A Study Of James Legge:His Translations,thoughts,and Multi-cultural Identity

As one of the“Three Most Distinguished Figures”who have translated the Chinese classics into the European languages,and the first one to win“Prix Stanislas Julien”,James Legge’s translation works The Chinese Classics and The Sacred Books of China include most of the Four Books and Five Classics,as well as the works that are considered as Chinese religion.As for the quantities of translated Chinese classics,James Legge is second to none,no matter whether they are western sinologists or Chinese translators.For Legge’s significant contributions and distinguished status,scholars in and abroad never stop researching him.The previous researches either highly appreciate or sharply criticize Legge both for his language and ideology.Some scholars pay attention to his unitary identity as a missionary,and some others pay attention to his binary identity both as a missionary and a translator.However,few pays attention to his multicultural identity and the influences this multicultural identity exerts on his translating and interpreting of Chinese culture.Legge’s versions have great influences in international sinology,and now still serve as important references for westerners to know Chinese culture.In the 21^st century,we are carrying out“Chinese culture going-abroad”strategy.So can we still adopt the versions produced in the 19^th century by the missionary Legge with the purpose of preaching?Therefore,it is necessary to restudy and reevaluate Legge and his versions,to do deep research on his semantic expressions and ideology,and to determine whether his versions can be considered as the model of translating Chinese classics and serve as important means for“Chinese culture going-abroad”strategy.Studying Legge and his versions has important significance for the study of missionary translators,for Legge is not only the one who has translated the largest quantity of Chinese classics,exerted the greatest influences,but also the one who is quite sympathetic to Chinese culture as“the other”.Therefore,studying Legge and his versions is of great significance to the study of both the translating quality and the ideology of missionary translators.Mencius’s“goodness of human nature”is considered to be contrary to Christian beliefs,and thus Confucius,Sinarum philosophus,sive Scientia sinensis,which was published by Philippe Couplet in 1687,does not include Mencius.However,Legge compares Mencius’s human nature with Anglican theologian Butler’s,in order to seek common points between Confucian human nature featured by“goodness”and Christian human nature rooted in“original sin”,which has aroused great disputes in the Christian world,and meanwhile this also demonstrates Legge’s translating thoughts and preaching strategies.Legge’s Mencius has three versions.The 1861 version was made for the purpose of preaching;the 1875version was made for the masses;while the 1895 version was made when he had finished his missionary career and been teaching in Oxford for many years.This version is the most sympathetic one,which can show his final judgment of Mencius and Confucianism in his late years.Therefore,this paper mainly studies the 1895 version.This paper studies the semantic expressions,the translator’s ideology and multicultural identity of Legge’s 1895 version of Mencius,and furthermore,revels the roles the missionary translators have played in the spreading of Chinese culture and their limitations in contemporary era,mainly using the following research methods:descriptive research,especially random sampling,semantic feature analysis,documentary research and statistical research.Chapter 2 firstly compares Legge’s version with four other parallel versions,namely,the earliest complete version,British missionary David Collie’s version,distinguished Chinese Hong Kong sinologist D.C.Lau’s version,“Library of Chinese Classics”Zhao Zhentao’s version and contemporary American sinologist Irene Bloom’s version,by random sampling,to figure out the main language features of Legge’s version,and then surveys the citation of the reference works in its annotations by statistical research methods,to show the quantity and preference of his citation and the relevant reasons.Chapter 3 adopts semantic feature analysis and statistical research methods,and mainly studies the version’s preface,annotations and body to revel Legge’s ideology and cultural identity from the perspective of hermeneutics and Orientalism.Chapter 4 firstly analyzes the various factors that shape Legge’s multicultural identity,adopts documentary research method to survey his political status and his concept on the relationship between religion and education,and then studies the influences of his habitus,which is formed by the complex factors in his multicultural background,on his translating.The three main chapters research from Legge’s translated texts,to his translating ideology,and then to his multi-cultural identity,which is an all-round study on his interpretation of Mencius and the Chinese culture.This paper negates the binary opposed comments of previous researches,and finally has the following viewpoints:1.Legge’s version has the following four characteristics:it has very detailed reference materials,and the highest accuracy among the five versions;his version is featured by“literal translation”;Legge fails to make correct choices for all polysemous words and thus there are some mistakes due to excessive interpretation;Legge’s version mainly takes Zhu Xi’s exegeses as the master copy.Legge’s version citied 80 varieties of reference works,up to 682 times,which can be achieved only by an erudite scholar with knowledge both home and abroad,ancient and modern.His citation aims to be impartial,but still at times reveals some kind of preference and prejudice due to his ultimate goal of missionary work.Thus,as for the semantic expressions themselves,even though there are some flaws like“literal translation”and“mistakes”,“one flaw cannot obscure the splendor of the jade”,Legge’s version represents“an excellent sinologist’s translating”.2.The three interpreting methods,namely“comparing and seeking common points”,“sympathetic approval”and“integrating Chinese and Western culture”used by Legge in the body,footnote and preface of the translation,as well as his speeches and works,demonstrate that his interpretation fails to transcend his identity as a Christian missionary.3.After concluding that Legge’s interpretation is ideologically Christian,this paper then points out that Legge’s multicultural backgrounds shaped his complex habitus,which often made him to be self-contradictory in this translating field.While these self-contradictory points demonstrate his unique characteristics which are different from other missionaries.Legge’s translating is quite precise and has very detailed reference materials.He himself and his translation works have made great contribution to the spreading of Chinese culture.They promoted the status of Confucianism in international world.However,his prefaces,annotations,and some parts of the main body revel evident Christian imprint;at the same time,his unique multicultural backgrounds shaped his multi-habitus,which made him demonstrate self-controdictory“multicultural identity”in interpreting Confucianism and Chinese culture,but his interpretation never transcend the“core identity”as a Christian missionary.On the whole,his translations cannot serve as the“standard version”for“Chinese Culture going-abroad”strategy.