Translating Metaphorical Mind Styles and (Re) Shaping Literary Character: A Corpus-Aided Study of Du Liniang in <i>The Peony Pavilion</i>

Zhengjun Zhao; Xiaoqiong Hu

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijalt.20230904.11

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Translating Metaphorical Mind Styles and (Re) Shaping Literary Character: A Corpus-Aided Study of Du Liniang in The Peony Pavilion

Zhengjun Zhao, Xiaoqiong Hu

Published in International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation (Volume 9, Issue 4)

Received: 5 September 2023 Accepted: 22 September 2023 Published: 8 October 2023

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Abstract

Mind style, an important vehicle to identify features of literary character, has traditionally been examined by qualitative research with focus on deviant stylistic features. However, there has been comparatively less attention given to metaphorical mind style, its translation, and its impact on characterization. Drawing on the Chinese-English parallel corpus of The Peony Pavilion, a famous Chinese drama created by Tang Xianzu in 1598, and its sub-corpus of metaphorical mind style, this paper investigates the operational norms observed by two well-known translators, Cyril Birch and Wang Rongpei when they translate the ego, id, and super-ego types of metaphorical mind style of Du Liniang, the heroine of this drama, from Chinese into English. The results show that (1) transplantation and explicitation are the most frequently observed operational norms in translation; (2) Birch prefers transplantation and has constructed a sincere, restless but reserved Du Liniang similar to that in the source text, whereas Wang favors explicitation, and has reshaped Du Liniang as a bolder, more straightforward and sensuous girl than that in the source text; (3) the same metaphorical mapping mechanism controls two translators’ common choice of transplantation and explicitation, however, their different views on translating images result in different priorities of operational norms and thus reconstructing a different character of Du Liniang.

Published in	International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation (Volume 9, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijalt.20230904.11
Page(s)	106-113
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

The Peony Pavilion, Du Liniang, Metaphorical Mind Styles, Characterization, Operational Norms

References

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Zhengjun Zhao, Xiaoqiong Hu. (2023). Translating Metaphorical Mind Styles and (Re) Shaping Literary Character: A Corpus-Aided Study of Du Liniang in The Peony Pavilion. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation, 9(4), 106-113. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20230904.11

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Zhengjun Zhao; Xiaoqiong Hu. Translating Metaphorical Mind Styles and (Re) Shaping Literary Character: A Corpus-Aided Study of Du Liniang in The Peony Pavilion. Int. J. Appl. Linguist. Transl. 2023, 9(4), 106-113. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20230904.11

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AMA Style

Zhengjun Zhao, Xiaoqiong Hu. Translating Metaphorical Mind Styles and (Re) Shaping Literary Character: A Corpus-Aided Study of Du Liniang in The Peony Pavilion. Int J Appl Linguist Transl. 2023;9(4):106-113. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20230904.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijalt.20230904.11,
  author = {Zhengjun Zhao and Xiaoqiong Hu},
  title = {Translating Metaphorical Mind Styles and (Re) Shaping Literary Character: A Corpus-Aided Study of Du Liniang in The Peony Pavilion},
  journal = {International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation},
  volume = {9},
  number = {4},
  pages = {106-113},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijalt.20230904.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20230904.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijalt.20230904.11},
  abstract = {Mind style, an important vehicle to identify features of literary character, has traditionally been examined by qualitative research with focus on deviant stylistic features. However, there has been comparatively less attention given to metaphorical mind style, its translation, and its impact on characterization. Drawing on the Chinese-English parallel corpus of The Peony Pavilion, a famous Chinese drama created by Tang Xianzu in 1598, and its sub-corpus of metaphorical mind style, this paper investigates the operational norms observed by two well-known translators, Cyril Birch and Wang Rongpei when they translate the ego, id, and super-ego types of metaphorical mind style of Du Liniang, the heroine of this drama, from Chinese into English. The results show that (1) transplantation and explicitation are the most frequently observed operational norms in translation; (2) Birch prefers transplantation and has constructed a sincere, restless but reserved Du Liniang similar to that in the source text, whereas Wang favors explicitation, and has reshaped Du Liniang as a bolder, more straightforward and sensuous girl than that in the source text; (3) the same metaphorical mapping mechanism controls two translators’ common choice of transplantation and explicitation, however, their different views on translating images result in different priorities of operational norms and thus reconstructing a different character of Du Liniang.},
 year = {2023}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Translating Metaphorical Mind Styles and (Re) Shaping Literary Character: A Corpus-Aided Study of Du Liniang in The Peony Pavilion
AU  - Zhengjun Zhao
AU  - Xiaoqiong Hu
Y1  - 2023/10/08
PY  - 2023
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DO  - 10.11648/j.ijalt.20230904.11
T2  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JF  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JO  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
SP  - 106
EP  - 113
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2472-1271
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20230904.11
AB  - Mind style, an important vehicle to identify features of literary character, has traditionally been examined by qualitative research with focus on deviant stylistic features. However, there has been comparatively less attention given to metaphorical mind style, its translation, and its impact on characterization. Drawing on the Chinese-English parallel corpus of The Peony Pavilion, a famous Chinese drama created by Tang Xianzu in 1598, and its sub-corpus of metaphorical mind style, this paper investigates the operational norms observed by two well-known translators, Cyril Birch and Wang Rongpei when they translate the ego, id, and super-ego types of metaphorical mind style of Du Liniang, the heroine of this drama, from Chinese into English. The results show that (1) transplantation and explicitation are the most frequently observed operational norms in translation; (2) Birch prefers transplantation and has constructed a sincere, restless but reserved Du Liniang similar to that in the source text, whereas Wang favors explicitation, and has reshaped Du Liniang as a bolder, more straightforward and sensuous girl than that in the source text; (3) the same metaphorical mapping mechanism controls two translators’ common choice of transplantation and explicitation, however, their different views on translating images result in different priorities of operational norms and thus reconstructing a different character of Du Liniang.
VL  - 9
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Author Information

