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The significance of Gu Hongming’s translation in Confucian Classics

  • Journal of Chinese Language and Literature
  • 2023, (94), pp.341-366
  • DOI : 10.15792/clsyn..94.202312.341
  • Publisher : Chinese Literary Society Of Yeong Nam
  • Research Area : Humanities > Chinese Language and Literature
  • Received : November 20, 2023
  • Accepted : December 13, 2023
  • Published : December 30, 2023

Haeyoung Kim 1

1경북대학교 영남문화연구원

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This study reveals the purpose of Gu's translations and presents the significance of the translation by examining Gu’s English translations of Confucian classics, Analect, Doctrine of the Mean, Great learning. Gu, Hongming was exposed to and educated in Western culture early on. While other Chinese intellectuals at the time embraced Western culture and tried to bring it back to China, he took the alternative ways to believe in traditional Chinese culture and advocate Cultural Conservatism. With the intention of keeping traditional morals at home and promoting them in the West, the translation of Confucian classics is one of the entities to actualize his stance. Gu translated Chinese classics into English because the existing translations by Western sinologists did not fully understand Chinese culture and could not deliver the essence of culture. Gu also believed that sinologists' translations caused Western readers to view weird Chinese intellectual and moral content. Gu hoped to correct Westerners' misconceptions about Chinese culture through his translations of Confucian classics. Gu considered Confucian classics to be the framework of Chinese culture, which could provide Western society with the motifs of a new social order. He characterized Chinese civilization as a moral civilization. He often used the concept of ‘moral’ as translation term of ‘Ren(仁)’, ‘Dao(道)’, ‘Zhong(中)’, ‘Hua(和)’, ‘Zhongyong(中庸)’, ‘Junzi(君子)’, ‘Xian(賢)’, ‘De(德)’. Gu emphasized that Chinese civilization is based on moral obligations, which is different from obeying rules, laws, and doctrines imposed by the police and government in the West. Morality is the feature that originates from conscience, willingness, and determination. It is the morality that is taught in Confucian texts. In addition, Confucianism functions as a religion in a broad sense in China. Gu represented Confucianism as the solution to religious and social problems the West faced.

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* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

This paper was written with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea.
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