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： Ｓ ｋ ｏ ｐ ｏ ｓ Ｔ ｈ ｅ ｏ ｒ ｙ Ｐ ｅ ｒ ｓ ｐ ｅ ｃ ｔｉ ｖｅ
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十 九 大报告
“ ”
目 的 论视 角 下 中 概念 隐 喻 的
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英译研 究
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作 者 姓 名 ：
胡沙沙
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导 师 姓 名 ：
钱建 成
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学 科 门 类 ：
外 国 语言文学
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专 业 名 称 ：
外 国 语 言 学 及应 用 语 言 学
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培 养 院 系 ：
外语 学 院
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完 成 时 间 ： ２ ０ １ ９ 年 ５ 
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月
The Translation of Conceptual Metaphors in “The Report of the
19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China”:
A Skopos Theory Perspective

A Thesis

Submitted in Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in English

By

Hu Shasha

Supervisor: Professor Qian Jiancheng

School of Foreign Languages

Zhengzhou University

May 2019
 原创 性声 明
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本 人郑 重 声 明 ：
所 呈 交 的 学 位论 文 ，
是 本 人 在 导师 的 指 导 下 ， 独 立进 行 研
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宄所 取 得 的 成果 。 除文 中 已 经注 明 引 用 的 内 容 外 ，
本 论 文 不 包 含 任何 其他 个人
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或 集 体 已 经 发表 或 撰 写 过 的 科 研 成 果 。
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体 ，
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本 声 明 的 法 律 责 任 由 本 人 承担 
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。

学 位 论 文作 者 ：
日 期 ：
年 了月 
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日

学 位 论 文 使 用 授权 声 明
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本 人在 导 师 指 导 下 完 成 的 论 文 及 相 关 的 职务 作 品 知 识 产 权 归 属 郑 州 大 学 ， 
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。

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缩 印 或 者 其 他 复 制 手 段 保存 论 文 和 汇 编 本 学 位 论 文 。
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州 大学 。
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学位论文作 者 日 期 ｙ 年 」 月
一

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：
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＾ 丨
 摘要

2017 年 10 月 18 日，习近平在中国共产党第十九次全国代表大会上作报告。
“十九大报告”自公布以来就引发了众多学者的热议和研究。值得注意的是，
“十
九大报告”中运用了大量的隐喻表达，这些隐喻表达是如何翻译的，采用不同的
翻译方法是能够达到什么样的效果，对此类问题的研究还相对较少。然而，概念
隐喻的翻译关系到目标语读者对“十九大报告”所要传达的党的方针政策的理解，
因此，研究“十九大报告”中概念隐喻的翻译是必要且有现实意义的。
本文以“十九大报告”的中英文版作为语料，以目的论作为理论框架，研究
“十九大报告”中不同类别的概念隐喻的翻译，旨在分析不同类别的概念隐喻的
翻译方法以及采用这些翻译方法是否能够让目标语读者更好的理解“十九大报
告”中所要传达的党的方针政策，期望能够为未来中国政治文本中概念隐喻的翻
译提供可靠的参考指南。
本文通过 MIP（隐喻识别程序），首先对“十九大报告”中的概念隐喻进行
了识别，发现“十九大报告”中主要运用了十类概念隐喻，包括建筑隐喻，旅程
隐喻，战争隐喻，家庭隐喻，人体隐喻，圈隐喻，植物隐喻，容器隐喻，动物隐
喻以及上下方位隐喻。
“十九大报告”通过概念隐喻的表达方式用具体的事物来
阐释较为抽象复杂的概念，反映了源语的思维机制。其次，基于上述对概念隐喻
的识别，本文分析不同类别的概念隐喻所采用的翻译方法，研究发现“十九大报
告”的英译所采用的翻译方法主要可以分为五大类:将概念隐喻译为相同的类型、
将概念隐喻译为不同的类型、将概念隐喻译为不含隐喻的表达、将概念隐喻译为
明喻以及省译。同时，研究发现，采用这些概念隐喻翻译方法充分符合目的论的
三原则，即目的原则，连贯原则和忠诚原则，达到了传达原文真实意图、实现交
际目的、最大化原文意义的效果。
研究显示目的论能够有效地指导中国政治语篇中概念隐喻的翻译实践，这
对理论运用于隐喻翻译实践有着很强的现实意义，同时也对未来中国政治文本
中概念隐喻的翻译有着借鉴意义。

关键词：概念隐喻；目的论；
“十九大报告”；翻译方法
I
 Abstract

On October 18, 2017, Xi Jinping delivered a report at the 19th National Congress
of the Communist Party of China (Hereinafter referred to as “the Report”). Many
scholars have paid much attention to “the Report” and a lot of researches also have
been done since the publication of it . It is worth noting that a large number of
metaphorical expressions are used in “the Report”. How to translate these metaphorical
expressions and what effects can be achieved by adopting different translation
techniques? There are relatively few studies on this issue. However, the translation of
conceptual metaphor is related to the target language readers understanding of the
Party’s principles and policies to be conveyed in “the Report”. Therefore, it is necessary
and practical to study the translation of conceptual metaphor in “the Report”.
This thesis takes the Chinese and English versions of “the Report” as the corpus
and Skopos Theory as the theoretical framework to study the translation of different
types of conceptual metaphors appearing in “the Report”, aiming to analyze whether
these translation techniques adopted by different types of conceptual metaphors can
help the target language readers better understand the Party’s principles and policies
conveyed in “the Report”, and to provide a reliable reference guide for the translation
of conceptual metaphors in Chinese political texts in the future.
This thesis first identifies the conceptual metaphors in “the Report” through MIP
(Metaphor Identification Procedure), finding that ten major types of conceptual
metaphors are used in “the Report”, including construction metaphors, journey
metaphors, war metaphors, family metaphors, human metaphors, circle metaphors,
plant metaphors, container metaphors, animal metaphors and up/down orientation
metaphors. The metaphorical expressions used in “the Report” explain more abstract
and complex concepts through concrete things, reflecting the cognitive mechanism of
the source language. Moreover, based on the identification of the above-mentioned
conceptual metaphors, this thesis analyses the translation techniques adopted by
different types of conceptual metaphors, and finds that the translation techniques

II
adopted in the English translation of “the Report” can be divided into five categories.
The first translation technique is translating conceptual metaphors into the same
category which means retaining the same conceptual metaphor as the original text in
the translation. The second one is translating conceptual metaphors into different
category. The third one is translating conceptual metaphors into non-metaphorical
expressions. And translating conceptual metaphors into similes and omission are
another two translation techniques adopted in the translation process of “the Report”.
At the same time, the study finds that these translation techniques of conceptual
metaphors fully embody the Skopos Principle, Coherence Principle and Fidelity
Principle which are three principles of Skopos Theory, achieving the effects of
conveying the actual intent of the original text, reaching the communicative purpose,
and maximizing the meaning of the original text.
The study shows that Skopos Theory can effectively guide the translation practices
of conceptual metaphor in Chinese political discourse, which has a strong practical
significance for the application of the theory to metaphor translation practices, and also
has a reference significance for the construction of China’s international discourse
power in the future.

Key Words: conceptual metaphor; Skopos Theory; “the Report”; translation

techniques

III
 Contents

Abstract (in Chinese) .................................................................................. I

Abstract (in English) .................................................................................. II

Chapter One Introduction .......................................................................... 1

1.1 Research Background ....................................................................................... 1

1.2 Research Purpose and Significance .................................................................. 2
1.3 Research Questions........................................................................................... 3
1.4 Research Methods............................................................................................. 3
1.5 Structure of Thesis ............................................................................................ 5

Chapter Two Literature Review ................................................................ 7

2.1 Studies on Conceptual Metaphor Translation in Political Discourses.............. 7

2.2 Studies on “the Report” .................................................................................... 9

Chapter Three Theoretical Framework ................................................... 12

3.1 The Formation and Development of Skopos Theory ..................................... 12

3.2 Three Principles of Skopos Theory ................................................................ 15
3.2.1 Skopos Rule ........................................................................................................... 15

3.2.2 Cohenrence Rule .................................................................................................... 16

3.2.3 Fidelity Rule ........................................................................................................... 16

3.3 The Enlightenment of Skopos Theory on the Translation of Political Texts . 17

Chapter Four Translation of the Conceptual Metaphors in “the Report”

from the Perspective of Skopos Theory .................................................. 20

IV
 4.1 Categorizations of the Conceptual Metaphors in “the Report” ...................... 20
4.2 Translation of the Conceptual Metaphors in “the Report” ........................... 22
4.3 Translation Techiniques of the Conceptual Metaphors in “the Report”......... 40
4.3.1 Translating Conceptual Metaphors into the Same Category.................................. 41

4.3.2 Translating Conceptual Metaphors into Different Category .................................. 43

4.3.3 Translating Conceptual Metaphors into Non-metaphorical Expressions ............... 45

4.3.4 Translating Conceptual Metaphors into Similes .................................................... 46

4.3.5 Omission ................................................................................................................ 48

Chapter Five Conclusion ......................................................................... 50

5.1 Major Findings of the Research...................................................................... 50

5.2 Limitations and Suggestions for the Further Study ........................................ 51

Bibliography ............................................................................................ 53

Acknowledgements ................................................................................. 56

About the Author ..................................................................................... 57

V
 Chapter One Introduction

Metaphor is a natural phenomenon, and conceptual metaphor is a natural part of

human thought (Lakoff, 2003:173). Conceptual metaphor constructs the way that we
perceive the world, and how we relate to others. It plays a very important role in our
daily life. The appearance of conceptual metaphor put forward a great challenge to the
traditional opinion of meaning. Translating is often believed to be an activity related to
the transference of meaning. Meaning makes it more interesting to study the translation
of conceptual metaphor. Before an in-depth study of translation of conceptual
metaphors in “the Report”, the background of the research, the research purpose and
its significance will be introduced in this chapter. And the research methods and
structure of the whole thesis will also be given.

1.1 Research Background

Since the publication of the multilingual version of “the Report”, it has attracted
the constant attention and research of scholars. This is the first time that foreign experts
have been invited to participate in the translation activity. The English translation of
“the Report” can be said to represent the highest level of English translation of Chinese
political texts. However, when searching for keywords of “the Report” in the CNKI,
the author finds that there are relatively few studies on the English translation of
conceptual metaphors in “the Report”. When the keywords “the Report” and
“Metaphor Translation” were input into CNKI, only 12 papers appeared. These 12
papers were all published in 2018. Among them, Zhu Siyi and Gu Jiapei analyzed “the
Report” from the perspective of translation functionalism. Li Tiejun and Yang
Wangping analyzed “the Report” from the perspective of building China’s international
discourse power. Wang Lili analyzed “the Report” from the perspective of translation
standpoint and technique. Wang Dawei and Li Peiyao discussed the English translation
of “the Report” from the perspective of flexible translation methods. Shao Yijia
explained the translation of “the Report” based on the equivalence theory. Hu Xinying
1
analyzed the English translation of “the Report”from the perspective of transformation
theory. Even though there are a few of researchers having made on “the Report” by the
searching in the CNKI, based on the above data, the author believes that the current
study on the translation of conceptual metaphors in “the Report” is far less than needed.
Based on Skopos Theory, the author explores the translation techniques of
conceptual metaphors in “the Report”, expecting to combine theory with practice and
use Skopos Theory to guide the translation practice of metaphor in political texts.

