Translating Chuang Tzu into world literature: text and context

Abstract: Chuang Tzu (《庄子》), as a traditional Chinese canon, has been translated into English for more than 100 years since 1881, successfully carving a niche in the realm of world literature, which has become an earth-shattering cultural event in the academia of overseas sinology and world literature. According to statistics, the book has been translated into 12 full translations, 50 selected translations, and two adaptations. The metamorphosis process of “full translation - deep translation - diversified retranslation”, has passed through four stages, namely religious, literary, philosophical, and diversified reinterpretation phases. Thus, from the perspective of Damrosch’s view of world literature, this paper summarizes the characteristics of different stages based on different spatial-temporal contexts. In the light of translation form, translational outcomes, and translation mode of reading, the path in which Chuang Tzu entered into the field of world literature is specified for the operational mechanism of promoting national literature to world literature, which is dedicated to the enlightenment for practical translation work of introducing Chinese literature abroad. Meanwhile, by reviewing the history of English translations of Chuang Tzu, this paper sums up the deficiencies of current translation activities and research activities, with an attempt to provide constructive suggestions as well as to point out the direction for the future development of overseas studies of Chuang Tzu.