A Study On Hu Shi's Translation Thoughts

Hu Shi, a controversial figure, was the banner man of New Culture Movement, who advocated Literary Revolution and Baihua Movement. Although he attained great achievements in literature, education, philosophy and so on, and made contributions to translation studies, due to his political standpoint, once the studies about his translation were not paid attention to accordingly. In the near decades, the theses about Hu Shi's translation are increasing, which mainly analyze and probe his translated poems, novels and dramas.From a social and cultural point, based on Hu Shi's translation theories and experience, this thesis presents his achievements in translation. By means of translating poems, novels and dramas in vernacular language, Hu Shi imported some new literary forms into China, although there exists some drawbacks in his translated and created works. Then the author studies the factors of Hu Shi'achievements in translation. Besides his subjectivity, the social and cultural environment, Patronage and Receiver all contributed to Hu Shi's success. At last, the thesis analyzes the contradictions presented in Hu Shi's translation theory and practice, his translation and creation. Hu Shi argued the combination of "faithfulness" and "intelligibility", but sometimes he adopted "adaptation", Hu Shi is regarded as a liberal intellectual, but he couldn't detach from Chinese traditional culture, he was a true traditional scholar. Hu Shi advocated the liberation of poetic style, but he wrote more poems in wuqi yan than in liberal forms late in his life. Hu Shi rarely created love poems to express his desire for free love, but which can be seen in his translated versions. Then the author explores the reasons from the angles of society and culture.The accomplishments and limitations of a translator are inseparable from himself, especially from the social and cultural environment he lives in. To study Hu Shi from such points will provide a new angle for his translation research.