scholarly journals On the English Translation of Jian’ai by Late Qing Missionary-Sinologists

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 161-184
Author(s):  
Lijuan Chu (褚麗娟)
Keyword(s):  
English Translation ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Western World ◽  
Ancient Text ◽  
The West ◽  
Late Qing ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
Chinese Thought ◽  
Universal Love ◽  
Structural Levels

Abstract With an increasing volume of research being conducted on the transmission of premodern Chinese thought in the Western world, a plethora of studies have been published on the English translation of the ancient text Mozi, primarily through the lens of cross-cultural translation studies. Discussions on how the concept of jian’ai – often rendered as “universal love” – should be expressed in English have also taken place in this framework, while the topic has rarely been examined hermeneutically or with reference to histories of knowledge transfer, intellectuals, or scholarship. This article discusses the translation of jian’ai into English by the missionary-sinologists Joseph Edkins and James Legge during the mid-to-late 1800s. It points out that, while both scholars used the term “universal” to translate the concept, they differed on whether “equal” could be used. The author also demonstrates how differences in translation can signify differences in thinking. Using the “unit of thought” of hermeneutics as a methodology to study the translators’ conception of jian’ai via a comparison of common structural levels, a case can be made that both of them used the criticism by Mengzi of Mozi as a kind of “situational construction”. However, in terms of “situational processing”, Edkin’s demonstrated the necessity and equality of jian’ai by quoting the words of ancient sages and wise rulers just as Mozi did, while Legge focused on the “Teng Wen Gong I” chapter of the Mengzi, arguing that the idea of “equality” was not espoused by Mozi himself but rather his later followers. From the perspective of “situational fusion”, Edkins pointed out that, while jian’ai is similar in form to the love of Christ, it in fact shares more similarities with utilitarianism. By contrast, Legge believed that jian’ai was more in line with the thought of Confucius, while he also discussed the similarities and differences between jian’ai and the love of Christ. The differing understandings of jian’ai arrived at by these two scholars demonstrates that missionaries sent to China after the mid-nineteenth century underwent a transition from amateur to professional sinologists. Moreover, by examining how Mohism was introduced to the West in modern times, it can be shown how Legge’s interpretation of jian’ai coined a longstanding translated name for the concept.

scholarly journals A Commentary on English Translation of “Wen Fu”

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 947
Author(s):  
Yingying Jin
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Literary Theory ◽  
English Translation ◽  
Western World ◽  
The West ◽  
Translation Strategies ◽  
Word Selection

Since the middle of the 20th century, “Wen Fu” has been translated into the Western world by many Chinese and foreign translators, which vastly promoted the spread and acceptance of ancient Chinese literary theory in the West and was of great significance to facilitate the exchange and cooperation between Chinese and foreign academic circles on the study of “Wen Fu”. By the comparison of Sam Hamill’s and Stephen Owen’s English versions of “Wen Fu”, this paper is designed to explore the translators’ translation purpose, analyze the differences in translation strategies, and expound the discrepancies in word selection so as to extend the existing studies of “Wen Fu”.

The An Lo Szu Market of Chengtu: A Field Study

1947 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 155-171
Author(s):  
T'ai-ch'u Liao
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Western World ◽  
Early Modern Europe ◽  
The West ◽  
Capitalist System ◽  
Business Policy ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
Modern Business ◽  
Early Modern Times ◽  
The Town

Editor's Note: For the student of business history China has had a peculiar interest. It has illustrated forms and stages of business policy, organization, and technique which have nearly disappeared in the western world but which flourished there in medieval and early modern times. China, in a sense, has been somewhat in the nature of a contemporary ancestor of modern business as we know it. China's town economy, still generally prevailing in the great interior, is reminiscent of the town of medieval and early modern Europe with its small artisans and tradesmen and its market places which characterize the town and petty capitalist system of business; while China's commercial cities have marked the survival of the sedentary merchant and mercantile capitalism, long the great and coordinating business of the East as indeed it was of the West until about a century ago.

scholarly journals The Ethnographic Principle as a Phenomenon of History

2021 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 8-29
Author(s):  
Česlovas Laurinavičius
Keyword(s):  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
State Level ◽  
Soviet Period ◽  
Western World ◽  
The West ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Legal Legitimacy ◽  
New States ◽  
History Of

The concept of the ethnographic principle is rarely found in the literature, and there is hardly a legal qualification for it. However, historical material (in cases of the Lithuanian, Czech, Bulgarian and Polish peoples) indicates that the ethnographic principle is a significant political and geopolitical phenomenon. This phenomen is especialy characteristic of the development of the peoples of the region of Central and Eastern Europe. First, the ethnographic principle was closely related to the national principle, although it did not coincide with it. The concept of the ethnographic principle points to the special anatomy of nation states, where the basis is ethnic / linguistic culture. Secondly, the advancement of culture to the fore indicated the recognition of its significance, which had not happened before. Consequently, it was a question of freeing this culture from the restrictions imposed on it and even compensating for the damage caused to it. Thirdly, the culture, raised to the state level, needed appropriate guarantees for the future. The article reveals the tendency of great states at the level of their policies and propaganda to act according to the ethnographic principle, thereby encouraging the formation of national states. However, when the latter became a fact, another tendency arose: the Western world began to apply the criteria of a liberal civil society to new states (according to the principle of jus civis romanus sum). This was too hard for the new states. In this context, the alternative was the Soviet ethno-federalist protectorate, which, although under the conditions of a repressive system, actually continued to implement the projections of the ethnographic principle. A fixed paradox: the ethnographic principle, which originated in the West as a variant of democratization, gained strength thanks to Russia, while the West remained, as it were, in aristocratic opposition to this course. The ethnographic principle has not yet acquired a clearer legal legitimacy. But as a historical category, it can serve as a study of the history of Modern times, and especially the Soviet period.

