Xu Yuanchong

{{Infobox writer

| name = Xu Yuanchong

| native_name = {{lang|zh|许渊冲}}

| native_name_lang = zh

| pseudonym =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1921|4|18|df=y}}

| birth_place = Nanchang County, Jiangxi, Republic of China

| death_date = {{death date and age|2021|6|17|1921|4|18|df=y}}

| death_place = Beijing, People's Republic of China

| occupation = Translator, Professor, Scholar

| language = Chinese, English, French

| alma_mater = National Southwestern Associated University
University of Paris

| period = 1948 - 2021

| genre = Novel, poetry

| subject =

| movement =

| notableworks = The Red and the Black

| spouse = Zhao Jun

| children = Xu Ming

| relatives =

| awards =

| website =

| partner =

| signature =

}}

Xu Yuanchong ({{zh|s={{lang|zh|许渊冲}}|t={{lang|zh|許淵沖}}|p=Xǔ Yuānchōng}}; 18 April 1921 – 17 June 2021) was a Chinese translator, best known for translating Chinese ancient poems{{cite journal|url=http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTOTAL-XNJS200504005.htm|author=Zhang Zhi-zhong |title=A Close Study on the Revision of Poetry Translation by Prof. Xu Yuanchong|year=2005|issue=4|access-date=21 December 2011|journal=Journal of Southwest Jiaotong University (Social Sciences)}} abstract into English and French.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbi.gov.cn/wisework/content/6499.html|title=Xu Yuanchong|work=China Book International|access-date=18 September 2011}} He was a professor at Peking University since 1983.

Early career

Xu Yuanchong was born in Nanchang County (now Nanchang), Jiangxi.{{cite journal|language=zh |author1=Wang Mengyue (王梦悦) |journal=Lao Nian Ren |script-title=zh:《老年人》 |trans-title=Old Man |volume=11 |location=Changsha, Hunan |publisher=Old Man Magazine|year=2014 |pages=18–19 |issn=1007-2616}} His mother, who was well educated and good at painting, had great impact on Xu in his pursuit of beauty and literature. His uncle Xiong Shiyi was a translator, who translated the play Wang Baochuan and Xue Pinggui into English, which was a hit in the UK. Xiong's achievement gave Xu a strong interest in learning English. When studying at the Provincial Nanchang No. 2 High School, he excelled in English. In 1938 he was admitted to the Department of Foreign Languages, National Southwest Associated University. In 1939, as a freshman, he translated his first work, Lin Huiyin's poem "Do not throw away" into English, which was published in the "Literary Translation News" ({{lang|zh|文学翻译报}}).

Style

His translation style is characterized by favouring domesticating translation.{{cite journal|url=http://ojs.academypublisher.com/index.php/jltr/article/download/01017780/1511|title=Brief Study on Domestication and Foreignization in Translation|volume=1|issue=1|page=77|journal=Journal of Language Teaching and Research|doi=10.4304/jltr.1.1.77-80|access-date=18 September 2011|author=Wenfen Yang|year=2010|doi-access=free}} Xu introduced the Creation for Loss{{cite journal|title=The Representation of Cultural Genes in Poetry Translation—A Case Study of Excursion on Eastern Fields Cheerless by Xu Yuanchong|url=http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTOTAL-CDSF200801030.htm|year=2008|issue=2|author=Wang Feng-xia|access-date=21 December 2011|journal=Journal of Xihua University (Philosophy & Social Sciences}} (abstract) and the three beauties-concept to translation theory: the idea that a translation should be as beautiful as the original in three ways:{{cite book|title=A Chronology of Translation in CHINA and in the WEST from the legendary period to 2004|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YKUG4HbPV0EC&q=Xu%20Yuanchong%20%22three%20beauties%22&pg=PP1|author=Chan Sin-wai|publisher=The Chinese University Press|location=Hong Kong|year=2009|page=216|isbn = 9789629963552}}{{cite journal|url=http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTOTAL-HHGX200602022.htm|title=Translation of Poetry Approached by the Principle of "Beauty"—A Review of X.Y.Z.'s Translation of Grief beyond Belief|year=2006|journal=Journal of Huaihai Institute of Technology (Social Sciences Edition)|author=Dai Kai-hong}} abstract

semantically (the -deeper- meaning)
phonologically (the style like rhyme and rhythm)
logically (amongst others: length)

