南开大学教授张智中出版新著《月亮的花瓣》[1]，该著作收录了其对李白《静夜思》的365个英文版本翻译[1]。加上前言后记所含的十三种翻译，该项目总计包含378种英文译本[1]。
张智中在接受访谈时阐述了自己的"一诗百译"翻译理念[1]。他提出的翻译追求包括"散文笔法、诗意内容"和"新三美"理论[1]，并强调通过大量阅读英文文献来获得翻译灵感[1]。张智中长期从事翻译研究工作，已著有132部编译著作，发表学术论文150篇[1]。
在中英诗歌翻译的历史背景中，此项工作具有独特意义。汉学家宇文所安曾花费八年时间将杜甫的一千四百多首诗翻译成英文[1]；翻译家许渊冲于1994年在英国企鹅出版社出版了《中国不朽诗三百首》[1]。而唐诗存世五万首，目前被译成英文的仅有几千首[1]。张智中的这一翻译项目为中国月亮文化意象向西方传播探索了新的路径[1]。
Zhang Zhizhong, a professor at Nankai University, has completed an unprecedented translation project, rendering Li Bai's celebrated poem "Silent Night Thought" into 365 different English versions.[1] His work has now been compiled into a book titled "Petals of the Moon," which was published in March 2026 and received in print form by May of that year.[1] In total, the collection contains 378 English translations when including thirteen additional versions in the preface and afterword.[1]
This ambitious undertaking reflects a broader commitment to literary translation across Zhang's career.[1] He has authored and edited 132 works while publishing 150 academic papers, demonstrating a prolific engagement with cross-cultural linguistic exchange.[1] His translation philosophy centers on what he calls the "new three beauties"—combining prose-like technique with poetic content—as a framework for bridging Chinese literary expression with English-language audiences.[1] Zhang's approach draws inspiration from extensive reading of English literature, which he has emphasized as crucial to developing effective translation strategies.[1]
The scale of Chinese classical poetry remains largely untranslated into English despite its historical significance.[1] While Tang Dynasty poets produced approximately 50,000 poems, only several thousand have been rendered into English.[1] Notable precedents include scholar Xu Yuanzhong's publication of "Three Hundred Immortal Poems of China" with Penguin Books in London in 1994, and scholar Stephen Owen's eight-year effort to translate over 1,400 poems by Du Fu into English.[1] Zhang's work on "Silent Night Thought" thus contributes to an ongoing endeavor to expand the Western accessibility of classical Chinese verse.