A Study Of "Red" Metaphors In Hong Lou Meng And Their Translation Strategies

Within the framework of Lakoff and Johnson’s conceptual metaphor theory, thisthesis is designed to carry out an exhaustive study on the “red” metaphors in HongLou Meng and their translation strategies, aimed at exploring the metaphoricalmeanings and target domains of those metaphorically used “red” as well as thestrategies adopted in the two English versions of Hong Lou Meng to translate them.The study finds that “red” metaphors in Hong Lou Meng can be mapped ontoseven different target domains according to their metaphorical meanings—humanbeing, substance, affection, emotion, state, status/rank, physiology domain; largedifferences exist in the strategies adopted in the two English versions to translate the“red” metaphors because of different cognitive views on “red” held by English andChinese cultures. Hawkes, focusing on the culture of target language readers, tends toeither replace the “red” metaphors in the source language with different metaphorswhich are well known to western readers or omits the “red” images directly but withtheir metaphorical meanings reserved. However, the Yangs, being moresource-language-culture-oriented, do their best to preserve the cultural and artisticvalues of the original novel to promote Chinese culture. They try to keep “red”metaphors in the English language as much as possible.To sum up, this thesis makes a preliminary research on the “red” metaphors inHong Lou Meng and their translation strategies. It can provide certain theoretical andpractical guidance for the research of color metaphors and their translation in HongLou Meng and even other literary classics. Meanwhile, it will help western readersappreciate the English versions of color metaphors in Chinese literary works better,and hopefully, it will promote the spread of the unique “red” culture rooted in theChinese nation.