Zhengjun Zhao

School of Foreign Languages, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, ChinaSchool of Foreign Languages, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China
Xiaoqiong Hu

School of Foreign Languages, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China

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Zhengjun Zhao, Xiaoqiong Hu. (2023). Translating Metaphorical Mind Styles and (Re) Shaping Literary Character: A Corpus-Aided Study of Du Liniang in The Peony Pavilion. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation, 9(4), 106-113. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20230904.11

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ACS Style

Zhengjun Zhao; Xiaoqiong Hu. Translating Metaphorical Mind Styles and (Re) Shaping Literary Character: A Corpus-Aided Study of Du Liniang in The Peony Pavilion. Int. J. Appl. Linguist. Transl. 2023, 9(4), 106-113. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20230904.11

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AMA Style

Zhengjun Zhao, Xiaoqiong Hu. Translating Metaphorical Mind Styles and (Re) Shaping Literary Character: A Corpus-Aided Study of Du Liniang in The Peony Pavilion. Int J Appl Linguist Transl. 2023;9(4):106-113. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20230904.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijalt.20230904.11,
  author = {Zhengjun Zhao and Xiaoqiong Hu},
  title = {Translating Metaphorical Mind Styles and (Re) Shaping Literary Character: A Corpus-Aided Study of Du Liniang in The Peony Pavilion},
  journal = {International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation},
  volume = {9},
  number = {4},
  pages = {106-113},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijalt.20230904.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20230904.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijalt.20230904.11},
  abstract = {Mind style, an important vehicle to identify features of literary character, has traditionally been examined by qualitative research with focus on deviant stylistic features. However, there has been comparatively less attention given to metaphorical mind style, its translation, and its impact on characterization. Drawing on the Chinese-English parallel corpus of The Peony Pavilion, a famous Chinese drama created by Tang Xianzu in 1598, and its sub-corpus of metaphorical mind style, this paper investigates the operational norms observed by two well-known translators, Cyril Birch and Wang Rongpei when they translate the ego, id, and super-ego types of metaphorical mind style of Du Liniang, the heroine of this drama, from Chinese into English. The results show that (1) transplantation and explicitation are the most frequently observed operational norms in translation; (2) Birch prefers transplantation and has constructed a sincere, restless but reserved Du Liniang similar to that in the source text, whereas Wang favors explicitation, and has reshaped Du Liniang as a bolder, more straightforward and sensuous girl than that in the source text; (3) the same metaphorical mapping mechanism controls two translators’ common choice of transplantation and explicitation, however, their different views on translating images result in different priorities of operational norms and thus reconstructing a different character of Du Liniang.},
 year = {2023}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Translating Metaphorical Mind Styles and (Re) Shaping Literary Character: A Corpus-Aided Study of Du Liniang in The Peony Pavilion
AU  - Zhengjun Zhao
AU  - Xiaoqiong Hu
Y1  - 2023/10/08
PY  - 2023
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20230904.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijalt.20230904.11
T2  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JF  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JO  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
SP  - 106
EP  - 113
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2472-1271
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20230904.11
AB  - Mind style, an important vehicle to identify features of literary character, has traditionally been examined by qualitative research with focus on deviant stylistic features. However, there has been comparatively less attention given to metaphorical mind style, its translation, and its impact on characterization. Drawing on the Chinese-English parallel corpus of The Peony Pavilion, a famous Chinese drama created by Tang Xianzu in 1598, and its sub-corpus of metaphorical mind style, this paper investigates the operational norms observed by two well-known translators, Cyril Birch and Wang Rongpei when they translate the ego, id, and super-ego types of metaphorical mind style of Du Liniang, the heroine of this drama, from Chinese into English. The results show that (1) transplantation and explicitation are the most frequently observed operational norms in translation; (2) Birch prefers transplantation and has constructed a sincere, restless but reserved Du Liniang similar to that in the source text, whereas Wang favors explicitation, and has reshaped Du Liniang as a bolder, more straightforward and sensuous girl than that in the source text; (3) the same metaphorical mapping mechanism controls two translators’ common choice of transplantation and explicitation, however, their different views on translating images result in different priorities of operational norms and thus reconstructing a different character of Du Liniang.
VL  - 9
IS  - 4
ER  -

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