Xu Yuanchong
Xu Yuanchong | |
---|---|
Native name | 许渊冲 |
Born | People's Republic of China | 18 April 1921
Occupation | Translator, Professor, Scholar |
Language | Chinese, English, French |
Alma mater | National Southwestern Associated University University of Paris |
Period | 1948 - 2021 |
Genre | Novel, poetry |
Notable works | The Red and the Black |
Spouse | Zhao Jun |
Children | Xu Ming |
Xu Yuanchong (simplified Chinese: 许渊冲; traditional Chinese: 許淵沖; pinyin: Xǔ Yuānchōng; 18 April 1921 – 17 June 2021) was a Chinese translator, best known for translating Chinese ancient poems[1] into English and French.[2] He was a professor at Peking University since 1983.
Early career
Xu Yuanchong was born in
Style
His translation style is characterized by favouring domesticating translation.[4] Xu introduced the Creation for Loss[5] and the three beauties-concept to translation theory: the idea that a translation should be as beautiful as the original in three ways:[6][7]
- semantically (the -deeper- meaning)
- phonologically (the style like rhyme and rhythm)
- logically (amongst others: length)
According to Gao, "he advocates that the versions of poems should combine visual and aural beauties together, and they should reproduce the fusion of pictorial composition and musical arrangement."[8]
Achievements
His 30 Poetries were selected as teaching materials by foreign universities. After reading his English translation "Selected Poems of Li Bai" (1987), Qian Zhongshu said: If you live in the same age with Li Bai, you'll become good friends. The British Press,[9] "Romance of The Western Bower", which is thought as great as "Romeo and Juliet" in terms of artistic and attractiveness. British publishing company Penguin has published Xu Yuanchong's "300 China's immortal poems" (1994), which was launched in Britain, USA, Canada, Australia and other countries. That's the first time that the publishing company published a Chinese translation. Apart from translating the classical Chinese poetry into foreign languages, Xu Yuanchong also translated many of the British and French classics into Chinese. In his seventies, he was still involved in translating
Works
- My Most Beloved: SongVerses
- Selected Poems and Pictures of Song Dynasty
- Laws Divine and Human and Pictures of Deities[12]
- Gems of Classical Chinese Poetry
- Romance of The Western Bower[13]
- Classic of Poetry (《诗经》)[14]
- Chu Ci (Qu Yuan) (《楚辞》)
- Tao Te Ching (Laozi) (《道德经》)[15]
- Kongzi) (《论语》)[16]
- The Peony Pavilion (Tang Xianzu) (《牡丹亭》)[18]
- The Palace of Eternal Life (Hong Sheng) (《长生殿》)[19]
- The Peach Blossom Fan (Kong Shangren) (《桃花扇》)[20]
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Bai) (《李白诗选》)[21]
- Three Hundred Tang Poems (Sun Zhu) (《唐诗三百首》)[22]
- One Hundred Song Poems (《宋词一百首》)[23]
- Poetry of Mao Zedong (Mao Zedong) (毛泽东诗词集)[24]
- The Red and the Black (Stendhal) (《红与黑》)[25]
- Jean-Christophe (Romain Rolland) (《约翰·克里斯托夫》)[26]
- Madame Bovary (Gustave Flaubert) (《包法利夫人》)[27]
- In Search of Lost Time (Marcel Proust) (《追忆逝水年华》)[28]
Awards
- Chinese Translation Association- Competent Translator (2004)
- Chinese translation Culture Lifetime Achievement Award (2010)
Personal life
Xu married Zhao Jun (照君) in 1959 in Beijing, they have a son, Xu Ming (许明), also a translator. His wife died in 2018, aged 85.
He turned 100 on 18 April 2021[29] and died just under two months later, on 17 June in Beijing.[30][31]
References
- ^ Zhang Zhi-zhong (2005). "A Close Study on the Revision of Poetry Translation by Prof. Xu Yuanchong". Journal of Southwest Jiaotong University (Social Sciences) (4). Retrieved 21 December 2011. abstract
- ^ "Xu Yuanchong". China Book International. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ ISSN 1007-2616.
- . Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ Wang Feng-xia (2008). "The Representation of Cultural Genes in Poetry Translation—A Case Study of Excursion on Eastern Fields Cheerless by Xu Yuanchong". Journal of Xihua University (Philosophy & Social Sciences (2). Retrieved 21 December 2011. (abstract)
- ISBN 9789629963552.
- ^ Dai Kai-hong (2006). "Translation of Poetry Approached by the Principle of "Beauty"—A Review of X.Y.Z.'s Translation of Grief beyond Belief". Journal of Huaihai Institute of Technology (Social Sciences Edition). abstract
- .
- ^ name of the website
- ^ Chen Meng (translation) (20 May 2010). "Lifetime Achievement in Translation". EveryChina.com. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
- ^ Liu Wenjia (5 August 2014). "The first Chinese winner of 'Aurora Borealis' Prize: Translation changes the world". english.peopledaily.com.cn/. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
- ISBN 9787508508467.
- ^ "Your Store".
- ISBN 9787500120209.
- ISBN 9787500112006.
- ISBN 9787040186116.
- ISBN 9787500122678.
- ISBN 9787500122685.
- ISBN 9787500122890.
- ISBN 9787500122692.
- ISBN 9787543850019.
- ISBN 9787508521916.
- ISBN 9787500118114.
- ISBN 9787508508474.
- ISBN 9787544727761.
- ISBN 9787511706867.
- ISBN 9787544722360.
- ISBN 9787513506106.
- ^ 翻译家许渊冲:一生"诗舟"播美,百岁仍是少年. sohu.com. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ 翻译泰斗许渊冲逝世,享年100岁 (in Chinese)
- ^ "翻譯泰斗許淵沖逝世 享年100歲 被譽「詩譯英法唯一人」" (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Ming Pao. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
External links
- Television show about Xu, CCTV-10 (in Chinese)