A Comparative Study On Two English Versions Of Inner Chapters Of Zhuangzi From The Perspective Of Hermeneutics

Zhuangzi, also known as Nan Hua Zhen Jing(《南华真经》) is one of the Chinese classics of Taoist School. It has a long history of more than2,000years. The book consists of33chapters and the thesis adopts the7inner chapters as the object of the study. From the perspective of two important concepts of hermeneutics—"prejudice" and "fusion of horizons", the thesis compares two English translations of Inner Chapters of Zhuangzi by Lin Yutang and Burton Watson, in the hope of finding out the influential factors behind the two different translations.Zhuangzi is characterized by its profound philosophic thoughts of Tao. There is many an imagination and fabricating in the book and the language is rather peculiar and freewheeling. Its unique literary and philosophic charm exerted far-reaching influence on Chinese generations. Why we adopt the two English versions by Lin Yutang and Burton Watson is because these two translators were from different countries and translated the two versions under different historical and cultural backgrounds. The former was a Chinese writer, grown up in China while the latter an American Sinologist immersed in western culture. The former had the translation published in1942while the latter published the work in1968.The thesis analyzes the two versions from the perspective of hermeneutics. Gadamer, one of the most important representatives of hermeneutics, thinks interpretations are historic. The historicity causes "prejudice". In his book Truth and Method he formally proposes the concept of "fusion of horizons", and he thinks that when two different horizons come together new interpretations come into being. Lin Yutang and Burton Watson’s different historical and cultural horizons led to different translations. As a Chinese, Lin Yutang was deeply influenced by Chinese tradition and culture, while Burton Watson was influenced by western culture. Therefore, Lin tends to keep the original flavor of the source text, and translates with concise and literary words while Burton Watson tends to elaborate with contemporary English and interpret Taoism with similar concepts in the western thought. The thesis exemplifies the above conclusions by tracing the two translators’prejudice and processes of their fusions of horizons.