RESEARCH ON THE TRANSLATION OF THE CORE CONCEPT "TAO" IN "TAO TE CHING" INTO RUSSIAN

Wang Lijuan

This study analyzes the translations of the core philosophical concept "道 (Tao)" from the classic Taoist text "Tao Te Ching" into Russian. The research reviews existing Russian versions of the text, from the first translations in the 19th century to modern interpretations. Special attention is paid to a comparative analysis of various translation strategies for the term "道 (Tao)." The aim of the study is to conduct a comparative analysis of the translations of the concept "Tao" in different versions of the text, reveal the translation strategies employed, evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, and justify the optimal approach for rendering this term. Materials and Methods: The study utilizes: 1) The original text of "Tao Te Ching" in Classical Chinese (Chen Guying's version). 2) Classical and modern Russian translations (e.g., by Yang Hing-shung, V. Malyavin, A. Kuvshinov). Research methods: comparative-analytical method and literary source analysis. Results: Our analysis shows that translators employ three strategies for translating the word "道": assimilation, exoticization, and a combined method. However, this paper argues that the most suitable approach is transliteration ("Tao") followed by an explanation of the term's meaning within the translated text. Discussion and Conclusion: Translating the concept of "Tao" presents particular challenges for the following reasons: First, due to the abstractness and polysemy of "Tao." In "Tao Te Ching," the term carries multiple meanings and is highly abstract, especially when referring to "metaphysical Tao"—an extremely complex concept to grasp. Second, due to differences in cultural paradigms. Additionally, Russian words such as "путь" (path) and "дорога" (road) are more concrete and cannot fully convey the philosophical depth of "Dao." The study concludes that there is no single "ideal" translation for "Tao." The most promising approach is a combined method: using transliteration ("Tao") with necessary explanatory commentary in each context, particularly in academic settings.

Keywords:Tao, Tao Te Ching, translation