Theodore Pavi was a French Orientalist who first translated "Journey to the West" into a Western language. In 1839, he was commissioned by Ru Lian to translate the ninth chapter of "The True Interpretation of Journey to the West" into French and included it in "Selected Chinese Stories". In 1857, he published two articles in the Journal of Asia, introducing "Journey to the West" and translating and explaining the first six chapters. This article aims to introduce Pavel's interpretation of "Journey to the West", explain his understanding of Chinese culture, and combine his academic experience and expertise to explain the research atmosphere and mutual influence of different majors in the French Oriental academic field at that time.

1、 Overview of the Academic Origins of French Orientalism Tradition and Pavi

Introduced the academic background and cultural positioning of French Orientalist Pavel. Pavel was born into a Catholic family and was influenced by his family to develop an interest in foreign cultures. He traveled to many countries and wrote travelogues. He was proficient in multiple languages, including Hebrew, Arabic, Sanskrit, etc. His academic views were closely related to the study of Indo European languages in Europe at that time. Pavi believed that different faiths and religions originated from the same primitive revelation, which reflects the connection between Catholic faith and Orientalism research after the French Revolution. He has made achievements in both Indian and Chinese studies, and has translated works such as the Mahabharata, the Bhagavad Gita, and Journey to the West. Pavel studied under the professors of Sinology and Sanskrit at the É cole Polytechnique in France, and was the third generation of scholars after the establishment of the Chinese and Sanskrit lecture chairs at the institute. He is also a member of the Paris Asian Society, which provides an important academic exchange platform for Oriental studies and has had a significant impact on the development of European Orientalism.

2、 Pavel's overall positioning of Journey to the West: from alchemy and mental techniques to Buddhist novels

The first six translations of "Journey to the West" published by Pavel in the Asian Journal in 1857, titled "A Study of the Chinese Buddhist Novel" The True Interpretation of Journey to the West ", include an introduction, commentary, and annotations. Pavel's translation referenced two Qing Dynasty versions, emphasizing the interpretation of the novel from the perspective of internal alchemy practice. He was the first sinologist to introduce the alchemy reading method of Journey to the West to the West. The versions he used were "Jin Shengtan's Additional Commentary on the True Explanation of Journey to the West" and "Additional Commentary on the Great Book of Journey to the West", both of which regarded "Journey to the West" as a guide to Taoist alchemy and identified the author as Qiu Chuji. Pavel extensively drew on and translated two versions of comments and annotations in his translation, emphasizing the importance of "heart" and "sex" and presenting a tendency towards the convergence of the three religions. Although Pavi positioned "Journey to the West" as a Buddhist novel in the title of his article, his translation choices and understanding of the three religions displayed a Taoist flavor. At that time, the development of Oriental studies, especially the breakthroughs in Indian studies, as well as Pavel's academic abilities, may have influenced his positioning of Journey to the West.

3、 Pavi's Comparative Perspective of Chinese and Indian Cultures: Religion and Literature in Journey to the West

Explored the comparative perspective of Chinese and Indian cultures adopted by Pavel in the translation and introduction of Journey to the West, particularly in the areas of religion and literature. In the introduction and annotations, Pavel compares the three religions of China with Indian culture, using Indian culture to explain the internal ideas of Journey to the West. He believes that Confucian philosophy is strictly dogmatic, controlling reason rather than emotion, while Taoist Laozi's philosophy of non action is similar to Indian yoga, both achieving dreams and illusions through meditation. Pavel also mentioned the elixir of immortality and the path of the Celestial Masters in Taoism, comparing them to wizards, and pointed out that Taoist believers are regarded as philosophers with pantheistic beliefs in the "Taishang Induction Chapter". For Chinese Buddhism, Pavi called it "degenerate Buddhism", and believed that the Chinese people only absorbed the deities and incantations in Buddhism, without obtaining its precise teachings. Pavel regards Journey to the West as a Buddhist novel full of supernatural deeds, believing that it emerged alongside religious doctrine books. He pointed out that the first six chapters of Journey to the West are filled with Buddhist supernatural events, but modern scholars have different views on this. Pavel's research was influenced by the development of Indian and Sinology at that time, and he interpreted Journey to the West using familiar Indian culture, while ignoring the original intention of Taoism. Although Pawey's academic specialization is not Sinology, his research reflects a certain level of academic insight. Two years later, his teacher Rulian published a French translation of metaphorical stories from Chinese Buddhist scriptures, showcasing the trend of cross linguistic research on cultural exchanges between China and India in the European Oriental academic community at that time.

4、 Conclusion

It is pointed out that the first Western language translation of Journey to the West was completed under the promotion of French Orientalism and Romantic literary trends. The first Western translator, Pavel, possessed both Indian and Chinese academic literacy, and his translation work reflected the academic integration of Indian and Chinese studies at that time. However, due to the limited level of Sinology at that time, Pavel's understanding of Taoism and Chinese Buddhism in Journey to the West was insufficient, resulting in limitations in his research. Nevertheless, Pavel's work in literature review and ideological sorting is still worthy of recognition. It was not until a century later that scholars in the Western academic community began to study Journey to the West in the same meticulous manner.