1.2 Research Purpose and Significance

As a typical representative of political discourse, “the Report” has substantial
contents and a clear framework. One of the major linguistic features of “the Report” is
the widespread use of metaphorical expressions, which makes it clearer and easier to
understand the abstract and obscure political concepts. It is necessary to make a detailed
analysis of how to translate these metaphorical expressions into correct and clear
English. From this point, the purpose of this thesis is to explore the translation of the
conceptual metaphors appearing in “the Report” from the perspective of Skopos Theory,
and analyze whether different translation techniques adopted in the process of
translating “the Report” can help the target language readers have a better
understanding of the Party’s principles and policies conveyed in “the Report”.
This thesis also has its practical significance. First of all, the thesis will identify
and categorize the conceptual metaphors in “the Report”. Meanwhile the thesis will
also explore and analyze the translation techniques of conceptual metaphors in “the
Report”. Through the comprehensive analysis of the metaphor and translation in “ the
Report”, the thesis will provide some reference for the translation practices of
conceptual metaphors in future political texts.
To conclude, the purpose of this thesis is to study the translation of different types
of conceptual metaphors appearing in “the Report”, analyzing whether different
translation techniques can help the target language readers better understand the Party’s
principles and policies conveyed in “the Report”, and to provide a reliable reference
guide for the translation of conceptual metaphors in Chinese political texts in the future.
2
 1.3 Research Questions
Considering there are many metaphorical expressions in “the Report”, it’s
necessary to study the translation techniques of different types of conceptual metaphors.
The purpose of this thesis is to analyze whether adopting different translation
techniques can help the target language readers better understand the Party’s principles
and policies conveyed in “the Report”, and to provide a reliable reference guide for the
translation of conceptual metaphors in Chinese political texts in the future. In order to
achieve this aim, some research questions are proposed:
1. What major types of conceptual metaphors are applied in “the Report”?
2. What techniques are used in translating the conceptual metaphors in“the
Report”?
3. What effects are achieved by adopting different translation techniques from
the perspective of Skopos Theory?

1.4 Research Methods

Metaphor identification is essential to the study. In order to have a more
comprehensive and effective analysis of conceptual metaphors, it is necessary to
correctly identify the metaphors firstly. In this thesis, the identification of metaphor is
divided into three steps: constructing a small corpus with “the Report” as a corpus,
using the AntCont for a fuzzy search, and finally using MIP to identify metaphors. In
order to identify candidate metaphors, the text needs to be carefully read, which should
take into account language standards, pragmatic standards and cognitive criteria, and
mark metaphorically expressions by the “formal intuition”. Units which usually adopts
their metaphorical meaning are regarded as metaphorical keywords (Charteris-Black,
2005). Metaphor keywords can be used to reduce the range of metaphors that should
be identified. But consistency results need to be qualitatively analyzed to determine
what can be considered as metaphors by MIP. Finally, the author repeats this process
to guarantee the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of metaphor recognition.
Pragglejaz Group introduced the Metaphor Identification Program (MIP) in 2007
which consists of three steps.
3
 The first step is to grasp a general meaning by reading the whole text/discourse.
And the second step is to divide the text/discourse into the lexical units. Each lexical
unit in the text has its own meaning in the context, and if the lexical units have more
basic current/contemporary meanings in other contexts than in the given context,
whether the contextual meanings are in contrast with the basic meanings should be
decided. The last step is to make sure that the contextual meaning of a lexical unit
contrasts with its basic meaning but can be understood, the lexical unit is marked as a
metaphor (Pragglejaz Group, 2007).The following example about metaphors
identification via MIP, which is selected from “the Report”, is explained step by step.
Example :
“我国国际影响力、感召力、塑造力进一步提高。”
(习近平，2017:13)
We have seen a further rise in China’s international influence, ability to inspire,
and power to shape.
(习近平，2017:14)
Step 1:Acquiring the meaning via reading the discourse.
By close reading the whole sentence, we can understand its meaning: China’s
international influence, motivation and shaping power have been further enhanced.
Step 2:According to the grammatical standard and its meaning, divide sentences
into several lexical units.
We(1) have(2) seen(3) a(4) further(5) rise(6) in(7) China’s(8) international(9)
influence(10),ability(11) to(12) inspire(13), and(14) power(15) to(16) shape(17).
On the basis of the grammatical structure and meaning of the sentence, it is divided
into 17 lexical units, and the meaning of each lexical unit in its context is established.
At the same time, the author observes that in this sentence, the term rise of the sixth
lexical unit has a relatively basic and contemporary meaning. According to the
interpretation of Longman Contemporary English Dictionary (2009), it is often used to
indicate the movement upward. In this context, the meaning of the term rise is
contrasted with its relatively basic meaning, but it can still be correctly understood by
comparison.

4
 Step 3:If the contextual meaning of a lexical unit contrasts with its basic meaning
but can be understood, consider the lexical unit as metaphorical expression.
Therefore, lexical unit (6) rise can be regarded as metaphorical expression in the
view of the above analysis.

1.5 Structure of Thesis

The thesis is divided into five chapters.
The first chapter is the introduction of this thesis, which casts a glance at the
research background, purpose and significance of studying the translation of
conceptual metaphors in “the Report”, put forward the research questions, introduce
research methods and demonstrate the structure of the whole thesis. The second chapter
is literature review. First of all, it will review the studies on the translation of conceptual
metaphors at home and abroad. Moreover, the review of studies on “the Report” will
be given. The theoretical framework of the whole thesis will be presented in the third
chapter. It will primarily introduce the Skopos Theory, including its formation and
development and three principles of the Skopos Theory. At the same it will also present
the enlightenment of Skopos Theory on the translation of conceptual metaphor in
political texts. The fourth chapter is the body of the whole thesis. It will analyze the
translation of the conceptual metaphors in “the Report” from the perspective of Skopos
Theory. First of all, it will make a classification of the conceptual metaphors. And then
the translation of different types of the conceptual metaphors in “the Report” will be
deeply discussed from the perspective of Skopos Theory. And then it will analyze the
translation techniques adopted in the process of translating “the Report”. what’s more,
it will also explore what effects can be achieved by adopting different translation
techniques. The fifth chapter is the conclusion part. It summarizes the whole thesis and
discusses the findings of this thesis and the limitations of this research will be

5
demonstrated in this part, and it will also put forward further suggestions for the future
study on the metaphor translation of political texts.

6
 Chapter Two Literature Review

The thesis will firstly review previous researches towards the translation of
conceptual metaphors in political texts abroad and at home in this chapter, providing
the fundamental platform for the further studies. And then the thesis will also make a
review of the studies on “the Report” at home presenting the necessity of further study .

2.1 Studies on Conceptual Metaphor Translation in Political

Discourses
The studies of conceptual metaphor translation have gone through three stages. In
the first development stage, scholars have studied metaphor translation at the level of
vocabulary, focusing on providing a set of rules for the target text. In the second
development phase, the studies of metaphor translation from a cultural perspective have
been explored by some scholars. And in the third development stage, the researches of
combining the metaphor translation with cognitive linguistics have been made by
scholars. The cognitive function of metaphors translation has been emphasized since
the book Metaphors We Live By was published. Since then studies on conceptual
metaphor translation have been flourish. In this part, the thesis will introduce an
overview of studies on the translation of conceptual metaphor in political texts abroad
and at home.
Abroad, more and more scholars have been inspired to study the conceptual
metaphor translation since the publication of Metaphors We Live By in 1980. The
researches of using cognitive approach to study conceptual metaphor translation are
obviously on the rise. Similar mapping conditions (SMC) and different mapping
conditions (DMC) were raised by Mandelblit in 1995. The two cognitive mapping
scheme conditions are called cognitive translation hypothesis which provides the
foundation for numbers of theses. Christina Schaffner analyzed conceptual metaphor
translation in some political literature and then presented five cases in 2004. These five
cases prove that they can be considered as potential candidates for translation methods,
emphasizing that the imminent descriptive approach to conceptual metaphor translation
7
from cognitive methods is on the way. Later on, the descriptive approach to the
conceptual metaphor translation has been emphasized on different types of text.
Newmark believes that metaphor translation techniques can be divided into several
types. The first type is literal translation which means preserve the same metaphor
image. The second type is translating it into simile with a obvious and concrete vehicle
word. And then it can also be replaced with the equivalent in the receptor language.
What’s more, it can also retain the same metaphor image, and directly explain the
similarity. And the last type of translation technique is interpretative translation
(Newmark, 2001:88-91).
At home, a new viewpoint and study target for translation studies are provided by
conceptual metaphor. The study of conceptual metaphor translation can be seen first
from the papers of Xiao Kunxue. He is fully convinced that in addition to a
phenomenon of figure of speech, the conceptual metaphor is also an effective approach
to the understanding and experiencing of an abstract thing through another familiar and
concrete thing. Moreover, Xiao Kunxue has made it clear that applying cognitive
methods to study metaphor translation is a new act to try (Xiao, 2005). This thesis is of
great importance because it is the first one that combines metaphor translation with
cognitive methods. Zhao Dongsheng has discussed the degree of translatability of
conceptual metaphors from Chinese to English, revealing that China mainly focuses on
the translatability in the studies of conceptual metaphor translation (Zhao, 2012).
Meanwhile, many scholars have elaborated the translation methods. Yu Gaofeng
emphasizes five methods of translating conceptual metaphors (Yu, 2011). The first
translation method is literal translation which means translating the conceptual
metaphors directly base on its literal meaning. The second translation method of
conceptual metaphor is free translation. And another translation method is simile
translation. Metonymy translation is the fourth translation method. And the last one is
retention of metaphors with additional meaning. Zhu Xiaomin and Zeng Guoxiu have
found a pattern of conceptual metaphor translation in modern political texts by using
parallel corpus tools in 2013. Lei Xiaofeng and Tian Jianguo preliminarily designed a
metaphor translation model based on Verschueren’s adaptation theory in 2004. Sun

8
Fenglan has explored the conceptual metaphor translation of Huangdi Neijing in three
translated versions, and believed that when translating conceptual metaphors, it is wise
and reasonable to apply a flexible translation method (Sun, 2013) . There are also many
other scholars pay attention to the translation of conceptual metaphor in various
theories.
However, it can be found that the studies of conceptual metaphor translation in
political discourse are far fewer than those of other types of discourse. Further testing
and verification of conceptual metaphor theory are needed. From the perspective of
Skopos Theory, the study of translation of the conceptual metaphors in political
discourses is more likely to find its own significance. On account of this reason, this
thesis focuses on the study of translation of the conceptual metaphors in “the Report”
from the perspective of Skopos Theory.

