Author:
LIN Chunjie, Professor, School of Foreign Languages, Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
Abstract:
The "Xi Yang Guan Yi Yu" is the European languages part of the classified language dictionaries Hua Yi Yi Yu (Chinese-Foreign Language Glossaries) compiled during the Qianlong period. This includes dictionaries in five Chinese-European languages (Latin, French, Italian, Portuguese and German). The "Xi Yang Guan Yi Yu" were translated and compiled by European missionaries in accordance with a vocabulary formulated by the Chinese government. They include political vocabulary relating to China's political system, the imperial examination system, the tribute system and mythical animals with symbolic political meanings. By examining the translation of these words, we can explore the European missionaries' understanding of China's political culture at that time in the eighteenth century. In particular, by comparing synchronic translations of different languages in "Xi Yang Guan Yi Yu" and diachronic translations in the works and dictionaries of previous missionaries, as well as comparing each with the original meanings of Chinese words in the Chinese context, we can see differences in the understanding of Chinese political culture among missionaries from various countries, and the similarities and differences between Chinese and Western cultures. The translation of Chinese political and cultural terms in these dictionaries deepened Europe's understanding of China, and witnessed to the history of cultural exchange between China and Europe in the eighteenth century.
Keywords:
Hua Yi Yi Yu , Xi Yang Yi Yu, Xi Yang Guan Yi Yu, Political Culture, Missionary
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