Conceptual Integration Theory And Its Application To The Metaphor Translation Of The Book Of Poetry

Traditionally,metaphor was noted only as a primary persuasive element in the rhetoric and viewed as primarily decorative and ornamental in nature.However,with the further study of metaphor,people begin to know about the influence metaphor has on the thinking mode,artistic creation,and human use of language,as well as the cognitive function of metaphor.We know that the Chinese language is worthy of being called as a treasure-house of metaphors.As one of the roots of Chinese literature,The Book of Poetry,known as a sea of metaphors,has attracted more and more attention.Conceptual integration theory(hereinafter referred to as CIT),based on the mental space theory,initiated in 1985 by Gilles Fauconnier,is rapidly emerging as a major force in cognitive science.With the metaphors in The Book of Poetry as data, this dissertation aims at making a breakthrough in poetry translation.Based on the CIT which gives comprehensive and insightful explanation to the metaphors in The Book of Poetry,the author proposes four strategies applied in the metaphor translation in this area:(1) Reproducing the Same Image:keep the metaphor fully in the target language. (2) Translation of Metaphor plus Sense:keep the metaphor in the target language while further explaining its meaning and sense.(3) Conversion of Metaphor to Sense:delete the metaphor in the source poem,and give some explanatory statement of it in the target poem.(4) Translation of Metaphor by Simile(Retaining the Image):change the metaphor into simile by adding connective words "like" or "as",etc.The last part of this dissertation is a brief conclusion.