The role of translation in the study of Confucianism: Works of scholars from the institute of China and modern Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences

The article presents an overview of works on Confucianism prepared by researchers from the Institute of China and Modern Asia (Institute of Far East) in the post-Soviet period. Particular attention is paid to the history of scholars’ translation activities, which in this period became increasingly intensive. The article focuses on the translations of the classical canons 四 书 “The Four Books” and 五 经 “The Pentateuch”, which had a great influence on the spiritual culture of China. Translations of Confucian works are compared in the framework of “scientific - poetic, special - popular, full – partial”. The aim of the study is to determine the role of translation in the study and popularization of Confucian philosophy. The paper demonstrates that the translations by scholars from the Institute of China and Modern Asia are based on a deep theoretical analysis of Confucian philosophy, the study of original sources in Chinese, taking into account the scientific results of Chinese textual scholars and clarifying previous Russian-language translation versions. Thus, many years of research on Confucianism have prepared the ground for the rapid development of translation in this sphere. At the same time, the appearance of new translated versions and translations of Chinese monuments, previously unknown to Russian readers, on the one hand, contribute to the deepening and intensification of scientific research on Confucianism; on the other hand, they popularize an important component of Chinese spiritual culture due to the accessibility of the presentation of postulates and a wide-range-of-readers orientation of new translations. The article concludes that the bidirectionality (scholarly research - translation, translation - scholarly research) and mutual enrichment of scholarly and translation activities have contributed to the emergence of a large number of good books that synergistically combine scholarly accuracy and objectivity with a popular style of presentation that is close to modern readers.

1. Lyu Zhun (2023). Issledovanie konfutsianstva IKSA RAN posle raspada SSSR: Diss. … magistr filol.n. [Study of Confucianism by IKS RAS after the Collapse of the USSR: Master’s Thesis]. Czzinan`, 147 p. (In Chinese)

2. Syui Zhui (2018). Germenevticheskii podkhod v perevode kitaiskikh filosofskikh tekstov (na primere russkikh perevodov “Lun' Yuya”) [Hermeneutic Approach in Translation of Chinese Philosophical Texts (based on Russian translations of “Lun Yuya”)]. Novyi filologicheskii vestnik. No. 3(46), pp. 253–261. (In Chinese)

3. Konfutsianskoe “Chetveroknizhie” (“Sy` shu”) (2004) [Confucian “Four Books” (“Sy Shu”)]. Per. s kit. i komment. A. I. Kobzeva, A. E. Luk`yanova, L. S. Perelomova, P. S. Popova pri uchastii V. M. Maiorova. 431 p. Moscow, Vost. lit. (In Russian)

4. Luk`yanov, A. E. (1994). Nachalo drevnekitaiskoi filosofii [The Beginning of Ancient Chinese Philosophy]. Perevod s drevnekitaiskogo osnovny`kh tekstov i fragmentov traktata. 109 p. Moscow, Radiks. (In Russian)

5. Luk`yanov, A. E. (2000). Lao-Czzy` i Konfutsii. Filosofiya Dao [Lao Tzu and Confucius. Philosophy of Tao]. 383 p. Moscow, Vost. lit. RAN. (In Russian)

6. Perelomov, L. S. (1998). Konfutsii. Lun` Yui [Confucius. Lun Yu]. 588 p. Moscow, Vostochnaya literatura. (In Russian)

7. Li Yuihan', Li Minhuei (2022). Mezhkul'turnaya interpretatsiya klassiki: perevod i rasprostranenie “Lun' yui” v Rossii [Intercultural Interpretation of the Classics: Translation and Distribution of “Lun Yu” in Russia]. Mir nauki, kul'tury i obrazovaniya. No. 2 (93), pp. 434–436. (In Russian)

8. Abramenko, V. P. (2017). Kitaiskaya filosofskaya klassika v poe`ticheskikh perevodakh: V 2 t. [Chinese Philosophical Classics in Poetic Translations: In 2 Volumes]. Moscow, IDV; Che`ndu. (In Russian)

9. Konfutsii (2018). Suzhdeniya i besedy`. Lun` yui [Judgments and Conversations. Lun Yu]. Nauchny`i perevod s kitaiskogo: A. E. Luk`yanov; poe`ticheskii perevod: V. P. Abramenko. 420 p. Moscow, Shans. (In Russian)

10. Rossiiskaya gazeta - Spetsvypusk: Dy`khanie Kitaya [Rossiyskaya Gazeta – Special Issue: Breath of China]. 29.03.2022. No. 66 (8714). URL: https://rg.ru/2022/03/29/rg-predstavliaet-nauchnyj-i-poeticheskij-perevod-besed-iz-filosofskogo-traktata-lun-iuj.html (accessed: 15.092024). (In Russian)

11. Maslov, A. A. (2020). Konfutsii. Besedy s odinokim mudretsom [Confucius. Conversations with a Lonely Sage]. 320 p. Moscow, Ripol Klassik. (In Russian)

