定语从句的翻译与四字格的运用

3．5. Translation of Attributive Clauses 定语从句的翻译

For the short attributives, we can often put them before the head nouns they modifies in

translation, no matter they are restrictive or non-restrictive ones.

It is a consolation to know that they will surely carry on the cause for which Edgar Snow

strove so faithfully all his life. （strive for sth. faithfully 为„„奋斗不渝）

了解到他们一定会继承爱德加·斯诺终生为之奋斗不渝的事业，这是令人欣慰的。

His laugh, which was very infectious, broke the silence.

他富于感染力的笑声打破了沉默。

For longer attributives, we can often translate them into another clause(小句) or sentence

through division.

They are striving for the ideal which is close to the heart of every Chinese and for which, in

the past, many Chinese have laid down their lives.

他们正在为实现一个理想而努力奋斗，这个理想是每个中国人所珍爱的，在过去，许多中国人曾为此献出了自己的生命。

A fuel is a material which will burn at a reasonable temperature and produce heat.

燃料是一种物质，在适当的温度下能够燃烧并放出热量。

For those sentences whose main clause is short while the attributive is long with the focus of

message in it, we can usually combine the attributive clause with main one.

We are a people that have inherited ancient wisdom, that know the worth of biding one’s time and

recognized opportunity for combat.

我们的民族继承了古代的智慧，懂得如何等待并善于抓住战机。

A true revolution is one that is devoted to human progress in all domains and that makes

human progress the supreme and final object.

真正的革命，致力于人类的全面发展，并以此作为行动的终极目标。

There are some special attributive clauses which are attributives in form but equivalent of

temporal, causal, adversative adverbial clauses, etc. (时间、原因、让步等状语从句)in meaning.

Such clauses should be understood profoundly as to their relation to the main clause and translated

flexibly as demonstrated below.

They were very angry with their daughter, who insisted on marrying that ugly old man.

他们非常生女儿的气，因为她坚持要嫁给那个丑陋不堪的老头儿。

Her refusal to obey him greatly incensed him who had never met that kind of opposition

before.

她拒绝服从他，这使他大为生气，因为他从来没有遭到过那样的反对。

He would be a rash man who should venture to defy world public opinion and act arbitrarily.

如果有人胆敢公然蔑视世界公众舆论而一意孤行,那他一定是个卤莽之徒。

Don’t you feel it strange that she should be so much ungrateful to Jack, who did so much for

her when she was in poverty? ungrateful：忘恩负义

杰克在她困难时帮了她那么多，她却对杰克如此忘恩负义，你不觉得奇怪吗？

Flexibly Translating Attributive Clauses Introduced by “as” (灵活翻译由as 引导的定语从句)：

▼It is absolutely wrong to think foreign languages useless, as quite a few people did before.

认为外语无用是绝对错误的， 不少人过去就有这种想法。

▼ It was very cold that night, as it usually was.

那天晚上寒冷刺骨，这里的天气常常这样。

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Exercise of this time:

Americans have a warmth and friendliness which is less superficial than many foreigners

think. They are considered sentimental. When on ceremonial occasions they see a flag, or attend

parades celebrating America’s glorious past, tears may come to their eyes. Reunions with family

and friends tend to be emotional, too. They like to dress correctly, even if “correctly” means

flamboyantly. They love to boast, though often with tongue in cheek.

The Americans have a passion for grandeur. Their skyscrapers, bridges and dams often have a

splendor which matches in beauty and scale the country’s natural wonders.

自学：汉语四字结构英译汉中的运用

3. 5. The Use of Chinese Four-character Expressions in E-C Translation 汉语四字格在英译汉中的运用

Reasons for the Profusion of Four-character Expressions in Chinese:

Chinese traditional culture favors symmetry as a kind of beauty. A demonstration/ proof of

this preference is the prevalence of parallel style and antithetical sentences in Six Dynasties.

Their flowery diction and the harmonious rhythms conform to the Chinese mode of thinking

which stresses unity and the aesthetic psychology which emphasizes balance and symmetry. This

aesthetic ideology has been exerting subtle influences on Chinese language, resulting in the

profusion of four character expressions. 中国传统文化以均衡匀称为美，六朝时文无不骈(骈文:

大量使用对仗结构的一种文风)，句无不俪(俪句: antithetical sentences)的文风更是这种美学观点极致的体现。其华丽丰富的辞藻与优美和谐的音韵既符合中国人注重整体和统一的思维模式，又切合我们讲究均衡对仗的审美心理，这种传统的审美心理对汉语有着潜移默化的影响，并突出地体现在四字格这种语言形式上。

Features of Four-character Expressions:

Four character expressions are balanced in structure, harmonious in sound and concise in

diction. They even appear in the form of parallelism, flowing in succession with unique charm,

making a piece of writing graceful and forceful. In short, they are an important form of art which

demonstrates the beauty of Chinese language. 四字格具有结构工整、音韵和谐、简洁明快等鲜明的特。四字格还常以排比的形式出现，形成连珠四字句，读来酣畅淋漓，连绵不断，别具魅力。因此成为汉语行文中表现文字美感的重要艺术形式。

