Holy Confucius! Some Observations in Translating "sheng(ren)" in The Analects

Book excerpt: The Chinese term 聖 sheng (simplified: 圣) appears eight times in six paragraphs in the Analects of Confucius (Lun Yu). The all-time champion of English translations for sheng(ren) is 'the sage'. In most English (and French) writings on the Chinese tradition one will come across the translation "the sages (les sages)" eventually; but not so in the majority of German writings. The all-favored German translation, based on Schott, Grube, Wilhelm, Haas, Biallas, Conrady and many others, is the biblical "die Heiligen" (saints or holy-men). This is rather surprising at first. Sages and saints are two very different archetypes of wisdom. In this paper I will showcase the most important German, French/Latin, and English translations of sheng(ren) in the Analects ranging from 1649 to 2009. I will discuss some of the odd translators' choices made, and why: saints, philosophers, geniuses, Berufene (appointees), Kulturheroen (cultural heroes), Great Men, Göttliche (the god-like) and more.