英语论文网

Introduction

Research Background
Translation has a long history and is a very old profession in China. Records oftranslation activities in China can be traced back to as early as the ancient times (罗新璋 1983：7：9). In the Book of Rites, a collection of different materials on the ritesand rituals observed in the Western Zhou Dynasty (c. eleventh century-771 BCE), itis recorded that “The people living in five regions spoke different languages and haddifferent customs, likings and pReferences. In order to make accessible what was inthe minds of different peoples, and in order to make their likings and preferencesunderstood, there were functionaries for the job. Those in charge of the regions in theeast were called ji 寄 [the entrusted; transmitters]; in the south, xiang 象[likeness-renderers]; in the west, Didi 狄鞮 [those who know the Di tribes]; and inthe north, yi 译 [translators/interpreters]…”1During the several thousand yearsbetween the Western Zhou Dynasty and the May 4th Movement, China experiencedthree major waves of translation activities, which is a generally recognized viewamong scholars ( 陈福康 2000:v). The first major wave was the rendering ofBuddhist sutra into Chinese, which began in the Eastern Han Dynasty (around themid second century CE) and lasted until the Song Dynasty (960-1127). The secondmajor wave, which started at the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and lasteduntil the beginning of the Qing Dynasty (1636-1911), involved the translation ofWestern science and technology into Chinese. The third major wave was about thetranslation of Western literary works and Western thoughts during the Opium Warand the May 4thMovement.
......

Aims and Significance
With the above concern, this thesis aims at providing a detailed analysis of thediscussion about Wen 文 and Zhi 质 by probing into the related original materialsand records in the Chinese sutra translation history. It will examine carefully theoriginal materials about the discussion in different historical contexts, find out thetranslation topics involved and offer some thoughts on translation studies from aChinese perspective. Hopefully, this thesis will also provide some enlightenment onthe general features of the traditional Chinese discourse on translation at large.With such analysis, this thesis will, firstly, provide a relatively comprehensivepicture of the discussion about Wen 文 and Zhi 质 itself. Instead of adoptingWestern translation theories to explain the discussion, this thesis will take thehistorical contexts into full consideration and examine the features of the discussionfrom a Chinese perspective.Secondly, this thesis will try to inspire new insights about translation from anon-western perspective and contribute to the promotion of an internationaltranslation studies less limited by the dominance of the Western thinking mode.Language and translation always have a close relationship with thinking patterns,ideology and culture. Considering the facts that Western translation theories areplaying a dominant role in the field of translation studies and that no writings are“innocent” or “objective” in nature, this thesis, following the practices of manypredecessors, will present a general picture about the traditional Chinese way ofthinking in the field of translation studies.
........

Chapter 1 Literature Review

1.1 About the Chinese Discourse on Translation
The “development of