The Interplay of Philosophy and Religion in the Chinese Culture

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-67
Author(s):  
Jan Konior
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Western World ◽  
The West ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
Philosophical Dialogue ◽  
Chinese Thought ◽  
Philosophy And Religion ◽  
Religious Aspects ◽  
Role Of Religion

The aim of this article is to present the interplay between philosophy, religion and culture in China, to give a clear picture of philosophical, religious and cultural aspects of Chinese culture. What do we understand by Chinese culture? What is the role of Religion and Philosophy in Chinese Culture? The goal of this presentation is to present a deeper account of the philosophical, cultural and traditional differences and similarities between the Chinese and the Western World. What is the meaning of Chinese philosophical ideas? How do we understand and interpret Chinese thought? How do we build a bridge between East and West focused on cultural, philosophical and religious aspects? What has the West done for China and what has China done for West? Are we partners in inter-religious, cultural and philosophical dialogue?

US and Russian policies and strategies in the Middle East: Iraq and Syria as a model

2019 ◽  
pp. 220
Author(s):  
Esraa Aladdin Noori ◽  
Nasser Zain AlAbidine Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
East Asia ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
Western World ◽  
International Conflicts ◽  
The South ◽  
The West ◽  
The North ◽  
East Region ◽  
Middle East Region

The Russian-American relations have undergone many stages of conflict and competition over cooperation that have left their mark on the international balance of power in the Middle East. The Iraqi and Syrian crises are a detailed development in the Middle East region. The Middle East region has allowed some regional and international conflicts to intensify, with the expansion of the geopolitical circle, which, if applied strategically to the Middle East region, covers the area between Afghanistan and East Asia, From the north to the Maghreb to the west and to the Sudan and the Greater Sahara to the south, its strategic importance will seem clear. It is the main lifeline of the Western world.

The Concept of “Self-Government” across Cultures: From the Western World to Japan and China

Cultura ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-72
Author(s):  
Donglan HUANG
Keyword(s):  
English Word ◽  
Western World ◽  
Meiji Japan ◽  
Local Elites ◽  
Late Qing ◽  
The Qing Dynasty ◽  
Qing Government ◽  
Provincial Autonomy ◽  
Traditional Counterpart ◽  
Japan And China

Abstract This paper focuses on the change of the meaning of “self-government” after it was introduced from Western world into East Asia in late 19th and early 20th century. By surveying the process of translation and dissemination of the concept “self-government” as well as the institutionalization of local self-government in Japan and China, the author points out that in Meiji Japan, the meaning of the word “selfgovernment” underwent significant changes from “freedom” which means antiauthoritarianism that was transmitted in the English word “local-government” to sharing the responsibility of national administration as embodied in the German word “Selbstverwaltung” along with the establishment of Prussian modeled local selfgovernment system. In late-Qing China, on the other hand, the term “localgovernment” was accepted as “self-reliance” as a way to achieve national prosperity and independence by enhancing individuals’ capacity, or “provincial autonomy” as a step to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. Qing government enacted a set of “selfgovernment” laws with reference to Japan’s system, but it turned out to be the same as its traditional counterpart enforced by local elites to offer public services under the profound influence of the Confucian tradition of xiangguan(local heads) in ancient China instead of incorporating the local elites into the state administrative system.

Last Jewish Writings, 1915–1918

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick C. Beiser
Keyword(s):  
Western World ◽  
The West ◽  
Rational Form ◽  
Jewish Communities ◽  
Special Obligation ◽  
Moral Content ◽  
The Many ◽  
At Home

The Jewish writings of these final years develop themes of the earlier years. Cohen continues to explore one of his favorite topics: the affinity of German and Jewish character. Despite his cosmopolitan conception of Judaism, Cohen still thought that the Jews were most at home in Germany. Yet, despite his belief in the special affinity between Germans and Jews, Cohen still shows his cosmopolitanism by his sympathy for the Ostjuden; he maintains that they should be freed from the many immigration controls imposed on them. Cohen continues to worry about the growing weakening of Jewish communities in Germany, and argues, as Socrates did in the Crito, that people have a special obligation to stay within the communities which nurtured them. In a remarkable 1916 lecture on Plato and the prophets Cohen argues that they are the two major ethical voices in the Western world: Plato gave the West a rational form while the prophets gave it moral content. Cohen now reduces his earlier striving for a unity of religions down to the demand for a unity of conscience.

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