從語用學(xué)角度對《紅樓夢》及其譯本中禮貌用語的比較研究

COMPARATIVESTUDYOFCOURTESIESINHONGLOUMENGANDITSTRANSLATIONFROMTHEPERSPECTIVEOFPRAGMATICS從語用學(xué)角度對《紅樓夢》及其譯本中禮貌用語的比較研究ComparativeStudyofCourtesiesinHongLouMengAndItsTranslationfromthePerspectiveofPragmaticsAuthor:BaiYadiTutor:YaoMin(CollegeofForeignLanguages,HunanAgriculturalUniversity,Changsha410128)Abstract:ThispapermainlystudiesthesixpolitenessprinciplesofLeechandanalyzesthecourtesiesusedinHongLouMenganditstranslationofHawkes(TheStoryoftheStone)incombinationwiththefivepolitenessmaximsputforwardbyGuYueguo.Throughcomparativeanalysis,itwillbefoundthatwhiletranslatingChinesetoEnglish,whetherthepolitenessprinciplesinChinesewillbechangedornot.Fromtheperspectiveofpragmatics,tofurtheranalyzedialoguesinHongLouMengandinitstranslation,itspragmaticfunctionsanditsculturalcharacteristics,couldenablebilinguallearnerstobettergrasptheapplicationofpolitenessprincipleinthedifferentcontexts.ItcouldalsoprovideapragmaticperspectiveforstudyingHongLouMenganditstranslation.Therefore,itfocusesonusingcomparativeresearchmethods,fromtheperspectiveofproposingpolitenessprinciples,itscontents(bothinChineseandEnglish),itsmeaningfuleffectsandtherealapplicationsinHongLouMengandTheStoryoftheStone,aswellasthecomparisonofusingpolitenessprinciplesinChineseandEnglish,thebrokenofthepolitenessprincipleandavoidanceofimpoliteness.ByanalyzingthedifferentexpressionsofEnglishandChineseunderthedifferentculturalbackgroundforthesamecontent,thispapercomparestheexamplesbelowanddrawssomeconclusionsintheend.Keywords:PolitenessPrinciples;HongLouMeng;TheStoryoftheStone;Courtesies;ComparativeStudy從語用學(xué)角度對《紅樓夢》及其譯本中禮貌用語的比較研究學(xué)生：白雅迪指導(dǎo)老師：姚敏(湖南農(nóng)業(yè)大學(xué)外國語學(xué)院，長沙410128)摘要：本文主要研究在語用學(xué)中廣泛應(yīng)用的六條利奇（Leech）的禮貌原則，結(jié)合顧曰國提出的五條禮貌準(zhǔn)則，分析《紅樓夢》及其霍譯本中的禮貌用語。并通過對比分析發(fā)現(xiàn)漢語中的禮貌策略被譯成英文時是否符合西方禮貌原則。在語用學(xué)視角下，進(jìn)一步解析該部小說中的人物對話及其翻譯，并通過運用中西方的禮貌原則理論，分析出小說中人物對話所蘊含的各種語用功能與其文化特色，從而使得雙語學(xué)習(xí)者能更好地把握在中英文語境下的禮貌原則應(yīng)用，并將其作為在實際生活中語言應(yīng)用的規(guī)范，同時也為《紅樓夢》及其翻譯研究提供語用學(xué)視角。因此，本文著重使用對比研究的方法，從禮貌原則的提出、內(nèi)容、意義、禮貌原則在《紅樓夢》及其霍譯本人物對話中的實際應(yīng)用、東西方禮貌原則的對比、禮貌原則的違反和不禮貌的避免幾個角度進(jìn)行研究，通過分析英漢兩種語言對于同一內(nèi)容的不同表達(dá)，對比得出一定的結(jié)論。關(guān)鍵詞：禮貌原則；《紅樓夢》；霍譯本；禮貌用語；對比研究IntroductionAsarecognizedmoralcodeofsocietyandasymbolofhumancivilization,politenessisnotonlytheexternalexpressionofpeople’sideologicalormorallevelandculturalcultivation,butalsotherequirementsofhumanbeingsinordertomaintaintheharmoniouslifeofsociety.Thus,thedifferencesofcourtesiesbetweenEnglishandChinese,bothrestrictionsandagreementsfromculture,societyandlanguageitself,always?lead?to?heateddiscussions.Thispaperhopesthatfromtheperspectiveofpragmatics,throughthestudyofHongLouMenganditstranslationTheStoryoftheStone,itwillbefoundthatinthesamecontext,thedifferentunderstandingsandapplicationsofthepolitenessprinciple.LiteratureReview1.1BriefIntroductionofHongLouMengandTheStoryoftheStoneHongLouMeng,translatedtoTheStoryoftheStone(DavidHawkes)andTheDreamofRedMansion(YangXianyi),isoneof“TheFourGreatClassicalNovels”ofChineseLiterature.Itcannotonlyrepresentthehighestartisticachievementintheclassicalnovelsofourcountry,butalsohasbeenthefirstchoiceasthematerialofstudyingChineseculture,society,lifeandotheraspects.DavidHawkes,translatorofTheStoryoftheStonestudiedinthispaper,waswillingtoresignfromhisofficeanddevotedhimselftothetranslationbyvirtueofhispassionandcavityenthusiasmaswellashisloveforHongLouMeng.WiththepurposeofallowingnationalreaderstoreapthesamepleasuresashimfromthisChineseclassicnovel,Hawkeshadalwaysfollowedtheprincipleof“domesticationtranslation”andwascommittedtoservingordinaryEnglishreaders.Thus,toselectthistranslationismoreconducivetoachieveamorelocalizedpointofview.Therefore,onthebasisofcomparingthedifferentunderstandingofpolitenessprinciplebetweenEnglishandChinese,thispaperwilltakesHongLouMengandTheStoryoftheStoneasthecarrier,comparingtherulesofusingcourtesiesintheancientChinesefamilywiththepolitelanguageusedintheauthenticEnglish,thencomparethesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenthepracticalapplicationofpolitenessprincipleinChineseandEnglishculture.1.2OverviewofDomesticandAbroadResearchStatusAccordingtoLiuRunqing,aChineselinguist,thedevelopmentofPragmaticshasbeenremarkableinrecentyears,especiallyintheaccomplishmentmadeinaseriesofstudiesonsocialactivitiesrepresentedPragmaticsbyS.LevinsonandthePragmaticPrinciplesofGeoffreyLeechin1983.Asanindependententry,“politenessphenomenon”alsoofficiallyenteredthelinguisticdictionaryinthe1990s.Later,anumberofrelatedstudieshavefollowedtoputforward,suchasthefive“politenessmaxims”putforwardbyGuYueguo(1992)in“politeness,pragmaticsandculture”;LanChun(2007)appreciatedthepolitenessphenomenoninthedialogueofthecharactersinHongLouMenginherbook;andindramaanalyzing,WandJieandWeiFeifei(2016)tookTeahouseasanexampletostudytheapplicationofpolitenessprinciple.Inforeignstudies,scholars’researchesonthepolitenessprinciplearemostlyconfinedtopracticalapplicationandcross-culturalcommunication.SuchasMorand,DavidA(1996)mainlyfocusedontherelationshipbetweenpolitenessandhowtoimprovemanagementefficiency.Then,in(Im)politenessinCross-culturalEncountersofJulianeandHouse(2012),theacademicadvisorymeetingwasusedasanexampletostudythemodelofpolitenessandimpoliteness.AndMarinawithRyabova(2015)hadalsobeenproposingthattheuseofsomepatternsofEnglishspeechetiquette,especiallytheuseofpoliteformsoftypicalEnglishinthepaperPolitenessStrategyinEverydayCommunication.Inthecontrast,thedomesticresearcheshavemuchstrongerculturalcharacteristics,sinceGuYueguoputforwardfive“politenessmaxims”,manyscholarsinChinahavebeguntostudypolitenessinclassicalnovelsorliteraryworks.Inrecentyears,manylanguageresearchershavesettheirsightsontheanalysisandstudyofthedelicateandexquisitespeechexpressioninHongLouMeng.ForEnglishlearners,inadditiontoCaoXueqin’sfirst80chapters,thetranslatedversionsarealsoworthstudying.SuchasintheJournalofDreamofRedMansions,thetranslationandequivalenceinthetranslationofHawkeswerestudiedbyHongTao(1998);DengWentaoandDaiYuting(2011)studiedtheEnglishandChinesedifferencesofthenamepunsintheHawkes’translation;ZhangShaojie(2018)hadalsoconductedapragmaticstudyonthestrategyofapologyspeechactinHongLouMeng.However,it’sapitythatthoughthestudyoftheHongLouMengandthestudyofthepolitenessprinciplearenumerous,therearefewreferencestothecombinationofbothofthem.Therefore,thispaperlinkstheembodimentofpolitenessintheHongLouMengwiththetranslationofHawkes,andexaminesthesimilaritiesanddifferencesinthespecificmanifestationsofpolitenessprinciplesinChineseandEnglishbilingualexpressions.2ComparisonsofPolitenessPrinciplesbetweenChinese?and?English2.1PolitenessPrinciplesofLeechOnthebasisofthecooperationprincipleproposedbyGrace,Leech,thegreatBritishlinguist,putforwardthepolitenessprinciplein1983,whichnotonlyexplainedthereasonswhypeoplemaysometimesdeliberatelyviolatethecooperationprincipleinactualcommunication,butalsofurtherelaboratedtheproblemmadebyimpolitenessintheuseoflanguage,inordertomakethecommunicationrunsmoothly.Leechdefinespolitenessprincipleasatypeofbehaviorthatenablesparticipantstoengageinsocialinteractionundertherelativelyharmoniousatmosphere.Leachputthepolitenessprinciple,referredtoasPPintosixcategories,eachofthemincludingaguidelineandtwosub-maxims,amongwhichtheyallsupporttheideathatnegativepoliteness(avoidanceofdiscord)ismoresignificantthanpositivepoliteness(seekingconcord).2.1.1TactMaximTactmaxim(indirectivesandcommissives)containstwosub-maximsthatminimizecosttootherandmaximizebenefittoother,whichistosay,toreducethepointofviewthatisdetrimentaltoothersandincreasethepointofviewthatbenefitsothers.TakesomedialoguesinTheStoryoftheStoneforexample,“Shi-yinsawthatitwouldbeuselesstopressthem.‘Heavenlymysteriesmustnot,ofcourse,berevealed.Butmightoneperhapsinquirewhatthe“absurdcreature”isthatyouweretalkingabout?IsitpossiblethatImightbeallowedtoseeit?’”[1]Theuseof“Heavenlymysteriesmustnot,ofcourse,berevealed.”and“IsitpossiblethatImightbeallowedtoseeit?”isfullyaccordwiththetactmaxim.Inthisdialogue,Shi-yintotallyconsideredaboutthelistener’sstandpoint,andaskedouthisquestionpolitely.Thoughhisrequestmaynotfinallybepermitted,hewillleavethelisteneragoodimpression.2.1.2GenerosityMaximGenerositymaxim(indirectivesandcommissives)containstwosub-maximsthatminimizebenefittoselfandmaximizecosttoself,whichistosay,toreducethebenefitsofyourownideasandincreasethepointofviewthatunderminesyou.TakesomedialoguesinTheStoryoftheStoneforexample,“Ihavelongwantedtodosomethingaboutthis,butonalltheoccasionsIhavemetyoupreviously,theconversationhasnevergotroundtothissubject,andIhaven’tlikedtobroachitforfearofoffendingyou.”[2]Inthisdialogue,althoughShi-yinalreadyhadtheidea,hedidn’trushtosayitbecausehisfrienddidn’tmentionitintheirmanyconversationsthattheytalkedwitheachotherbefore.Butwhenhisfriendmadethispoint,heusedthegenerositymaximandsaidhewasafraidtospeakthesubjectinanabruptway.Theuseof“Ihaven’tlikedtobroachitforfearofoffendingyou.”isfullyaccordwiththegenerositymaxim.2.1.3ApprobationMaximApprobationmaxim(inexpressiveandrepresentatives)containstwosub-maximsthatminimizedispraiseofotherandmaximizepraiseofother,whichistosay,toreducethederogatoryeffectstoothersandincreasepraiseforothers.Forexample,inTheStoryoftheStone,“Shi-yinheardallthisconversationquiteclearly,andcuriosityimpelledhimtogoforwardandgreetthetworeverendgentlemen.”[3]Inthisdialogue,theuseof“reverendgentlemen”isfullyaccordwiththeapprobationmaxim.Inthissituation,Shi-yinwantedtoaskthemsomethingindetailthattheyaretalkingabout.Buthechoseaquiteapprobatingwaytotalktothem,whichwouldaddtheopportunitytoaskoutthecontentoftheirdiscussion.2.1.4ModestyMaximModestymaxim(inexpressiveandrepresentatives)containstwosub-maximsthatminimizepraiseofselfandmaximizedispraiseofself,whichistosay,toreducetheexpressionofideasthataredetrimentaltoothersandtrytomakepeoplesufferaslittleaspossible,thustoreducethepointofviewexpressedwithself-interest.Forexample,takesomedialoguesinTheStoryoftheStone,#1“ItisnotoftenthatonehastheopportunityoflisteningtoadiscussionoftheoperationsofkarmasuchastheoneIhavejustbeenprivilegedtooverhear,”saidShi-yin.