2.2 Studies on “the Report”

The English translation of “the Report” can be said to represent the highest level
of English translation of Chinese political texts. The studies toward “the Report” has
also aroused the interest of many scholars. The application of metaphorical expressions
is one of its characteristics in “the Report”, so how these metaphorical expressions are
translated should also be a focus of research. However, when the author searched the
keyword “the Report” and “metaphor translation” on CNKI, there are few retrieval
results, which makes it necessary for this thesis to study the conceptual metaphor
translation of “the Report”. The following is a review of scholars’ research on “the
Report”.
When typing the key words “the Report” and “metaphor translation” in CNKI,
there appears 42 academic papers in all. However, there are only 21 academic papers
are focusing on English translation of “the Report”. Other academic papers has been
written to mainly study Russian, Spanish, Japanese and French translation of it
respectively. What’s more, there are only 4 academic papers are from master degree
thesis, and other academic papers are from academic journals. In addition to, there are
only one paper is about the contrastive analysis of metaphor translation of “the Report”.
9
From the above statistics, it can be easily to reach a conclusion that the studies on
conceptual metaphor translation of “the Report” are far fewer than what is needed. In
the following part, all of these 21 papers will be commented in order to have a
comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the present situation of studies of
conceptual metaphor translation of “the Report”.
Among the 21 academic papers,only 8 academic papers were from influential
journals and they all were published in 2018. They conducted a more in-depth analysis
of the English translation of “the Report” from different perspectives. Zhu Siyi and Gu
Jiapei analyzed “the Report” from Functional Theory of Translation. Li Tiejun and
Yang Wangping analyzed “the Report” from the perspective of constructing China’s
international discourse power. Wang Lili analyzed “the Report” from the perspective
of translation position and technique. Wang Dawei and Li Peiyao explored the English
translation of “the Report” from the perspective of flexible translation methods. Shao
Yijia explained the English translation of “the Report” from the perspective of Political
Equivalence Theory. Qi Tian compares and analyzes the metaphor translation and
influencing factors of “the Report of 17th National Congress, the 18th National
Congress and the 19th National Congress”. Hu Xinying analyzed the English translation
of “the Report” from the perspective of Catford’s Translation Shift Theory.
The above-mentioned researchers have analyzed and discussed the English
translation of “the Report” from different perspectives, and made great contributions
to the studies of “the Report”. However, their researches still have limitations, being
not systematic and perfect. And the contents of the studies are not deep enough. At the
same time, the study of the conceptual metaphors translation of “the Report” is even
less.
From the above overview, we can conclude that “the Report” and its conceptual
metaphors translation are the areas that need further exploration and research. Although
scholars have conducted some research on “the Report” from different angles, there are
few studies on conceptual metaphors and their translations in “the Report”. Studies on
them will survive and thrive.

10
11
 Chapter Three Theoretical Framework

Skopos Theory is the core of the German Functionalist Translation Theory, which
originated in Germany in the 1970s. The word “Skopos” is derived from ancient Greek
and means “purpose”. This theory was first proposed by Hans Vermeer in the book
Framework for a General Translation Theory which was published in 1978. According
to Vermeer’s definition in the book, he believes that Skopos is a term used to express
the purpose or aim of translation. Providing the service to the recipient or audience is
the purpose of any translation behavior or technique. The translators having exact aims
and techniques are very important—of course, this is also true for the rationality of
translation: if you want to successfully complete the task, you must make sure Skopos
and its implementation(Flynn, 2004:280). In other words, from the perspective of
Skopos Theory, translation behavior is a kind of practice which has a certain purpose,
and is subject to various purposes. And the translators must take corresponding
translation actions for different purposes.
This chapter is divided into three parts to study the connotative significance of
Skopos Theory and its guiding significance to translation practices. The first part
briefly describes the formation and development stages of the theory, and summarizes
the main ideas and representative figures of each stage. The second part elaborates on
the three principles of Skopos Theory and its guiding significance to translation
practices. The third part discusses the enlightenment of Skopos Theory on the
conceptual metaphor translation of “the Report”.

3.1 The Formation and Development of Skopos Theory

Skopos Theory is an important branch of Functionalist Translation Theory, which
began in the late 1970s. Skopos Theory believes that translation behavior is of purpose,
and translation should pay attention to the realization of cross-cultural information
conversion, not just mechanical correspondence based on source text. This theory
overturns the central position of the original text emphasized by traditional translation
theory, but uses the purpose of the text as the first criterion of the translation process.
12
The formation and development of Skopos Theory has generally gone through four
stages. Its landmark representatives and theories are: Functional Category of
Translation Criticism of Katharina Reiss, Skopos Theory of Hans J. Vermeer’s, Theory
of Translation Action of Justa Holz Manttari, and Function plus Loyalty of Christiane
Nord’s (Zhang, 2008:13).
It can be divided into four stages during the development of Skopos Theory. The
first stage is the initial stage of the formation of Skopos Theory, represented by
Katharina Reiss. Reiss is the founder of the German Functional School. Translation
Criticism: Potentials and Limitations published by Reiss in 1971 formally proposed
the conception of theory of functionalism. Text analysis was first used as a new
standard for translation criticism. This is considered to be the prototype of translation
theory of the German Functional School and it’s also regarded as the earliest study of
Skopos Theory. Reiss also proposed the Text Typology and considered the translation
techniques should be determined by the main function of the text. It can be seen that
Reiss’s research laid the foundation for the formation of Skopos Theory. However,
limitations can also be found in Reiss’s theory. Equivalence proposed by Reiss is not
impossible to achieve in translation practices (Xie, 2008:136).
The representative translation theorist of Skopos Theory in the second stage is
Reiss’s student Hans J. Vermeer. Hans Vermeer broke through the limitations of his
mentor, Reiss’s adherence to the principle of equivalence, and established the Skopos
Theory—the fundamental theory of the functionalists. Vermeer wrote the Framework
for a General Translation Theory in 1984 and officially created the Skopos Theory.
Subsequently, in 1989 and 1996, the collection of papers Skopos and Commission in
Translation Action was published. Vermeer argued that translation is not a simple
conversion between languages, but an activity with specific purposes in his book
Skopos and Commission in Translation Action (Yang, 2009:353). In addition,
translation is a process of cross-cultural exchange, and translators should be proficient
in two or more cultures. Vermeer’s most important contribution to the Skopos Theory
is to propose three principles—skopos rule, coherence rule, and fidelity principle.
Vermeer’s Skopos Theory denies the previous translation criterion that pays too much

13
attention to the original text and mechanically evaluates the pros and cons of the
translation with a single standard, and emphasizes the translator’s subjective initiative.
This is the point of breakthrough of Vermeer’s Skopos Theory. He tried to bridge the
gap between practice and theory, and decided to use the “function of the target text”,that
is skopos to determine the translation process.
The representative of Skopos Theory in the third stage is Justa Holz Manttari.
Based on Vermeer’s Skopos Theory, in her masterpiece Translatorisches Handeln:
Theorie und Methode published in 1984, Manttari proposes the concept of translational
action and defines as the following: complex behaviors designed to achieve cross-
cultural, cross-language conversion (Yang, 2009:357). Manttari’s definition of the
word “translation” is also separated from the traditional connotation. It is considered
that there is a difference between “translation” and “translation behavior”. “Translation”
is a narrow concept in which the use of source text is concerned. And “translation
behavior” is a broad concept in which all the work done by the translator for translation
is involved, including cultural or technical references provided in the process of
translation. However, Manttari’s theory exists a major flaw that it over-emphasizes the
purpose of translation and ignores the loyalty to the original text, and even leads to the
departure from the original text.
The fourth stage of the development of Skopos Theory is the maturity stage of this
theory. The representative translation theorist is Christiane Nord. She has been the first
one that organized comprehensively and systematically the functional ideas of the
functional school in English, and further proposed Function plus Loyalty in the book
Text Analysis in Translation published in 1998, stressing the translator’s loyalty to the
original author and the target reader, and making up for the shortcomings of Skopos
Theory in translation practice. Nord believes that without the original text, there is no
translation. Free rewriting is not in the scope of translation. “Translators should be
responsible for the sender (or promoter) and target reader of the original
message”(Zhang, 2007:16). Nord has made a detailed explanation of the theory of
Function plus Loyalty in his book. He believed that “I regard ‘loyalty’ as a
responsibility among the translators” (Nord, 2001:128). From a bilateral perspective, it

14
is believed that loyalty makes the translators be loyal to the source and target of the
language. The concept of “loyalty” and “faithfulness” can’t be confused. Nord’s
Function plus Loyalty emphasizes the purpose of translation and also limits the scope
of the purpose to prevent disrespect for the original text. Nord is the perfection of
Skopos Theory, and her philosophy makes the theory truly mature.

3.2 Three Principles of Skopos Theory

Skopos Theory believes that translation is a purposeful behavior, but it does not
mean that the translator can do whatever he wants. Vermeer proposed three principles
of Skopos. The first is Skopos rule, the second one is Coherence rule, and the last
principle is Fidelity rule. Skopos rule is the first principle that translators should follow
among these three principles; Fidelity rule is subject to the principle of coherence; and
the Skopos rule is superior to both Coherence rule and Fidelity rule.

3.2.1 Skopos Rule

Skopos rule is more important than another two principle of Skopos Theory, which
is the first principle that translators should follow in the translation process. Skopos
Theory believes that there are three purposes for translation behavior. First of all, it’s
the purpose of the translator. What’s more, it’s the communicative purpose of the
translation. And the last one is the purpose to be achieved by using a special means
(Liu, 2009:378). The essence of the Skopos Rule is “the end justifies the means”. Under
the guidance of this principle, when translating the original text into a translated
language, the translator should fully consider the communicative purpose of the
translation, the cultural and historical environment of the translated language, and the
influence on the target audience.
Combined with specific translation practices, the principle holds that the true
intent of the political text, the actual effect expected, and the substance of the text are
what the translator should really care about. In contrast, whether the translation
corresponds to the original text form can be flexibly adjusted. The translator should
accurately understand the purpose of the political text, make the translation consistent
15
with the purpose of intercultural communication, and adopt appropriate translation
techniques. Taking the study of “the Report of the 19th National Congress” as the case,
this thesis discuss how to convey its substantive content beyond the form, so that the
translation achieves the essential intention of meeting the purpose of communication.
In this case, Skopos rule has a strong guiding significance.

3.2.2 Coherence Rule

Coherence rule refers to the relationship between the translation and the recipient
of the translation. The translation must be in accordance with the intra-textual
coherence. The translation which has a certain meaning in a certain context should be
understood by the recipient (Zhang, 2007:20). Specifically, the cultural factors should
be emphasized according to the coherence rule in the translation process. When the
translator follows or applies this rule, he should fully consider the background culture
of the reader, and avoid a major culture conflict making the translation more readable
and acceptable, so as to better achieve the communicative purpose of translation.
Combined with the research case of this thesis, for such a text that clearly reflects
China’s national conditions, social conditions, and people’s sentiments, translators
should raise awareness of cross-cultural communication and take the initiative to pay
attention to the differences in understanding of the same things in different cultures,
especially the Chinese situation may cause bias in understanding for the recipient of
the target language. For some expressions with obvious Chinese characteristics, it is
necessary to pay attention to the translation in a way that the target readers can
understand and accept. At the same time, translations of such political texts require
translators to take note of this with their high political sensitivity and importance. The
translator actively adjusts the translation techniques and consciously enhances the
readability and acceptability of the translation for the target audience. This is also the
proper meaning of the coherence rule.