According to Gao, "he advocates that the versions of poems should combine visual and aural beauties together, and they should reproduce the fusion of pictorial composition and musical arrangement."{{cite journal|journal=Journal of Language Teaching and Research|volume=1|issue=1 |pages= 84–89|date=January 2010|title=On English Translation of Classical Chinese Poetry: A Perspective from Skopos Theory|author=Lei Gao|doi=10.4304/jltr.1.1.84-89|doi-access=free}}

Achievements

His 30 Poetries were selected as teaching materials by foreign universities. After reading his English translation "Selected Poems of Li Bai" (1987), Qian Zhongshu said: If you live in the same age with Li Bai, you'll become good friends. The British Press,[http://yourwebsite.cn name of the website] "Romance of The Western Bower", which is thought as great as "Romeo and Juliet" in terms of artistic and attractiveness. British publishing company Penguin has published Xu Yuanchong's "300 China's immortal poems" (1994), which was launched in Britain, USA, Canada, Australia and other countries. That's the first time that the publishing company published a Chinese translation.

Apart from translating the classical Chinese poetry into foreign languages, Xu Yuanchong also translated many of the British and French classics into Chinese. In his seventies, he was still involved in translating Proust's masterpiece "Remembrance of Things Past" (1990) and translated Flaubert's "Madame Bovary" (1992), Stendhal's "Red" (1993). At the age of 78 years, Xu also published a voluminous long masterpiece, the translation of Romain Rolland's "John Kristof" (1999). Xu was awarded the "Lifetime achievements in translation" from the Translators Association of China (TAC) in 2010.{{cite news|url=http://news.everychina.com/wz40c41f/lifetime_achievement_in_translation.html|title=Lifetime Achievement in Translation|work=EveryChina.com|date=20 May 2010|access-date=21 December 2011|author=Chen Meng (translation)}}

On August 2, 2014, at the 20th World Conference of the Federation of International Translators (FIT), FIT conferred The "Aurora Borealis" Prize on Xu Yuanchong, who is the first Chinese winner of the award.{{cite news|url=http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/n/2014/0805/c90000-8765438.html|title=The first Chinese winner of 'Aurora Borealis' Prize: Translation changes the world|work=english.peopledaily.com.cn/|date=5 August 2014|access-date=17 August 2014|author=Liu Wenjia}}

