汉语成语的英译层次观初探
Chapter One Introduction
1.1 Research Background
Yao Xiyuan (2005, p. 57) once said, “In the linguistic ocean of any nation, there are some ready-made compact expressions being full of aesthetic elements and fixed meaning, whose formation is motivated by the combination of convenient usage, rich connotation, vivid language effect and other demand mechanisms.” In general lexicology, we call it “Shuyu”. In the end of 1950s, “Shuyu” was introduced to China through translation from Russian to Chinese, referring to some fixed combinations of words whose meanings are closely combined and “Shuyu” is an independent lexeme in language (Wang Dechun, 1990, p. 94). As a species concept, “Shuyu” covers many inferior types and Yao Xiyuan (1998) analyzes seven types of “Shuyu”, namely “Chengyu”, “Yanyu”, “Suyu”, “Xiehouyu”, “Guanyongyu”, “Geyan” and “Jinju”. And among the seven types, “Chengyu” are the most widely used one. The formation of idioms has gone through a very complex process. There has been great controversy about the definition and explanation of “Chengyu” in modern Chinese. The Origin of Words and Phrases defines “Chengyu” as “habitually used archaism, fixed phrases or short sentences with completed meaning”. Modern Chinese Dictionary defines “Chengyu” as “fixed phrases or short sentences used by people for a long term which are concise in forms and comprehensive in meanings”. Some others think the meaning of “Chengyu” can be defined in a broad way or in a narrow way. People who hold the view of broad sense think that “Cheng” means “something fixed, shaped and ready made” and “Chengyu” is a combination of words, focusing on its “fixity” and “availability”. This definition of “Chengyu” is similar to that of “fixed expression” from Moon (1998), indicating two or more than two holistic units. Fernando and Flavell (1981) also use “pure idiom” to refer to those fixed, semantic fuzzy or metaphorical linguistic units.
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1.2 Research Methodology
The present study chiefly concerns the translation of Chinese idioms from the perspective of cognitive linguistics, in which theoretical development and practicability of the theory are of equal importance. Therefore, the study will be conducted in the following steps: In the first place, this thesis adopts cognitive linguistics as the primary theoretical foundation, so that extensive reading is employed in the study of cognitive linguistics and idiomatic translation. In addition, intensive reading is involved in the process of case study to provide a comprehensive and insightful analysis. Then, based on existing studies, the thesis attempts to unfold the cognitive process of idiomatic formation and translation, during which analytic and synthetic descriptions are adopted associating with interpretation of examples to conduct a reasonable deduction in chapter three. Furthermore, this thesis will investigate the similarities and differences on translation levels in three English versions of Hong Lou Meng. To reach this goal, sample survey is applied. The statistics will be probed and quantitative method will help to render the study more convincing and objective. Finally, a number of examples will be presented to illustrate the different expressive effects on different translation levels and the distinctive traits of the translated works by different translators. In case studies, qualitative and descriptive approaches are supposed to furnish the detailed analysis of the data.
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Chapter Two Literature Review
2.1 Introduction
The research of C-E translation of Chinese idioms has always been a hot issue. In the first place, Chinese idioms are native-born products; in the second place, Chinese government and academic circles are trying to output local culture. Therefore, most researches of C-E translation of Chinese idioms are constrained in China. With the development of linguistic theories and research methods, researches of C-E translation of Chinese idioms also present different features. In terms of research type, the applied researches of C-E translation of Chinese idioms are more than theoretical researches. Combining theoretical analysis, most scholars finally end up with translation methods and strategies. In terms of research object, the majority researches are text analyses; some other researches mostly focus on translation comments, with the help of linguistics, literature, aesthetics, information theory or other theories. In addition, the type of texts which are studied is various, such as literature works (Li Haiqi, 2008), news (Jiang Yishan, 2013), advertisement (Wu Lixing, 2012), dictionaries (Zhao Lin, Wu Jierong, 2005) etc. From the perspective of research method, analysis of translation skills and translation theories is the main trend. Besides, translation critics and lexicography are new perspectives. As to published works, the majority of them pay attention to applied researches. In Yu Lianshun’s (2010) book, he elaborates the structure and cultural features of Chinese idioms and then does some demonstration translation based on his own classification. Wang Fuxiang (2007) mainly puts emphasis on classification and translation instances of Chinese idioms. In short, according to different research perspectives, researches of C-E translation of Chinese idioms can be classified into three categories as follows.
