The Analysis Of Origin And Development Of The Key Concepts In Fung Yu-lan’s CHUANG-TZU:

CHUANG-TZU:A New Selected Translation with an Exposition of the Philosophy of Kuo Hsiang,first published in1931and translated by Yulan Fung, is the first translated version by a Chinese scholar. Yulan Fung, as a translator and more importantly, a philosopher, not only inherited and developed existing achievements of earlier translations, but also expounded Chuang Tzu’s theory with his own interpretation, applying Kuo Hsiang’s idea and a diverse range of western philosophy in his elaboration, which endowed his interpretation with an outstanding feature of polyphony.Based on the previous studies, this research gets insights into three distinctive philosophical ideas in translating and interpreting, XiaoYao, QuZhi, and Tao, from Fung’s CHUANG-TZU. By the means of close reading, the analysis of the source and course of each idea, and comprehensive case studies, this research provides and argues3intriguing dimensions in Fung’s interpretation of the philosophy of Chuang Tzu.1) Inspired by Kuo Hsiang’s idea of XiaoYao, Fung explains XiaoYao by proposing his Happiness philosophy, telling people to follow their own nature and be satisfied with their positions in the society. But it is challenged by the argument that the original meaning of XiaoYao in CHUANG-TZU is shadowed in the sense of overlooking the differences between the big and the small.2) For compensating the vagueness of interpreting QuZhi in CHUANG-TZU, Fung applied Pure Experience theory by William James to enrich the QuZhi idea, and the three stages of the spiritual life by Hegel to interpret and develop the process of QuZhi. Although this binding of Chinese idea and western ideas may appears inappropriate, it should be recognized as an active and meaningful trial in creatively interpreting QuZhi which is not well explained in CHUANG-TZU.3) Fung interprets Tao from multiple angles and phases on the ground of original meaning of Tao in CHUANG-TZU, and tries to achieve an statement of the relationship and differences between Tao and western idea of the Creator by aggregating DuHua theory of Kuo Hsiang and the idea of God in Spinoza’s theory, highlighting the outstanding feature of polyphony in Fung’s interpretation.This dissertation gives five chapters. The first chapter introduces the initiation and innovation of this thesis, reviews and concludes the outcomes of the study of Fung’s CHUANG-TZU, explains the methodology in this research and presents the structure of this paper.The second chapter analyzes how Fung’s translation and interpretation of Xiaoyao are influenced by Kuo Hsiang’s idea of Xiaoyao. This part insights into the characteristics of Fung’s Happiness Philosophy, and argues how Xiaoyao’s original meaning in CHUANG-TZU is shadowed and overlooked in Fung’s interpretation.The third chapter demonstrates and analyzes the idea of Quzhi affected by the introduction of western philosophy theories. By aggregating Pure Experience theory by William James and the three stages of the spiritual life by Hegel, this part deduces the idea of Quzhi by Fung’s interpretation and indicates the value of interpretation of CHUANG-TZU by western philosophy in the sense of methodology.The fourth chapter gives multiple explanations of Tao, an open field of polyphony. Fung’s interpretation of Tao combines Kuo Hsiang’s theory, Spinoza’s theory and his own elaboration, which makes his interpretation fulfilled with different views and various ideas. In the process of the interpretation of Tao, Fung indicates his notable idea of the relationship between Tao of Chuang Tzu and God in the western culture.The fifth chapter concludes gains and flaws in Fung’s translation and interpretation of Chuang Tzu’s Xiaoyao, Quzhi, and Tao, and indicates its enlightenment for the translation and study of Chuang Tzu’s philosophy.