3.2.3 Fidelity Rule

The Fidelity rule believes that the translation is as consistent as possible with the
original text. It is different from the concept of “faithfulness” emphasized by general
16
translation theory. This is because the Fidelity principle under the Skopos Theory holds
that “ the purpose of the translation and the translator’s understanding of the original
text determined the degree of fidelity and form” (Zhong,1999:3).That is to say, the
realization of the Fidelity principle depends on three factors. First of all, it’s the purpose
of the source language. The second factor is the translator’s understanding of the source
language. And the last one is the translator’s decoding of the source language based on
this understanding. If an agreement is reached between the three, the translator follows
the Fidelity Principle. Vermeer believes that since translation is to reproduce the
information provided by the predecessors, interlingual consistency should exist
between the original text and the translation. Interlingual consistency can be a faithful
imitation of the original text (Zhang, 2008:20).
Skopos Theory believes that when the three principles conflict in translation
activities and cannot simultaneously take into account, they often sacrifice the fidelity
principle, choose the coherence rule and the skopos rule, or sacrifice the fidelity
principle and coherence rule to choose the skopos rule. It can be seen that among the
three principles of Skopos Theory, the skopos rule is the supreme rule of the dominant
position (Zhang, 2007:21). Therefore, the translator must always pay attention to the
purpose of translation. The principle of coherence and the principle of fidelity can be
flexibly adapted to achieve the communicative purpose of translation on the basis of
the Skopos rule.

3.3 The Enlightenment of Skopos Theory on the Conceptual

Metaphors Translation of “the Report”
Gentzler has proposed in Contemporary Translation Theories that Skopos Theory
is one of the two most important transformations in translation theory research over the
past two decades (Gentzler, 2001:194) . Taking the purpose of translation as the starting
point and foundation of the translation task breaks the limitation of the traditional
equivalence theory, greatly transforms the original translation concept, and more
importantly, the theory has strong practical significance and operability. The translation
of “the Report” studied in this thesis belongs to the representative translation of
17
political discourse and conceptual metaphors have their own special purposes in “the
Report”. Skopos Theory has a strong enlightenment on how to correctly and
appropriately translate the purposes of conceptual metaphors in political texts.
Combining the translation ideas advocated by Skopos Theory and the
characteristics of “the Report” and translation requirements, this thesis believes that
Skopos Theory has obvious application value to its translations. On the one hand,
Skopos Theory believes that translation is not a literal conversion in a simple sense, but
a cross-cultural communication behavior. The translator should comprehensively
consider a variety of social and cultural factors besides language factors, and flexibly
choose appropriate translation techniques to achieve the communication purpose of
translation activities. In particular, the three principles of Skopos Theory emphasize the
translator should pay attention to acceptance and understanding of the target readers,
and convey the meaning of the original text with the target readers as the guide. On the
other hand, first of all, translation activities such as “the Report” have a strong political
purpose and represent the principles, policies and positions of the state and the Party.
Based on this, the translators should accurately understand the true intentions and
substance of “the Report” to avoid political mistakes and achieve more effective
communication purposes. This is also the embodiment of the core concept of the skopos
rule. Secondly, in the process of translating “the Report”, translators should consider
the context, culture and other factors, paying special attention to the understanding and
acceptance of the target readers, and whether the response of the target readers meets
the text content and intentions to regulate your own translation. This is consistent with
the coherence principle, which emphasizes that the translator considers the cultural
background of the recipient in the translation activities. Considering the differences
between Chinese and Western cultures, the translation enables the readers to accept and
understand, and thus obtain the same experience as the source recipient. Thirdly, “the
Report” is an informational text. Translators should pay attention to the full and
complete reproduction of the original text, and try to maintain the maximum loyal
imitation of the original text. But at the same time, under the premise of ensuring the
accurate conveyance of the substantive content and true intentions of the text, the

18
translator allows the appropriate translation techniques to be used to handle the
translation flexibly.
Therefore, Skopos Theory is of great practical guiding significance and
application value to the metaphors translation of political texts with communicative
purposes such as “the Report”.

19
 Chapter Four Translation of the Conceptual Metaphors in
“the Report” from the Perspective of Skopos Theory

A large number of conceptual metaphorical expressions are used in “the Report”,

which is a typical political text. How these metaphorical expressions are translated is
the focus of this study. This chapter will focus on the analysis and discussion of the
translation of conceptual metaphors in “the Report”. Firstly, this chapter will analyze
different types of conceptual metaphors in “the Report”. And then this chapter will
analyze the translation of different types of conceptual metaphors in “the Report”,
discussing what effects are achieved by adopting different translation techniques from
the perspective Skopos Theory. At last this chapter will make an analysis of the
translation techniques of the conceptual metaphors in “the Report”.

4.1 Categorizations of the Conceptual Metaphors in “the Report”

Lakoff and Johnson have distinguished three categorizations of conceptual
metaphors on the basis of different source domains (Lakoff and Johnson,1980) . They
are structural metaphors, ontological metaphors and orientational metaphors. Each
category can be further divided into subcategories. However, their categorizations are
not always applied in all the texts. Referring to Lakoff’s classification, this thesis finds
that conceptual metaphors appearing in “the Report” can be mainly divided into ten
types, including construction metaphor, journey metaphor, war metaphor, family
metaphor, human metaphors, plant metaphors, animal metaphors, container metaphors,
circle metaphors and up/down metaphor. The concrete conceptual metaphorical
expressions used in “the Report” explain more abstract and complex concepts,
reflecting the cognitive mechanism of the source language.
Charteris-Black has given exact interpretation of conceptual metaphors in political
discourse in detail, such as WORTHWHILE ACTIVITY IS BUILDING and SOCIETY

20
IS BUIDING (Charteris-Black, 2004:60) . He has proposed that a positive attitude
would always be reflected by metaphors based on this kind of source domain. With the
rapid development of China, most of places are being built. Building has become a
familiar part of Chinese people. Broadly speaking, buildings in construction metaphors
can be mansions, bridges, walls or parts of buildings, such as doors, windows,
backyards or corridors. In addition, the construction process of buildings may be
included in the construction metaphors. The construction metaphor tends to consider
abstract things as physical objects. Take the development of economy of a country as
an example. In the construction metaphor, the economic development of a country
always can be regarded as the process of building a house. Keywords of construction
metaphor “建成” “建设” “健全” “建立” “构建” “基础” and “巩固” are usually
adopted in “the Report”. For example, there is a sentence in “the Report” “全面加强
党 的 领 导 和 党 的 建 设 ”. In this sentence, the conceptual metaphor CHINESE
COMMUNIST PARTY IS BUILDING is reflected. The Chinese Communist Party is
regarded as a grand construction work, and all the Party members should make their
contributions to the building. The Chinese Communist Party is an abstract concept
which is hard to understand, but the building is a concrete thing which can be seen in
people’s daily life which is much easier to understand. The concrete conceptual
metaphorical expressions used in “the Report” explain more abstract and complex
concepts, reflecting the cognitive mechanism of the source language.
Similarly, when reading “the Report”, the author finds that there are many similar
metaphorical expressions, which interpret some abstract and complex concepts through
concrete things. Therefore, in this thesis, the author mainly divides the conceptual
metaphors in “the Report” into ten ten types, including construction metaphor, journey
metaphor, war metaphor, family metaphor, human metaphors, plant metaphors, animal
metaphors, container metaphors, circle metaphors and up/down metaphor.

21
 4.2 Translation of the Conceptual Metaphors in “the Report”

According to the above analysis, there are major ten types of conceptual
metaphors in “the Report”, the following part will analysis and discuss the translation
of different types of conceptual metaphors and what effects can be achieved by
adopting different translation techniques from the perspective of Skopos Theory.

A.Translation of Construction Metaphors

Charteris-Black has given exact interpretation of conceptual metaphors in political
discourse in detail, such as WORTHWHILE ACTIVITY IS BUILDING and SOCIETY
IS BUIDING (Charteris-Black, 2004:60) . He has proposed that a positive attitude
would always be reflected by metaphors based on this kind of source domain. With the
rapid development of China, most of places are being built. Building has become a
familiar part of Chinese people. Broadly speaking, buildings in construction metaphors
can be mansions, bridges, walls or parts of buildings, such as doors, windows,
backyards or corridors. In addition, the construction process of buildings may be
included in the construction metaphors. In the construction metaphor, the economic
development of a country always can be regarded as the process of building a house.
Keywords of construction metaphor “建成” “建设” “健全” “建立” “构建” “基础” and
“巩固” in “the Report” are usually adopted in “the Report”. In the following part, the
translation of several construction metaphorical expressions will be discussed.
Examples:
(1) 全面加强党的领导和党的建设。
(习近平，2018:15)
We have made sweeping efforts to strengthen Party leadership and Party building.
(习近平，2018:16)
(2)不想腐的堤坝正在构筑。
(习近平，2018:15)
The anti-corruption campaign has built into a crushing tide.
(习近平，2018:16)
(3)……为当代中国一切发展进步奠定了根本政治前提和制度基础。
22
 (习近平，2018:29)
…it created the fundamental political conditions and the institution foundation for
achieving all development and progress in China today.
(习近平，2018:30)
(4)从现在到 2020 年，是全面建成小康社会决胜期。
(习近平，2018:63)
The period between now and 2020 will be decisive in finishing the building of a
moderately prosperous society in all respects.
(习近平，2018:64)
The term of “建设”, “基础”, “构筑” and “建成”are the key words of construction
metaphorical expressions in the above four examples, which reflect four conceptual
metaphors respectively. That is CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY (CCP) IS
BUILDING ， ANTI-CORRUPTION IS BUILDING, SOCIAL INSTITUTION IS
BUILDING and A MODERATELY PROSPEROUS SOCIETY IS BUILDIG. The
Chinese Communist Party, anti-corruption, social institution and a moderately
prosperous society are all regarded as a new and grand construction work in the above
examples, and all party members should make their own contributions to help the the
building.
Observing the translation of “the Report”, the author finds that metaphorical
keywords “建设”, “基础”, “构筑” and “建成” are translated literally into building,
built and foundation. These translations retain the conceptual metaphorical expression
in the original text. The author holds that the main reason may be that “the Report”, as
a typical political text, has its own political purpose of conveying the Party’s principles
and policies. The translator will fully follow this purpose in the process of translation.
At the same time, taking the cultural background of the target language and the source
language into consideration, readers in the two cultural backgrounds have similar
cognitive patterns towards the building. Finally, “the Report” is also an information
text, having its own information to convey. So the translation should be faithful to the
original text. Therefore, through the above analysis, retaining the same conceptual
metaphor as the original text in the process of translation conforms to the three

23
principles of Skopos Theory.

