By Shi Yuanfeng and Wan Shuyan from CNS
Karl-Heinz Pohl, a famend German Sinologist, taught on the College of Trier in Germany till his retirement in 2010. He was the dean of the College of Literature and Media on the college and head of its Division of Sinology, in addition to a former professor of Chinese language literature and philosophy on the College of Tübingen. His analysis pursuits embody the historical past of Chinese language philosophy, ethics and fashionable Chinese language aesthetics and cross-cultural communication and dialogue between China and the West. He’s the writer of a number of monographs akin to Chinese language Aesthetics and Literary Idea (in German and Chinese language translation), Chinese language Thought in a International Context, Intercultural Dialogue with China (in Chinese language), and Discovering China: Custom and Modernity (in German and Chinese language translation). Prof. Pohl translated Peach Blossom Spring—The Poetry of Tao Yuanming and eminent thinker Li Zehou’s The Path of Magnificence into German.
Although Sinology in Europe began solely 200 years in the past, European translations of Chinese language literature appeared a lot earlier within the sixteenth century. Karl-Heinz Pohl feels that regardless of the position performed by Sinology and translations in creating exchanges between China and the West, there may be nonetheless an “asymmetry” because of the “hegemonic discourse” of the West, which has many misunderstandings and prejudices about China. Nevertheless, translations can convey the “magnificence” of Chinese language tradition to the West, take away misunderstandings and assist each to carry exchanges and be taught from one another.
CNS: You might have been finding out Chinese language philosophy and fashionable aesthetics for years, and you’ve got additionally translated many Chinese language classics and revealed tutorial monographs. How did you develop into considering Chinese language tradition?
Karl-Heinz Pohl: I turned considering Chinese language tradition by way of (Chinese language writer, thinker and translator and Harvard scholar) Lin Yutang’s inspiring e book The Significance of Dwelling, which I learn in highschool. It reveals the fascinating variations between Chinese language and Western cultures. Later, I learn a e book on Zen—a basic by British-American thinker Alan Watts, The Means of Zen, which was equally superb. The e book claims that Zen is extra of a Chinese language philosophy than Japanese, as it’s a fusion of Indian Buddhism and Chinese language Taoism. I’m a Catholic, and my encounter with Zen was inspiring and broadened my worldview significantly. It additionally led me to change from geophysics to Sinology research on the College of Hamburg in Germany greater than 5 many years in the past.
CNS: Has finding out Chinese language tradition been a non secular journey? How has Chinese language tradition impacted you? How do you introduce it to the West?
Karl-Heinz Pohl: First, I studied the wealthy historical past of historical Chinese language thought. Though my curiosity started with Buddhism, I quickly turned considering Confucianism and Taoism as nicely. I discovered that these worldviews weren’t mutually unique, however complemented and influenced one another. Right now, I discover every of those three faculties of teachings equally fascinating. I then studied fashionable Chinese language historical past, significantly the affect of European colonialism and Japanese militarism on China, historic incidents such because the Opium Wars, the Boxer Rebellion and the Battle of Resistance in opposition to Japan, and I started to know how this historical past has influenced the mindset of the Chinese language at present. After I train or write about Chinese language tradition, I first attempt to clarify the traits of the Chinese language language after which the affect of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism on the on a regular basis lifetime of the Chinese language. I additionally speak about Chinese language historical past that spans a number of thousand years, distinctive on the planet for its lengthy existence. Lastly, I attempt to clarify find out how to perceive Chinese language habits by way of Chinese language tradition.
CNS: You translated Peach Blossom Spring—The Poetry of Tao Yuanming and Li Zehou’s The Path of Magnificence: A Examine of Chinese language Aesthetics into German. How did you deal with the “untranslatability” of translation?
Karl-Heinz Pohl: In 1982, I did my doctoral dissertation on the College of Toronto in Canada on Zheng Banqiao, 18th-century poet, painter and calligrapher. To do my analysis, I made my first journey to China in 1981, staying in Nanjing for 2 months, the place I used to be mentored by a calligrapher. That was an ideal expertise and gave me a greater understanding of Zheng Banqiao’s background.
