Translation Analysis Of Core Confucian Terms In Zizhi Tongjian From The Perspective Of Relevance Theory

Confucianism plays a vital role in the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization.Confucian classics have been translated into various foreign languages especially English,which has been one of the most important channels for Western countries to learn Chinese culture.As the exchanges between China and countries around the world are increasingly extensive and in-depth,the spread of Confucianism has entered a new era.Core Confucian terms are the essence of Confucianism,yet the studies on the translation of the terms are conducted mostly based on Confucian classics such as The Analects of Confucius and The Book of Rites,while few studies based on non-Confucian classics have been conducted,which will help spread Confucianism more comprehensively.Zizhi Tongjian is a pioneering reference work in the form of chronicle in Chinese historiography,and the governing thoughts it reflects such as“礼治(rule of rites)”and“民本(people-oriented)”are deeply influenced by Confucianism.Under the framework of the principles of relevance,the thesis selects the abridged English version of Zizhi Tongjian translated by Sinologist Rafe de Crespigny as the research text and adopts data collection and qualitative analysis as methodology to analyse the translation of three core Confucian terms Ren,Yi and Li.In the process of data collection,terms without Confucian connotations have been excluded.The research questions of the thesis include:(1)In the translation of Confucian terms in different contexts,what characteristics does the selection of translations embody?(2)In different contexts,has the translator made appropriate semantic choices in the translation of Confucian terms?(3)What aspects should the translator pay attention to in the translation of Confucian terms in non-Confucian classics to ensure optimal relevance?The study found that: firstly,the translator has taken contexts into full consideration and has generally recognised the differences in the terms’ connotations based on contexts,and has selected the corresponding expressions of similar semantic connotations as translations,but there are also some cases of context misreading that lead to the failure to convey the correct informative intention of the author;in similar contexts,the translator tends to select the same equivalent word in different forms to express a concept,while he has also adopted other equivalent words according to concrete contexts.Secondly,the translations of the terms are generally appropriate,which means adequate contextual effects are produced without unnecessary processing effort on target readers,but some translations need to be improved,and the thesis has provided some suggestions for improvement based on relevance theory.Thirdly,through the analysis of the translation,the thesis summarises that: in the translation of Confucian terms in non-Confucian classics,(1)the translator must take contexts into consideration and recognise the different connotations reflected in certain contexts;(2)the cognitive environment of the original author and the target readers must be considered carefully to make sure the readers gain the intended contextual effects;(3)when the terms are in the form of the quotations from Confucianism or serve as special culture-loaded words,notes should be added as appropriate,and terminology consistency should be ensured.