B.Translation of Journey Metaphors

The journey metaphor can help readers effectively understand the values of
political texts and political ideology. Lakoff has defined that the purposeful activity is
a journey along a path towards a destination. Charteris-Black made a summary of
journey metaphor in political discourse and then concluded that purposeful social
activity is a traveling along a path towards a destination and social development is a
journey (Charteris-Black, 2004:74). Through the journey metaphor, we can understand
that national development, in which political, economic, social and cultural
development are included, is often a long road having destinations. By reading the text
of “the Report” carefully, the author finds that journey metaphor is the second most
important type of conceptual metaphors in “the Report”. In the following part, this
thesis will explore and discuss how the journey metaphor in “the Report” is translated
and what effects are achieved from the perspective of Skopos Theory.
Examples:
(5)我们党……开辟了中国特色社会主义道路，使中国大踏步赶上时代。
(习近平，2018:31)
…embarking on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Thus was
China able to stride ahead to catch up with the times.
(6)攻克了一个又一个看似不可攻克的难关。
(习近平，2018:31)
Thus we have, again and again, overcome the seemingly insurmountable and
created miracle upon miracle.
(习近平，2018:31)
(7)明确全面深化改革总目标是完善和发展中国特色社会主义制度、推进国家治
理体系和治理能力现代化。
(习近平，2018:45)
It makes clear that the overall goal of deepening reform in every field is to improve
and develop the system…

24
 (习近平，2018:46)
(8) 国家和军队建设正站在新的历史起点上。
(习近平，2018:129)
We have reached a new historical starting point in strengthening national defense
and the armed forces.
(习近平，2018:130)
(9)我们党……，就一定能够引领承载者中国人民伟大梦想的航船破浪前进，驶
向胜利的彼岸。
(习近平，2018:171)
…we can and will navigate the great ship bearing the great dream of the Chinese
people to conquer the waves and reach our destination.
(习近平，2018:172)
In the above examples, “道路”, “大踏步”, “难关”, “目标” “起点” and “彼岸”
are all keywords of journey metaphor. They respectively embody several conceptual
metaphors, including SOCIALISM WITH CHINESE CHARACTERISTICS IS
JOURNEY, CHINA’S DEVELOPMENT IS JOURNEY, WORK OF CHINESE
COMMUNIST PARTY IS JOURNEY AND REFORM AND OPENING UP IS
JOURNEY. In the above examples, the socialism with Chinese characteristics, China’s
development, work of Chinese Communist Party and reform and opening up are
regarded as journey. In the following, the author will discuss in detail how these journey
metaphors are translated from the perspective of Skopos Theory.
In the examples (7) (8) and (9), the key words of the journey metaphor “目标”
“彼岸” and “起点” are translated directly into goal destination and starting point,
retaining the same conceptual metaphor as the original text. However, in the example
(6),the author finds that the term “难关” in the original text has not been translated and
it has been omitted. Unlike the other three examples, the key word of the journey
metaphor “大踏步” in example the (5) has been translated into stride ahead, although
the word stride retains the original conceptual metaphor in “the Report”, but ahead
emphasizes the concept of the way forward. The translation technique of translating the
conceptual metaphor into the same category with different silence is applied.

25
 Through the analysis of the five examples mentioned above, the keywords of
travel metaphor in “the Report” have adopted different translation techniques,
including translating the conceptual metaphor into the same category with same silence,
translating the conceptual metaphor into the same category with different silence and
omission. From the perspective of Skopos Theory, these different translation
techniques are applied to meet three principles. First of all, according to the skopos rule,
there are the purpose of translator and the purpose of communication to be achieved in
the process of translation. Combined with the specific translation practices, especially
the translation of political texts, skopos rule holds that the translator should pay
attention to the actual intent of the original texts. The main purpose of “the Report” is
to convey the Party’s line,principles and policies. Therefore, in the process of
translation, the translator must follow the principle of this purpose. Secondly, the
coherence rule emphasize the cultural factors in the translation process. What’s more,
the fidelity rule believes that the translation should be consistent as possible with the
original text, maximizing the meaning of the original text. At the same time, skopos
rule is the first principle that translator should follow among them.
According to the above analysis, take the example (5) as a case. The term “道路”
is translated into “path” directly retaining the original conceptual metaphor. The
translation technique of translating conceptual metaphor into the same category is
adopted. From the perspective of Skopos Theory, adopting this translation technique
can help the target language readers understand more accurately the unremitting efforts
made and the difficulties and setbacks encountered by the Communists. The term “大
踏步”is translated as stride ahead. Although stride retains the original conceptual
metaphor, ahead emphasizes the direction of progress, applying the translation
technique of translating conceptual metaphor into the same category with different
salience. From the perspective of Skopos theory, translation like this can convey better
that socialism with Chinese characteristics has made great contribution to the
development of China. Similarly, although the journey metaphorical expressions in the
example (6) (7) (8) and (9) adopt different translation techniques, from the perspective
of Skopos Theory, they conform to the three principles, and make it easier for target

26
language readers to understand the Party’s principles and policies conveyed in “the
Report” more accurately.

C. Translation of War Metaphor

China once was under the aggression and oppression of Western powers. The
Chinese people fought bloody battles in the revolutionary war and overthrew the “three
great mountains” that were pressed against them before they established the new China.
The revolutionary nature of the Communist Party and the modern war experience in
China made the war metaphor an important part of Chinese political discourse. Even
though most people are far away from the war, they can still learn more about the war
through different channels. In the war metaphor, it can be generalized that POLITICS
IS WAR (Charteris-Black, 2004). In the war, it’s necessary to try the best to defeat the
“enemies”. The same is true of the development of social and political life. We need to
overcome the problems and difficulties in the process of national development.
The key words of the war metaphor cover most aspects of the war “the Report”,
such as“指挥”
“胜利”“绝胜”“打赢”“战略”“斗争”etc. These aspects of war
can be partially mapped onto the target domain. There are some typical war
metaphorical expressions in “the Report”. In the following part, the translation of these
metaphorical expressions of war will be analyzed and discussed from the perspective
of Skopos Theory.
Example:
(10)一些改革部署和重大政策措施需要进一步落实。
(习近平，2018:19)
Some reform plans and major policies and measures need to be better
implemented.
(习近平，2018:20)
(11)加强理论武装，推动新时代中国特色社会主义思想深入人心。
(习近平，2018:97)
We will better arm ourselves with theory and increase the public appeal of the
Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

27
 (习近平，2018:98)
(12)坚决打赢脱贫攻坚战。
(习近平，2018:115)
Winning the battle against poverty.
(习近平，2018:116)
(13)中国将高举和平、发展、合作、共赢的旗帜。
(习近平，2018:141)
China will continue to hold high the banner of peace, development, cooperation,
and mutual benefit.
(习近平，2018:142)
(14)当前，反腐败斗争形势依然严峻复杂，巩固压倒性态势、夺取压倒性胜利的
决心必须坚如磐石。
(习近平，2018:165)
Currently, the fight against corruption remains grave and complex; we must
remain as firm as a rock in our resolve to build on the overwhelming momentum and
secure a sweeping victory.
(习近平，2018:166)
The words of “部署”, “武装”, “打赢”, “旗帜”, “斗争” and “夺取胜利” which
appear in the above examples, are all the keywords of war metaphor in “the Report”.
Every metaphorical expression in the examples embodies a conceptual metaphor, as
SOCIALISM WITH CHINESE CHARACTERISTICS IS WAR, REFORM AND
OPENING UP IS WAR, CHINA’S DEVELOPMENT IS WAR , ANTI-CORRUPTION
IS WAR, and POVERTY ALLEVIATION IS WAR. Socialism with Chinese
Characteristics, reform and opening up, China’s development, anti-corruption and
poverty are regarded as war. The translation of these war metaphor will be discussed in
the following part.
In the example (10), strategic deployment must be implemented to win the victory
of reform and opening up. “部署” is a key word of war metaphor in “the Report”,
however, it is translated directly into plans, adopting the translation technique of
translating conceptual metaphor into non-metaphorical expression. This is because the

28
word plan can convey the purpose of original texts from the perspective of Skopos
Theory. In the example (11), the key word of war metaphor “武装” is translated into
arm, adopting the translation technique of translating conceptual metaphor into
different category. In the example (12) (13) and (14), the key words of war metaphor
“打赢”, “旗帜”, “斗争” and “夺取胜利” are translated into winning the battle, banner,
fight and secure victory, employing the translation of translating conceptual metaphor
into the same category.
Through analysis, although the keywords of war metaphor in the above examples
adopt different translation techniques, they all conform to three principles from the
perspective of Skopos Theory. For example, the metaphorical keyword “部署” in the
example (10) is translated into plans. From the perspective of Skopos Theory, this may
be due to the fact that reform and opening-up is a unique vocabulary in China. So as to
attain better purposes of communication, translation technique of translating
conceptual metaphor into non-metaphorical expression is adopted. In the example (11),
the keyword of war metaphor “武装” is translated as arm, adopting the translation
technique of translating conceptual metaphor into different category. In primitive
society, people first learned to fight with their arms and fists. Arm is the most primitive
weapon of human beings, so the word has the meaning of preparing oneself for a
military confrontation. From the perspective of Skopos Theory, translating “武装” into
arm can help target language readers better understand the hard struggle and
unremitting efforts of Communists of China into the hearts of the people. Like the
examples (12) and (13), example (14) also adopts translation technique of translating
conceptual metaphor into the same category, as the term “斗争” is translated as fight,
and the term “夺取胜利” is translated as secure victory. In the example (14), anti-
corruption is not easy. What we should do is to win long, complicated and hard
struggles and try our best to destroy the enemies. The cognitive model of the conceptual
metaphor that anti-corruption is war is similar in both the original and the target culture.
Therefore, in order to meet the purpose of the original text, the translation technique of
translating conceptual metaphor into the same category is adopted.

D. Translation of Family Metaphor

29
 The family plays a very important part in traditional culture of China. The
ideology of Chinese traditional culture can be presented with a strong effect and
influence. “The term guojia or ‘state-family’ is a good starting point for understanding
the enormous and unusual role of the families in shaping China’s political system,
business practices and other aspects of life.” said Liu Dilin in 2002. Family
metaphors have been always applied by politicians to evoke the spirit of unity and
patriotism. There are some typical family metaphorical expressions in “the Report”. In
this part, the translation of family metaphors that are shown in “the Report” will be
explored according to the guide of Skopos Theory .
Example:
(15)坚持党的领导，人民当家作主。
(习近平，2018:51)
Seeing that the people run the country.
(习近平，2018:52)
(16)我们呼吁，各国人民同心协力，构建人类命运共同体。
(习近平，2018:145)
We call on the people of all countries to work together to build a community with
a shared future for mankind.
(17)保护好人类赖以生存的地球家园。
(习近平，2018:145)
Protect our planet for the sake of human survival.
(习近平，2018:145)
In the above examples, the terms “家” “共同体” and “家园”, which are the
keywords of family metaphor in “the Report”, embody the conceptual metaphor that
OUR COUNTRY IS A FAMILY and THE WORLD IS A FAMILY. Both our country
and the world are regarded as a family. And the translation of these metaphorical
expressions of family will be discussed in the following part.
Observing the translation, the fact that the three examples in the above adopt
different translation techniques can be found. In the example (15), the term “当家” is
translated into run the country, adopting the translation technique of translating

30
conceptual metaphor into non-metaphorical expression. In the example (16), the
keyword of family metaphor “共同体” is translated into a community, adopting the
translation technique of translating conceptual metaphor into non-metaphorical
expression. However, the example (17) applies the different translation technique from
the example (15) and (16). The keyword of family metaphor “家园” is omitted in the
process of translation. In the following part, this thesis will analyze and discuss the
reasons why different translation techniques are adopted for family keywords in “the
Report” from the perspective of Skopos Theory.
The family metaphor in the above examples is based on the cognition of “the
country is the family and the people are the children”. Example (15) maps the dominant
relationship between the people and the state by the ownership relationship between
family members and families, highlighting the status of the people in the country.
However, in the culture of target language, this kind of cognition doesn’t exist.
Therefore, the translation technique of translating conceptual metaphor into non-
metaphorical expression is adopted to achieve the purpose of communication. Similarly,
in the example (16), the family is regarded as “共同体” in China. There is an old saying
that “honour one and you honour them all” to describe the family relationship in China.
However, there is no such cognitive model in the target language culture. Therefore, in
order to achieve communicative purposes, the family metaphor keyword “共同体” in
the original text is translated into a community. In the process of translation, the key
word “家园” in the example (17) is omitted, which also conforms to the three principles
of Skopos Theory. It’s because that the target language readers have the similar
cognition of the earth as the original language readers. It’s everyone’s consensus that
we all live on the earth and earth is our common home. Therefore, even without
translating the word “家园” can achieve the purpose of communication and be faithful
to the original text.
Through the above analysis, whether the keywords of family metaphor in “the
Report” are omitted or translated into different categories is to convey the information
of political texts, achieving communicative purposes.

