A Comparative Study Of The Three English Versions Of Tao Te Ching-From A Hermeneutic Perspective

Tao Te Ching, also called Lao Tzu, is an important philosophical work in pre-Qin times in China. It is also the fundamental work of Taoist School. In content, the book is broad and deep, teeming, with Lao Tzu's unique power of understanding and dialectical thinking about universe, nature, society and human life. In form, the language of the book is simple, sublime, but not without poetic touch. The sentence patterns are flexible, but not short of aphorisms. Tao Te Ching can be regarded as the quintessence of perfect combination of philosophy, literature and art. The study of the translation of Tao Te Ching is of the essence in carrying forward the prime of traditional Chinese culture.This thesis intends to make a comparative study of the three English versions of Tao Te Ching from the perspective of hermeneutics. Hermeneutics arises from the west. It is a theory or philosophy concerning the interpretation of meaning. There are various schools of hermeneutics. This thesis takes Schleiermacher, Gadamer and Steiner's relevant translation theories as a guide. Through a comparative analysis of the versions from the levels of linguistics, psychology and culture, the thesis intends to show the openness of the meaning of Tao Te Ching as a classic, and the rationality of the three translators' respective interpretations.