Abstract: Translation in its essence is an activity of cultural communication. English and Chinese differ from each other tremendously in many aspects such as traditions, concepts of values, aesthetic standards, religious beliefs, etc. Therefore, in the translation of A Dream of Red Mansions, the traditional Chinese classic, it is of great importance and critical concern to transmit the Chinese cultural idiosyncrasies implied in the idioms to the English readers. A Dream of Red Mansions, translated by Yang Hsien-Yi and Gladys Yang is one of the most authentic versions of this novel. Aiming at the faithful expression of the source culture, they transfer Chinese cultural messages to the greatest extent in this translation edition, thus successfully keep the Chinese flavor as much as possible. A good translator will always take into consideration both the original flavor of source text and readability for target language readers, uniting culture and translation perfectly together.
Key Words: A Dream of Red Mansions; idioms; translation; cultural transmission
Introduction 1
1. Culture and Idioms 2
1.1 Definition of Idioms 2
1.2 Culture and Idioms 3
2. Idioms in DRM 4
2.1 The Significance of Chinese Idioms in DRM 4
2.2 The Classification of Chinese Idioms in DRM 5
3. Transmission of Cultural Elements in Idioms Translation in DRM…...6
3.1 Religion Reflection of Idioms in DRM………………………………………..…6
3.2 History Reflection of Idioms in DRM………………………………………...…8
3.3 Legend Reflection of Idioms in DRM………………...………………………..10
3.4 Literature Reflection of Idioms in DRM…………………….…………………11
3.5 Value Reflection of Idioms in DRM……………………………………………11
4. Conclusion 13
Bibliography…………………………………………………….………15