E. Translation of Human-being Metaphor

31
 In the political discourse, the development of a nation is usually regarded as the
growth of a human being. There are also a number of typical human-being metaphorical
expressions in “the Report”. The translation of some examples of human-being
metaphor in “the Report” will be analyzed in the following parts.
Example:
(18)党的面貌，国家的面貌……，中华民族的面貌发生了前所未有的变化。
(习近平，2018:21)
Our Party, our country…and our nation have changed in ways without precedent.
(习近平，2018:22)
(19)我们党都初心不改、矢志不渝。
(习近平，2018:31)
Our Party has never forgotten its founding mission, nor wavered in its pursuit.
(习近平，2018:32)
(20)全党要……勇于直面问题，敢于刮骨疗毒。
(习近平，2018:35)
…to face problems squarely, be braced for the pain.
(习近平，2018:36)
(21)只有社会主义才能救中国。
(习近平，2018:49)
Only with socialism can we save China.
(习近平，2018:50)
In the above examples, the words “心”, “面貌”, “直面”, “刮骨疗毒” and “救”
are all keywords of human-being metaphors. They embody the conceptual metaphors
that CHINA IS A PERSON, and CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY IS A PERSON. In
“the Report”, both China and Chinese Communist Party are regarded as a person. For
example, the word “面貌” refers to the appearance of the person. The word “救” means
saving a person, which is the process only a human being involved. Needless to say,
the word “心” means the heart of a person. And in the example (20), there is a human-
being metaphor keyword “刮骨疗毒”, which means scraping the venom deep into the
bone with a knife to achieve the purpose of treatment. Although these words are all

32
keywords of human-being metaphor, they are translated with different translation
techniques.
In the example (18), the keyword of human-being metaphor “面貌” is omitted in
the process of translation, which maybe due to that the readers of two cultural
backgrounds have the same cognition of appearance, and omitting can avoid
redundancy. In the example (19), the keyword of human-being metaphor “心” is
translated into mission, adopting the translation technique of translating conceptual
metaphor into non-metaphorical expression. From the perspective of Skopos Theory,
the reason for adopting this translation technique is to achieve the purpose of conveying
information that CCP should always remain original aspiration and keep its mission in
mind. In the example (20), the word “刮骨疗毒” is a word with Chinese characteristics.
It comes from an allusion in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Because the different
cultural background between target language and original language, the translation
technique of translating conceptual metaphor into same category with different salience
is adopted in order to achieve the purpose of communication and be faithful to the
original text. In the example (21), the keyword of human-being metaphor “救” is
translated into save to reveal the importance of socialism in China.
According to the above analysis, although different translation techniques, such
as translating conceptual metaphor into same category, translating conceptual metaphor
into non-metaphorical expression and omission, have been adopted in the process of
translating the keywords of human-being metaphor in “the Report”, they all meet three
principles from the perspective of Skopos Theory.

F. Translation of Circle Metaphor

Kennedy has proposed that a circle can be symbolic, which can represent an
abstract idea (Kennedy, 1997:546). At the same time, the concept of circle “圈” has
taken a deep root in Chinese ancient culture.The circle metaphor is also can be seen in
“the Report”. Here are a few examples to analyze the translation of circle metaphor in
“the Report” from the perspective of Skopos Theory.
Example:

33
(22)深入贯彻以人民为中心的发展思想。
(习近平，2018:9)
Our vision of making development people-centered has been acted on.
(习近平，2018:9)
(23)确保党……在坚持和发展中国特色社会主义的历史进程中始终成为坚强领
导核心。
(习近平，2018:39)
We must see that…and that as history progressed and we continue to uphold and
develop socialism with Chinese characteristics, the Party remains always a powerful
leadership core.
(习近平，2018:40)
In the above examples, a circle metaphor that IMPORTANT IS CENTER is
generated from the two metaphorical keywords “中心” “核心”. The translation of the
keywords of the circle metaphor will be discussed in the following parts based on the
guidance of Skopos Theory.
In the example (22) and (23), the keywords of circle metaphor “中心” and “核心”
are translated directly into centered and core respectively, retaining the original
conceptual metaphor, which employ the translation technique of translating conceptual
metaphor into same category. From the perspective of Skopos Theory, people’s
cognition of the center is similar in the two cultural backgrounds. This translation
technique is adopted to emphasize the importance of the people and the Party, achieving
communicative purposes and to be faithful to the original text to make the target
language readers have a better understanding of the people’s and Party’s status in China.

G. Translation of Plant Metaphor

It is a complete process to grow a plant. First of all, the seeds of a plant should be
rooted in the soil, and then it will sprout and bear fruits. What’s more, it will end its life
after some time. At the same, in the growth process of the plant, it will also need many
other things, for example, it cannot grow without the natural environment and the care
of human being. Therefore, mapping these characteristics of plants to the target domain

34
can help readers better understand some complex abstract concepts. In “the Report”,
there are quite a few typical plant metaphors, of which translation are explained in
detail below from the perspective of Skopos Theory.
Example:
(24)党在革命性锻造中更加坚强，焕发出新的强大生机活力。
(习近平，2018:17)
Revolutionary tempering has made our Party stronger and it now radiates with
great validity.
(习近平，2018:18)
(25)中国特色社会主义文化……，植根于中国特色社会主义伟大实践。
(习近平，2018:95)
…socialist culture…, and it is rooted in the great practice of socialism with
Chinese characteristics.
(习近平，2018:96)
(26) 保持香港、澳门长期繁荣稳定，必须全面贯彻“一国两制”……方针。
(习近平，2018:135)
To maintain long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao, it is
imperative to fully and faithfully implement the policies of “one country, two
systems”….
(习近平，2018:136)
In most cases, the roots of plants are buried in the land. By absorbing the nutrients
in the soil and supplying the plants to grow, the plants can maintain their vitality. The
above examples map the concept of plants to the Chinese Communist Party, socialist
culture, and socialist system. And then looking at the translation, in the example (24)
(25) and example (26), the keywords of plant metaphor “焕发活力” “植根” and “繁
荣” are directly translated into radiates validity , rooted in and prosperity respectively
retaining the original plant metaphor. From the perspective of Skopos theory, adopting
this kind of translation technique is to emphasize that the Chinese Communist Party,
socialist culture and social system must conform to the Chinese social environment in
order to continue to develop, making the target language readers understand the

35
importance of China’s actual condition more vivid and accurately.

H. Translation of Container Metaphor

Containers can be used to understand and experience abstract concepts that are
independent of the container. Some of the container metaphorical expressions are used
in “the Report”. The following is an analysis of translation of these container
metaphorical expressions under the guidance of the Skopos Theory.
Example:
(27)在实现中国梦的生动实践中放飞青春梦想。
(习近平，2018:173)
In the course of realizing the Chinese dream, fulfill your youthful dreams.
(习近平，2018:174)
In example (27), practice is regarded as a container, and everyone can achieve
their dreams in the practice of realizing the Chinese dream. However, the keyword of
container metaphor “在…中” is translated into in the course of adopting the translation
technique of translating conceptual metaphor into different category. The implications
for the adoption of this translation technique are described in detail below.
From the perspective of Skopos Theory, the implication for adopting this
translation technique is to achieve communicative purposes. Because the Chinese
dream is a vocabulary with Chinese characteristics, the process of realizing the Chinese
dream requires the common efforts of the Chinese people. The original text holds that
the process of realizing the Chinese dream is a container. Everyone is a member of the
container and should make his own contribution to the realization of the Chinese dream.
However, in the target language culture, readers do not have the same cognition of it.
Therefore, in order to achieve the communicative purpose and make the target language
readers better understand the realization of the Chinese dream, this process is translated
into different conceptual metaphors, that is, the travel metaphors in the translated text,
because people of the two cultural backgrounds have similar cognition of the travel
metaphors. At the same time, its translation into the form of prepositional phrases is
also faithful to the original text. In short, the adoption of translating conceptual

36
metaphor into different category conforms to the three principles of Skopos Theory.

I. Translation of Animal Metaphor

Animal metaphor is a type of conceptual metaphor that is ubiquitous in language
expression. Generally speaking, different animal species have different connotations
and emotional colors. In Chinese, bull “ 牛 ” stands for strength and has positive
emotional colors, such as “bull market”; bear “熊” stands for weakness, with negative
emotions such as “bear market”. Animal metaphors in political texts are also very
common. Zedong Mao used the “paper tiger” to metaphorize the reactionaries of being
outwardly strong and inwardly weak. There are also many animal metaphorical
expressions appearing in “the Report”, such as “牛鼻子” “虎” “蝇” and “狐”. In the
following part, this thesis will explore the translation of these metaphorical expressions
from the perspective of Skopos Theory.
Example:
(28)坚持反腐败无禁区、全覆盖、零容忍，坚定不移“打虎”
、“拍蝇”、
“猎狐”，
不敢腐的目标初步完成。
(习近平，2018:15)
…We have taken firm action to “ take out tigers”, “swat flies”, and “hunt down
foxes”.…
(习近平，2018:16)
(29)以疏解北京非首都功能为“牛鼻子”推动京津冀协同发展。
(习近平，2018:77)
We will relieve Beijing of functions nonessential to its role as the capital and use
this effort to drive the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
(习近平，2018:78)
Tigers, flies and foxes are all animals that cause harm to humans. And they are
compared to the high-ranking big corrupt officials, the grassroots small corrupt officials,
and the overseas corrupt people respectively, because these animals fully conforms to
the cognitive characteristics of different corrupt officials. Observing the example (28),
the words “虎” “蝇” and “狐” are translated into tigers, flies, and foxes respectively

37
adopting the translation technique of translating conceptual metaphor into the same
category. Example (29) compares the task of reliving Beijing’s functions nonessential
to its role to a bull’s nose, emphasizing that this task is currently the main task and will
bring about positive influence. However, the word “牛鼻子” is translated into effort
adopting the translation technique of translating conceptual metaphor into non-
metaphorical expression. Although the metaphorical expressions in the above two
examples are both animal metaphors, different translation techniques have been
adopted in the process of translation. An analysis will be made from the perspective of
Skopos Theory.
First of all, tigers, flies and foxes are all harmful to human beings. People from
two cultural backgrounds have similar cognition of them. Therefore, conceptual
metaphors of the original text can be retained in the process of translation. However,
“牛鼻子” is a word with Chinese characteristics. People in the target language culture
can not understand the meaning of the word very well. In order to achieve the purpose
of communication, the word “牛鼻子” is translated into effort.

