Research on the English translation of the Zuo Zhuan has long focused on translation strategies and comparisons among different versions, while insufficient attention has been paid to the mechanisms through which the global transformation of its embedded “local knowledge” occurs. Drawing on the four-dimensional knowledge transformation framework of Transknowletology and the principles of “truth, virtue, and beauty”, this paper examines the translation strategies of three categories of dietary etiquette—“serving the ruler”, “hosting others” and “self-cultivation”—in the co-translation. The framework comprises four stages: “de-localization”, through which highly contextualized local practices are distilled into explicit concepts that can be understood across cultures; “re-localization”, which emphasizes reconstructing the semantic network of knowledge within the target language’s cognitive framework and achieve cross-cultural adaptation; “trans-localization”, which promotes the circulation of knowledge across multiple systems and its entry into dialogue, thereby generating a networked ecology of knowledge; and “globalization” the stage at which knowledge transcends its context of origin and becomes a globally shared public resource. The study finds that, through de-localization, the co-translation strips the highly contextualized ritual formalities of the context and distills such core concepts as “symbols of power”, “ritualized interaction” and “moral self-discipline”; through re-localization, it reconstructs the semantic network of this knowledge by means of annotation, in-text explication, and related strategies; and it further brings these forms of knowledge into trans-local global dialogue, ultimately moving toward broad worldwide acceptance. The organic synergy among the three translators’ academic backgrounds, cultural identities, and collaborative mode also helps ensure that the translation embodies “truth, virtue, and beauty”. This study reveals the distinctive mechanism by which local knowledge in narrative classics undergoes global transformation: such transformation requires not only conceptual distillation but also narrative reconfiguration. It provides a methodological point of reference for the application of knowledge translation studies in the fields of literature and historiography.
