Chinese Classics Research Articles

Book Review: MUSLIM SANZIJING: SHIFTS AND CONTINUITIES IN THE DEFINITION OF ISLAM IN CHINA by Roberta Tontini

Roberta Tontini, Muslim Sanzijing: Shifts and Continuities in the Definition of Islam in China. Boston, Brill, 2016. 246 pp. ISBN 978-90-04-31925-7 (E-book). Like the well-received works of Zvi Ben-Dor Benite, James Frankel, and Kristian Petersen, Roberta Tontini’s Muslim Sanzijing: Shifts and Continuities in the Definition of Islam in China is a prominent scholarly work on textual analysis in the Chinese Islamic literature of the Han Kitab genre. In her book, the young scholar Tontini focuses her study on selected Islamic primers written in a three-character format (three-character classics of Islam) to "initiate Chinese Muslims in the basic tenets of Islam" (p. 8). She mainly discusses the Sanzijing genre of Chinese Islamic literature, one of the writing styles of Han Kitab literature. The Sanzijing, as one knows, is one of the Chinese classics, a very popular small book composed by an unknown author, in the form of three Chinese characters ("sanzi” 三字 denotes three characters while “jing” 经 signifies "classic") with the rhyme scheme. This form is easy for children to read by heart, at the same time installing in them the basic knowledge of Confucian teachings, Chinese history, geography, astronomy, and more. Chinese Muslim intellectuals knew well the role played by this literature in child education, thereby boldly adopting this form of Chinese literature into Muslim education. The first Chinese ‘alim who employed this form in Muslim education in China was Liu Zhi 刘智 (d. 1764), a prolific Chinese Muslim writer whose works, especially of Tianfang Dianli (Elegant Rituals of Islam) and Tianfang Sanzijing (Three-Characters Classic of Islam) are the main subjects of discussion in Tontini’s current work.

Database processing in Chinese classics translation system based on information search and IOT speech recognition

Database processing in Chinese classics translation system based on information search and IOT speech recognition

Paratexts as a site of cultural reflection

Abstract In the Ming and Qing dynasties the translation of Western books fueled the phenomenon known as Eastward Transmission of Western Sciences. In this context, the collaborative translation of The Chinese Classics by James Legge (1815–1897) and Wang Tao (1828–1897) was of particular significance because it promoted the transmission of Eastern learning to the West in the late Qing dynasty. This process of collaborative translation provided an opportunity for cultural interaction between China and the West; at the same time, it also generated competition between the two cultures. This paper sets out to investigate the paratexts written by the two co-translators, namely Legge and Wang, and aims to answer the following questions: How did the translation process of The Chinese Classics generate a dialectical interaction and why did it create a cultural struggle between the two translators? What impact did such a cultural collision exert on the translation and interpretation of The Chinese Classics and its reception in the West?

A quantitative study on the effects of an interactive multimodal application to promote students' learning motivation and comprehension in studying Tang poetry.

Studying China's Tang poetry is a crucially integrated part of the language curriculum in primary schools because it is an important part of its cultural heritage and classical literature. However, due to the fact that Tang poetry is written in classical Chinese, which is quite different from modern Chinese Mandarin, and the complex categories of this poetry style, learning Tang poetry can be a challenging experience for many students. To address this problem, this study developed an interactive multimodal application based on the cognitive-affective theory of learning with media to learn Tang poetry in an interactive way. In order to assess the effectiveness of this method, a pretest-posttest control group experiment was conducted. The experiment included eighty third-grade students randomly and equally divided into experimental and control groups from an elementary school in Xinzheng, Henan Province, to test (1) whether the interactive multimodal application improves students' reading comprehension of Tang poetry and (2) whether the application enhances students' intrinsic and/or extrinsic motivation in learning Tang poetry. A multimodal interactive application was used by the experimental group to learn Tang poetry, while the control group used a traditional classroom method. According to the study's findings, it was found that students' intrinsic motivation and comprehension of Tang poetry improved through the use of the interactive multimodal application mode.

