Classical Nom translation with confucian education in Vietnam: A study from some techniques of Nom translation of the scriptures

Abstract

Throughout the history of Confucian education in Vietnam, classic Confucian texts from China were disseminated and made popular through various techniques (woodblock printing and copying etc.) and under various forms (summaries, excerpts, commentaries, interpretations, explanations, and Nom translations etc). These techniques and forms shared a common goal: to transmit and popularize Confucian classics to different classes of Vietnamese Confucian scholars, guiding education and thought according to Confucian principles. This article introduces the methods of Nom translation, including both prose and verse explanations of the Book of Documents (Kinh Thư), an important Confucian classic, to explore a Vietnamese approach to classical education during the imperial examination system in medieval Vietnam.