A Study On The Phenomenon Of " E" In Da Tang Di Gong An

Da Tang Di Gong An (abbreviated as Da), translated by Chen Laiyuan, Hu Ming,Zhao Zhenyu and Li Huifang from Robert Hans van Gulik’s Judge Dee Mysteries, hasearned hearty welcome from readers since its publication in1981. However,researches on Da are largely concentrated on the analysis of its function inSino-Western cultural exchange. After a careful reading of the translation, it can befound that the phenomenon of "e" is prevalent in Da. A study on the phenomenon of"e" in Da is significant for further unveiling the values of Da in translation studies.From the perspective of Qian Zhongshu’s "e" translation thought, this thesis willconduct a systematic analysis on the phenomenon of "e" in Da to dig out itssignificance in translation studies. The author holds that with the translators’ attemptsto imitate the style of Chinese courtroom novels and conform to the nationalconditions of China, the phenomenon of "e" is reflected in the following three aspects,i.e. the linguistic level, textual level and cultural level. Firstly, with the aid ofantiqueness and localization in the interpretation, the translators imitate Chinesevernacular novels in the Ming&Qing Dynasties at the linguistic level; secondly,because of the "skill itch", through the addition and compactness of the plot, Chenand Hu add aliveness to the characterization and expression of emotion, realizing thesimplification of the plot. Thirdly, by the euphemism of the plot about sex as well asthe abridgement of heterogeneous elements, Chen and Hu make their interpretationconform to the national conditions of China. The translator’s own aestheticexperiences, Chinese traditional ideology and mainstream poetics help to transformthe original detective novel by a Westerner into a Chinese courtroom novel. Suchrewritings based on Chinese courtroom novels shall be inspiring to modern literarytranslation and therefore deserve further studies.