Cultural Interaction and Integration：Historical Value of Eertais Translation of Mencius into Manchu during the Qing Dynasty

（1.School of Foreign Languages， Minzu University of China， Beijing， 100081， China;

2.School of Literature， Minzu University of China， 100081， Beijing， China）

JOURNAL OF ETHNOLOGY， VOL. 15， NO.01， 21-28， 2024 （CN51-1731/C， in Chinese）

DOI：10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2024.01.003

Abstract：

Historical studies confirm that during the Qianlong period， the Manchu official literary tradition reached its peak. Under the patronage of" Emperor Qianlong，" Eertai was ordered to revise the Manchu version of the “Four Books”， resulting in the creation of the most widely circulated and influential ManchuChinese amalgamation of these texts during the Qing Dynasty. Not only did it" facilitate the broader circulation of the ManchuChinese integrated Mencius， but" it also promoted cultural exchanges and the" advancement of scholarly endeavors" to some extent， thereby conceivably contributing to "the foundation of the Chinese nation as one united community.

Historical analysis also demonstrates that" “Qi，” as one of the" foundational" aesthetic concepts in Mencius， has" undergone a long evolutionary trajectory， transcending its initial representation as" a material manifestation of natural phenomena" to symbolize" the origin of life and the substance of the world. “Qi” became a multifaceted concept" bridging" the metaphysical and physical realms. Eertais approach to handling the" pivotal" aesthetic concept of “Qi” in" his Manchu rendition" of Mencius" arguably" reflects his" nuanced understanding of" ancient Chinese aesthetic concepts. In this version，the term“sukdun” was selected to encapsulate the intricate essence of “Qi.”It is found that the profound connotations of this word match the" multifaceted "nature of “Qi” in Mencius， which possesses a breadth of meanings. The term “sukdun” can either refer to a tangible natural gas， a state of mind at the spiritual level， or vitality symbolized by" breath." In addition， the reason why Qing Dynasty translators chose “sukdun” to express the concept of “Qi” is that both terms" seem to possess" characteristics of ambiguity， polysemy， and interpretability， allowing it to bridge both metaphysical and physical worlds." It is noteworthy that during the Wei and Jin periods， Cao Pi introduced the philosophical concept of “Qi” into literary theory， laying the groundwork for the “Wenqi Theory”.

Results also show that in the preface of the “Imperially Commissioned Translated Four Books，” authored" by Emperor Qianlong himself， the “Three Principles of Translation” were" presented： “Wen Yi，”“Yi Zhi，” and “Yu Qi”. Here， “Yu Qi” is translated as “gisun mudan，” where “gisun” means" language or speech" while “mudan”" encompasses the aspects of voice， emphasis， and tone as well as melody and rhyme. Thus， “gisun mudan” can be understood in two ways here： One is that the tone here refers to the object being emphasized. Moreover， key thematic components are articulated with" a strong tone and intonation; for secondary details， it is handled in a light and breezy manner in translation. The other is regarding the auditory experience of reading the translation whether" aloud or silently or" whether the intonation and rhythm are harmonious and wellarranged. That is to say， the tone" may contribute to both" the communicative emphasis on key content in translation and to the" aesthetic and" rhythmic effect of the text. From this， it may be seen that Emperor Qianlong" expanded the theoretical landscape of" “Qi，” introducing the concept of “Qi” into the field of translation and cultural" studies. Consequently" he provided" new insights for HanManchu cultural interchange. This process of" cultural interaction and integration conceivably reflects a collective intellectual evolution of the Chinese nation amidst multicultural integration， symbolizing a" representative manifestation of the cohesive and dynamic Chinese national community.

Key Words：

Eertai; Manchu language; “Qi”; The Four Books; the Chinese national community