最早的《道德经》英文全译本可追溯到晚清,分别由湛约翰(John Chalmers)、巴富尔(Frederic Henry Balfour)和理雅各(James Legge)翻译。通过对三人译者身份与译介动机的剖析,进而从翻译方法——对"道"的理解、修辞、文体和注释四个方面对这三个早期译本进行异同比较,展示译文文本所呈现出的特殊历史魅力。
The early English translations of Tao Te Ching are found in late Qing Dynasty. The article makes a comparison and contrast of the four English versions produced by John Chalmers, Frederic Henry Balfour, and James Legge respectively. It focuses on contrast of translator identity, the motivation, the translation methods used, the understanding of“Tao”, the rhetoric devices, the text type and the notes.