Beyond Equivalence : Lin Shu and the Phenomenology of Affective Encounter in Translation

Lin Shu’s translations occupy a paradoxical position in modern Chinese literary history: acclaimed for their cultural influence yet persistently faulted for linguistic infidelity. Such judgments, however, remain constrained by equivalence-based models of translation. Drawing on Paul Ricoeur’s hermeneutic phenomenology—particularly his concepts of textual mediation, productive imagination, and linguistic hospitality—this study reconceives translation as an affective and interpretive encounter rather than a mechanical transfer of meaning. A close analysis of Lin Shu’s collaborative practice and selected case studies demonstrates how meaning emerges through layered processes of mediation, shaped by historical contingency, cultural negotiation, and empathetic engagement. His translations function as acts of co-creation, reconfiguring foreign narratives within Chinese literary, ethical, and emotional horizons. By foregrounding affect, imagination, and ethical responsibility, the article advances a phenomenologically informed model of translation that reframes fidelity as relational understanding rather than formal equivalence, offering fresh insight into both Lin Shu’s legacy and the theoretical foundations of translation studies.