Aesthetic Interpretation Of Xu Yuanchong’s Translation Theory

Xu Yuanchong, a master of translating Chinese classical works into English, has builtup a school of his own translation theory based on his long-term of translation practice. Hisinnovation and contribution in translation theory have pushed him to the peak of Chinesetranslation, with his theory condensed in “Art of Beautifulization” and “Creation of theBest as in Rivalry.” His translation works are, on the one hand, highly eulogized by manyscholars and warmly welcomed by a lot of readers, while on the other hand his theory isbitterly attacked by numerous scholars and cold shouldered by a great many readers. In viewof such an ironic situation, no one can entirely rule out the possibility that there is absolutelyno misunderstanding of his original intention, so it is necessary and urgent to delve deeplyand systematically into his theory, aiming at a study which is both objective and justifiable.Traditional translation theory has a close relationship with the aesthetics of literatureand art. The combination of aesthetics and translation is a natural consequence both in theWest and in China. For aesthetics, the core element is beauty, the process to construct beautyand the goal to achieve and appreciate beauty. Translation highly stresses and values beautyin language transfers. For the afore-mentioned reasons, the combination of translation andaesthetics is definitely of great significance.Therefore, it will be academically valuable and meaningful to interpret Xu·s theoryfrom the perspective of aesthetics, encouraging more understanding of Xu·s theory beforecriticizing it to ensure that fair and convincing arguments to come in to stay to expound thenature of literary translation. This thesis tries to interpret Xu Yuanchong·s translation theoryfrom the perspective of aesthetics, mainly centering around his Three-Beauty Principleμ,Principle of Creationμ, Principle of Rivalryμ and the Three Zhiμ(之) Principle.Xu Yuanchong held that literary translation is a genuine art, compared with otherartistic forms. Since beauty is the natural property of art and art deserves its name only inthe possession of beauty. In this sense, according to Xu Yuanchong, literary translationshould make every effort to display the beauty of the source text. Similarly, Xu Yuanchongargues that the supreme goal of literary translation should be the conveyance of the originalbeauty. To be specific, Xu put forward the idea that translators should try hard to preserve the three beautiesμ, i.e. beautyμ in sense, sound and form in the process of translation.From the perspective of aesthetics, beauty is the unity of form and content and lies in theharmony of its integral components. In Xu·s translation theory, accordingly, theThree-Beautyμ Principle requires the unity and harmony of beautyμ in sense (content),form and sound (form) and the harmony in Xu·s Three-Beautyμ Principle not onlyconcerns beauty from a comprehensive perspective of both content and form, but alsoreflects in the different positions of each beautyμ.Art is not only the unity of content and form but also the imitation of nature, whichmeans the unity of subjectivity and objectivity. The objectivity lies in the faithful copy ofthe nature while the subjectivity lies in man·s creation. As for literary translation, the gapbetween the translator (subjectivity) and the source text (objectivity) calls for the translator·screation. Here creation is adopted to make up for the loss of translation, by which thetranslation can have the possibility of surpassing the seemingly insurmountable goal offaithfulness. Xu·s Creation Principleμ aims at retaining the artistic charm of the source textand make up for the loss of translation with the gain from creative translation.Although the aesthetic appreciation of art worldwide has universalities, aesthetic tastesvary geographically and nationally due to different living habits, ideology and culturaltradition, psychology, sentiments, etc. However, the appreciation of beauty is nothing but apsychological activity involving the receptor·s discovering and creating. Moreover, the stateof re-creation is the superior phase in aesthetic activities, including literary translation.According to Xu Yuanchong, rivalry is an obligation instead of a choice for the translator.The unification of two cultures in translation is to be carried out through a rivalry and theultimate goal of rivalry between two cultures lies in the production of the best translation.Xu·s Principle of Rivalryμ is definitely the utmost adherence to fidelityμ rather than anoutrageous betrayal of the traditional Chinese literary theories.Besides, art awakens emotions through expression and expressing the emotions of thecreating subject is accordingly to awaken the same emotions of the appreciating subject. Theuniversality of beauty guarantees its capability of arousing people·s common emotion orresonation. Xu proposed the Three Zhiμ Principle(三之) and maintained that literary translation should not only aim at making readers understand but also making them enjoy itand even delight in it. Thus, the reader·s aesthetic enjoyment began to become thetranslator·s concern and was thus incorporated into Chinese traditional translation theory.In a word, interpreted from the perspective of aesthetics, Xu Yuanchong·s translationtheory will be understood more comprehensively and profoundly. Conversely, that alsoinsinuates that Xu·s translation theory has a solid foundation in aesthetics. TheThree-Beautyμ Principle and the Creationμ Principle are both based on the deepunderstanding of the artistry of translation and the duality of beauty. Due to the relativity ofbeauty, artistic creation in translation calls for rivalry. Finally, considering the aestheticpleasure that the reader obtains while appreciating the translated work, the translator shouldnever, ever neglect the factor of readership.