L'Ambrosiana nelle traduzioni cinesi de I Promessi Sposi

The essay analyses three different Chinese translations of the XXIInd chapter of I Promessi Sposi undertaken by Chinese scholars: Zhang Shihua (edited in 1998), Wang Yongnian (edited in 2008) and Lü Tongliu (edited in 2001), these being the first direct translations from Italian. The choice of the XXIInd chapter is due to the fact that in this chapter Manzoni presents, with richness of detail, the Biblioteca Ambrosiana and its promoter, Cardinal Federigo Borromeo. The analysis points out how the Chinese scholars translate certain aspects of Manzoni’s language, making recourse to some particular expressions taken from classical Chinese, such as the idiomatic expressions in four characters (chengyu), and how they can obtain adherence of form to content. The different choices of the Chinese scholars reflect their aim to make this masterpiece of Italian literature intelligible to a Chinese reader.