1。3。 Research question

This paper focuses on the different gender constructions between James Legge and Zhu Xi。 Through the comparison, James Legge’s viewpoint of certain field of Chinese culture and traditions will be located, and the possible reasons will be given。 

2。 Literature review

Although research on either James Legge or The Classics of Songs is abundant, the monographs on James Legge’s translated version are somewhat hard to find。 Hence, this paper concentrates on studies both of the identity of James Legge and the development of The Classics of Songs。  文献综述

2。1 Previous studies of James Legge and his English version of The Classics of Songs abroad

When it comes to research on James Legge, three major works must be mentioned。 James Legge: Missionary and Scholar written by his daughter Helen Edith Legge was published in 1905 by Religious Tract Society。 In this work, James Legge’s devotion to missionary duty and cross-culture communication is clearly presented。 From the abundant first-hand materials, such as letters and diaries, readers can learn about a dutiful missionary who is knowledgeable, open-minded and caring, committing himself to bring Christian message to people in Malacca and China。 Generally, Helen Legge focus more on her father as a missionary, with little philosophical refection on James Legge’s complicated identities displayed in his translations of the Chinese Classics。

The more comprehensive and systematic researches on James Legge were provided by Norman J。 Girardot from Lehigh University and Lauren F。 Pfister from Hong Kong Baptist University。 

Girardot’s The Victorian Translation of China, James Legge’s Oriental Pilgrimage concentrates on James Legge’s academic research during his twenty years at Oxford University。 This monograph offers an objective and concise discussion of James Legge’s sinological study as a missionary while explores his unprejudiced study of the Chinese classics and Confucianism。 Girardot makes thorough reflections of Legge’s religious beliefs and academic achievements from perspective of Chinese culture images in western views and dialogues between different religions。

Lauren Pfister’s two-volume work entitled Striving for ‘The Whole Duty of Man’: James Legge and the Scottish Protestant Encounter with China was published by Peter Lang in 2004。The first volume introduces influence from Legge’s religious tradition and Scottish realism。 Besides, his missionary service and sinological study are also involved。 The second volume mainly tells about Legge’s multiple missionary duties under the Taiping rebellion and the Opium War。 On this basis, Pfister works to explore Legge’s identity as a translator, missionary and scholar, as well as his academic method of religious comparison and cultural responsibility (陈可培, 2008)。 

2。2 Previous studies of James Legge and his English version of The Classics of Songs at home

Because of some historical and political reasons, research of this kind at home is not as abundant as that of western countries。