Metaphor Translation In Chinese Classic Poems:from The Perspective Of Conceptual Blending Theory

Conceptual Blending Theory (CBT), which was developed from Mental Space Theory, was first proposed by cognitive psychologist Gilles Fauconnier. In recent years, it has further developed and became a branch of cognitive psychology. The CBT has been widely applied to linguistic studies. According to CBT, there are a series of integration processes in one’s mind, when he performs cognitive activities. The metaphor translation in Chinese classic poems also deals with the cognition of translator. So it will be helpful to use CBT to study the cognitive process of the translator and improve the target text.The metaphor translation in poems mainly involves two phases, which are the interpreting of the source text and the producing of the target text. These two phases, which are independent and related, are the results of conceptual blending themselves. The input spaces establish cross-space mappings and selectively project to the blend, which will achieve by composition, completion and elaboration.Based on the framework of CBT, this thesis will establish an expanded translation network model, which combines the basic network and the cognitive process of translator. Meanwhile, the thesis will apply the classification of the basic network model to the expanded translation network and propose four types of expanded translation network models for the first time. They are the simplex translation network, the mirror translation network, the single-scope translation network and the double-scope translation network, which try to make the translation process more systemic and clearer. These networks will provide models for metaphor translation in Chinese classic poems, reduce the translation difficulties and improve the target text.