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2.2 Previous Studies on English Translation of CIs
It is well known that language is closely related to culture. Moreover, Chinese idioms are essence of Chinese language, whose cultural feature embodies both in its form and in its content. In terms of form, the majority of Chinese idioms are composed of four Chinese characters, which reflects that Chinese people worship symmetry. And the fixed form is also convenient to remember and to be used. Then, cadence and rhythm of Chinese idioms accurately convey the basic components of national culture including thinking patterns, mental structures and aesthetic taste. In terms of the content, Chinese idioms bear every aspect of Chinese culture, including basic necessities of life, natural geography, literature, art, religion, etiquette, and custom. Therefore, cultural impacts on translation of Chinese idioms are receiving more and more attention. Some scholars lay emphasis on the differences between Chinese and English culture so as to explore strategies for translation of Chinese idioms. Chang Hui (2008) considers that the differences between Chinese and English culture are embodied in four aspects: geographical environment, cultural background, customs and manners or religious believes. Slightly different from Chang Hui’s idea, Chen Yan (2008) thinks that the differences are presented in values and aesthetic taste, regional culture, customs or manners, religious believes and historical allusions. Besides, Hu Weihua (2008), Zhou Qiqiang (2009) and Xu Meizhen (2007) all describe the differences between Chinese and English culture in a similar way. Chen Dan (2014) thinks that due to the impact of cultural differences, shape change and meaning loss are inevitable in C-E translation. In addition, cultural differences also directly lead to cultural vacancy. Some unique cultural connotations in native language do not exist in target language.
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Chapter Three Theoretical Framework .... 14
3.1 Introduction ........ 14
3.2 The Cognitive Formation of CIs ......... 14
3.3 Leveling View in English Translation of CIs ..... 25
3.3.1 Introduction ...... 25
3.3.2 Language-Level Translation of CIs .......... 28
3.3.3 Cognition-Level Translation of CIs .......... 29
3.3.4 Reality-Level Translation of CIs ...... 32
3.4 Summary ..... 34
Chapter Four Translation of Chinese Idioms in Hong Lou Meng ........... 35
4.1 Introduction of Hong Lou Meng and Its English Versions ......... 35
4.2 Translation Levels of CIs in Hong Lou Meng .... 36
4.2.1 Language-Level Translation of CIs in Hong Lou Meng ........... 37
4.2.2 Cognition-Level Translation of CIs in Hong Lou Meng .......... 43
4.2.3 Reality-Level Translation of CIs in Hong Lou Meng ....... 46
4.3 Summary ..... 48
Chapter Five Conclusion ......... 52
5.1 Main Findings and Implications ......... 52
5.2 Limitations and Suggestions ....... 54
Chapter Four Translation of Chinese Idioms in Hong Lou Meng
Chinese Idioms can make language vivid and refined, which is widely used in both spoken and written language. Writers, in particular, use idioms in literary works. Hong Lou Meng is regarded as the peak of Chinese classical literature, with rich cultural connotations and distinctive linguistic features, which is an encyclopedia reflecting the Chinese social and cultural. As the first written fiction in northern dialect, Hong Lou Meng contains a lot of “Shuyu” with national traits, including Chinese idioms, which make the text appealing and captivate. Since the work is a narrative fiction, the idioms are used in distinct contexts, ensuring the best using effect. In this chapter, relying on the rich corpus picked from Hong Lou Meng, we analyze and compare the translation levels of Chinese idioms in three English versions and explore the expressive effects of each translation level in practical application.
4.1 Introduction of Hong Lou Meng and Its English Versions
With its extremely high artistic and aesthetic value, Hong Lou Meng is praised as a masterpiece of Chinese narrative literature. Cao Xueqin created more than 700 characters in this novel. The main line of the tale is the rise and fall of a noble family and the living scenes of people of all ranks ranging from the royal family to the people in the bottom of the society in the 18th century are portrayed vividly in this novel. The artistic value of the book is not only reflected in the large amount of riddles, poetries, music, food, medicine, architecture and rich costume culture, but also in the complex relationship between the characters and their different philosophy of life, which imposes a tremendous impact on Chinese literature.
Conclusion
In the framework of the core principle of cognitive linguistics, this thesis makes a primary research on the translation levels of Chinese idioms and achieves conclusions as follows: the formation of Chinese idioms is based on the interactive experience between people and the world and operated mainly with the method of metaphtonymy, and the meaning of Chinese idioms is generated in the conceptual blending of prototypical meanings. This process includes one cause (the fact that people live in the substantial-objective world), three phases (the cognitive process based on interactive experience, the cognitive operation based on experiential incidents and lexicaliation) and three elements (cognition of experiential facts, prototypical meaning of several analogous incidents and Chinese idioms). Therefore, the formation of Chinese idioms can be described as follows: people take part in several real-life incidents directly or indirectly through interactive experience with external reality. From those incidents with similar properties, people would get a common prototypical meaning through a few cognitive operations such as metaphtonymy and conceptualization in the mind, which would be symbolized in further step by an individual incident or be lexicalized straightforward to be a fixed Chinese idiom.
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The reference (omitted)
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