@article{ART003249473},
author={Aleksandra Bykova},
title={The first translations of the Four Books into Russian ― Focusing on Volkov’s 18th-century translation of The Analects and Bichurin’s 19th-century translation of The Great Learning},
journal={The Journal of Translation Studies},
issn={1229-795X},
year={2025},
volume={26},
number={3},
pages={327-347},
doi={10.15749/jts.2025.26.3.011}
TY - JOUR
AU - Aleksandra Bykova
TI - The first translations of the Four Books into Russian ― Focusing on Volkov’s 18th-century translation of The Analects and Bichurin’s 19th-century translation of The Great Learning
JO - The Journal of Translation Studies
PY - 2025
VL - 26
IS - 3
PB - The Korean Association for Translation Studies
SP - 327
EP - 347
SN - 1229-795X
AB - This paper seeks to initiate a discussion on the historical trajectory of Confucian classics in Russian translation by examining the earliest Russian translations of the Four Books. The study focuses on Volkov’s translation dating back to the 18th century known as the earliest translation of the Four Books into Russian, and the translation completed by Bichurin in the 19th century. Through careful analysis of the historical background that gave birth to Russian sinology and fostered its evolution, this paper aims to show the attitude change towards the translation of the Confucian classics. While in the 18th century early Russian scholars seemed to regard the translation of the Confucian classics merely as language training exercise, the multi-layered structure of the translation offered by Bichurin suggests that in the 19th century the Confucian classics became a subject of scientific interest and research. Despite their historical value, the early Russian translations of the Four Books still remain unpublished and thus largely unexplored in scholarly research. Due to difficulties in accessing the manuscripts, this paper draws on the findings of two previous studies, highlighting the main characteristics of Volkov’s translation of The Analects and Bichurin’s translation of The Great Learning. The study brings a new subject to the Korean scholarship and represents a first step toward reconstructing the history of the translation of the Confucian classics into Russian.
KW - Confucianism in Russia;Confucian studies;translation of Confucian Classics;Four Books;Analects;Great Learning;Confucius
DO - 10.15749/jts.2025.26.3.011
ER -
Aleksandra Bykova. (2025). The first translations of the Four Books into Russian ― Focusing on Volkov’s 18th-century translation of The Analects and Bichurin’s 19th-century translation of The Great Learning. The Journal of Translation Studies, 26(3), 327-347.
Aleksandra Bykova. 2025, "The first translations of the Four Books into Russian ― Focusing on Volkov’s 18th-century translation of The Analects and Bichurin’s 19th-century translation of The Great Learning", The Journal of Translation Studies, vol.26, no.3 pp.327-347. Available from: doi:10.15749/jts.2025.26.3.011
Aleksandra Bykova "The first translations of the Four Books into Russian ― Focusing on Volkov’s 18th-century translation of The Analects and Bichurin’s 19th-century translation of The Great Learning" The Journal of Translation Studies 26.3 pp.327-347 (2025) : 327.
Aleksandra Bykova. The first translations of the Four Books into Russian ― Focusing on Volkov’s 18th-century translation of The Analects and Bichurin’s 19th-century translation of The Great Learning. 2025; 26(3), 327-347. Available from: doi:10.15749/jts.2025.26.3.011
Aleksandra Bykova. "The first translations of the Four Books into Russian ― Focusing on Volkov’s 18th-century translation of The Analects and Bichurin’s 19th-century translation of The Great Learning" The Journal of Translation Studies 26, no.3 (2025) : 327-347.doi: 10.15749/jts.2025.26.3.011
Aleksandra Bykova. The first translations of the Four Books into Russian ― Focusing on Volkov’s 18th-century translation of The Analects and Bichurin’s 19th-century translation of The Great Learning. The Journal of Translation Studies, 26(3), 327-347. doi: 10.15749/jts.2025.26.3.011
Aleksandra Bykova. The first translations of the Four Books into Russian ― Focusing on Volkov’s 18th-century translation of The Analects and Bichurin’s 19th-century translation of The Great Learning. The Journal of Translation Studies. 2025; 26(3) 327-347. doi: 10.15749/jts.2025.26.3.011
Aleksandra Bykova. The first translations of the Four Books into Russian ― Focusing on Volkov’s 18th-century translation of The Analects and Bichurin’s 19th-century translation of The Great Learning. 2025; 26(3), 327-347. Available from: doi:10.15749/jts.2025.26.3.011
Aleksandra Bykova. "The first translations of the Four Books into Russian ― Focusing on Volkov’s 18th-century translation of The Analects and Bichurin’s 19th-century translation of The Great Learning" The Journal of Translation Studies 26, no.3 (2025) : 327-347.doi: 10.15749/jts.2025.26.3.011
