Аннотация:The article deals with the historical background and conditions of emergence and development of the classical Chinese translation tradition in the course of the first millenium AD when Buddhism penetrated and spread in China. The authors analyze the origin of the history of translation in China, review major stages of translation activity and its specific features and refer to views on translation found in works by Chinese translators that laid the foundations for Chinese classical translation principles. The objective of the article is to understand the significance and role of translation in the Chinese culture and the importance of this period for general history and theory of translation