A Comparative Study On The Three English Versions Of Huangdi Neijing From The Perspective Of Translation Aesthetics

Huangdi Neijing, an important component of the traditional Chinese culture, is the earliest and the most well-known theoretical classic of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It plays a significant role in inheriting the traditional Chinese culture. During the past one hundred years, a lot of scholars worldwide have attached great importance to its English versions. Up to now,12different English versions of Huangdi Neijing have been published, and the versions of Maonishing Ni, Wu Liansheng and Wu Qi, and Li Zhaoguo are singled out for the present research.Huangdi Neijing is a bioscience-centered medical classic, yet its language is esoteric and majestic, rich in profound ideological and aesthetic value. Whether the translation can represent its original aesthetic effect or not lies much in the complete transmission of TCM culture.A comprehensive and systematic analysis of the versions of Maonishing Ni, Wu Liansheng and Wu Qi, and Li Zhaoguo is made with the guidance of Liu Miqing’s translation aesthetics theory in this paper. Based on the theory, the three English versions of Huangdi Neijing are compared from both formal and non-formal aesthetic systems. The aesthetic representation of formal constituents is analyzed from the points of beauty in sound, lexis and syntax, while the aesthetic representation of non-formal constituents is done from that of beauty in image and sentiment.In this paper, the explanatory power of translation aesthetics theory in the English translation of TCM classics is demonstrated through typical cases chosen from the three versions. By comparing the aesthetic information of the original Chinese Huangdi Neijing and three English versions, it is discovered that Li Zhaoguo’s version represents aesthetic value in the best way.This research, a meaningful attempt, provides a new perspective for the study on English translation of Huangdi Neijing. In the meanwhile, the guiding significance of Liu Miqing’s translation aesthetics theory for the English translation of TCM classics is proved. It is hoped that this research can provide some references for the theoretical and practical research on the English translation of TCM classics.