The Experience of Wrote “Analogy” [Metaphor] in Jiang Run’s Novel “Wolf Totem”
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Narantungalag Gansukh
Narantungalag Gansukh works as an associate professor and doctor (Ph.D.) at the Department of Literature and Art Studies, National University of Mongolia. She teaches Introduction literature and Theory and methodology of literary criticism to students. She researches the theory of literature.
and
Jiu Yue
Jiu Yue works as a Senior Lecturer at the Bortokhoi University Inner Mongolia. Doctorant of Department of Literature and Art Studies, National University of Mongolia. She teaches Introduction to linguistics and local dialect. She researches history and local dialects.
Abstract
In this article, the descriptive thinking of a famous Chinese author’s novel is discussed using a metaphorical example. Any metaphor is contained mentality of national culture. Metaphors are important in Chinese cognitive thinking. But it is an important question how that methapor fits into the mentality of the other nation. In particular, the two ethnic groups, Mongolian and Chinese, have lived in neighboring countries, but they have not always known each other properly. This interesting issue is discussed in this article. From this point of view, this article is aimed at solving specific problems of communication in China-Mongolian literature. This article does not violate copyright. Because this article is being published for the first time.
1 Introduction
Literary creation is different from other types of creation. Because literature creates hero and characters. This is the main feature of literature.
Writers have ability to the entire vocabulary of their native language. This is one of the advantages of writers. Therefore, the words used in any text are of two kinds. This is:
Used words in their basic meaning. [literal sense]
Used the words in their transferred meaning. [figurative meaning]
This time, let’s consider how “analogy” and “metaphor” are used in the novel “Wolf Totem”. This is an important issue in the study of literary language and thought. Therefore very difficult to translate literature’s analogy and metaphor.
Analogy and Metaphor is very important function literary language’s system. Because literature’s real taste, literature’s value and literature’s national features saved analogy and metaphor. If translator ‘are wrong translate to analogy and metaphor, it’s very big mistake. This time anybody are not understanding literature.
2 Analogy, Metaphor
“Wolf Totem” is “Analogy’s mirror”. “Wolf Totem” is analogy dictionary. Because “Wolf Totem” have got many nice analogies. Analogy uses words in their transferred meaning. [Figurative meaning]. This is an invisible communication.
Act 1: This is because metaphors play a very important role in conveying the real thing to people and things in different languages and cultures. In fact, the simplest and most primitive method of human cognition is analogy. If we talk about something, we first observe something that is the same or similar to that thing. Start the analogy from here.
The purposes of our study are problem how to translate on the Chinese analogy into Mongolian. Analogy is very important in the cognition of Eastern peoples. Therefore, the Mongols and the Han are willing to compare the same or similar nature. In order to compare the two things, the words “similar, etc., as, the same” are used. The words “similar, etc., as, the same” make the characteristics of things clearer. It will also exaggerate the nature of things at the time and make it more meaningful.
Act 2: For example, in the novel “Wolf Totem”:
“这一组狼的突然行动, 就像发出三枚全线出击的信号弹”[1]
The sudden action of this group of wolves is like sending out three flares that attack across the board.
This is the semiotic are made when the first is hunting, the second is war, and the third is danger. These three semiotic are used in many countries.
云层便吞没了百里山影, 像巨大的黑掌向牧场头顶压来 [2]
The clouds engulfed the shadow of Baili Mountain, like a huge blak palm pressing against the top of the ranch.
When translating this metaphor, the basic meaning is used in Mongolia [A is similar to B] and the transfer meaning is used in Inner Mongolia. [is A]
“陈阵坐在野生的黄花菜花丛里, 如同坐在江南的油菜花田里”[3]
Chen Jin sits in the wild yellow cauliflower bushes, as if sitting in a rapeseed field in the south of the Yangtze River.
When translating this metaphor, it maintains national characteristics in Mongolia. [transferred meaning.] A literal translation of the metaphor in Inner Mongolia. [literal sense]
This gap is because it is related to the translator’s own characteristics, it is also related to bilingual and monolingual environments.
In addition, many example analogies are translated the same in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia.
It’s saws unity mentality of Mongolian language. Exp:
| 钢锤一样的目光[4] | Needle-like gaze | [шөвөг мэт хурц нүд][5] |
| 猪的毫刺一般[6] | as a wild pig’s Kemp-hair | [зэрлэг гахайн хялгас мэт][7] |
| 大如花豹[8] | As big as a leopard | [9][ирвэс мэт нүсэр биетэй] |
像刺耳刺胆的利剑刺向狼群。[10] Almost shot him into a hedgehog
[зарааны өргөс зай завсаргүй хатгах мэт][11]
没准他正走到上下狼牙之间, 狼口便咔嚓一声合拢了[12]/5/
Maybe he was walking between the upper and lower wolf teeth, and the wolf’s mouth closed with a click.
