Title: Studies on Qian Zhongshu’s “Theory of Sublimity” in the Past 40 Years (1979-2019): Retrospect and Prospect

Abstract: Qian Zhongshu’s “Theory of Sublimity” has been acclaimed as the highest ideal and standard of literary translation in the past 40 years (1979-2019). The Chinese researchers have made unremitting efforts and remarkable achievements in studying “Theory of Sublimity” by means of investigating its sources, expounding its connotation, evaluating its function, and comparing it with other translation thoughts. However, there are some imbalances featured by “ten more’s and ten fewer’s” in research teams, methods and results. In order to conduct a comprehensive, in-depth and systematic study on “Theory of Sublimity”, the Chinese academic circles should establish an interaction between Qian’s translation thoughts and translation art, strike a connection between translation theories, literary theories, and philosophical and aesthetic theories, both ancient and modern, both at home and abroad, and adopt a hermeneutic cycle advocated by Qian so as to construct a theoretical system of seeking “sublimity” and to further traditional Chinese translation theories.

Keywords: Qian Zhongshu, “Theory of Sublimity”, retrospect, prospect

Author: Chengfa Yu, Professor, Foreign Studies College, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China; Yihui Zhuang, Ph.D. Candidate, Foreign Studies College, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China.