The Xu Yuanchong Of Tang Law Translation Studies

Since the beginning of the 40 years in the 20th century, the famous translator Xu Yuanchong has published more than 60 books and publications in Chinese, English and French. He is the only master translator who has ever rendered classical Chinese poetry of different periods into English and French rhymed versions so as to be acknowledged as the leading translator in this field at home and abroad. In addition, Xu Yuanzhong proposed his own principles of classical Chinese poetry translation based on the summing-up of the traditional literary translation thoughts and his years'translation practices and summarized as "art of beautifulization and creation of the best as in rivalry", a further development of the traditional Chinese literary translation theories. However, Xu is called as the most controversial figure in the translation industry of China during the recent decades, since the 80s of last century, around his ideas and practice of translation, domestic academia has launched three large-scale debates. How can we judge the theories of translation of XYC? What are the methods and characters of the French version of Tang's poems? Do his methods of poem in poem agree with the specification of the French poetry? What are the advantages and disadvantages of Xu's version compared with other translators'French version of the Tang's poetry?Based on the theories of "three beauty:beauty in sense, in sound and in form", "three-ization:equalization, particularization, generalization", we choose the Tang's poems in the book Three hundred ancient Chinese poems, with the theory and the practice., we discussed the methods and characters of the French version of Tang's poems and tried to explain the effect produced by Xu's translation.This paper is tried to cover five chapters, introduction and conclusion excluded. In chapter one, we explored in detail the principle of "three beauty:beauty in sense, in sound and in form" and described the historical status of the Tang's poetry in China and the characters of the Tang's poetry, at the end of this chapter, we finds the methods of Xu's translation, there are the "three -ization" and the "recreation".In chapter two, on chosed five poems:《锦瑟》of Li Shangyin,《送友人》of Li Bai, 《清明》of Du Mu,《静夜思》of Li Bai and《登幽州台歌》of Chen Zi-ang to explain how XYC transform the three beauty of the Tang's poetry. Then the author presented the characters of the French version of Tang's poems, consisted of five parts:the pursuit of beauty in form, no translation direct of the proper noun such as peoples'names, express directly les feelings implicit, no explication necessary.In chapter three, the author presented firstly the two basic forms of French poetry: traditional poetry and the free verse, and then explained the meter, the rhythm in French traditional poetry, finally, the author pointed the same points and the different points between the French poetry and the Tang's poetry. There is only one rhyme in the Tang's poetry, a few of rhymes in the French poetry. Therefore, in Xu's translation, it's impossible to realize the equality of rhymes.In the final chapter, the author presented the introduction and the translation of the Tang's poetry in France, including the Poems of Tang translates by the Marquis Saint-Denys, Le Livre de Jade of Judith Gautier, L'ecriture poetique chinoise, suivi d'une anthologie des poemes des Tang and Entre source et nuage of Francois Cheng, by comparaison of different version of the same poems, the author pointed the advantages and disadvantages of every version. Generally speaking, Xu Yuanzhong's translation works turn out successful and his translation thoughts are instructional but there exist some limitations. In some cases, "beauty in sound and in form" is pursued by sacrificing the original sense; besides some concepts are too vague to and fuzzy to be operated easily and efficiently in translation practice. But that may be the reason why we should do research on it. Theoretical creation and exchanges with our theories will improve and perfect the theory which might be of greater value for future literary translation studies both in theory and practice.