The Comparative Study on the English Translations of Du Fu's Poems from the Perspective of Steiner's Hermeneutic Motion

Du Fu's influence in Chinese classical poetry is very far-reaching, and he is honored as the "Sage of Poetry" by later generations, and his poems are also known as the "History of Poetry". As a typical representative of traditional Chinese culture, Du fu's poems are loved by the public, and different translations have made the world better understand the culture of ancient Chinese poems. Based on the hermeneutic motion of George Steiner, this paper selects two English translations of Du Fu's poems by Mr. Xu Yuanchong, a domestic translator, and Mr. Watson, a foreign sinologist as the objects. Through the comparative study of the two translations, this paper explores how the four hermeneutic steps of “trust”, “aggression”, “incorporation” and “compensation” in Steiner’s hermeneutic motion are represented in their translations. It provides a new perspective for the study of Du Fu’s poetry translation into English and promotes the dissemination of ancient Chinese poems.