Chinese Cultural Tradition and Cosmopolitanism

Cosmopolitanism is an ideal, not a reality. It's a decentralized theory, not a systematic theory. It has many different names. From the ancient to the modern times, it has been increasingly perfect and close to realization. It has been partially fulfilled in the world. Confucius once advocated "great harmony with the world". Sun Yat-sen carried forward the concept of "the world for the common good"，and he absorbed the "universal ideas" of Western socialists. The idea of "world government" was formed in recent times. It was the ideal of our sages to organize a "union of sovereign states" to jointly maintain peace and eliminate war. This article is just to sort out the idea of the unity of the world, without any practical suggestions. This is a theoretical idea, not a practical one. Chinese scholars in modern times studied western ideas and then used them to examine Chinese classics to find new ideas. By combing through old papers, they gained a lot and were able to enlighten the people. We should have a grand vision, facing the world more advanced thinkers broad spirit.

Study of Minford and his English Translation of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio

As an outstanding British sinologist, Minford is committed to building bridges between Chinese and foreign cultures and spreading Chinese culture. All his life, he translated many Chinese classics under the principle of faithfulness, trying to present the “best Chinese”. This paper starts with his English translation works, analyzes his translation philosophy, translation principle, translation methods and cultuaral stance, and discusses the Chinese culture conveyed in his translation and the influence of this work on other countries.

Open Letter to President Xi Jinping on the Climate Crisis

Although climate models predict that global heating will prove more devastating for China than for many other countries, and economic models have shown that a transition to a low-carbon economy would strengthen China in the long run, the Chinese leadership has failed to reduce fossil fuel consumption enough to avoid extremes of weather that are devastating the country. Not long after becoming president, Xi Jinping announced a project to ground “socialism with Chinese characteristics” in selected ideas from ancient Chinese philosophy and culture, promoting the agenda through quotations in his speeches from the Chinese classics, and especially Confucian and Daoist thought. These ideas turn out to be perfectly suited for a ‘reframing’ of worldviews that is required for thinking more productively about the climate crisis and developing political measures for dealing with it effectively. However, the Chinese leadership has failed to live up to its inspiring words, and has instead reverted to aggressive and repressive policies that are more in line with Chinese Legalism and Stalinism than with the Confucian, Daoist, and Marxist ideas that Xi Jinping has advocated. This has dealt a severe blow to China’s standing in the world and caused a huge loss of ‘soft power’ accumulated by previous regimes. With the United States in a shambles, the way is open for China to follow through on its promotion of traditional Chinese philosophy and take the lead, for the sake of the long-term well-being of its own people, in tackling the climate crisis—and thereby gain the greatest soft power triumph in history.

A Comparative Study on the English Translation of the Book of Songs

The Chinese nation has a history of 5000 years. In such a long history, we have constantly developed and created many splendid cultures. Ancient Chinese classics can be said to be the crystallization of all the people of our nation, but also the precious wealth left by ancient ancestors for us. Poetry is a classic of Chinese traditional literature, so the Book of Songs, as the earliest collection of poetry in China, naturally has an irreplaceable position. Civilization is developing, history is moving forward, and the world is gradually becoming connected with each other. As early as the first half of the fifth century, the Book of Songs was introduced to Japan, then to Western Europe, and then to the United States. The Book of Songs was gradually accepted by more and more people, and was translated into many translations. There are many different English versions of the Book of Songs abroad. The two versions selected here are the earliest complete versions of the Book of Songs at home and abroad, which respectively are Book of Poetry translated by Xu Yuanchong and The She King translated by James Legge. Of course, everyone’s translation purposes are different, not to mention people from two different countries, their translation purposes must be different. In the contemporary situation, understanding the different translation purposes of foreign translators for Chinese ancient books and conducting a comparative study of ancient books are conducive to promoting the dissemination of Chinese ancient books and the development of our culture.

Errant Translation; or, Lin Shu's Don Quixote and the Paybacks of Back-Translating

AbstractLiterary back-translation, the practice of bringing a text back into the language of its source after it has passed through one or more translations, has long been overlooked. To recuperate its richly entangled global history, this essay looks to the representation of translation in Cervantes's Don Quixote and to the novel's recent back-translation based on 魔俠傳 (Moxia Zhuan; Story of the Enchanted Knight), a 1920s translation into classical Chinese by Lin Shu that itself was an indirect translation based on two eighteenth-century English editions of Cervantes's text. While foregrounding the generative labor of translators, both fictional and historical, the transnational and diachronic scope of this back-translational loop prompts us to rethink the domesticating/foreignizing binary. Taking a cue from Cervantes's metaphor of translation as the knotty back side of a tapestry, this study seeks to overturn front-facing notions of translation by approaching its history from the back.

