Abstract

The imaginary creature, long(龙), is adored by Chinese and they regard it as a totem. Chinese long(龙)is often decorated on lots of constructions, showing good fortune. Chinese long(龙)has permeated into so many aspects of Chinese society that long(龙)has become a symbol of Chinese culture, and even a symbol of Chinese nation. As Chinese “long”(龙)is generally translated into English “dragon”, westerners hold that Chinese long(龙)is equal to English “dragon”, which leads to misconception about Chinese long(龙). As for Chinese long(龙)is exactly unequal to English dragon, such translation easily causes obstacles to disseminate Chinese culture. So the paper aims at making more people aware of the importance of cultural connotation in cross-cultural communication, and letting the world know more about long(龙)so that the English-speaking people can reduce misconception about Chinese culture, and understand that the development of China will never pose a threat to the peace of the world. This thesis analyzes the different semantic meanings and cultural connotations of long(龙)and dragon from the perspective of language and culture; introduces one way to translate long(龙);states the different understanding of long(龙)between expresser and listener; tells the stories of long(龙)to make English-speaking people understand and accept the cultural connotation of Chinese long(龙), to eliminate their misconception and hostility to Chinese.
 
Key words: semantic meanings; cultural connotations; Chinese“龙”; English “Dragon”

摘  要

中国人敬龙，将龙奉为图腾，并将龙装饰在许多建筑物上，用以表示福祉。 “龙”已经渗透到中国社会的各个方面，并且成为了中国文化的象征，乃至民族的象征。通常情况下，“龙”被翻译为“dragon”。因此，西方人往往把汉语中的“龙”和英语中的“dragon”看成是对等的，从而引起对中国“龙”的误读。由于汉语中的“龙”与英语中的“dragon”并不对等，把“龙”译为“dragon”不利于中国文化的传播。本文试图让更多的人意识到跨文化交际中传递词语文化内涵的重要性，同时让世界更多地了解中国“龙”，减少英语世界的人们因“龙”而对中国产生的误解以及让西方人明白中国的繁荣富强并不会对世界和平构成威胁。本文从语言与文化角度出发，分析“龙”与“dragon”的语义以及文化内涵的不同之处，尝试着通过恰当的翻译，阐述表达者与听者对龙意境的不同理解，讲述与中国龙文化相关的故事等方法让英语世界的人们能懂得中国“龙”，理解中国“龙”，进而接受中国“龙”的文化含义和意境，消除他们因文化差异而对中国产生的误解和敌意。

关键词:语义；文化内涵；中华龙；英语龙