“UnfortunatelyIamamanofverylimitedunderstandingandhavenotbeenabletoderivethefullbenefitfromyourconversation.”[4]and#2“Ifyouwouldhavetheverygreatkindnesstoenlightenmybenightedunderstandingwithasomewhatfulleraccountofwhatyouwerediscussing,Icanpromiseyouthemostdevoutattention.”[5]Intheabovetwodialogues,Shi-yinusedthe“amanofverylimitedunderstanding”todescribehimselfandthewords“privileged”and“enlighten”toexpresshisfoolishnessandtoshowhisrespecttothemaster,whicharefullyaccordwiththemodestymaxim.Inthissituation,Shi-yintriedtoaskthemastertoenlightenhiswisdom,sohechoseaquitemodestwaytoquestionhim,whichwouldhelphimtogainthemaster’saffectionandtoaddtheopportunitytobetaught.2.1.5AgreementMaximAgreementmaxim(inrepresentatives)containstwosub-maximsthatminimizedisagreementbetweenselfandotherandmaximizeagreementbetweenselfandother,whichistosay,toreduceyourinconsistencywithothersintheirpointofview.Toaccomplishtheagreementneedstominimizedifferencesbetweenthetwosidesandtoincreasethesameopinionsbetweenthetwosides.Forexample,inTheStoryoftheStone,#1“‘ThatisexactlywhatIwasthinking,’saidthemonk.”[6]and#2“Yu-cunmadenopolitepretenceofdeclining.‘YourkindnessismorethanIdeserve,’hesaid.‘Iacceptgratefully.’”[7]Ashasbeenmentioned,inthefirstsentence,themonksaidthe“ThatisexactlywhatIwasthinking,”toagreehispartnerandthe“exactly”isusedforemphasizetheyareinthetotallysamepoint.AndthesecondsentencesaidbyYu-cunisalsofullyaccordwiththeagreementmaxim.Yu-cunacceptedtheinvitationofhisfriendwithnopolitepretenceofdeclining,nomatterwhatishistrulythought,heexpresshisagreementtohisfriend.Inthistwosituations,Yu-cunandthemonkbothtriedtomakeagreementwiththeirpartners,whichareshowingtheirpoliteness.2.1.6SympathyMaximSympathymaxim(inrepresentatives)containstwosub-maximsthatminimizeantipathybetweenselfandotherandmaximizesympathybetweenselfandother,whichistosay,toreduceyouremotionalantagonismwithothers.Tominimizetheantipathyofbothsidesandtrytoincreasethesympathyofbothsidescouldreducetheaversiontoothersandincreasecompassionforothers.Forexample,takesomedialoguesinTheStoryoftheStone,“‘TonightisMidAutumnnight,’saidShi-yin.‘PeoplecallittheFestivalofReunion.Itoccurredtomethatyoumightbefeelingratherlonelyhereinyourmonkery.’”[8]Inthissituation,Shi-yinfeltlonelyforhisfriendstayinginthemonkeryalone,sohewantedtoaskhimout.Buthedidn’tjustspeakouthisinvitation;instead,hechosetoinvitehimstandingonhisfriend’spointofview.Firstly,hesetascenethat“TonightisMidAutumnnight,”and“‘PeoplecallittheFestivalofReunion.”toinspirethesamefeelingofhisfriend.Andthenhesaidthat“Itoccurredtomethatyoumightbefeelingratherlonelyhere”totellhisfriendhehasthesympathyforhim.Afterthetwopartsofthisdialogue,whichfullyaccordwiththesympathymaxim,Shi-yin’sfriendmaytakehisinvitationandgooutwithhim.Inthissituation,Shi-yinandhisfriendcouldhavethesamefeelingswitheachother,andinthemeantimetheyareunavoidablyshowingtheirsympathy.2.2PolitenessPrincipleofGuYueguo2.2.1MaximofSelf-denigrationThegreatestcharacteristicofChinesepoliteness,suchasinferiorityandrespectforothers,isself-denigration;andoneofthepolitenessprinciplesisthat“thegentlemanistheoneknowinginferiorityandrespect.”ThegreatestcharacteristicofChinesepoliteness,suchasinferiorityandrespectforothers,isself-denigration;andoneofthepolitenessprinciplesisthat“thegentlemanistheoneknowinginferiorityandrespect.”Forexample,inHongLouMeng,wehavethesentence“適聞仙師所談因果，實人世罕聞?wù)?