A Network Pharmacology Study on the Similarities and Differences in the Mechanisms of Zuo Gui Wan/You Gui Wan for the Treatment of Premature Ovarian Failure.

Premature ovarian failure is a heterogeneous disease that severely affects the quality of life of women in their reproductive years. The ancient classical Chinese medicine compounds Zuo Gui Wan and You Gui Wan have great potential to treat premature ovarian failure, but the similarities and differences in their pharmacological mechanisms for treating POF are not yet clear. In this study, the public database was used to screen the active ingredients and potential targets of Zuo Gui Wan and You Gui Wan. The similarities and differences in the potential targets of both pills for the treatment of POF were analysed using the POF-related genes obtained from OMIM and GeneCards. The protein-protein interaction network was established and collated to form a drug-active ingredient-target gene network using STRING. Finally, the drug-target-pathway network was constructed by enrichment analysis to find the differences in target enrichment on the same pathway. Pharmacological analysis of the network showed that Zuo Gui Wan contains 72 active ingredients, while You Gui Wan has 112. A total of 62 common compositions, such as quercetin and kaempferol, were identified. Amongst them were 10 unique compounds, such as hydroxyproline and cholesterol, in Zuo Gui Wan and 50 exclusive compounds, such as Karanjin and betacarotene, in You Gui Wan. In addition, 14 overlapping targets, including MAPK1, CXCL8, TNF, IL6, and EGFR, were determined amongst the first 20 targets in the treatment of POF by both pills, demonstrating that the core mechanism of POF treatment is similar between the two. Pathway enrichment analysis showed 87 identical and significant pathways between Zuo Gui Wan and You Gui Wan, including IL-17, TNF, PI3K-Akt, oestrogen, VEGF, and other pathways. Zuo Gui Wan has 12 special pathways, such as natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity and intestinal immune network for IgA production. You Gui Wan has nine unique pathways, such as insulin secretion and glucagon signalling pathway. Zuo Gui Wan and You Gui Wan could treat POF by inhibiting oxidative stress and inflammation, regulating hormone levels, improving ovarian function, and promoting follicular development. Zuo Gui Wan is inclined to immune regulation, while You Gui Wan prefers insulin regulation. Therefore, similarities and differences clearly exist in the specific mechanisms of Zuo Gui Wan and You Gui Wan in the treatment of POF.

Jinfeng pills ameliorate premature ovarian insufficiency induced by cyclophosphamide in rats and correlate to modulating IL-17A/IL-6 axis and MEK/ERK signals.

Jinfeng Pill (JFP) is a classical Chinese medicine formula and composed of 9 herbs, including Epimedium brevicornu Maxim (Yinyanghuo), Cervus elaphus Linnaeus (Lurong), Panax ginseng C.A.Mey. (Renshen), Equus asinus (EJiao), Ligustrum lucidum W.T.Aiton (Nvzhenzi), Reynoutria multiflora (Thunb.) Moldenke (Heshouwu), Curculigo orchioides Gaertn (Xianmao), Neolitsea cassia (L.) Kosterm. (Rougui) and Leonurus japonicus Houtt. (Yimucao). The formula is clinically used to regulate menstrual cycle and alleviate polycystic ovarian syndrome due to its capabilities of ovulation induction. It is therefore presumed that JFP could be used for the therapy of premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) but the assumed efficacy has not been fully substantiated in experiment. To evaluate the effectiveness of JFP on cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced POI and preliminarily explore its potential mechanisms of action. An experimental rat model of POI was established by using CTX induction to assess the efficacy of JFP. The potential targets of action for JFP alleviating POI were predicted by the combination of network pharmacology and transcriptomics and finally validating by RT-qPCR and Western blot. JFP alleviated the damages of ovarian tissue induced by CTX in the rat model of POI via significantly decreasing serum levels of FSH and LH and the ratio of FSH/LH and increasing the levels of E2 and AMH, accompanied with promoting ovarian folliculogenesis and follicle maturity and reversing the depletion of follicle pool. With the analysis of network pharmacology, pathways in cancer, proteoglycans in cancer, PI3K-AKT, TNF and FoxO signaling pathways were predicted to be influenced by JFP. The results of RNA-seq further revealed that IL-17 signaling pathway was the most important pathway regulated by both CTX and JFP, following by transcriptional misregulation in cancer and proteoglycans in cancer. Combining the two analytical methods, JFP likely targeted genes associated with immune regulation, including COX-2, HSP90AA1, FOS, MMP3 and MAPK11 and pathways, including IL-17,Th17cell differentiation and TNF signaling pathway. Finally, JFP was validated to regulate the mRNA expression of FOS, FOSB, FOSL1, MMP3, MMP13 and COX-2 and decrease the release of IL-17A and the protein expression of IL-6 and suppress the phosphorylation of MEK1/2 and ERK1/2 in CTX induced POI rats. Jinfeng Pill is effective to ameliorate the symptoms of POI induced by CTX in the model of rats and its action is likely associated with suppressing IL-17A/IL-6 axis and the activity of MEK1/2-ERK1/2 signaling.