Works

My Most Beloved: Tang & Song Verses
Selected Poems and Pictures of Song Dynasty
Laws Divine and Human and Pictures of Deities{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0B-cO8ZzE0UC |script-title=zh:道德经与神仙画 (英汉对照)|isbn = 9787508508467|author1 = 老子|author2 = 许渊冲|year = 2006|publisher=五洲传播出版社 }}
Gems of Classical Chinese Poetry
Romance of The Western Bower{{cite web | url=http://www.abc-chinese.com/b00clarw.html | title=Your Store }}
Classic of Poetry (《{{lang|zh-Hans-CN|诗经}}》){{cite book |script-title=zh:《诗经》|date=2009-09-01 |publisher=中国对外翻译出版社 |location=Beijing |isbn= 9787500120209|language=zh-hans}}
Chu Ci (Qu Yuan) (《{{lang|zh-Hans-CN|楚辞}}》)
Tao Te Ching (Laozi) (《{{lang|zh-Hans-CN|道德经}}》){{cite book |author=老子 |script-title=zh:《道德经》|date=2007-01-01 |publisher=中国对外翻译出版社 |location=Beijing |isbn= 9787500112006|language=zh-hans}}
Analects (Kongzi) (《{{lang|zh-Hans-CN|论语}}》){{cite book |author=孔子 |script-title=zh:《论语》|date=2005-12-01 |publisher=高等教育出版社 |location=Beijing |isbn=9787040186116 |language=zh-hans}}
The Story of the Western Wing (Wang Shifu) (《{{lang|zh-Hans-CN|西厢记}}》){{cite book |author=王实甫 |script-title=zh:《西厢记》|date=2009-09-01 |publisher=中国对外翻译出版社 |location=Beijing |isbn=9787500122678 |language=zh-hans}}
The Peony Pavilion (Tang Xianzu) (《{{lang|zh-Hans-CN|牡丹亭}}》){{cite book |author=汤显祖 |script-title=zh:《牡丹亭》|date=2009-09-01 |publisher=中国对外翻译出版社 |location=Beijing |isbn=9787500122685 |language=zh-hans}}
The Palace of Eternal Life (Hong Sheng) (《{{lang|zh-Hans-CN|长生殿}}》){{cite book |author=洪升 |script-title=zh:《长生殿》|date=2009-09-01 |publisher=中国对外翻译出版社 |location=Beijing |isbn=9787500122890 |language=zh-hans}}
The Peach Blossom Fan (Kong Shangren) (《{{lang|zh-Hans-CN|桃花扇}}》){{cite book |author=孔尚任 |script-title=zh:《桃花扇》|date=2009-09-01 |publisher=中国对外翻译出版社 |location=Beijing |isbn=9787500122692 |language=zh-hans}}
Poetry of Li Bai (Li Bai) (《{{lang|zh-Hans-CN|李白诗选}}》){{cite book |author=李白 |script-title=zh:《李白诗选》|date=2008-11-01 |publisher=湖南人民出版社 |location=Changsha |isbn=9787543850019 |language=zh-hans}}
Three Hundred Tang Poems (Sun Zhu) (《{{lang|zh-Hans-CN|唐诗三百首}}》){{cite book |author=许渊冲 |script-title=zh:《唐诗三百首》|date=2012-01-01 |publisher=五洲传播出版社 |location=Beijing |isbn=9787508521916 |language=zh-hans}}
One Hundred Song Poems (《{{lang|zh-Hans-CN|宋词一百首}}》){{cite book |author=许渊冲 |title=Tang Song ci yi bai shou |script-title=zh:《宋词一百首》 |date=2007-12-01 |publisher=中国对外翻译出版社公司 |location=Beijing |isbn=9787500118114 |language=zh-hans |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/tangsongciyibais0004unse }}
Poetry of Mao Zedong (Mao Zedong) ({{lang|zh-Hans-CN|毛泽东诗词集}}){{cite book |author=毛泽东 |script-title=zh:《毛泽东诗词集》|date=2006-01-01 |publisher=五洲传播出版社 |location=Beijing |isbn=9787508508474 |language=zh-hans}}
The Red and the Black (Stendhal) (《{{lang|zh-Hans-CN|红与黑}}》){{cite book |author=司汤达 |script-title=zh:《红与黑》|date=2012-06-01 |publisher=译林出版社 |location=Beijing |isbn=9787544727761 |language=zh-hans}}
Jean-Christophe (Romain Rolland) (《{{lang|zh-Hans-CN|约翰·克里斯托夫}}》){{cite book |author=罗曼·罗兰 |script-title=zh:《约翰·克里斯托夫》|date=2010-12-01 |publisher=中央编译出版社|location=Beijing |isbn=9787511706867 |language=zh-hans}}
Madame Bovary (Gustave Flaubert) (《{{lang|zh-Hans-CN|包法利夫人}}》){{cite book |author=福楼拜 |script-title=zh:《包法利夫人》|date=2011-08-01 |publisher=译林出版社 |location=Beijing |isbn=9787544722360 |language=zh-hans}}
In Search of Lost Time (Marcel Proust) (《{{lang|zh-Hans-CN|追忆逝水年华}}》){{cite book |author=乔伊斯·普鲁斯特 |script-title=zh:《逝水年华》|date=2011-03-01 |publisher=外语教学与研究出版社|location=Beijing |isbn=9787513506106 |language=zh-hans}}

Awards

Chinese Translation Association - Competent Translator (2004)
Chinese translation Culture Lifetime Achievement Award (2010)

Personal life

Xu married Zhao Jun ({{lang|zh-Hans-CN|照君}}) in 1959 in Beijing, they have a son, Xu Ming ({{lang|zh-Hans-CN|许明}}), also a translator. His wife died in 2018, aged 85.

He turned 100 on 18 April 2021{{cite web|url=https://www.sohu.com/a/461369588_161623|script-title=zh:翻译家许渊冲：一生"诗舟"播美，百岁仍是少年|publisher=sohu.com|access-date=21 April 2021}} and died just under two months later, on 17 June in Beijing.[https://m.nbd.com.cn/articles/2021-06-17/1795389.html 翻译泰斗许渊冲逝世，享年100岁] {{in lang|zh}}{{cite web |url=https://news.mingpao.com/pns/中國/article/20210618/s00013/1623955052195/翻譯泰斗許淵沖逝世-享年100歲-被譽「詩譯英法唯一人」 |title=翻譯泰斗許淵沖逝世享年100歲被譽「詩譯英法唯一人」 |language=zh-hk |publisher=Ming Pao |date=18 June 2021 |access-date=18 June 2021 }}