Petőfi in Chinese Translation: A Century of Re-creation – A Preprint

This study examines the translation history of Sándor Petőfi (1823–1849) in China over the past century, from Lu Xun's first introduction in 1907 to the present day. It argues that Petőfi's poetry has been not merely translated but "re-created" in Chinese, adapted to the needs of different historical moments and shaped by the cultural and political contexts of each era. Through detailed analysis of key translations—by Lu Xun, Yin Fu, Xing Wansheng, and contemporary translators—this study traces how Petőfi's image evolved from "Mara poet" to revolutionary martyr to complex lyrical voice, and how each generation of translators created a Petőfi suited to its own needs. The study is organized around four major phases of translation activity. The first phase, initiated by Lu Xun in the early twentieth century, introduced Petőfi to Chinese readers as a "Mara poet"—a rebellious figure whose revolutionary passion and willingness to die for freedom made him a model for China's own awakening. Lu Xun's 1907 essay "On the Power of Mara Poetry" placed Petőfi alongside Byron, Shelley, and Mickiewicz as exemplars of engaged literature, creating an image that would shape Chinese perceptions of Petőfi for decades. The second phase, centered on Yin Fu's translations in the late 1920s and early 1930s, produced the most enduring version of Petőfi in Chinese. Yin Fu's translation of "Liberty and Love"—"Life is precious, love is more precious, but for freedom, both can be sacrificed"—became a classic of Chinese poetry in its own right, memorized by generations of readers and quoted in countless contexts. This translation's power derives from its extraordinary concision, its use of classical Chinese poetic forms, and the circumstances of Yin Fu's own martyrdom, which gave his words a prophetic resonance. The third phase, associated with Xing Wansheng's scholarly translations from the 1950s through the 1980s, represented the institutionalization of Petőfi in Chinese culture. Xing's 1982 Selected Poems of Petőfi was the most comprehensive collection of Petőfi's work ever published in Chinese, including over 200 poems with extensive annotation and commentary. Xing's approach prioritized fidelity to the original, preserving Petőfi's rhythms, imagery, and complex syntax while making him accessible to Chinese readers. His translations reflected the scholarly values of the post-Mao era and opened new possibilities for academic study of Petőfi. The fourth phase, from the 1990s to the present, has seen a proliferation of new translations and a diversification of Petőfi's image. Contemporary translators have experimented with different approaches, seeking to capture Petőfi's love poetry, nature poetry, and experimental forms alongside his revolutionary verses. Digital platforms have enabled new forms of circulation and engagement, and Petőfi's poetry has permeated Chinese popular culture, appearing in films, songs, and social media. The study also offers a detailed comparative analysis of four translations of "Liberty and Love"—Yin Fu's version from the 1920s, Xing Wansheng's from the 1980s, and two contemporary versions—to illuminate the possibilities and limitations of translation. This analysis shows how each translation makes different choices about form, diction, and emphasis, and how these choices shape the reader's experience of the poem. The study contributes to translation studies by providing a detailed case study of how a single poet's work travels across linguistic and cultural boundaries, illuminating the complex processes of selection, adaptation, and transformation that constitute translation history. It also contributes to Hungarian-Chinese literary relations by documenting a century of cultural dialogue and by showing how Petőfi's poetry has been woven into the fabric of modern Chinese culture. The Petőfi case reveals that translation is not merely a technical exercise but a form of cultural dialogue, a negotiation between different ways of understanding the world, and a creative act that produces new meanings for new audiences. For correspondence: xia.bo.poetry@outlook.com