[хав хийтэл чонын ам хамхигдахад хамаг зүйл дуусах гэж байгаа мэт санагдана.][13]
像疾雷一样地轰进他的鼓膜[14]
Blasted into his eardrum like thunder
[чихний хэнгэргийг дэлдэх шиг][15]
犹如蒙古高原上俯瞰华北平原[16]
[It’s like overlooking the North China Plain on the Mongolian Plateau]
[Монголын өндөрлөгөөс Хуа Бэйгийн тэгш талыг өнгийн харсан мэт][17]
| 善跑得黄羊[18] | Good running yellow sheep | [сум шиг цахилах зээр][19] |
| 脚底一热[20] | The soles of the feet are hot | [хөлийн улнаас төөнөх мэт][21] |
缩起脖子像一阵黄风一样[22]/6/Shrink your neck like a gust of yellow wind
[талын салхи мэт][23]
将老人的脸捂得只露出眼睛, 淡棕黄色的眼珠依然闪着琥珀般沉着的光泽[24]
The old man’s face was covered so that only his eyes were exposed, and his pale brown-yellow eyes still shone with an amber-like calm luster.
[өвгөний хонин бор нүд хув шиг гялтганах][25]/х.30/
拼命拔河[26] Tug of war desperately [олс таталцаж байгаа мэт[27]]
几乎冻成了一具冰雕[28] Almost frozen into an ice sculpture
[цасан хөшөө болон хувирсан мэт санагдах][29]
几条干沙河一般的深深的坦克车道[30] Several deep tank lanes like dry sand rivers
[голын сайр мэт танкны мөрөөр][31]
可两腿抖得就是迈不开步[32] But my legs are shaking so much that I can’t take astep. [хөл нь тушаатай мэт хөшчихөөд][33]
像刺耳刺胆的利剑刺向狼群[34] Stab the wolves like a piercing sword
[зүрх зүсэж цөс чичрээм хурц илд мэт сүрэг[35]]
必须像唱空城计的诸葛孔明那样[36] Must be l ike Zhuge Kongming who sings the empty city plan It’s not just that it touched his soul, but that it once hit the life of his soul.[хоосон хотын аргыг анх сэдсэн гурван улсын үеийн мэргэн чансан Жү Гөлян лугаа адил][37]
幽灵一样的狼影[38] Ghost-like wolf shadow
[төөрсөн сүнс мэт чонын бараан дүрс][39]
射出像母豹目光般的一股狠劲[40] Shoot out a fierce force like a female leopard’s gaze [эм ирвэсийнх шиг хорсолтой харц][41]
冰瑶里储存的绿冻菜[42] Green frozen vegetables stored in Bingyao [шинэ даршилсан ногоо шиг][43]
全身血液的流速似乎加快了一倍[44] [биеийн хамаг цус огшин хөөрөх шиг болох][45]/39/
在高草中搜搜飞奔的狼群, 像几十枚破浪高速潜行的鱼雷, 运载着最锋利, 最刺心 刺胆的狼牙和狼的目光, 像黄羊群冲去[46]
Searching for the wolves running in the tall grass, like dozens of torpedoes sneaking at high speed through the waves, carrying the sharpest and most piercing wolf teeth and wolf eyes, rushing like a flock of yellow sheep.
[чонон сүрэг давалгаа зүсэн урагшлах торпед шиг зүрх зүсэм хурц нүд, шүдийг гялалзуулсаар][47]
马鞍马镫都堆成山了[48] The saddles and stirrups are piled up into mountains[уул овоо шиг их][49]
脸上的皱纹像羊毛一样卷起[50] The wrinkles on the face roll up like wool
[нүүрэн дээрх үрчлээ нь хонины ноос шиг эрчилнэ][51]
留下颗粒紧密像铁砂一样的雪沙[52] Leaving behind snow sand with tight particles like iron sand [төмрийн үртэс мэт зузаан ширхэгтэй (цас)][53]
战鼓的鼓点[54]/43/The drums of war drums [дайны хэнгэргийн дэлдэлт адил][55]
居高临下, 狼牙利齿, 铿锵有力, 锋利有理, 锐不可当[56]/43/
Condescending, sharp teeth, sonorous, sharp and reasonable, incomparably sharp
If you want to hook those buckets that fell at the bottom of the well, work hard when you find the right place.
