Coherence of the Translation of li () in Lun Y A Case Study of James Legges and Ku Hung-mings Renditions

The Analects (Lun Y), as a classic work of ancient Chinese Confucian philosophy, enjoys a high reputation both in China and abroad. The translation of The Analects can better promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. In cross-lingual presentation, the coherence of topics can reduce the misunderstanding of targeted readers, make the whole text coherent and cohesive, and contributes to the transmission of Chinese culture. Therefore, based on Halliday and Hasans Cohesion theory, the present study contrasts the usage of the coherence of James Legges and Ku Hung-mings renditions of The Analects. The study finds that Legges version is more coherent and cohesive, while in Kus version the coherence of li is to some degree affected by the fact that one Chinese word li is translated into various English words.