The imagery mapping and creative imitation in the English translation of Tao Te Ching
《道德经》英译中的意象映射与创仿

摘要

意象是从具体体验中提炼出来的在个体心智中留下的印象，是译者对现实“体验互动”与“认知加工”留下的精华。意象蕴含着丰厚的文化底蕴，凝聚着人类的体认智慧，《道德经》是意象英译研究的理想蓝本。本文以理雅各、林语堂和吴经熊三位译者的《道德经》译本为例，运用感觉知觉、意象图式、认知识解等认知方式，对《道德经》的多元背景、话语视角、语义逻辑及句法结构进行体认分析，并借助“映射”与“创仿”机制（如对应、筛选、增删、改写、置换）分析译本的转化与重构及三位译者对于《道德经》中出现的意象各自的翻译处理方式，以说明典籍翻译中意象“映射”与“创仿”的理论及应用。

Abstract

Imagery, refined from concrete experiences, constitutes the impressions retained within an individual's mind. It represents the essence of a translator's “embodied interaction” with reality and subsequent “cognitive processing”. Laden with profound cultural significance and crystallizing human embodied wisdom, Tao Te Ching serves as an ideal exemplar for studying imagery translation. This paper examines the English translations of Tao Te Ching by James Legge, Lin Yutang, and John C. H. Wu. Employing cognitive approaches—such as sensory perception, image schemata, and construal—it analyzes the multifaceted background, discursive perspectives, semantic logic, and syntactic structures of the source text. Furthermore, through the mechanisms of “Mapping” (e.g., correspondence, selection) and “Creative Imitation” (e.g., addition, deletion, adaptation, and substitution), the study investigates the transformation and reconstruction evident in the target texts. It specifically analyzes how each translator handles the imagery encountered in Tao Te Ching. The aim is to elucidate both the theoretical and applied aspects of imagery “Mapping” and “Creative Imitation” in the translation of classical texts.