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A Study on the English Translation Practice of Chinese Couplets with “Virtue Culture” and the External Dissemination of Values

Author(s)

Yiming Han, Xuebin Zhang

Affiliation(s)

School of Foreign Languages, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China

Abstract

Against the backdrop of the international communication of fine traditional Chinese culture, the Chinese couplet—a highly condensed literary form combining aesthetic and ethical functions—deserves close attention in translation research. Compared with poetry and classical texts, scholarly work on couplet translation remains relatively thin, particularly the kind grounded in sustained translation practice. This paper takes the English translations of seven couplets on virtue-related themes as its corpus and examines them along three dimensions: the rendering of key ethical terms, the reconstruction of formal beauty, and the expression of cultural values. The analysis suggests that the translation of virtue-culture couplets benefits from a strategy of “concept guidance rather than concept imposition”, achieved through higher-order lexical choices, the reshaping of structural symmetry, and the use of culturally resonant imagery. By doing so, the paper offers a workable reference for couplet translation practice and for the outward expression of traditional Chinese culture.

Keywords

Chinese Couplets; Virtue Culture; English Translation; Translation Strategy; Value Communication; Cross-Cultural Expression

References

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