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This chapter examines the translation of iconicity in classical Chinese poetry at the lexical level. Lianzi constitutes a distinctive phenomenon in which the poet deliberately selects a particular character for a specific aesthetic or semantic purpose. Such choices often defy readers’ expectations and produce strikingly evocative effects. Although the selected character may appear contextually unconventional or even estranged, it bears a salient resemblance—visual, phonetic, or semantic—to the object or concept it signifies. For the translator, it is essential to engage deeply with the contextual function of the lianzi in order to apprehend its iconic relationship to its referent and thereby render its effect as faithfully as possible in translation.

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Translating Lianzi (炼字) of Classical Chinese Poetry

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • Guangxu Zhao

摘要

This chapter examines the translation of iconicity in classical Chinese poetry at the lexical level. Lianzi constitutes a distinctive phenomenon in which the poet deliberately selects a particular character for a specific aesthetic or semantic purpose. Such choices often defy readers’ expectations and produce strikingly evocative effects. Although the selected character may appear contextually unconventional or even estranged, it bears a salient resemblance—visual, phonetic, or semantic—to the object or concept it signifies. For the translator, it is essential to engage deeply with the contextual function of the lianzi in order to apprehend its iconic relationship to its referent and thereby render its effect as faithfully as possible in translation.