On Zhu Guangqian Translation And The Introduction Of Western Aesthetics

Zhu Guangqian (Chu Kwang Tsien) , an important aesthetician and aesthetic translator, was noted in Chinese modern and contemporary aesthetic history for his aesthetic theories as well as his large amount of translating works. Zhu Guangqian's study and translation of western Aesthetics lasted for over fifty years, whose object of study covered almost all the important figures in western aesthetic history from Plato, Croce, Hegel, Vico, Goethe to Marx. But his major concern was given to the comparative study of Chinese classic Aesthetic thoughts and western Aesthetic thoeries, based on the materials translated all by himself. In fact, more than 70% of his Collective Works of Zhu Guangqian are translating works. So translation played an important part in his academic career. The study of his translation was necessary to understand the mystery of his great importance in Chinese Aesthetic history.The object of the present thesis is the studies of Zhu Guangqian's translation and study of Western literary criticism and Aesthetics. To be specific, the thesis focuses itself on how the translated and borrowed western aesthetic resources give impetus to Chinese classic literary criticism for its smooth modern transition. We make ourselves avail of the distinction between translating and borrowing solely for the convenience of study, in fact they are but the two sides of the same coin.In the paper the translating and borrowing of Western literary criticism and Aesthetics by Zhu Guangqian is thought to be one of the motive power to Chinese aesthetics. And its functioning principles, channels and prerequisites are the focuses of the study. The prerequisites for the translated and borrowed western resources to be most effective are two-fold: the transitory period of Chinese classic literary criticism to its modernity and the favorable cultural pressure. The channels are classified in three aspects: new modes of thinking, new series of categories and the related concepts, fresh aesthetic experiences. The functioning principles in Zhu Guangqian's translating and borrowing career are quite outstanding: the translator, student and scholar is all but one person in the hand of Zhu Guangqian. That is to say. he learns by doing translating and researching; it is also true to say that his researches are embodied in his translation; in other way, his translation is the direct result of learning and researching. This special way of translating and borrowing partly reveals the secret of the deeper and more lasting influence than other translator in the same field. To sum up, the outstanding influence ofZhu Guangqian's job lies in the fact that it is not his separate translation like other translators but his unified system resulted from his special researching methodology that greatly spurred the transition of Chinese aesthetics from the classicality to its modernity.The thesis consists of four parts involving four important aspects of Zhu Guangqian's life and academic career to translate western Aesthetics.Chapter one deals with the life of Zhu Guangqian, recording all his important experiences, such as his family life, education, academic career and social activities.Chapter two is focused on the analysis of the mechanism of Zhu Guangqian's special way of doing translating work and research, namely, the way of incorporating learning, translating and research for the purpose of borrowing western Aesthetic thoughts to spur and accelerate the development of Chinese Aesthetics. A case study is given to reveal its inner mechanism.Chapter three tackles with the translating practices in western aesthetics and the translating theories of Zhu Guangqian. The unity of thought and language, one of the innovative theories of Zhu Guangqian, is thought to be the starting point of his translating practice. This theory is the key to understand the mystery of Zhu Guangqian's translating theories, such as translating criterion, translating techniques and translatability.Chapter four studies the impact of Zhu Guangqian's translating achievement on the development of Chinese aesthetics by way of borrowing western aesthetic ideas, materials and methodologies.It is worth to be noted that in the thesis under the concept of translation we make an important distinction between translating and translating variants, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. By the latter we mean those translations done by giving much liberty to the translator to make free alterations on the original works by means of adding, editing, incorporating, clarifying, revising and annexing; while the former is translating in the normal sense without abridgement except for some minor changes and necessary notes. A further distinction is made in the thesis between literary and nonliterary translation for a better scrutiny of the present study object of Zhu's job that is surely placed in the latter field. Due to the above distinction, there is a great difference of focuses in translation: meaning or significance. All other differences in the two kinds of translation are consequences of the above shifting of focuses.For all the above distinctions and studies to hold water the theory of the unity of thought and language is introduced and fully testified. Only when this is true can we account for the great influence exerted on the development of Chinese Aesthetics bytranslating and borrowing of western resources. For it is plain fact that what confronts the translator is above all the foreign language, and the direct result of the translator's creative endeavor is the transformed works in the target language. It is also quite obvious that the influence of translation is not restricted to language but the mode of thinking; concepts, genres and the aesthetic experiences are enriched and even replaced by the borrowed western resources. The only correct answer to this puzzle is the unity of thought and language, that is to say, when language is changing, so is the mode of thinking, concepts and the aesthetic experiences, and vice verse. Here lies the origin and foundation of the motive power on Chinese aesthetic development by the very act of translating and borrowing of western literary criticism and aesthetic thoughts.