By studying Waley’s version of Lun Yu, the research will point out the misreading and misinterpretation in his translation and will find the factors for them from the perspective of ideology, the cultural background, and the transmission of culture. After analyzing the relationship between English translation and translator’s ideology and cultural background, the study concludes that translation is closely related to the background and ideology of the translator and advises that translation should be conducted on the basis of cultural equality and the translator should get rid of the burden of background information, which means that he or she should understand the original text from the angle of the writer or the text itself. And joint efforts from the field of translation and other parts of the world are needed in the transmission of Chinese culture    

1.3 The Structure of the Thesis

In order to find a more effective way to transmit Chinese culture to the world, this research takes Lun Yu as a sample to summarize the problems as well as their factors in English translation of Chinese classics. Chapter one presents a general description of the research, including the related information about Lun Yu, Arthur Waley, and the significance of the English translation of Lun Yu. Chapter two refers to the researches home and abroad which are related to the thesis, and will point out the problems within these researches from the perspective of culture transmission. Chapter three specifically looks into Lun Yu and Waley’s translation. After comparison between the two versions, the thesis points out the misreading and misinterpretation of Waley’s translation. Chapter four draws a conclusion of the thesis, including the major findings, the limitations of the study, and the recommendation for the future research.