ArticleTranslation Theories and Skills http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/tfll.2025.09.012
The Militarized Recoding of “Dao” in Samuel B. Griffith’s English Translation of The Art of War
Ziyun Yue
School of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210024, Jiangsu, China.
*Corresponding author: Ziyun Yue
Published: September 30,2025
Abstract
This paper examines Samuel B. Griffith’s 1963 English translation of The Art of War, focusing on his rendering of the central concept Dao and the translational strategies shaped by his dual identity as a career military officer and scholar. Unlike traditional Sinologists, Griffith combined firsthand battlefield experience with rigorous academic training, enabling him to translate Sun Tzu’s thought into terms that are both conceptually faithful and practically applicable within Western military discourse. The study categorizes Griffith’s treatment of Dao into four functional types: as concrete operational paths, as systematic principles of warfare, as political and moral influence in leadership, and as a philosophical meta-principle. By adapting Dao according to context, Griffith operationalized abstract Eastern concepts, transforming them into actionable strategic guidance and leadership principles comprehensible to Western audiences. His military experi-ences, from observing Chinese forces in the 1930s to commanding troops in the Pacific Theater during World War II, profoundly informed his understanding of strategy, morale, and civil-military relations, enabling him to integrate philosophical and practical dimensions in translation. Griffith’s work enhanced the practical utility of The Art of War in military education and strategic planning and established a bridge for cross-cultural intellectual exchange by presenting Chinese strategic thought in a form accessible to Western scholarship. This study demon-strates that Griffith’s translation exemplifies identity-driven, culturally informed, and pragmatically oriented scholarship, showing how a translator’s life experience can shape the reception, adaptation, and global dissemination of classical texts.
Keywords
The Art of War; Griffith; Dao; cultural recoding; translator’s identity
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How to cite this paper
The Militarized Recoding of “Dao” in Samuel B. Griffith’s English Translation of The Art of War
How to cite this paper: Ziyun Yue. (2025). The Militarized Recoding of “Dao” in Samuel B. Griffith’s English Translation of The Art of War. Translation and Foreign Language Learning, 1(2), 217-223.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/tfll.2025.09.012