A Comparative Study of Reconstruction of Tao and Te in Two English Translated Texts of the Tao Te Ching

碩士 === 國立高雄第一科技大學 === 口筆譯研究所 === 98 === The Tao Te Ching is one of the most translated Chinese texts in history. Throughout time, countless commentators and translators across the globe have approached the exegesis of this ancient canon via different means and towards different ends. In this thesi...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Chih-hong Chen, 陳致宏
Other Authors: Ruey-shan Chen
Format: Others
Language:en_US
Published: 2010
Online Access:http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/8352t3
Description
Summary:碩士 === 國立高雄第一科技大學 === 口筆譯研究所 === 98 === The Tao Te Ching is one of the most translated Chinese texts in history. Throughout time, countless commentators and translators across the globe have approached the exegesis of this ancient canon via different means and towards different ends. In this thesis, elements from two principal English translations of this ancient text are observed to compare the different methodologies attempted in the reconstruction of meaning in the Chinese source text, with primary focus put on its central themes, namely Tao and Te. The present study reviews the traditional theoretical backgrounds and previously relevant works in regard to the translation of the Tao Te Ching, then embarks on the observation by aligning the two reconstructions of the concepts Tao and Te in authoritative English translations by philologist Victor H. Mair (1990) and hermeneuticist Michael LaFargue (1992), in their respective textual presentations. The observations are followed by a comparative analysis in the background of relevant issues in translation studies. It is hoped that these examples of reconstruction of the Tao Te Ching could deepen our understanding of the special nature of the text itself, thereby offering some insight into the translation of ancient canonical texts from Chinese to English.