，但弟子愚拙，不能洞悉明白?！盵9]WhenShi-yintalkingtothemaster,heused“仙師(thewise)”tocallhimand“愚拙(thefull)”todescribehimself,whichiskindoflikethemodestymaximofLeechandshowingpoliteness.Inthemodernage,thepolitenessprinciplehasreachedsomedifference,andthecompositionof“inferiority”hasgraduallybeenreplacedbythecomponentsof“self-deprecation”.Itmeansto“demean”orto“behumble”whensomethingisrelatedtooneself;Whenreferringtothelistenerorsomethingassociatedwiththelistener,ifthespeakeruseshis“respect”wordstoclaim,itsounds“arrogant”;Iftheself-depreciatedwordswereusedinhisclaim,theysounded“impolite”and“despised”.What’smore,sincethefoundingofPeople’sRepublicofChina,newideasandvalueshavebeenimpactedandreplacedwithsometraditionalconceptsandvalues.Aseriesofneutralappellationshaveemergedandarewidelyusedamongyoungpeople.2.2.2MaximofTitleInaway,modernpolitebehaviorstillexistsinthetitleuse.Onthesurfaceofit,thisisaritualthathaslongbeenoutofdate,butithasleftadeepmarkonmodernpolitenessprinciple.Weallknowthatmeetingandgreetingisanimportantandsignificantpartofpoliteness.Whyitisimpolitetorefusesayinghelloanditispolitetosayit?Linguistsareaccustomedtointerpretinggreetingasemotionalcommunication.It’snotwrong,butit’soverlookedonepointthatthere’soneelementunavoidableingreeting,whichisthetitleofpeople.TakeanexamplefromHongLouMeng,inthefirstchapter,thestonesaidtothemonk“大師!弟子蠢物,不能見禮了！”[10]inthissentence,thestonecalledthemonk“大師(master)”toshowhisrespect,andthenheclaimhimselftobe“蠢物(idiot)”,thustobemodestandtoaskforsomeguidance.Thetitlealsorepresentsakindofsocialrelationshipbetweenpeople.Slightchangesintitleoftenmeanabigchangeintherelationshipbetweenpeople.Forexample,aChinesestudentgreetsateacherusuallyuseamodelof“l(fā)astnameplusteacher”,butcannotsay“old/smallpluslastname”.2.2.3MaximofRefinementIfoneisvulgarandfullofdirtywords,hewillbeaccusedbytheciviliansofbeing“impolite”and“uncultured”.Onthecontrary,ifoneisgentleandelegant,heisthepersonwhoislikedandcalled“polite”and“cultured”.“Nurtured”and“elegance”aretheotherelementsofpoliteness.Inthemoderntimes,politelanguagesshowthatthespeakeriscultured,andthathisspiritualrealmreachesahigherlevel.InHongLouMeng,Shi-yinsaidtothemaster:“若蒙大開癡頑，備細(xì)一聞，弟子洗耳諦聽”[11];Andinthissentence,hetriedtousethegracefulwordslike“洗耳諦聽(listeninggratefullyandcarefully)”toberefinedinmannerandlanguageuse,soastogetthefavorofthemasterandtosharehisideas.Refinementisthemakethechoiceofelegantwords,andtousemoreeuphemismandlessbluntly.Euphemismisusedtoavoiddirectreferencetothingsthatmakepeopleunhappyorembarrassing.Areaswhereeuphemismisneededincludedeath,terminalillness,bodyshape,appearance,orloweroccupation,etc.anditisvulgarandrudetospeakoutabruptlyandstraightlyaboutthesethings.Besides,thechoiceofeuphemism,likethechoiceoftitle,shouldalsotakevariouspragmaticfactorsintoaccount.2.2.4MaximofConsensusPolitenessbecomesausefulpragmatictoolwhenpeopletaketheirownorotherpeople’sfacesintoaccount.Peopleoftenfollowtheprincipleofseekingthesame.ThemaximofconsensushassomesimilaritieswiththeancientthoughtsofChinesethinker,thatis,inmanyaspectsofthepursuitforharmony,thelisteneralwaystrytomeetthedesireoftheothersideasfaraspossible.Whenwehavetocriticizeothersorexpressdifferentopinions,peopleoftenimplementthestrategyofconsensus,thatis,firsttopraiseeachotherandpointoutandaffirmthesidesoftheirsamepoint,givingeachotheraface,andthenfinallyspeakoutdifferentpoints.Inthisway,thoughcriticismasaverbalactisimpolite,butcaneventuallyberesolvedinapoliteway.However,thereisanotherkindofsituation,forexample,whenYu-cun’sfriendaskhimout,hereishisreaction:“雨村聽了，并不推辭，便笑道：‘既蒙謬愛，何敢拂此盛情。’”[12]Unlikecriticism,invitingoraskingisnotimpolitetothespeaker,butexposeshisfacetothelistener.Forthelistener,notsatisfiedwiththerequirementsorinvitationsofthespeakeristomakethespeakerlosingface.SoYu-cunused“何敢(howdareto)”toexpresshisrespectfortheinvitation.Theconsensusmaximasksthelistenertotrytobeascooperativeaspossibleinordertoachieveaharmonious.2.2.5MaximofVirtue,word,conductInConfucianism,one’swordsarecloselylinkedtoone’svirtue.Confuciusbelievedthat“theremustbeakindofwordsforthegentlemenwithvirtues.”Thereisanothersayinggoesmoresharpandclear:“Agentleman’sshameisthathehashisgoodwordsbutnovirtue,orhehashisvirtuebutnopolitewords.”Peoplewhobothhavethepolitebehaviorandvirtuearecalledthe“gentlemen”.Forexample,inthisdiscussion:“士隱聽了，不便再問，因笑道：‘玄機固不可泄露，但適云“蠢物”不知為何，或可得見否？’”[13]Afterhavingexplanations,Shi-yinstoppedaskingthesecretfurthermore,buttoaskforhavingtheallowanceofseeinganothercreaturetochangethetopic.Themaximofvirtue,wordandconductreferstothemotivationofact,whichistominimizethecosttoothersandtomaximizethebenefitstoothers(whoobeythismaximcanbedescribedashavinggreatvirtueandbesaidtobeagentleman).2.3SimilaritiesandDifferencesofPolitenessPrinciplesinEnglishandChineseBasically,wecanfindfromtheanalysesabovethattherearesomesimilaritiesbetweenEnglishandChinesepolitenessprinciples.Theself-denigrationmaximofGuYueguoissometimessameasapprobationandmodestymaximofLeech.TheconsensusmaximofGuYueguoisthecombinationofapprobation,agreementandsympathymaximofLeech.ThetitlemaximofGuYueguoissimilarwithtactandmodestymaximofLeech.TherefinementmaximofGuYueguoisalmostequaltothegenerositymaximofLeech.Andthevirtue,word,conductmaximofGuYueguoisfamiliarwiththetactandgenerositymaximofLeech.Therefore,wecandrawtheconclusionthatpolitenessprincipleofinChinaandEnglishculturesgenerallyfollowstwobasicpatterns:oneistominimizetheuseofimpolitelanguage,andtheotheristotrytoaddpolitelanguage.However,withthedifferentvalues,cultures,habits,ethicnotionsandwaysofthinking,therearesomedifferencesbetweenpolitenessprincipleinEnglishandChinese,andherearesomeexamples.InChina,onlythefamiliarandintimatepeoplecanbecalledtheir“firstname”directly,buttheuseof“firstname”inBritainorAmericancultureisnotnecessarilyinafamiliarorcloserelationship.Inaddition,“Xiao(small)+lastname”,suchas“XiaoWang”,couldgiveafeelingoffriendlinessoraffabilityinChineseculture,butinEnglishorAmericanculture,itisveryimpolite,suchascalling“Mr.Smith”for“SmallSmith”.What’smore,theword“teacher”canbeusedasasalutationinChineseculture,butinEnglishorAmericanculture,teacherasaprofessioncannotbeusedasasalutation,sothegreeting“goodmorning,teacher!”ofChinesestudentsinEnglishclassisquitewronginEnglish.3ApplicationsofPolitenessPrincipleinChineseandEnglishDialoguesfromHongLouMengandTheStoryoftheStone3.1CourtesiesinDailyCommunication3.1.1CourtesiesinGreetingsThegeneralpracticeofstandardgreetingtermsissaying“Hello!”orputtingtheappropriatepersonalpronounorotherhonorablenamesbeforethegreetingwordslike“Hello,everyone!”