Abstract Culture is inseparable from literary works. Due to the the perse culture background and rich associative meaning in hong lou meng, it is hard for us to translate color words appropriately. Thus, this paper, based on two classical English versions of hong lou meng and many previous studies relevant to the translation of color words in this novel, will mainly attempt to compare and probe into the translation of the color word “red” between two different cultures from the perspective of cultural connotation and it will focus on the definition of culture, discuss the relationship between culture and translation, analysis the cultural connotation of “red” in hong lou meng all translators need to know and finally present some translation methods. Only after obtaining a clear understanding of cultural connotation of “red”, can readers have a deep understanding of the English version of hong lou meng and comprehend the motif better.60773

Key words: hong lou meng; color words; red; translation; cultural connotation

 摘要文学作品与文化密不可分。在红楼梦中，由于文化的不同和丰富的联想涵义，颜色词往往很难恰当准确地翻译出来。本文旨在从文化内涵的角度，对两种文化差异下的颜色词--红色的翻译作了一些尝试性的比较与探讨。鉴于两大红楼梦的经典译作与前人对于其中颜色词翻译的研究，文章将围绕文化的内涵下定义，讨论文化与翻译之间的关系，分析红楼梦中一些“红”字的文化内涵，最后呈现几种针对“红”字的翻译策略。只有清楚地了解“红”字的内涵，读者才能对于《红楼梦》的英译本和小说的主题有着更好地理解。

毕业论文关键词：《红楼梦》；颜色词；红；翻译；文化内涵

Contents

1. Introduction 1

1.1 Purpose and Significance of the Study 1

1.2 Structure of the Study 2

2. Literature Review 2

2.1 Relevant Studies on the Versions of hong lou meng 2

2.2 Relevant Studies on Translation of Color Words in hong lou meng 3

3. “Red” , Culture and Translation 3

3.1 Definition of Culture 3

3.2 Different “Red” in Chinese and English. 4

3.3 “Red” in Hong Lou Meng 5

4. Connotation of "Red" in hong lou meng 5

4.1. Red as a Symbol of Status and Wealth 6

4.2. Red as a Symbol of Emotion 6

4.3. Various Shades of Red 7

4.4. Red as a Symbol of the World 7

4.5 Red as a Symbol of Young Lady 8

4.6 Connotation of “Red” in Clothes and Names 8

5. Translation of “Red” in hong lou meng 8

5.1 Literal Translation 8

5.2 Free Translation 9

5.3 Addition 10

5.4 Omission 10

6. Conclusion 11

Works Cited 12

1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose and Significance of the Study 

Vocabulary is an essential part of the language and in the meantime it is the reflection lens of the cultural development. Especially the color words, which are conducive to our inseparable connection with the big world, are frequently employed, and endowed with a multitude of cultural connotation . Thus, They are of cardinal importance during the process of either the English study or translation. Thanks to them, it becomes easier for us to have a clear view of all the things around the universe .