Recently, a paper titled “The Evolution and Comparative Study of Tao Te Ching Translations in German-speaking Countries ” by Mr. Zhang Jiawei, a faculty member of the School of Foreign Languages at our university, was published in Foreign Language Teaching and Research, Issue 5, 2025. This paper represents the first top-tier journal publication in the field of foreign languages by a faculty member of the School of Foreign Languages. This breakthrough achievement highlights the effectiveness of the School’s organized research efforts and the enhancement of its research capabilities.
The article focuses on the translation history of Tao Te Ching in German-speaking countries, systematically outlining the major translations and their translators’ characteristics across different periods. The paper points out that the German translation and reception of Tao Te Ching have undergone four evolutionary stages: inception, preliminary development, diversification, and textual-critical innovation. These translations demonstrate the robust intellectual vitality of Tao Te Ching, enabling it to be continuously reinterpreted and recreated in cross-cultural communication, thereby serving as a vital bridge for spiritual dialogue between the East and the West. This research contributes to understanding how Tao Te Ching achieves intellectual dissemination and cultural reconstruction in the German-speaking world through translation practices.
Foreign Language Teaching and Research is a journal supervised by the Ministry of Education and hosted by Beijing Foreign Studies University. It is one of the first academic journals in the field of foreign languages established in New China. It has received numerous important honors, such as being among the first journals funded by the National Social Science Fund, a recognized “Famous Journal” in the social sciences by the Ministry of Education, and one of the “Top 100 Key Journals” awarded the National Journal Prize. Additionally, it is indexed in the CSSCI database, recognized as an authoritative journal in the Chinese Humanities and Social Sciences A-category, and rated as an RCCSE A+ level authoritative academic journal in China.
Due to its high academic quality and rigorous editorial standards, Foreign Language Teaching and Research has gained recognition in the international academic community. It has long been indexed by internationally renowned abstracting services such as Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts and Sociological Abstracts in the United States.
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