| Abstract |
In the historical context of the late Qing Dynasty, characterized by the eastward dissemination of Western learning and the national struggle for survival, Yan Fu, through his translation of Evolution and Ethics, practiced and adapted his translation principle of “Xin, Da, Ya”(faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance). This adaptation elevated the principle beyond a mere translation standard, establishing it as crucial for constructing Enlightenment discourse. This study aims to conduct an in-depth exploration of how Yan Fu dynamically balanced these three principles in his translation practice to achieve his core objective of intellectual enlightenment. Employing methodologies of textual comparison and historical-contextual analysis, this research systematically examines the translated text of Evolution and Ethics. The findings reveal a distinct purpose-oriented approach in Yan Fu’s practice: Firstly, “Xin” (faithfulness) was not absolute fidelity but served the purpose of “conveying the essence” (Da Zhi). Through strategic selection from Huxley’s original work, the transformation of the narrative framework (e.g., adopting “Huxley said: ” ), and the insertion of numerous annotations, Yan Fu constructed an enlightening text characterized by the “integration of translation and original composition”. Secondly, regarding “Da” (expressiveness), his masterful creation of terminology (e.g., “Tian Yan” for evolution, “Zhi Hua” for cosmic process/civilization) deeply integrated traditional Chinese philosophical concepts, achieving the localization of Western ideas. Finally, the application of “Ya” (elegance) through the Tongcheng School’s classical prose style was not merely an aesthetic choice but also a cultural and political strategy to render foreign ideas acceptable to the scholar-official class, thereby effectively ensuring the dissemination of these ideas. The study concludes that Yan Fu’s application of “Xin, Da, Ya” constituted a functional adaptation serving the contemporary mission of “translation for national salvation.” Consequently, his translation activity became a form of creative intellectual enlightenment, providing a classic paradigm for the localization of translation theory and cross-cultural communication.
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