Chinese Journal of Literary Criticism

No.3, 2023

 

Judgement of Taste in Translation between Chinese and English: A Case Study in Meishu Tongquan

(Abstract)

 

Chen Si and He Chang

 

The judgement of taste in Meishu Tongquan, the Chinese version of Judgement in Literature translated by Yan Fu in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), has been interpreted cross-culturally. Yan Fu interprets the Western aesthetics of “taste” with the concepts related to the category of “taste” in China, initiating a dialogue on the concepts, functions and skills of the theory of “taste” between China and the West. The Chinese version shows that Yan Fu explores the common meaning of relevant concepts between Chinese poetic “taste” theory and the Western view of “taste.” Through comparative dialogue, he reviews the tradition of poetry taste theory in the Qing Dynasty, highlighting the unique ideological core and value of Chinese poetry taste theory.