A Comparative Study On Flower Metaphors In Yang’s And Hawkes’ English Versions Of Hong Lou Meng

Based on the analysis of the text and the research results of the Redology,it is found that the flower description in Hong Lou Meng not only depicts the living environment of the main characters,but also shows the characters’ appearance and personalities,paves the plot development,and predicts the fate and the ending of the characters by metaphorical means.In view of the lack of attention paid to the above in the previous studies on the translation of Hong Lou Meng,this paper makes a comparative study on the representation of flower metaphors in Yang’s and Hawkes’translations.The analysis is mainly about the Flower Labels in the 63rd chapter and the Flower Judgements in the 5th chapter.At the same time,other flowers which reflect characters’ personalities and fate between the two chapters above will be also illuminated as a supplementation.Among them,Flower Label involves Lin Daiyu,Xiangling and Xiren,while the Judgment involves Xiangling,Xiren and Yuanchun.The research results show that there are similarities and differences in the representation of flower metaphors in Yang’s and Hawkes’ translations.The similarities between the two versions are mainly reflected in two aspects.From the macro point of view,neither translator has deleted the contents of Flower Labels and Judgements.In terms of the specific content,both translators reproduce the flower metaphors and the selection of word expression shows high consistency.Moreover,the differences between the two versions are mainly in three aspects.Firstly,Hawkes’translation is more than Yang’s in terms of the length of translated texts,no matter whether the Flower Label or the Judgement.Secondly,upon the words to express metaphor,Hawkes’ translation is more flexible and changeable than Yang’s translation.Thirdly,their versions show different translation strategies and methods.This paper holds that the above differences are related to the translator’s translation idea and attitude,the intervention of factors outside the text and the power difference between the two cultures.