Zhu Shenghao

Zhu Shenghao

Zhu Shenghao (February 2, 1912 - December 26, 1944) is a famous translator. His original name is Zhu Wensheng, also known as Wensheng. His scientific name is Senhao, and his pen names are Zhu Zhu and Zhu Sheng. He is from Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province. He studied in Chinese Literature Department and English Department of Hangzhou Zhijiang University. After graduating from university in 1933, he worked as an English teacher in Shanghai World Book Company, participated in the compilation of English Chinese Dictionary of four uses, and wrote poems. There are many poetry collections, all destroyed in the war. At the same time, he also published essays and essays in newspapers and periodicals.

In the spring of 1936, he began to translate the complete works of Shakespeare's plays. For the convenience of Chinese readers, the Oxford Edition is divided into four categories: comedy, tragedy, historical drama and drama. In 1937, the Japanese army attacked Shanghai, moved around, suffered from poverty and disease, and still insisted on translating. There were 31 kinds of Shakespeare's dramas translated successively. 27 kinds of Shakespeare's dramas were published before the founding of new China. Some of them were lost. Later, they died of lung disease due to overwork. He is one of the earliest translators of Shakespeare's works in China. The quality and style of his translation are outstanding and recognized by Shakespeare researchers at home and abroad.

Life of the characters

Zhu Shenghao, a native of Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, is a translator and poet. A total of 31 and a half Shakespeare's plays have been translated.

On February 2, 1912, he was born into a poor merchant family. Father Lu run, mother Zhu peixia. He entered Kaiming junior high school in Jiaxing in 1917 and graduated in 1921. He won the first place in class A.

In the winter of 1922, her mother died of illness. In 1924, my father died of illness.

He graduated from Xiuzhou middle school in 1929 and was recommended by President Xiuzhong to go to Zhijiang University of Hangzhou for further study and enjoy scholarship treatment. When he was a sophomore, he joined Zhijiang poetry club, and his talent was praised by his teachers and classmates. Xia Chengtao, the president of Zhijiang poetry society, commented on him, saying that "reading Zhu Shenghao's seven short essays on Tang poets, many of which were not published by predecessors, are extremely straightforward. I should not regard students as my teachers and friends for their intelligence and ability. He is only 20 years old this year. He is as silent as a virgin, so he doesn't say a word easily. I'm very familiar with English. Zhijiang has been running school for decades, and I'm afraid it's not easy. "

After the September 18th Incident in 1931, Zhijiang University established the Anti Japanese National Salvation Association and was elected as a member of the Committee. He worked as a literary and calligraphy unit and actively participated in the Anti Japanese national salvation activities. He graduated from university in 1933 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

In the summer of 1933, he worked in the English Department of Shanghai World Book Company, participated in the dictionary of English Chinese solution, composition, grammar and meaning discrimination, and annotated the youth library. In the spring of 1935, preparation for Shakespeare's drama translation began.

On August 8, 1936, it was translated into the first draft of Shakespeare's play the tempest. Since then, nine comedies have been translated, including a midsummer night's dream, the merchant of Venice and the twelfth night. On August 13, 1937, when the Japanese attacked Shanghai, Zhu Shenghao escaped from his residence with only the complete works of Shakespeare and some translated versions. The apartment was burned, the world book company was occupied as a military camp, and all the translated manuscripts delivered were burned. On August 26, he took refuge from Shanghai to Jiaxing, and then went to Xincheng, Xinshi and other places for refuge. He got a little peace, that is, he buried himself in the missing translation. In the summer of 1938, he returned to the world book company, which resumed its business in the "isolated island" of Shanghai concession.

In the winter of 1939, he was invited to work for Zhongmei daily and wrote a large number of political essays for the domestic news edition, Xiao Yan, which flogged fascism and publicized the war of resistance against Japan.

In 1941, when the Pacific War broke out, Sino US daily was seized by the Japanese army. On December 8, Japanese troops entered the central, Western and French concession areas of the public concession. After rushing into the "Sino US daily" library, Zhu Shenghao escaped among the typesetters and lost all the materials and translations he had collected again. His poetry collections, such as the collection of ancient dreams (old style poems and translated poems), the collection of Xiaoxi (small streams), the collection of cloves (New poems) and the two poetry collections compiled for song Qingru over the years were destroyed.

On May 1, 1942, he married song Qingru in Shanghai. In June, he and his wife went to live in Changshu's mother-in-law's house. By the end of the year, they had translated nine comedies, including tempest, and completed all the missing versions of Shakespeare's comedies. In January 1943, he brought his wife back to Jiaxing to settle down. Zhu Shenghao preferred to be poor to death rather than serve the enemy and puppets. He lived a very difficult life only on the meagre contribution. He stayed behind closed doors and devoted all his energy to translation and writing. There are only two dictionaries in the reference book, which have translated several important tragedies of Shakespeare, such as Romeo and Juliet, King Lear and Hamlet. In the autumn of the same year, his health was declining, but he still kept on writing. He has also translated all Shakespeare's tragedies, dramas and four English historical dramas, including 31 comedies.

