On Transmission Of Culture In The Translation Of Classical Chinese Poetry: Reproduction Of "Three Beauties"

Classical Chinese poetry (CCP) is a type of literary genre with the most polished and tersest language as well as the richest connotations. It is the unity of beauty in sense, in sound and in form. As Robert Payne put it,"CCP is the most beautiful flower in Chinese culture". That may explain why so many poetry translators, both domestic and abroad, have endeavored to put Chinese poetry into English, in the hope of presenting this beautiful flower to the readers all over the world. As the most concentrated and condensed form of literature, poetry is the gem of a language and the crystallization of a culture. CCP is the reflection of Chinese language and the traditional Chinese culture and is imbued with cultural connotations. However, English and Chinese people have distinctions in their thought patterns and aesthetic perceptions; meanwhile, poems in both languages differ from each other in its rhythm and rhyme. As a result, what the poetry translators want to lay siege to is how to make the target language readers appreciate the beauty of the poetry in sense, sound and form from the full context of another culture, and achieve the auditory, visual and spiritual enjoyment. This thesis discusses the transmission of culture in translating CCP according to the principle of"three beauties"(beauty in sense, sound and form) put forward by Xu Yuanchong, a scholar in the translation of CCP. By explaining the theory and analysing the cases, the author also provides some strategies for us in poetry translation with the aim of introducing the cultural outlook and charm of CCP to the western readers.