[чонын шүд шиг тачигнасан хурц агаад мэлзэж сэтгэлцэхийн аргагүй утга учир, зүй ёсон төгс мэт санагдав][57]
还是一只平时连起快马都追不上的大猎物[58]
It’s still a big prey that can’t even catch up with a fast horse.
[хуй салхи мэт хурдан хүлэг унаад ч гүйцэгддэггүй][59]
陈阵心里才一块石头落地[60] Only a stone landed in Chen Jin’s heart
[сэтгэлээс том бул чулуу ховхрон унах шиг болов][61]
云层便吞没了百里山影, 像巨大的黑掌向牧场头顶压来[62]/62/
The clouds engulfed the shadow of Baili Mountain, like a huge black palm pressing against the top of the ranch
[удаж төдөлгүй үүлс зуун газарт үргэлжлэх уулсын сүүдрийг залгих нь том хар нударга тал нутгийн дээрээс далайн буух лугаа адил][63]/х.91/
雪片密得人骑在马已不见马首马尾. 雪粒像砂枪打出的砂粒, 嗖嗖的高速飞行,
拉出亿万根白色飞痕, 仿佛漫天白毛飞舞[64]
The snow flakes are so dense that people riding on the horse have no longer seen the head and tail of the horse. The snow particles are like sand particles from a sand gun, flying at high speed., Pull out hundreds of millions of white flying marks, as if white hairs are flying all over the sky
[элсэн бууны амаар цацагдах элс лүгээ адил хурдтай хуйлран, сая живаагаар тоологдох урт цагаан үснүүд уудам огторгуйн энгээр бүжиглэж байх шиг][65]/х.93/
白狼群, 鬼狼群, 吓死马倌的恶狼群[66] White wolves, ghost wolves, evil wolves that scared the groom to death [чөтгөр мэт зэвхий саарал чоно][67]
一想起那些平时就不服管的大小马倌, 他的气血一下子就冲上了头[68]
Thinking of those big and small horse grooms who usually don’t obey, his blood rushed to his head all at once.[эмнэг хангал шигээ омголон зантай][69]
被羊倌一样的马腿前后左右秘密圈住, 跳不出, 逃不掉掉。[70]
малианы их бие Secretly circled by the legs of the horse like a shepherd, back and forth, left and right, can’t jump out, can’t escape
[хашааны шон шиг бат бөх морьдын хөлд шахагдсан][71]
韌质的棒身有锹把一般粗[72] The tough stick body is as thick as a shovel
[малианы их бие хүрзний иш шиг бүдүүн][73]
兵败如山倒[74] Defeated like a mountain
[уулнаас өнхрөх хад чулуу мэт хар хурдаараа][75]
狼群像一股幽风低低地从他身后刮进泥塘[76] The wolves swept into the mud pondfrom behind him like a quiet wind. [чонон сүрэг сүг мэт сүүтэгнэн][77]
总感到背后有一种像幽灵一样的阴风跟随着他[78]
[араас нь сүг мэт нэгэн хий үзэгдэл дагаад байгаа мэт санагдаад][79]
声涛汹涌[80] The sound is raging [далайн түрлэг мэт уухайлах] [81]
与此同时, 一百多条大狗猛犬也拼命挣着皮绳, 狂叫疯吼, 惊天动地, 如排炮滚雷
向西北方向轰击[82]
At the same time, more than a hundred big dogs and fierce dogs were also desperately
struggling with the leather rope, barking wildly, earth-shattering, like a row of
artillery rolling thunder.
[зуу гаруй сүрлэг том анч ноход уяанаасаа алдуурах шахам
чанга дуугаар хуцалдах нь тэнгэр газрыг доргиож олон арван их буугаар зүүн
хойд зүг галлах мэт сүртэй][83]
两人比罗马斗兽场里的看客心惊肉跳[84] Bombardment to the northwest The two of them were more frightened than the visitors in the Colosseum.
[Эртний Ромын мэсчин боолууд зэрлэг араатан лугаа тэмцэлдэж байгааг харж буй мэт зүрх нь пэл пэл цохилох ажээ][85]
巴勒见自己撞翻的猎物, 被二郎而如此干脆利索地抢的先手极为恼火, 但又不好发 作[86]
Seeing the prey he knocked over, Baler was extremely annoyed by the first hand that Jiro snatched so neatly, but it was not easy to make a move.