A Chinese academic tradition examined in the context of international academic communication: exploratory research into Shang Que articles

PurposeAcademic contention occurs when research evidence is amenable to more than one interpretation. China has a long tradition of Shang Que (商榷), in which authors argue for their preferred interpretation. The modern form of this tradition is the Shang Que article, which often takes the form of research papers in Chinese-language journals and which tends to be question-oriented. Shang Que articles usually take the views of a particular author or article as the focus of independent and complete criticism by another, independent, academic. This paper explains the role of Shang Que articles in Chinese scholarship and their influence on international academia.Design/methodology/approachA bibliometric analysis was used to explore the characteristics and evolution of Chinese Shang Que articles using 30,577 articles published between 1979 and 2018. Microsoft Excel and Gephi were used for data analysis and visualization.FindingsFindings suggest a decline in the number of Shang Que articles and an increase in the number of co-authors. Shang Que articles remained particularly prominent in Philosophy and Humanities and Social Sciences, where they focused on local issues such as classical Chinese, the Sinicization of Marxism and Chinese literature. This suggests that the number of Shang Que articles is related to the degree of internationalization of a research field.Originality/valueShang Que articles, which have been influenced by academic paradigms in English, are a fusion of China's Shang Que tradition and of the modern academic system. Through considering Shang Que articles, this paper explores the benefits of local academic traditions in non-English-speaking cultures.

Automatic sentence segmentation for classical Chinese: The Spring and Autumn Annals as an example

Abstract There exists no sentence boundary in most classical Chinese literature texts. Since it is difficult to read literature of this kind, experts in literature or linguistics would segment the sentence manually. This article explores the effectiveness of classical Chinese sentence segmentation method so as to provide a reference for classical Chinese punctuation. On the basis of the machine learning methods, we chose three components of machine learning, namely models, tagging schemes, and features, to compare the learning results. The models include conditional random field (CRF) models, long short term memory (LSTM) models, BiLSTM–CRF models, and three Bidirectional Encoder Representation from Transformers (BERT) models. There are five tagging schemes in this article and three features including the statistical feature, Guangyun, and Fanqie. Finally, the performance of the combined feature template is evaluated by ten-fold cross-validation on four classical Chinese texts in different genres. The SikuBERT model is proved to be the most effective model for sentence segmentation at present. Different tagging schemes and various features are introduced. The results show that 5-tag-J tagging schemes can improve performance. Statistical feature, as an important clue for classical Chinese sentence segmentation, is useful in related tasks, but Guangyun and Fanqie have little impact. Other important factors of sentence segmentation are genres and writing styles.

Predicting coarse-grained semantic features in language comprehension: evidence from ERP representational similarity analysis and Chinese classifier.

Existing studies demonstrate that comprehenders can predict semantic information during language comprehension. Most evidence comes from a highly constraining context, in which a specific word is likely to be predicted. One question that has been investigated less is whether prediction can occur when prior context is less constraining for predicting specific words. Here, we aim to address this issue by examining the prediction of animacy features in low-constraining context, using electroencephalography (EEG), in combination with representational similarity analysis (RSA). In Chinese, a classifier follows a numeral and precedes a noun, and classifiers constrain animacy features of upcoming nouns. In the task, native Chinese Mandarin speakers were presented with either animate-constraining or inanimate-constraining classifiers followed by congruent or incongruent nouns. EEG amplitude analysis revealed an N400 effect for incongruent conditions, reflecting the difficulty of semantic integration when an incompatible noun is encountered. Critically, we quantified the similarity between patterns of neural activity following the classifiers. RSA results revealed that the similarity between patterns of neural activity following animate-constraining classifiers was greater than following inanimate-constraining classifiers, before the presentation of the nouns, reflecting pre-activation of animacy features of nouns. These findings provide evidence for the prediction of coarse-grained semantic feature of upcoming words.

