A Study Of The Deconstructive Strategies In The English Versions Of "Book 1 Xue Er" Of Lun Yu

As a Confucian classic, Lun Yu also exerts great impacts abroad. It is said nearly 40 English versions of Lun Yu are available. Recently, with the revitalization of Confucian studies on the mainland and the increasing interest in the study of canonical translations, studies of the English translation of Lun Yu attract more and more attention from sinologists and translation researchers both at home and abroad. People began to do researches on the English translation of Lun Yu from various perspectives. These researches are mainly divided into 3 sorts: papers published in journals, theses by postgraduates of translation majors and papers collected in anthologies. However, most of these researches are concerned with the language of the translations, thus belonging to the traditional translation theories. Few are theses made from the perspective of deconstructive strategies.The Western tradition since Plato has been concerned with a certain center or presence, and this longing for a center is mainly reflected in the traditional translation theories as the following four points: 1) the view of a constant and invariable original, 2) the lineal transmission of meaning, 3) mirror-like reproduction of the original and 4) the binary opposition: original/ translation. As a great challenge to this tradition, Derrida put forward the deconstruction, among which are the four deconstructive strategies (differance, dissemination, trace and supplement), which has tremendous impacts upon the current translation theories.Based on the four deconstructive strategies (differance, dissemination, trace and supplement), the translation theories of Walter Benjamin and those of Andre Lefevere, and mainly from the four aspects: differance, dissemination, trace and supplement, this thesis makes a close study of the translations of certain terms, sentences as well as the notes made by Messrs James Legge, Arthur Waley, D. C. Lau, Raymond Dawson and Chichung Huang in "Book 1 Xue Er" of Lun Yu.Chapter 1 is a short introduction to the studies of English translation of Lun Yu in China, as well as to the assumptions, methodologies and contribution of this thesis.Chapter 2 gives a short account of both the Chinese and English versions this thesis refers to, and at the same time makes a description of the history of the English translation of Lun Yu.Chapter 3, from the aspect of differance, makes a close study of the translation of the terms like '仁' '道' and the sentences like '学则不固' which appear in the five English versions of "Book 1 Xue Er" of Lun Yu. Based on the study of translations of these terms and sentences, the author holds that the original is never a constant and invariable center as assumed by the traditional translation theories. Instead, in each reading, the original appears different, namely the original is in an endless movement of differing. Consequently, meaning produced in each reading may be different. As a result, it is impossible for the original's meaning to be fully present, but in the endless movement of deferring. And this is the differance in translation.From the aspect of dissemination, Chapter 4 makes a close study of the translation of the terms like '禮' '君子', and the sentence like因不失其親。亦可宗也'. Based on the study of the translations of these terms and sentences, the author holds that in translation the meaning is not transmitted lineally as the pre-deconstructive translation theories suppose. On the contrary, each translation is only temporarily decided by the individual translator out of certain considerations. Thus, like the seeds disseminated, the meaning is scattered here and there, producing a nonfinite number of semantic effects.From the aspect of trace, Chapter 5 makes a close study of the translation of the terms like '傳''三',the sentence like '子贡曰。贫而无諂。富而无驕。何如。子曰。可也。未若贫而樂。富而好禮者也'. Based on the study of the translations of these terms and sentences, the author holds that no single version of translation is a simple and self-sufficient presence but one already full of nonpresent traces of all kinds, such as the traces of the earlier version, and the traces of the old commentators.From the aspect of supplement, Chapter 6 makes a close study of the translation of the terms like '仁' '禮', the sentence like '父在觀其志。父没觀其行'.Based on the study of the translations of these terms and sentences, the author holds that there exists no binary opposition like original/translation in translation. Instead, a new relationship of co-existence and complementation exists between the original and the translation, among various translations of the same original as well as between the translation and the notes made by individual translator.Chapter 7 is the conclusion. Firstly, by summing up the whole thesis, the author reasserts the four deconstructive translation strategies: differance, dissemination, trace and supplement as proved valid by the translations of the terms and the sentences in "Book 1 Xue Er" of Lun Yu. Secondly, the author discusses the limitations as well as the questions to be further researched by the thesis.