International Communication Studies in Literature and Art

ICSLA, Vol. 1, No. 2, 2025, pp.325-335.

Print ISSN: 3079-2711; Online ISSN: 3104-5081

Journal homepage: https://www.icslajournal.com

DOI: Https://doi.org/10.64058/ICSLA.25.2.15

A Groundbreaking Contribution to Huainanzi Translation Studies: A Review of Ding Lifu’s A Study on the Transmission and Translation of the Huainanzi

Hu Lishi(胡力诗)

Abstract: Professor Ding Lifu’s A Study of the Transmission and Translation of the Huainanzi is the first monograph in China to systematically examine both the textual transmission of the Huainanzi and its international translation and reception. Grounded in more than a decade of research, the book exhibits both philological rigor and theoretical depth. Structured around the trajectory “domestic transmission—international translation— theoretical synthesis,” it not only offers a comprehensive account of the Huainanzi’s transmission from the Han dynasty onward, but also presents, for the first time, a systematic overview of its translation and reception in global academia. Introducing Gérard Genette’s paratext theory, the author innovatively reveals the external conditions and operative mechanisms that shape the cross-cultural dissemination of classical Chinese texts, and proposes a multidimensional set of criteria for evaluating the success of classical text translation. Taking the Huainanzi as a case study, the book contributes significantly to the construction of a “discipline of Chinese classics translation studies.” As a pioneering work, it expands the research field and provides methodological insights for classical text translation, marking an important milestone in the study of Huainanzi translation and the broader field of Chinese classics translation.

Keywords: Huainanzi; transmission; translation studies; paratext; classical text translation

Author Biography: Hu Lishi，Lecturer at the School of Educational Sciences, Guiyang University, and Ph.D. candidate at Yuelu Academy, Hunan University. Research interests: History of Chinese Thought. Email: hulishi68@163.com.

标题：《淮南子》译介研究的拓荒之作——评丁立福教授《淮南子》传承与译介研究

摘要：丁立福教授的《〈淮南子〉传承与译介研究》是国内首部系统性探讨《淮南子》传承与国际译介的学术专著。该书以十余年研究积累为基础，兼具文献考证的厚度与理论探索的深度。全书以“国内传承—国际译介—理论总结”为主线，既全面梳理《淮南子》自汉代以来的传承脉络，又首次系统呈现其在国际学界的译介情况。在此过程中，作者引入热奈特“副文本”理论，创新揭示典籍译本在跨文化传播中的外部条件与运行机制，并提出典籍外译成功的多维标准，同时以《淮南子》为个案推动“中国典籍外译学”的建构。该书不仅开拓了研究领域，也为典籍翻译提供了方法论启示，是《淮南子》译介研究的开创性成果，也是中国典籍翻译研究的重要里程碑。

关键词：《淮南子》；传承；译介研究；副文本；典籍翻译

作者简介：胡力诗,贵阳学院教育科学学院讲师，湖南大学岳麓书院博士生, 研究方向：中国思想史。电邮：hulishi68@163.com。

Received: 08 Sep 2025 / Revised: 11 Oct 2025 / Accepted: 06 Nov 2025 / Published online: 30 Nov 2025 / Print published: 30 Nov 2025.