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The Dialogue between Confucianism and its Translations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

Jyrki Kallio
Jyrki Kallio*
Affiliation:
Finnish Institute of International Affairs, Finland
*
Jyrki Kallio, Finnish Institute of International Affairs, Arkadiankatu 23 B, Helsinki, FI-00100, Finland. Email: jyrki.kallio@fiia.fi
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Abstract

Using the translation of Confucian classics as an example, this article discusses the possibility for translations to serve as two-way bridges between two cultures. While translating is often seen as a one-way process, used to export ideas from the source language and culture to those of the recipients, the challenges in translating, and the solutions offered by the translator, may provide valuable insight, even to the benefit of the source culture. This article looks at the Confucian concept of ren (仁), and through its differing translations in different source texts and contexts, suggests that an understanding reached through translation may enrich the intuitive or even analytical understanding of the concept that pre-exists in the Chinese context.

Keywords

Confucianismtranslationren (virtue humanity)junzi (gentleman)
Type
Articles
Information
Diogenes , Volume 64 , Issue 1-2: Global Ethics , February 2017 , pp. 47 - 51
Copyright
Copyright © ICPHS 2022

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