유의어 분류사 ‘条’와 ‘根’의 의미 초점과 도식화

Chinese classifiers ‘Tiao" and ‘Gen" are shape classifiers that share the common attribute of being synonyms that are “thin and long,” which makes it difficult for learners to distinguish and select between them. Although both classifiers respond similarly to thin and long objects, they form specific combinations with certain objects and are sometimes used interchangeably with others. This study aims to differentiate the original meanings of ‘Tiao" and ‘Gen" by using their respective senses as cognitive reference points for activating them as classifiers and by using schematization to enhance understanding. Based on the analysis results, ‘Tiao" focuses on a consistent linear shape to categorize objects, while ‘Gen" has a reference point in its use based on the root of a plant, which serves as the background for the classifier"s meaning. Therefore, the reference point for ‘Gen" also shows a schematic with a long shape with one end fixed or possessing a starting point.

峿堂 李象秀의 『詩經』해설 방식과 의미

The purpose of this paper is to examine the method of commentary on 『Shijing(The Classics of Poetry)』 through ｢Dúshīsuíbǐ｣ by a scholar in the late Joseon Dynasty, Lee Sang-soo(1820~1882).
 He was a Horon scholar and a nongam literaturer in the late Joseon Dynasty. He was associated with various litterateurs and scholars of the Horon and Nongam worlds, and combined the strengths of Philology and rhetoric. This provides an opportunity to use various commentary methods in the study of Chinese classics. A typical example is ｢Dúshīsuíbǐ｣. It is a commentary on 『Shijing』, and a collection of short essays that describe opinions, impressions, and opinions in a free form. It is in the form of aimed at poems about the ruling party's mismanagement, analyzed the background of the incident and the feelings of the characters, and advanced one's own opinion. This is a case that reveals not only the insight of a scholar of scripture but also the aspect of a writer.
 As a result of examining the method of its commentary on 『Shijing』, It was found that the pattern consisted of two main parts. First, Reinforcement of reasoning through narrative. Second, Reinforcement of reasoning through lyricism. First, It is to secure the trust of the readers, and reflects his bibliographical opinion, which judged that historical records close to the time of the writing of 『Shijing』should be used as a basis. It was intended to elicit sympathy from readers, and his rhetorical view was reflected in his understanding of the literary quality of 『Shijing』as ‘inducing empathy through empathy’. Therefore, his way of interpreting the scriptures can be said to be a case of succession and transformation of the merits of Philology and rhetoric.

从先秦士人审美观看当下中国书法美学建构的 得失与反思

As the main representatives of calligraphy aesthetic activities, ancient Chinese intellectuals used Chinese characters as the medium to promote the continuous development of this unique oriental aesthetic characteristic of calligraphy. Ancient intellectuals understood the dialectical thinking of philosophy in the Qin Dynasty, and the literary and artistic thoughts in many famous works and the literary theories of the past dynasties even indirectly or directly shaped their aesthetic concepts of calligraphy. The philosophical concepts and philosophical categories in ancient Chinese classics have played a leading role in the construction of contemporary Chinese calligraphy aesthetics. It can be said that the aesthetics of ancient intellectuals is the original category of all art, and current calligraphy scholars should fully absorb and learn from it. Therefore, the construction of the discipline system of Chinese calligraphy aesthetics is particularly important for learning from ancient calligraphy aesthetics. The current aesthetics of calligraphy is different from the powerful scientific cognition system in the West. There are still many problems in the construction of aesthetics of Chinese calligraphy. The accurate construction of aesthetics of calligraphy requires not only a clear understanding, but also a deep understanding of ancient Chinese knowledge systems and literati traditions. Developed under the aesthetic consideration of calligraphy, and based on the integrated humanistic knowledge system, this is the only way to truly establish the current calligraphy aesthetics construction towards discipline and theory. In recent years, Chinese calligraphy scholars tend to interpret Chinese calligraphy art within the framework of Western culture, and are relatively lacking in understanding the depth of aesthetic concepts and artistic conception of Qin Dynasty philosophy, lacking in depth and breadth. This paper focuses on the construction of the discipline of Chinese calligraphy aesthetics, and analyzes the “gain and loss” of the academic tendency of Chinese calligraphy aesthetics, which is of great significance.
 中国古代士人作为书法审美活动的主体，他们以汉字为媒介，推动着这一独具东方美学特色的书法艺术不断向前发展。古代士人深谙先秦哲学的辩证思维，诸思想名著中的文艺思想和历代文论更是间接或直接的塑造了他们的书法审美观念。中国古代先秦典籍中的哲学观念和哲学范畴更是对当下中国书法美学的建构起到了高屋建瓴的思想引领，可以说先秦士人审美观是一切艺术的元范畴，当下的书法学者应当充分的吸收、借鉴。因此，中国书法美学的学科体系建构对于借鉴古代士人传统下的书法审美观尤为重要。当下书法美学不同于西方强大的科学认知体系，中国书法美学建构仍存在着诸多问题，对当下书法美学的准确建构不仅要有清醒的认知，而且必须在深入了解中国古代知识系统和士人传统的审美观照下开展，并以浑融一体的人文知识系统为主，这才是真正确立当下书法美学建构走向学理化的必经之路。近年来，中国的书法学者倾向于以西方学问的框架诠释中国书法艺术，对于领悟先秦哲学的审美观念深度和意境内涵相对匮乏，缺少深度和广度。本文围绕中国书法美学学科的建设问题，充分分析了中国书法美学学术性倾向的“得失”，具有重要意义。

