A Comparative Study On The Commentary In English Translations Of Lun Yu From The Perspective Of Inter-subjectivity Theory

Lun Yu,as the representative of Confucian classics,has witnessed generations of commentators.Since the Han Dynasty,the Confucian exegesis has carried forward Chinese commentarial tradition,viewing the evolution and reinterpretation of Confucian thoughts through linguistic exegesis,textual research and spiritual interpretation.Among the translations of Lun Yu in the past 200 years,the English versions by James Legge,Ku Hongming and Wing-tsit Chan distinguish themselves by the pursuit of Chinese commentarial tradition,leaving the targeted readers a more interpretative space different from the core text.However,the existing studies on translations tend to portray Chinese classics under the representational discourse in the West.The interpretive nature of Chinese classical discourse has been underappreciated.The promotion of Chinese classics to the West has consequently confronted the dominance of Western discourse.To promote Chinese culture’s going out and enhance China’s discourse power,it is of great significance to examine the characteristics of Chinese classical discourse and the reinforcement of commentarial text in reconstructing the original canons.The contemporary philosophy,as well as translation studies,has experienced an intersubjective turn.Based on the inter-subjectivity theory,this thesis attempts to figure out the inter-relationship between the subjects in commentary making,exemplify the differences and common ground on the annotation tactics,and propose the guiding principle and specifications in commentary,so as to provide recommendations to the revival of Chinese commentarial tradition in the new era and the discourse exploration of Chinese culture going out.Major findings suggest that the commentary in the three translations all focus on the interpretation of author’s will and the comparison of annotations by commentators from China and the West at different times.The differences are largely attributed to the various motivations derived from the ideology at certain time.Commentary in the three translations diachronically presents the idea change of English translation of Lun Yu.Legge endeavored to interpret the Confucianism with Christianity;Ku attempted to prove the “superiority” of Chinese culture in a Westernized discourse;Chan advocated a mutual exchange between Chinese and Western cultures.Allowing the coordinated participation of all the subjects,the better interpretation should pursue the integration of the author’s intention,readers’ need and social conditions.The commentarial practice should therefore preserve the uniqueness of Chinese culture,carry out the exegesis tradition,while learn from the modern commentary norms to meet the needs of time.