# 4.025 explained — Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus

> Chapter companion for Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus by Ludwig Wittgenstein.

## What happens

Wittgenstein discusses that translating between languages involves translating the constituent parts of propositions—such as substantives, adverbs, and conjunctions—rather than translating entire propositions as wholes. The dictionary treats all these parts alike.

## Themes in this chapter

### Limits of Language and Thought

The focus on translation of constituent parts rather than whole propositions highlights the structural limits and possibilities of language.

## Character check-ins

### Mr. Wittgenstein

Author of the proposition.

## Key lines

> The translation of one language into another is not a process of translating each proposition of the one into a proposition of the other, but only the constituent parts of propositions are translated.

When translating between languages, you don't translate whole sentences one by one; instead, you translate the individual words and phrases that make up those sentences.

_Clarifies the compositional nature of translation._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tractatus_logico_philosophicus_se/chapters/4-025
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tractatus_logico_philosophicus_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tractatus_logico_philosophicus_se/chapters