On that journey, I developed a eager curiosity in Chinese language poetry. After I returned to Germany from Canada, I made a decision to translate your entire assortment of Tao Yuanming’s poems into German. Within the course of, Chinese language aesthetics captivated me increasingly. After Li Zehou’s The Path of Magnificence (on the philosophy of Chinese language artwork and literature) was revealed, I translated it with my college students. I invited him to Germany, and he spent six months on the college the place I labored. Later I invited him once more and stored in contact with him till he handed away (in November 2021).
Translations are generally tough due to the variations between Chinese language and Western thought, however they are often overcome. Translating writings within the classical type is harder because the language is extraordinarily wealthy in that means and esoteric, and never at all times simple to know, even for Chinese language students. The Zhou Yi (Ebook of Adjustments), an historical Chinese language divination textual content, for instance, has been interpreted otherwise by completely different Chinese language students.
Poetry is essentially the most tough to translate due to its type. Because the saying by Robert Frost goes, “poetry is what will get misplaced in translation.” The shape can’t be totally mirrored by translation, such because the tone patterns in (Tang Dynasty poet) Du Fu’s poems. Due to this fact, the interpretation of a Chinese language poem into German can solely convey its content material, however hardly the great thing about its type.
CNS: How comparable or completely different are Chinese language and Western aesthetics? What are the traits of the communication between fashionable Chinese language and Western aesthetics? The place can they be taught from one another?
Karl-Heinz Pohl: Western aesthetics is a sub-discipline of philosophy. Within the West, it’s not thought-about a major space anymore. In Chinese language historical past, then again, aesthetics is taken into account to be a singular “Chinese language manner” of exploring inventive and literary creativity, and the essence of poetry, calligraphy and portray. Chinese language aesthetics can be intently associated to cultural id. When Western thought was launched in China about 150 years in the past, the Chinese language believed that Chinese language tradition was formed by aesthetics, whereas Western tradition was formed by Christianity. Cai Yuanpei, an influential Chinese language thinker and politician, advocated “aesthetic schooling as an alternative of faith.” Thus, aesthetics is essential to the dialogue and understanding of a “Chinese language id.” The “aesthetics fever” in China within the Nineteen Eighties (a cultural pattern accompanying the financial reform and opening up of China), which was influenced by Li Zehou’s writings, would by no means happen within the West. We Westerners must have a greater understanding of the significance of aesthetics to the Chinese language id.
CNS: Cross-cultural communication and dialogue between China and the West can be your discipline of research. What do you take into account to be the origins of the Chinese language and Western worth techniques? How can intercultural dialogue be carried out between China and the West?
Karl-Heinz Pohl: The Western worth system originated in Christianity. Though at present the affect of faith has significantly diminished and isn’t so apparent, it is very important perceive this background. That is why I name Western values post-Christian values. The origin of the Chinese language worth system is Confucianism, which has been the core of conventional Chinese language tradition and varieties the ethical basis of the Chinese language society. The Chinese language values at present nonetheless retain the Confucian precepts of “benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, knowledge and belief.”
Cross-cultural dialogue ought to be performed with mutual respect and willingness to be taught from one another. Each side ought to attempt to perceive one another’s perspective and the opposite’s civilization by considering the best way the opposite thinks.
CNS: How can translation encourage communication between China and the West at present?
Karl-Heinz Pohl: Cultural growth depends closely on translation, similar to the Bible, which was translated from Hebrew into Greek, from Greek into Latin, and from Latin into English… to not point out the translations between English, French, German, Spanish and different languages. In China, translations of Indian Buddhist scriptures as soon as had an ideal affect on Chinese language tradition, and translations of Karl Marx’s works additionally had a profound affect on fashionable China.
As for translations between Chinese language and Western languages, a principal downside is the “asymmetry”: The Chinese language have translated nearly all of the Western classics into Chinese language, however Westerners know little or no about China. Though Sinologists have performed a crucial position in selling cultural alternate and mutual understanding between China and the West, it’s removed from ample.
That is due to the place of the West for hundreds of years. Western concepts and views have develop into the norm, the so-called “hegemonic discourse,” and Western views and concepts have influenced your entire world. China has additionally discovered loads from the West.
This “asymmetry” could be rectified solely when China reveals extra cultural confidence on the worldwide stage. It can then additionally make the West wish to perceive extra about China.
