A Study on the English Translation on Chapter Two of Tao Te Ching from the Perspective of Eco-Translatology: Lin Yutang’s and James Legge's Versions

Abstract

Chu Culture includes material civilization and spiritual civilization created by Chu people in their working life, and it is an important part of Chinese civilization. Besides Lisao and Tianwen, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu is also deeply influenced by Chu culture. Under the guidance of eco-translation theory, this paper takes Chapter two of Tao Te Ching as an example, selects Lin Yutang’s and James Legge’s translations as the research objects, and analyzes them from the perspectives of language, culture and communication, respectively. The purpose is to explore whether the eco-translation theory can apply to the previous English translations of Tao Te Ching, and to further understand the implicit relationship between Chu culture and Tao Te Ching.