A Study on Shi Su’s Poems Translation from the Perspective of Ontological Metaphor Theory--Based on Yuanchong Xu’s English Translation of Song Ci

Abstract

Song Ci represents the prosperity of Song Dynasty literature and plays an important role in ancient Chinese culture. Shi Su, as a
famous poet in ancient China, has his own style of writing. Shi Su’s poems are bold and generous, full of unrestrained and open-minded
feelings. The author often uses the rhetorical method of metaphor, so as to express his aspirations through describing concrete objects and
express feelings to the nature. According to the conceptual metaphor theory proposed by Lekoff and Johnson, metaphor is not only a
linguistic phenomenon, but also a reflection of how people understand and conceptualize the world in which they live. Ontological metaphor refers to the construction of some other concepts based on the concepts of objects and substances, which can be subdivided into metonymy, container metaphor and personification. Ontological metaphor refers to that people regard intangible concepts such as abstract
feelings, ideas and thoughts as tangible entities or substances, and classify, group and quantify these concepts. This paper takes Yuanchong Xu’s English translation of Shi Su’s poems as an example to analyze the translation of Song Ci from the perspective of ontological metaphor theory.