In early 1944, he translated King John, Richard II, Richard IV and other four Shakespeare historical plays. In April, he finished his preface to the translator and compiled the chronicle of Shakespeare. At that time, he had been suffering from long-term illness, and his physical strength was declining. He was barely able to support the translation of the first and second scenes of Henry v. until June, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and bedridden. We have to put down the translated version of Henry V that we have begun to translate. He said sadly that if he had known that he would never get sick, he would have translated it as hard as he could. In December, his condition became more and more serious. On December 26, 1944, he left his young wife and son, who had just turned one year old, and left the world with hatred. He was only 32 years old.

In the autumn of 1947, the translated version was published by Shanghai World Book Company in three volumes (comedy, tragedy and zaju), including 27 plays. In 1954, the author's Publishing House published Zhu's translation of Shakespeare's plays. In 1978, the people's Literature Publishing House published the complete works of Shakespeare, which included 31 plays translated by Zhu. In 1987, his wife song Qingru donated Zhu Shenghao's 31 Shakespeare plays translated manuscripts to Jiaxing Municipal People's government.

Personal experience

On February 2, 1912, Zhu Shenghao was born in a poor family of small businessmen in the South Gate of Jiaxing. His original name was Zhu vincen. Three brothers, he is the eldest son. Unfortunately, she lost her mother at the age of 10, her father at the age of 12, and three orphans were taken care of by her aunt. After entering school, he changed his name to Zhu Senhao. After graduating from high school in July 1924, he was a sophomore in private Xiuzhou middle school in Jiaxing. He loved Chinese and English very much. He was promoted to Xiuzhou high school in 1926 and graduated from high school in 1929. After being recommended by the school, he was recommended to Hangzhou Zhijiang University, enjoying a scholarship, majoring in Chinese literature, with English as a minor.

When he was a sophomore, he joined Zhijiang poetry club, and his talent was praised by his teachers and classmates. Xia Chengtao, the president of Zhijiang poetry society, commented on him, saying that "reading Zhu Shenghao's seven short essays on Tang poets, many of which were not published by predecessors, are extremely straightforward. I should not regard students as my teachers and friends for their intelligence and ability. He is only 20 years old this year. He is as silent as a virgin, so he doesn't say a word easily. I'm very familiar with English. Zhijiang has been running school for decades, and I'm afraid it's not easy. "

In the fourth grade, during the activities of "Zhijiang poetry club", he met song Qingru, his later girlfriend and wife.

In July 1933, after graduating from University, he went to work in Shanghai World Book Company as an English teacher. In the first few years, I participated in the compilation of a dictionary for solving problems, writing, grammar and meaning discrimination. In 1935, he signed a contract with the world book company to translate the complete works of Shakespeare's plays. In 1936, the first translation of Tempest was out of manuscript. On August 8, it was written as translator's notes. In this year, the poetry manuscripts over the years were compiled into three volumes. By July 1937, he had translated such comedies as a midsummer night's dream, the merchant of Venice, the romantic ladies of Windsor and the twelfth night.

On August 13, 1937, when the Japanese attacked Shanghai, Zhu Shenghao escaped from his residence with only the complete works of Shakespeare and some translated versions. The apartment was burned, the world book company was occupied as a military camp, and all the translated manuscripts delivered were burned. On August 26, he returned to Jiaxing to continue translating. On November 18, Jiaxing took refuge in the countryside. In the second half of 1938, he returned to the world book company and still took the time to translate. In the winter of 1939, he went to the Sino US daily. On December 8, 1941, the Japanese army occupied Shanghai and rushed into the "Sino US daily" museum. Zhu Shenghao escaped among the typesetters and lost all the materials and translations he had collected again. Three poetry collections and two poetry collections of song Qingru were destroyed. He lost his job in early 1942.

He married song Qingru on May 1, 1942, and went to live with his wife's mother-in-law in Changshu in June. By the end of the year, he had translated nine comedies, including tempest. Zhu Shenghao would rather be poor to death than serve the enemy and the puppets. He lived a very difficult life only by meager contributions. Because he had to take care of his younger brother, he returned to Jiaxing to settle down at the end of the year. With only two dictionaries in his reference books, he continued to devote himself to the translation work and translated several important tragedies of Shakespeare's plays, such as Romeo and Juliet, King Lear and Hamlet. In the autumn of 1943, he translated 8 kinds of Shakespeare's tragedies and 10 kinds of zaju!

At the beginning of 1944, he translated King John, Richard II, Richard IV and other four Shakespeare's historical plays. In April, he wrote the translator's autobiography and compiled the chronicle of Shakespeare. At that time, he had been suffering from long-term illness, and his physical strength was declining. He was barely able to support the translation of the first and second scenes of Henry v. until June, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and bedridden. He said sadly that if he had known that he would never get sick, he would have translated it as hard as he could. In December, his condition became more and more serious. On December 26, 1944, he left his young wife and son, who had just turned one year old, and left the world with hatred. He was only 32 years old.

Personal works

Translated works

In 1947, the complete works of Shakespeare's plays was published by Shanghai World Book Company,

Chinese PinYin : Zhu Sheng Hao