A Corpus-Based Study on the Spanish Translation of 道 (dao) in The Analects

This article has chosen seven Spanish translations of The Analects to conduct comparative research focusing on one culture-specific item, 道 (dao). Subscribed to a descriptive approach based mainly on norms postulated by Toury and Equivalence by Nida, it endeavors to answer the following research questions: 1) What are the main strategies in its translation? 2) What are the possible motivators of translation similarities and differences? This research combines quantitative and qualitative analysis methods based on corpus building. Corpus-based, this study describes the translation of 道 in Classical Chinese and its translation equivalence into Spanish. The findings demonstrated that various strategies and words are used to translate 道. When it functions as a verb, the literal translation is used, and different verbs are employed to express the meaning given the context. Moreover, decisions on verb tense, sentence structure, and grammatical subject also seem to vary significantly across translators. When 道 is used as a noun, translators show different preferences for word choices. Instances for both dynamic and formal equivalence have been observed, pointing out that these two concepts should not be analyzed in isolation, as they stand in a dynamic relationship. Translators also make adaptations to reach adequacy and acceptability in translation. Detailed results are discussed in light of these theories, and this study views translation as a socio, linguistic, cultural, and translator-based activity.

Between Literature and Philosophy: On Translating Confucius into English

The Confucian Analects or Lunyu has had many translations in the English-speaking world, yet Confucius still largely remains a vague, distant, unattractive, and at times confusing figure for the Western reader. It is both necessary and possible to change this situation. This article reviews the limited progress so far in translating Confucius, examines the remaining problems, and suggests some possible remedies. It concludes that translating the Analects is a sophisticated task that requires the translator to juggle demands from both philosophy and literature. To do this, the translator has to be equipped with literary sensibilities, philosophical insight, a thorough understanding of the Confucian text, a grasp of the syntactical differences between English and Classical Chinese, and a sensitivity to style and nuances of meaning.

Assimilation or Detention

How are the migration of people and of poetry, through literary translation and translational literature, linked or alike? What can the poetry of migration teach about the translation of form in poetry? What is the role of the text in understanding the politics of poetry in politicized contexts? Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island, 1910–1940 is an important collection and translation of poems etched in the walls of the Angel Island detention center. Though the Angel Island poems were mostly composed after the 1919 vernacular revolution in Chinese literature, they were written in classical Chinese and premodern forms. Island translates them into stiff free-verse academic English, asking English-language readers to imaginatively project poetic beauty onto the originals. Other translations, such as Teow Lim Goh's Islanders (2016) and Jeffrey Thomas Leong's Wild Geese Sorrow (2018), render the poems with more attention to the dominant styles of contemporary American poetry. This article argues for a retranslation of the Angel Island poems—not into free verse but with formalist attention to meter and rhyme in English. Such translations could blur the dichotomy between the former's target-oriented poetics and the latter's source-oriented translations and also offer a stronger migration into English for the poetry of these migrants.