J. Translation of Up/Down Metaphor

Lakoff has proposed that orientational metaphors are related to spatial orientation,
mapping some spatial relationships and features to non-spatial relationships and
features (Lakoff,2003:26). This not only makes the unknown and abstract concept more
concrete and understandable, but also stimulates the imagination of readers and
listeners, thus establishing a mutual relationship between incompatible things. There
are some typical up/down orientation metaphorical expressions in “the Report”. the
translation of these metaphorical expression will be analyzed in the following part in
detail from the perspective of Skopos Theory.
Example:
(30)我国国际影响力、感召力、塑造力进一步提高，为世界和平与发展做出新的
重大贡献。
(习近平，2018:13)
With this we have seen a further rise in China’s international influence, ability to

38
inspire, and power to shape;…
(习近平，2018:14)
(31)推动我国国际地位实现前所未有的提升。
(习近平，2018:21)
China’s international standing has risen as never before.
(习近平，2018:22)
(32)必须始终把人民利益摆在至高无上的地位，让改革发展成果更多更公平惠及
全体人民。
(习近平，2018:107)
We must put the people’s interest above all else.…
(习近平，2018:107)
The above examples embody the conceptual metaphor of MORE IS UP and
HIGHER STATUS IS UP. The conceptual metaphor of MORE IS UP is often used in
“the Report”. In ancient human society, physical strength is largely influenced by the
height of the body, forming a conceptual metaphor, namely HIGHER STATUS IS UP.
Similarly, the conceptual metaphor of HIGHER STATUS IS UP is also often used in
“the Report”. in the following part, the author will present the translation of these two
conceptual metaphors, analyze the translation techniques adopted, and discuss the
implications of adopting these techniques from the perspective of Skopos Theory.
The orientation metaphor keywords in example (30) (31) and (32) are “高” “升”
and “上” respectively. These words are the physical experience of human, that is, the
vertical orientation of the spatial orientation. In the above three examples, they are
translated as rise, risen, and above adopting the translation of translating conceptual
metaphor into the same category. This is because, in the two cultures, people’s
cognitive model of orientation is similar. Adopting the translation of translating
conceptual metaphor into the same category, example (30) is to use spatial orientation
to map the improvement of China’s international influence, example (31) is to
emphasizes that China’s international status has improved, playing an important role in
the international arena, and example (32) is to reflect the Party’s high regard for the
people.

39
 4.3 Translation techniques of Conceptual Metaphors in “the
Report”
In the above part, the author analyses the translation of different categories of
conceptual metaphors. This part will analyze the translation techniques adopted by
conceptual metaphors in “the Report”. Based on the above analysis, the conceptual
metaphor in “the Report” mainly adopts five different translation techniques. The first
translation technique is translating conceptual metaphors into the same category which
means retaining the same conceptual metaphor as the original text in the translation.
The second one is translating conceptual metaphors into different category. The third
one is translating conceptual metaphors into non-metaphorical expressions. And
translating conceptual metaphors into similes and omission are another two translation
techniques adopted in the translation process of “the Report”. In the following part, the
thesis will analyze these translation techniques and present what effects can be
achieved by these translation techniques from the perspective of Skopos Theory
respectively.

4.3.1 Translating Conceptual Metaphors into the Same Category

Translating conceptual metaphors into the same category means retaining the
same conceptual metaphor as the original text in the translation. In other words, there
is a conceptual metaphor in the original text that “POVERTY ALLEVIATION IS A
WAR”, and the translation is retained accordingly. At the same time, from the
perspective of linguistic expressions, translating conceptual metaphors into the same
category can be further subdivided into two types: translating conceptual metaphors
into the same category with the same salience and translating conceptual metaphors
into the same category with different salience.
(33)全面加强党的领导和党的建设。
(习近平，2018:15)
We have made sweeping efforts to strengthen Party leadership and Party building.
(习近平，2018:16)
(34)意味着中国特色社会主义道路……拓展了发展中国家走向现代化的途径。

40
 (习近平，2018:21)
It means that the path……of socialism with Chinese Characteristics……blazing
anew trail for other developing countries to achieve modernization.
(习近平，2018:22)
(35)巩固压倒性态势、夺取压倒性胜利的决心必须坚如磐石。
(习近平，2018:165)
We must remain as firm as a rock in our resolve to build on the overwhelming
momentum and secure a sweeping victory.
(习近平，2018:166)
The translation techniques in the above examples are all translating conceptual
metaphors into the same category with the same salience. The conceptual metaphor of
case (33) is that CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY IS BUILDING, and the “建设” in
the original text is literally translated into “building”. In the example (34), the original
text takes the journey as the source domain, the socialist cause as the target domain,
which constitutes the conceptual metaphor of “SOCIALISM IS A JOURNEY”. The
translation translates the metaphorical expression “道路” into “path”, retaining the
same mapping relationship. Conceptual metaphor of the original text. In the case of
(35), the original text uses war as the source domain and anti-corruption as the target
domain. The mapping of “winning victory” in the source domain to “complete anti-
corruption work” constitutes a conceptual metaphor of “ANTI-CORRUPTION IS
WAR”. The translation also adopts the same basic language expression, which restore
the conceptual metaphor of the original text. The reason of this kind of translation may
be that the most of cognitive patterns of Chinese are the same with those of English
native speakers’. In order to achieve communicative purposes and be faithful to the
original text, the translation technique of retaining the original conceptual metaphor is
adopted.
Example:
(36)生态环境保护任重道远。
(习近平，2018:19)
We have a long way to go in protecting the environment.

41
 (习近平，2018:20)
(37)全党要……敢于直面问题，敢于刮骨疗毒。
(习近平，2018:35)
……have the courage to face problems squarely, be braced for the pain.
(习近平，2018:36)
(38)全面从严治党永远在路上。
(习近平，2018:151)
Ensuring Party self-governance is exercised fully and strictly is a journey to which
there’s no end.
Examples (36)(37) and (38) retain the conceptual metaphor in the original text,
but unlike the examples (33) (34) and (35). The translations of these three examples do
not choose simple literal translation, but under the premise of retaining the original
conceptual metaphor, different metaphorical expressions are adopted. In simple terms,
example (36) retains the original conceptual metaphor of CHINA’S DEVELOPMENT
IS JOURNEY, which translates the word “道” into way, but the addition of word go
maps the relationship between way and destination to the “realize” relationship
between China’s development and protecting the environment. Example (36) also
retains the conceptual metaphor CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY IS A PERSON, but
“刮骨疗毒” in the original text means scraping the venom deep into the bone with a
knife to achieve the purpose of treatment, emphasizing the action, while in the
translation be braced for the pain means prepare yourself for something unpleasant or
difficult, emphasizing that you are prepared and have a strong will. Under the premise
of using the same conceptual metaphor, the translation of example (37) adopts a
different language expression from the original text. It is worth noting that the changes
here are not required. There is an expression in English “be on the way to” that is almost
exactly corresponding to “在路上”. The author believes that here translating “在路上”
to a journey to which there’s no end further highlights the determination of the Party to
strengthen its self-governance. The difference between the two is that the translation
focuses differently.

4.3.2 Translating Conceptual Metaphors into Different Category

42
 Translating conceptual metaphors into a different category means the change of
the conceptual metaphor category. It refers to translating the conceptual metaphor in
the original text into another conceptual metaphor.
Example:
(39)思想文化建设取得重大进展。
(习近平，2018:9)
We have made significant advances on the theoretical and cultural fronts.
(习近平，2018:10)
(40)……凝聚起同心共筑中国梦的磅礴力量。
(习近平，2018:39)
…create a mighty force that enable us to realize the Chinese dream.
(习近平，2018:40)
(41)在实现中国梦的生动实践中放飞青春梦想。
(习近平，2018:173)
In the course of realizing the Chinese dream, fulfill your youthful dreams.
(习近平，2018:174)
(42)……站立在九百六十平方公里的广袤土地上，……
(习近平，2018:173)
Rooted in a land of more than 9.6 million square kilometers,……
(习近平，2018:174)
Both original text and the translation in the above examples use metaphorical
expressions, but conceptual metaphors have changed during the process of translation.
In the example (39), the word “建设”of the original text constitutes the conceptual
metaphor THEORY AND CULTURE IS BUILDING, but “建设” is translated into
fronts. The conceptual metaphors has been changed, that is the structural metaphor is
transformed into the orientation metaphor. And fronts indicates that the ideological and
cultural construction is in the front position, emphasizing their importance. Similarly,
in example (40) the circle metaphorical expression “凝聚” is translated into the human
metaphor create, indicating a change of categories. The term create used in the
translation taking instead of the term agglomerate makes the translation easier for

43
people in target language culture to understand the important role people play in
realizing the Chinese dream. In the example (41), the circle metaphorical expression
“ 在…中” is translated into the journey metaphor course, indicating a change of
categories from circle metaphor to the travel metaphor. The word course underlines
that it is a long process to realize the Chinese dream. In example (42), translating the
human metaphorical expression “站立” into plant metaphor rooted in implies a change
of categories from human metaphor to plant metaphor, and uses rooted in to describe
the status of the Chinese Communist Party in the land of China. Let people have a
easier understanding of the relationship between the Chinese Communist Party and
China by understanding the relationship between roots of plants and the soil.

4.3.3 Translating Conceptual Metaphors into Non-metaphorical Expressions

The translation of conceptual metaphors into non-metaphorical expressions is the

result of translation purpose. On the one hand, the English translation of “the Report”
aims to spread the concept of governance and political attitudes to the target language
culture, promote China’s political soft power, establish a national image, and enhance
China’s international voice. On the other hand, translation is reader-oriented, which
means that when translating these conceptual metaphors, reasonable attention should
be paid to the reflection of target language readers. Over-processing of the source text
is not accepted. Translating conceptual metaphors into non-metaphorical expressions
is an ideal way to achieve this purpose.
Examples:
(43)不忘初心，牢记使命。
(习近平，2018:1)
Remain true to our original aspiration and keep our mission firmly in mind.
(习近平，2018:2)
(44)倡导构建人类命运共同体。
(习近平，2018:13)
China champions the development of a community with a shared future for
mankind.

