A Comparative Study of the English Versions of The Analects by Legge and Ku Hungming

Abstract

The Analects is one of the great works of traditional Chinese culture, and its translation has been an important part of cultural exchange in the past hundred years. The English versions of the Analects have reached more than 40, including that of James Legge’s and Ku Hungming’s. James Legge was a missionary and a famous British Sinologist; Ku Hungming was a famous Chinese scholar who got educated in the west. Their versions represent the highest level at that time. Legge is known for his rigorous responsibility to the original text, faithful to the original. His version is of a scholar translation style, which can be summed up as truthfully, lengthy and dull. Ku Hungming was renowned at home and abroad for his unique and weird style in Qing Dynasty. He received Western education and was deeply influenced by Western Romanticism. Most of his articles are written in English, even the native English speakers feel surprised by his extraordinary English proficiency. Ku also made great achievements in imputing Chinese classics to the west. In order to make the content easily acceptable to the Westerners, he tried his best to avoid Chinese names and places, and in order to evoke the original idea of the readers, he widely cited the western allusions and famous sayings. So Ku’s translations are widely spread in Europe. This paper focuses mainly on three parts. First, the translation differences of the two versions are investigated from the language to the overall translation techniques. Then, the causes of differences are analyzed, which include cultural background, Sinology skills, purposes and audience awareness. Finally, the way to translate Chinese classics like The Analects is briefly summarized.