Robert Morrison and Joshua Marshman, two of the earliest Christian missionaries to China and India, were also pioneers of English Sinology. They published, in 1812 and 1814 respectively, two of the earliest English translations of the Daxue. In this paper we analyse these two versions in terms of the translation strategies adopted, the sinological standards demonstrated, and the responses they each incurred. This is followed by our reflections on the role of translation in constructing the images of Confucianism and China in the colonial era.