44
 (习近平，2018:14)
(45)实现了中国从几千年封建专制政治走向人民民主的伟大飞跃。
(习近平，2018:29)
Thus marking China’s great transition from a millennia-old feudal autocracy to a
People’s democracy.
(习近平，2018:30)
(46)坚持社会主义市场经济改革方向。
(习近平，2018:69)
…continue reforms to develop the socialist market economy.
(习近平，2018:70)
All the above examples use the translation techniques that translate conceptual
metaphors into non-metaphorical expressions. In the example (43), the keyword “心”
of human metaphor is translated as aspiration. It abandoned the original conceptual
metaphor, that is CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY IS PERSON. It literally translates
the ontology reflected by the word “心”, namely aspiration of the Chinese Communist
Party. The purpose of such translation is to better enable target readers to understand
the initial intention of Chinese Communist Party serving the people. In the example
(44), the words “构建” and “共同体” of the original text embody two conceptual
metaphors, construction metaphor and family metaphor, while the translation translates
the keyword “构建” of construction metaphor into non-metaphorical expression, that
is development. The expression development emphasizes that building a community
with a shared future for mankind is a long process of development, and China plays an
important role in building it. And the keyword of family metaphor “ 共同体 ” is
translated into a community, because there is different cognitive model for the word
“共同体” between the target language culture and original language culture. Therefore,
in order to achieve communicative purposes, the translation technique of translating
conceptual metaphor into non-metaphorical expression is applied. In the example (45),
the word “飞跃” used in the original text regards China’s development as a journey,
which constitutes the concept metaphor CHINA’S DEVELOPMENT IS JOURNEY,
while the translation translates the metaphor expression “ 飞 跃 ” into a non-

45
metaphorical expression transition, indicating the specific meaning of “飞跃”, that is,
China’s great turn in modern history. Because the cognitive patterns and cultural
backgrounds between the two languages culture are different, the people in the target
language culture may not understand the changes that have taken place in modern
Chinese history. The term transition can better express the status of the People’s
Republic of China in the history of China and its important role. Similarly, example
(46) also translates the metaphorical expression “方向” in the original text into a non-
metaphorical expression “develop”.

4.3.4 Translating Conceptual Metaphors into Similes

Simile is a specific type of metaphor. Shu Dingfang has pointed out that the
characteristic of the simile is to clearly state that the ontology and the vehicle are a kind
of contrast relationship, that is, the figurative words is used in the simile (Shu, 2000:51) .
The common form of simile in English is A is like B. The translation technique of
translating conceptual metaphors into simile refers to the addition of figurative words
in the process of translating the original conceptual metaphor, so that the translation is
presented in the form of simile.
Example:
(47)牢牢坚持党的基本路线这个党和国家的生命线、人民的幸福线。
(习近平，2018:25)
We must remain fully committed to the Party’s basic line as the source that keeps
the Party and the country going and that brings happiness to the people.
(习近平，2018:26)
(48)把人民对美好生活的向往作为奋斗目标。
(习近平，2018:49)
We must regard as our goal the people’s aspirations to live a better life.
(习近平，2018:50)
(49)促进各民族像石榴籽一样紧紧抱在一起。
(习近平，2018:93)
……helping them remain closely united like the seeds of a pomegranate that stick

46
together.
(习近平，2018:94)
The original text of the above example contains the expression of conceptual
metaphor, and the translation uses “like” or “as”, which are the manifestation of simile.
The original text of example (47) maps “路线” to the Party’s code of conduct, and
constitutes the conceptual metaphor CAUSE OF CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY IS
JOURNEY. The translation did not translate the original text into the Party’s basic line
is the source, but instead translating the original text into the simile, namely the Party’s
basic line as the source. The author believes that this is because the “Party’s code of
conduct is the route” is not a common conceptual metaphor in English. In the case of
(48), the word “目标” in the original text is a metaphorical expression, which implies
the concept metaphor CAUSE OF CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY IS JOURNEY,
while the translation translates the original text into the simile regard as our goal, the
author believes that compared with the simple be verb, the term regard with the true
meaning can highlight the Party’s attention to people’s aspiration. At the same time, the
fixed combination of regard and as is more in line with the cognitive mode of the target
language readers, which can better help them understand. Similar to the above two
examples, in the example (49), the original text “石榴籽” maps the relationship
between the various nationalities, and contains the conceptual metaphorical expression
of the plant metaphor. The translation translates the original text into like the seeds,
changing the original metaphorical expression to a simile expression.

4.3.5 Omission
Different from translating the conceptual metaphors into non-metaphorical
expressions, omission means removing or canceling the conceptual metaphorical
expressions in the target text.
Example；
(50)党的面貌、国家的面貌、人民的面貌、军队的面貌、中华民族的面貌发生了
前所未有的变化。
(习近平，2018:21)

47
 Our Party, our country, our people, our forces, and our nation have changed in
ways without precedent.
(习近平，2018:22)
(51)保护好人类赖以生存的地球家园。
(习近平，2018:145)
…and protect our planet for the sake of human survival.
(习近平，2018:146)
The metaphor keyword “ 面 貌 ” in the example (50) hides the conceptual
metaphors CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY IS PERSON and NATION IS PERSON.
However, the English translation omits “面貌”. If face is translated, the translation will
be our Party’s face, our country’s face, our people’s face, our forces’s face, and our
nation’s face. The translation will look strange and superfluous, and omitting the word
“面貌” does not affect the understanding of the target reader. Example (51) omits the
metaphor keyword “家园” that represents family metaphor. Because the readers of the
target language culture and of the original language culture have similar cognition of
the earth as the home of human beings. It is everyone’s consensus that we all live on
the earth and the earth is our common home.

48
 Chapter Five Conclusion

This thesis collects and studies the conceptual metaphor appearing in “the Report”,
and analyze the translation of the conceptual metaphors from the perspective of Skopos
Theory. The purpose of this thesis is to explore whether different translation techniques
adopted by different types of conceptual metaphors can help the target language readers
better understand the Party’s principles and policies conveyed in “the Report”. First of
all, this thesis uses MIP proposed by Pragglejaz Group to identify the conceptual
metaphors appearing in “the Report” and classify them into different types. And then
this thesis analyses different translation techniques adopted by different types of
conceptual metaphors. What’s more, the effects that can be achieved by adopting
different translation techniques are briefly discussed.
This chapter will systematically summarize the main findings of this study, the
shortcomings of the study and the suggestions for future research.

5.1 Major Findings of the Research

This study has achieved three main research results:
First, there being many metaphorical expressions in “the Report”, and according
to the MIP metaphor identification procedure, the thesis finds that conceptual
metaphors used in “the Report” can be classified into ten categories, including
construction metaphor, journey metaphor, war metaphor, family metaphor, human
metaphor, circle metaphor, plant metaphor, container metaphor, animal metaphor, and
up/down metaphor. The adoption of conceptual metaphors in “the Report” can explain
more abstract and complex concepts by concrete things, reflecting the cognitive
mechanism of the source language.
Second, by analyzing the translation of the conceptual metaphors in “the Report”,
the author find that mainly five translation techniques are adopted, namely translating
conceptual metaphor into the same category, translating conceptual metaphor into the
different category, translating conceptual metaphor into the non-metaphorical

49
expressions, translating conceptual metaphor into the similes and omission. Translating
conceptual metaphor into the same category refers to the retention of the same
conceptual metaphor as the original text, which can be further divided into two
categories according to the different linguistic expressions: translating conceptual
metaphor into the same category with the same salience and translating conceptual
metaphor into the same category with different salience. Translating conceptual
metaphor into the different category refers to translating the conceptual metaphor of
the original text into another conceptual metaphor. Translating conceptual metaphor
into non-metaphorical expression refers to that metaphorical expression is replaced by
non-metaphorical expression. Translating conceptual metaphor into the simile refers to
the addition of figurative words in the process of translating the conceptual metaphor
of the source text so that the translation can be presented in the form of simile, and the
omission of conceptual metaphor means directly omits the form of the original
metaphorical expression.
What’s more, combined with the Skopos Theory, adopting these translation
techniques in the process of translating “the Report” conforms to three principles,
achieving the effect of making the target language readers more accurately understand
the Party’s principles and policies to be conveyed in “the Report”. First of all, according
to the skopos rule, the translation of “the Report” has achieved the effect of conveying
the actual intent of the original texts. Secondly, the coherence rule emphasizes the
importance of cultural factors in the translation process. The translation of “the Report”
has achieved the effect of corresponding to the context of the target language and
culture background of the reader, avoiding culture conflict to make the translation more
readable and acceptable, so as to better achieve the communicative purpose of
translation. Thirdly, the fidelity rule believes that the translation should be as consistent
as possible with the original text or loyal to the original text. The translation of “the
Report” has achieved the effect of maximizing the meaning of the original text. In a
word, it has achieved the effects of conveying the actual skopos of the original text,
reaching the communicative purpose, and maximizing the meaning of the original text.

50
 5.2 Limitations and Suggestions for the Further Study
Although the author has made a roughly comprehensive study of the conceptual
metaphor and the translation techniques of conceptual metaphor appearing in “the
Report”, there are still some limitations.
Firstly, the statistics of this thesis are collected by the author herself, and there
may be a certain number of errors. Further research should adopt accurate statistical
methods. Secondly, even though the author uses a more objective “MIP” metaphor
identification procedure in the process of collecting and identifying conceptual
metaphors, there may be some subjective understandings about whether certain words
belong to metaphorical expressions. Future studies should try to identify lexical
meanings more objectively. Thirdly, the examples of conceptual metaphor listed may
also have some subjectivity. Further research should take a more objective approach to
avoid subjectivity.

51
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 Acknowledgements

I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to all those from whom I got
great help and full support for the completion of this thesis.
First of all, I would greatly appreciate my supervisor, Professor Qian. I have not
only benefited from the knowledge gained from him in the past three years, but also
learned invaluable life lessons. And it is upon his encouragement and guidance that I
finished my thesis. Moreover, he is always there to enlighten me with insightful
suggestions and inspiring perspectives throughout the whole process of my
composition. This thesis couldn’t have completes smoothly without his careful
instruction.
Moreover, I am also grateful to all other professors and teachers who have put
considerable time and effort into giving me lectures. Professor Li Xue, Professor Zhang
Junping, Professor Niu Guiling, and Professor Wang Zhiwei have brought me lots of
profound knowledge. Moreover, the teachers in the proposal group, the mid-term
examination, the preliminary defense and the final defense group all provided me with
a lot of conductive advice and helped me complete the thesis. Meanwhile, Mr. Yuan
Cunliang and Ms. Hu Nan have made their efforts to inform us the schedule and urged
us to keep up with the writing plan.
At last but not least, I am grateful to my friends and my roommates. They offered
me lots of valuable suggestions and supervised me to finish my thesis. Additionally, I
would give my special thanks to my family. They gave me great encouragement and
support.

55
 About the Author

一、个人简历: 胡沙沙, 女, 出生于 1993 年 9 月, 2016 年于华北水利水电大学外语学院

获得文学学士学位, 2019 年 6 月将于郑州大学外语学院获文学硕士学位。
二、发表论文：
[1] 胡沙沙. 构式语法理论下 “爱 V 不 V” 构式分析[J]. 湖北：长江丛刊，2019(7):89-91.
三、参加学术会议：
第三届中国形象研究高端论坛（2018 年 12 月)
宣读论文:“一带一路”新闻报道对中国国家形象的建构
四、参与项目:
项目名称: 河南省金融外语人才需求调查
项目类别: 调研创新类
立项时间: 2016 年 12 月
结项日期: 2017 年 12 月

56