12. Chen' Lyan (2022). Lingvokul'turologicheskii analiz kitaiskogo traktata “Lun' Yui” i ego perevodov na russkii yazyk: diss. …kand.filol.n. [Linguocultural Analysis of the Chinese Treatise “Lun Yu” and Its Translations into Russian: Ph.D. Thesis]. Moscow, 175 p. (In Russian)

13. Van Czzyan`li (2016). Lingvisticheskii analiz russkikh perevodov traktata “Lun` yui”: avtoref. diss. … kand.filol.n. [Linguistic Analysis of Russian Translations of the Treatise “Lun Yu”: Ph.D. Thesis Abstract]. Moscow, 23 p. (In Russian)

14. Konfutsianskii traktat “Chzhun yun” (2003) [Confucian Treatise “Zhong Yong”]. Perevody i issledovaniya. Sost. A. E. Luk`yanov; Otv. red. M. L. Titarenko. 247 p. Moscow, Vost. lit. (In Russian)

15. Chzhun yun (Sledovanie seredine) (2017) [Zhong Yong (Following the Middle)]. Poeticheskii perevod V. P. Abramenko. 100 p. Moscow, IDV RAN. (In Russian)

16. Popov, P. S. (1998). Kitaiskii filosof Me`n-Czzy`[Chinese Philosopher Mencius]. Perevod s kitaiskogo, snabzhenny`i primechaniyami. Poslesl. L. S. Perelomova. Reprint. izd. 278 p. Moscow, Vostochnaya literatura. (In Russian)

17. Luk`yanov, A. E. (1993). Dao “Knigi Peremen” [The Tao of “The Book of Changes”]. 240 p. Moscow, INSAN. (In Russian)

18. I tszin. Kanon peremen (2005) [I Ching. Canon of Changes]. Per. i issled. Sost. A. E. Luk`yanov; per. s kit. Yu. K. Shchutskii, A. E. Luk`yanov. 245 p. Moscow, Vost. lit. RAN. (In Russian)

19. I tszin (Kanon peremen) (2018) [I Ching. Canon of Changes]. Per. i primech. A. E. Luk`yanova. 392 p. Moscow, IPCz “Maska”; Che`ndu: Sy`chuan` zhe`n`min` chuban`she`. (In Russian)

20. Popova, G. S. (2012). Vvedenie v sistemnoe opisanie Shuczzina (“Kanona (istoricheskikh) dokumentov”) kak istoricheskogo istochnika [Introduction to the Systematic Description of Shujing (Canon of (Historical) Documents) as a Historical Source]. Obshhestvo i gosudarstvo v Kitae. T. 42, No. 1, pp. 240–257. (In Russian)

21. Chtimaya kniga: Drevnekitaiskie teksty` i perevod “Shan shu” (“Shu tszin”) i “Malogo predisloviya” (“Shu syui”) (2014) [The Revered Book: Ancient Chinese Texts andTtranslation of “Shang shu” (“Shu jing”) and “Small Preface” (“Shu xu”)]. Podgot. drevnekit. tekstov V. M. Maiorova; L. V. Stezhenskoi. 1149 p. Moscow, IDV RAN. (In Russian)

22. Popova, G. S., Ul'yanov, M. Yu. (2014). Chtimaya kniga: drevnekitaiskie teksty i perevod “Shan Shu” (“Shu Tsu”) i “Malogo predisloviya” (“Shu Syui”) [A Revered Book: Ancient Chinese Texts and Translation of “The Shang Shu” (“Shu Jing”) and “The Small Preface” (“Shu Xu”)]. Podgot. drevnekit. tekstov i ill., per., primech. i predisl. V. M. Maiorova; poslesl. V. M. Maiorova i L. V. Stezhenskoi. Moscow, IDV RAN. 1149 p. Vostok (ORIENS), No. 4, pp. 213–224. 2016. (In Russian)

23. Kanon poe`zii. Shi tszin (2015) [Canon of Poetry. Shi Jing]. Poe`ticheskii per. [kit.] V. P. Abramenko. 397 p. Moscow, In-t Dal`nego Vostoka RAN. (In Russian)

24. Kun-tszy tszya yui (Rechi shkoly` Konfutsiya) (2022) [Kongzi yia yu (Speeches of the Confucius School)]. Per. s kit., issled. i primech. A. Yu. Blazhkinoi; otv. red. V. M. Maiorov; In-t Kitaya i sovr. Azii RAN. 318 p. Moscow, IKSA RAN. (In Russian)

25. Stezhenskaya, L. V. (2022). Kun-tsy tsya yui (Rechi shkoly Konfutsiya) [Kongzi yia yu (Speeches of the Confucius School)]. K vykhodu russkogo perevoda A. Yu. Blazhkinoi. Rossiiskoe kitaevedenie. No. 1, pp. 223–230. (In Russian)