.HereisthesamedialogueinTheStoryoftheStoneandinHongLouMengwhenDai-yudidn’tmeetoneofhercousins,shesaidthat“Givehermyregardswhenyouseeher,willyou?”[14]InthesewordssaidtoherthirdcousinbyDai-yu,shewasshowingherkindnessandfriendlinesstothecousinshedidn’tmeethere.Thoughshecan’tgivehergreetingsfacetoface,shecanindirectlyexpressherthoughtsforhercousin.Inthesamecontent,theauthoraddonemoreDai-yu’swordinChinese“若(if)”tobemorerigorous,andgiveoutthesamemeaning“替我問候(greetingforme)”.Inthesetwoexpressions,wecanfindthesameusageinEnglishandChinesegreetings.Inanotherchapter,whenCaltropmovedintotheProspectGarden,Bao-chaisaidtoherinTheStoryoftheStonethat“Iadviseyoutotakethingsmoregently.TodayisyourfirstdayintheGarden.IfIwereyou,Ishouldgooutofthatcornergateand,beginningwithLadyJia’s,callinatallthedifferentapartmentsandpayyourrespectstoeverybody.”[15]andinHongLouMeng,thiscontentisexactlythesame,“從老太太起，各處各人，你都瞧瞧，問候一聲兒，也不必特意告訴他們搬進(jìn)園來?！盵16]Inthissituation,whenCaltropfirstmoveintotheGarden,shemustgogreetingeveryonesenioritytoher.It’sakindofpolitenessinthebigfamily.However,therearesomethingdifferentintheexpression,intheEnglishversion,Hawkesusedthesubjunctive“ifIwereyou”tobeeuphemisticandomitthelastsentencewith“不必特意告訴(thereisnoneedtospeciallytell)”.Thuswecansee,inEnglish,theexpressionneedstobemorebrevityandinChinese,peoplealwaystrytotellotherseverythingindetailsothatpeoplewon’tmakemistake.BothinEnglishandChinese,meetingandgreetingisawayforpeopletouseconversationtoshowtheirfriendlyandtobeidentifyingwitheachotherintheirinteractions.Chinaisknownasthe“StateofEtiquette”;people’sunderstandingofpolitenessisstartingatandpenetratingintheirdailygreeting.Greetingistheeasiestandmostdirectetiquetteforpeopletofollow,whichismainlysuitableforgreetingeachotherwhenmeetinginapublicplace,payingattentionorexpressingconcern.Oneofthemainpurposesofgreetingsistomaintainnormalsocialrelationsorenhancefriendship,akindoffriendlysignal,andakindofetiquette.3.1.2CourtesiesinRespondingRespondinglanguage,themostcommonlyusedinwelcomingsomeone,Suchas“Welcometoyourarrival!”or“Nicetomeetyou!”andsoon.Whentheguestsarriveagain,youcanaddtheotherperson’snamebeforewelcomingthelanguage,suchas“Sir,I’msogladtoseeyouagain!”toshowyourrespectandwelcome,sothattheothersidehasasenseofattention.Inthisscene,“Aromahadgoneoutsidetotaketheairandwasleaningontheverandahrailingsatthefootofthefrontdoorsteps.AssoonasshecaughtsightofXiang-yun,shehurrieddownintothecourtyardtowelcomeher,andtakingherbythehand,ledherintothehouse,animatedlyexchangingnewswithherastheywent.”[17]WhenBao-yusawXiang-yunatthefirstsight,hesaidtoherthat“youshouldhavecomesooner,”and“I’vegotsomethingniceforyouhereandI’vebeenwaitingforyoutocomesothatIcouldgiveittoyou.”[18]InChineseversion,Bao-yuusedtheword“好(nice)”topraisehisgoodsand“專(specially)”toemphasizehisexpectationforher.Asthedialoguesabove,hetoldherthatsheshouldcomebackearlyandhespeciallyleavesomethingwaitingforher.BothinEnglishandChinese,weoftenusethesewordsdirectlyshowingouremotionstoothers,asBao-