A Study On Construal Operation In English Translation Of Chinese Classic Works From The Perspective Of Cognitive Linguistics

Cognitive linguistics is an emerging interdisciplinary subject that focuses on exploringthe manifestation of different cognitive ability in language and the cognitive mode behindlanguage fact through bodily experience and cognition. Semantic is conceptualization is oneof the basic hypothesis in cognitive linguistics. Different expressions evoke reader’s differentsemantic frame. Construal is an important concept in cognitive linguistics. It refers to people’sability of applying different cognitive modes toward the same scene, which results in differentexpressions and meanings.China’s five thousand years of history has bred splendid culture and civilization andnumerous excellent works. Chinese classic works are the essence of Chinese traditionalculture and preserve the long standing Chinese civilization. As the oldest Confucian classic,Book of Changes assembles the essence of Chinese traditional culture and represents theunique wisdom of Chinese people. The abundant philosophy in Book of Changes reflects ourancestor’s thought toward things around them and their own development. Study on Book ofChanges never interrupts for the past thousands of years and has become the researchingfocus in philosophical field since17thcentury. The profound philosophy in Book of Changesis impressive and has been translated into many languages. There are hundreds of Englishtranslations alone. English translation of Chinese classic works could facilitate the spread ofChinese traditional culture to overseas counties. But the conciseness of traditional Chineselanguage and its unique culture add difficulty to the English translation process which ends upwith different interpretations of original content. Correct expression is based on correctconstrual. Therefore, the role of construal operation in English translation process cannot beneglected.Two versions are chosen as analysis objects in this paper. One is from English translatorJames Legge and another is from Chinese translators Wang Rongpei and Ren Xiuye. Theformer is considered as the most ideal version in the west while the later is known for itsconcise and elegant wording. Both are representative to certain degree. This paper takescognitive linguistics as theoretical basis and construal operation as analytical perspective, discussing the feasibility and explanatory power of construal operation in English translationof Chinese classic works through the comparative analysis of two English versions of Book ofChanges, putting forward some translation strategies and expecting to provide a new angeland implication to English translation of Chinese classic works...