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“释句”即“注释句”，是指在特定的语句中，参照语言材料与语境的适应性，用后句对前句或前句的部分内容（包括人名、地名和事物名等）进行形象化的具体解释的句式。《红楼梦》里运用释句的例子很多，如在第五回里，警幻仙姑给宝玉解释“淫”与“意淫”，从而阐发了作者的先进思想，寄托了作者对“皮肤淫滥之蠢物”的鞭笞和对只可“心会”、“神通”，不可“言传”、“语达”的纯真爱情的赞颂；又如第十回里张太医论秦可卿之病的一大段话，更是释句套释句，一环扣一环，句式周密，富有很强的逻辑性。由于篇幅所限，在这里，我们选取几个有代表性的释句及其译文，来分析它们各自的修辞效果。1) 香菱道：“......合长安城中，上至王侯，下至买卖人，都称他家是‘桂花夏家’。”宝玉笑问道如何又称为‘桂花夏家’？ ”香菱道：“他家本姓夏，非常的富贵。其余田地不用说，单有几十顷地独种桂花，凡这长安城里城外桂花局俱是他家的，连宫里一应陈设盆景亦是他家贡奉，因此才有这个浑号。……”（第七十九回）杨译："...The whole capital, from nobles down to trad⑶men，all call that family the Osmanthus Xias. ""How did they get that name?""Well, their surname is Xia, and they are rolling in wealth. Apart from other landed property，they have several hundred acres growing nothing but osmanthus trees. They own all the shops in the capital selling osmanthus，and they supply Palace too with all those needed for display. That's how they came by this name …."霍译：…said Caltrop. '…In fact everyone in the city, from imperial Princes to shopkeepers, has heard of the Cassia Xias. ''Oh,' said Bao-yu. 'Why do they call them that?''They are, as I say, very, very rich,' said Caltrop, 'and they own a great deal of land. Several hundred acres of their land are devoted just to growing cassia alone. They, and all the cassia, both cut flowers and potted plants, on display in the Palace, supply all the cassia sold in shops in the city. That's how they got the nickname…'该例是以人物对话为释句的形式，借香菱之口，向读者介绍了夏金桂的出身，显得自然、生动、活泼。两段译文也同样条理而流畅，使读者随着书中人物对话的展开而对夏家的了解由模糊渐趋明了。其中“都称他家是‘桂花夏家’”一句，霍译为...has heard of the Cassia Xias.，与杨译的...all call that family the Osmanthus Hsias.相比，更多地消除了翻译腔，更合乎上下文的语境和讲话者的口气和神态。2) 迎春又令丫鬟炷了一支“梦甜香”。原来这“梦甜香”只有三寸来长，有灯草粗细，以其易烬，故以此烬为限，如香烬未成便要罚。（第三十七回）杨译：Yingchun had a stick of Sweet-Dream Incense lit. Being only three inches long and no thicker than a lampwick，this burnt quickly. The poems had to be finished before it burnt out, on pain of a penalty.
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