[Том шаар шуудай мэт гулдайсан чоно босож чадалгүй бачимдахдаа сарвуугаар газар маажилсан нь цастай газрыг анжсаар хагалсан мэт хоёр хэсэг нарийн гуу үүсгэх ажээ][87]
能够一下马不等狼站起身就继续迅速拽干, 把狼拽到身前再用马棒或刀子杀死狼[88]
If you can, the horse will continue to drag the wolf quickly without waiting for the wolf to stand up, drag the wolf to the front and then kill the wolf with a horse stick or knife.
[морины нуруун дээр харайх ирвэс лугаа адил чонын бие дээр мордон][89]
猎手打猎除了小范围点火巡演外[90]
Hunters hunt except for a small-scale ignition tour
[хатсан зэгс тосны агуулах дэлбэрэх мэт дүрсхийн шатахад][91]
指厚的牛皮被烧得龟裂[92] The thick cowhide was burned and cracked
[хуруу зузаан шир нь яст мэлхийн хуяг шиг язайсан][93]
两个狼皮筒悬挂在桦木杆上, 被高高的送到空中, 像两桶迎风招展的信号旗[94]
Two wolf skin tubes hung from birch poles and were sent high into the air, like two buckets of signal flags flying in the wind.
[хоёр туламласан арьс хусан ишний оройд савлах нь салхины аясаар намирах дохионы туг мэт үзэгдэнэ.][95]
看着这两桶大狼旗, 我就想起了一面面镶着金狼头的古代突厥骑兵的军旗[96]
“As I looked at these two wolf skins, I thought of the Golden Wolf head-encrusted banner of the ancient Turkish cavalry”
[энэ хоёр чонын арьсыг хараад надад эртний түрэгийн алтан чонын толгой бүхий дайчин туг дэрвэж байгаа мэт санагдчихлаа.][97]
Comparing these to the latest example, Inner Mongolian translator wrote:
“As I looked at these two wolf skins, I thought of the Golden Wolf head-encrusted banner of the ancient Turkish cavalry” [translated by Wang Xu Ying, “wolf emblem” (Yangtze city, 2006, Liaoning ethnic publishing committee), P. 145.] in translation. The act of “thinking the flag” and the act of “flying the flag of the Warrior”, which appear in this section, differ in their emotional values.
3 Conclusion
The author of the novel “Wolf Totem” is of Han nationality.
When the author lived on the Mongolian steppes, he became interested in wolves and Mongols, and conducted a very detailed study of Mongolian culture and Mongolian ideals.
As a result, he had a deep understanding of the wolves on the grassland and expressed these analogy and metaphorically.
About the authors
Narantungalag Gansukh works as an associate professor and doctor (Ph.D.) at the Department of Literature and Art Studies, National University of Mongolia. She teaches Introduction literature and Theory and methodology of literary criticism to students. She researches the theory of literature.
Jiu Yue works as a Senior Lecturer at the Bortokhoi University Inner Mongolia. Doctorant of Department of Literature and Art Studies, National University of Mongolia. She teaches Introduction to linguistics and local dialect. She researches history and local dialects.
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Research ethics: Not applicable.
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Author contributions: This article aims to contribute solving certain barriers in Chinese-Mongolian literary relations from new aspects.
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Competing interests: The authors state no conflict of interest.
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Research funding: No funding.
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Data availability: Applicable.
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Statement: This article analyzes the metaphors and use of literary description in the novel named “Wolf totem”(Chonon suld) and does not violate intellectual property in terms of content or meaning.
© 2024 the author(s), published by De Gruyter on behalf of the Eurasian-Mongolian Research Center
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- Mongolian Foreign Trade History from the Silk Road
- Fiscal and Tax Policy of Bogd Khanate of Mongolia (1911–1919)
- The Meaning and Structure of Mongolian and Korean Names
- Observations on the Names, Descriptions, and Drawings of Musical Instruments, Named “Ekhlegch”, “Khuraagch” and “Uelegch”
- The Experience of Wrote “Analogy” [Metaphor] in Jiang Run’s Novel “Wolf Totem”
- The Ties and Contacts between Ancient Mongolian Nomads and other Asian Civilizations
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- Mongolian Foreign Trade History from the Silk Road
- Fiscal and Tax Policy of Bogd Khanate of Mongolia (1911–1919)
- The Meaning and Structure of Mongolian and Korean Names
- Observations on the Names, Descriptions, and Drawings of Musical Instruments, Named “Ekhlegch”, “Khuraagch” and “Uelegch”
- The Experience of Wrote “Analogy” [Metaphor] in Jiang Run’s Novel “Wolf Totem”
- The Ties and Contacts between Ancient Mongolian Nomads and other Asian Civilizations