The Purpose of Using Four-character Expressions:

The use of four character expressions can make our writing vivid and impressive. Their

proper use in translation can add beauty to both meaning and sound of our expression, making it

rhythmic and varied. Consequently, providing that the translation is faithful to the original, the use

of four character phrases in translation should be advocated to give full play to the advantage of

Chinese language. 四字格的运用可以使文章增添不少生花妙笔。一篇译文恰到好处地运用一些四字格，可以使文章读起来抑扬顿挫，跌宕起伏，增强语音上的和谐美感，给人留下深刻的印象。因此在忠实原文的基础上，发挥汉语的语言优势，运用四字格是应该提倡的。

e.g.

Ribentrop is a second-rate man with second-hand ideas.  

里宾特洛甫是个拾人牙慧的二流角。//里宾特洛甫是个人云亦云的二流人物。

She was a tall silent woman with a long nose and grey troubled eyes.

她高个 , 长鼻子 , 灰眼睛 ,寡言少语 ,神情忧郁。

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她长鼻子 , 灰眼睛 ,身材高挑, 寡言少语 ,神忧郁。

He must make us feel that they are twins indeed, one dying if the other dies, one flourishing if the

other flourishes;

他必须使我们觉得 , 他们实际上是一对孪生子 , 一枯俱枯/一损俱损 , 一荣俱荣。 

For the first time Nora saw her husband for what he was … a selfish, pretentious hypocrite with

no regard for her position in the matter. 

这是娜拉平生第一次认清了丈夫的真面目：原来他是一个自私狂妄、道貌岸然的伪 君子，在这个问题上根本不把她的处境放在心上。 

Where he faced us again, he was huge and handsome and conceited and cruel.

再次面对我们时，他已变得 身材魁梧，相貌英俊，心高气傲，冷酷无情 。

The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the

flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. 六月二十七日上午 , 天气晴朗 , 阳光明媚 , 鲜花盛开 , 绿草如茵 , 充满了盛夏之日的清新和温暖。

I repair to the enchanted house, where there are lights, chattering, music, flowers, officers (I am

sorry to see) and the eldest Miss Larkins, a blaze of beauty. （enchanted wood：魔林repair to：去 ）我朝着那魔幻神宫般的房子走去，那儿灯火辉煌、人语嘈杂、乐声悠扬、繁花似锦、军官无数( 这是我看着极为痛心的 ) ，还有拉钦大小，简直是光彩照人, 仪态万方。

It was a day as fresh as grass growing up and clouds going over and butterflies coming down can

make it .（绿草萋萋，白云冉冉，蝴蝶翩翩，这日子是如此清新可爱。）It was a day compounded

from silences of bee and flower and ocean and land, （蜜蜂无言，花儿不语，海洋声歇，大地音寂，这日子是如此宁静。）which were not silences at all, but motions, stirs, flutters, risings,

fallings, each in its own time and matchless rhythm. 然而并非宁静，因为万物各以其特有的节奏，或动, 或摇，或起, 或伏。

To help myself live without fault, I made a list of what I considered the 13 virtues. These virtues

are 1 Temperance, 2 Self-control, 3 Silence, 4 Order, 5 Firmness of mind, 6 Savings, 7 Industry, 8

Honesty, 9 Justice,10, Cleanliness, 11 Calmness, 12 Morality, 13 Humbleness. (Benjamin

Franklin)为了使自己生活中不犯错误，我列出了我认为应该身体力行的13条守则。它们是：1.节制饮酒; 2. 自我克制; 3. 沉默寡言;4. 有条不紊; 5. 信念坚定; 6. 勤俭节约; 7. 工作勤奋;

8. 诚实守信; 9. 办事公允; 10. 衣履整洁; 11. 平心静气; 12. 品行高尚; 13. 谦逊忍让。

Discussion and practice in class:

1. Spring awakened, and all nature smiled. 春天苏醒了，万物笑逐颜开。

2. The mere thought of appearing before a crowd frightened me.

只要一想到要在大庭广众之下抛头露面，我就胆战心惊。

3. He spoke with firmness, but his face was very sad and his eyes at times were dim.

他说话时态度坚定，但面带愁容，目光黯淡。

4. Without industry and frugality nothing will do and with them everything.

不勤不俭，一事无成；又勤又俭，事事亨通。

5. The local party officials, like Col. Lavren, were exposed as double-dealing backstabbers.

像拉夫伦上校这样的党的地方官员，已暴露出是两面三刀、暗箭伤人的人物了。

6. It was a place of natural beauty that captivated the visitor and made the Viennese believe that

providence had been especially kind to them.

这里风光绮丽，美不胜收，不仅游客心醉神迷，连维也纳本地人也觉得得天独厚。

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