (仁)in Lun Yu and analyses the various reasons why there exist so many diversified translationsconcerning the key term Ren (仁).After detailed analyses, this thesis asserts that translators belong to certain historical and cultural backgrounds. The historicity of their existence greatly affects theirunderstandings and interpretations of the text and is a major factor which results in thediversified translations of Ren (仁) in Lun Yu. Meanwhile, guided by different translationpurposes and the intended readers of the target text, the translation will bring outdiversified interpretations by different translators.This thesis concludes that classics like Lun Yu will yield different meanings wheninterpreted under different circumstances in different historical periods. From thisperspective, the classics should be retranslated again and again to yield their new lives andregain their energy thereafter.