Chapter One Introduction
1.1 The Hermeneutic Concept Fusion of Horizons
Hermeneutics is a branch of philosophy probes into human understanding andinterpretation of meaning. The word originates from its root “Hermes”，which is a nameof God's messager responsible for sending God's decree as well as explaining it to thehuman world. So the basic meaning of "hermeneutics" is to change message from onestrange world to a world that we are familiar with by means of interpretation. It beginswith the biblical interpretation and other classical literature, getting its remarkableprogress in the 18 and 19^ centuries. In the 18century，Schleiermacher broadened itsscope, changing it into a kind of methodology and established a general hermeneutics.Heidegger put forward the development of this discipline，shifting it from methodologyto ontology and initiating the contemporary hermeneutics. As his student, Gadamercarried on Heidegger's thought and led a new trend of modern western philosophy. Thefamous work Truth and Method was published in 1960s，standing as one of notablelandmarks in the progress of philosophy, which is the symbol of the establishment ofsystematic philosophical hermeneutics.One of Gadamer's great contributions is bringing language into the system ofhermeneutics. He thinks that language is our second nature，being that can beunderstood is language. He endowed understanding with ever great significance，givingit a universal and philosophical perspective. This made this discipline become a realphilosophy concerned with understanding and interpretation. As a key point ofinterpretation, understanding is a task filled with constructive efforts made by theinterpreter，not a passive copying of the text. It is a matter of negotiation between oneand his partner in the hermeneutical dialogue until the two parties come to an"agreement". This agreement means establishing a common framework or "horizon".
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1.2 Fusion of Horizons and Translation Studies
In essence, hermeneutics focuses on interpretation and the shift of language. Theequivalent verb of "hermeneutics" in Greek is "hermenew", which has three meanings:the first one is speaking loudly with words; the second is explaining some problem; thethird meaning is translation. This shows the genetic affinity of translation withhermeneutics. Moreover, the relative verb of "hermeneutics" in Latin is “interpretari，，，and in English is "interpret". The meaning of all the three words is beyond only“explanation,，，but also has the meaning of "translation". So from the etymologicalperspective，hermeneutics has an inborn relationship with translation.Hermeneutics is an art of understanding, interpretation and translation. Gadamerexplains their correlation. Interpretation is a manifestation of understanding，andtranslation is the expressive form of understanding. Both interpretation and translationare taken language as their medium，with much attention to the understanding ofmeaning in the text. They are situated in the same study background. So "everytranslation is at the same time an interpretation."(Gadamer 1992: 346) On the premiseof understanding, translation is an activity aiming at the shift from one language intoanother with the original meaning preserved and expressed within a new linguisticworld. Therefore, translation and hermeneutics are disciplines that focus on meaning,and dealing with understanding and interpretation of the meaning in a certain text.
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Chapter Two Literature Review
Since hermeneutics is a subject about history, tradition, time and being as well astheir interaction with individuals，which is inevitably related with language. AfterGadamer introduces language into hermeneutic study, many scholars begin to touch thisnew field，and philosophical translation comes into being. George Steiner proposes ahermeneutic approach of translation in his work After Babel: Aspects of Language andTranslation，which indicates the understanding school of translation study present to theacademi
