Chinese translations of human dignity

Abstract

The 20th century witnessed the emergence of various Chinese translations of human dignity. I argue that there are significant differences between them, and that an understanding of their different meanings is important, not least because it helps us to appreciate how the Chinese approach human dignity under the influence of both Western and Chinese traditional cultures. These translations of human dignity look alike, though these translations indeed differ considerably in their meanings, with being (sometimes) overlapping each other to some extent. To understand their differences, this dissertation resorts to not only the contexts of these translations, but also traditional Chinese cultures. After such an historical and theoretical exploration, I find that various Chinese translations of human dignity indeed derive their meanings from both Western and Chinese cultural traditions, and therefore they illustrate well a pluralistic understanding of human dignity in China.

Thesis embargoed until 31 December 2026.

Date of Award	Dec 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Queen's University Belfast
Supervisor	Christopher McCrudden (Supervisor) & Clemens Rieder (Supervisor)