The paper is about rhetorical devices in English-Chinese translation. The paper will be pided into five parts. The first part as the beginning of this paper introduces the significance and construction of the paper. The next part gives a brief introduction to the definition and history, and examples on rhetorical effects in English, which is some essential information about rhetoric. The third part elaborates main translation strategies in English- Chinese translation, and in this section there are also some examples. The fourth part analyzes a phenomenon which rhetorical effects maintain and are lost in the process of English-Chinese translation. The final part draws a conclusion about this paper.

In the paper, the author will make the study by gathering materials from some of the references borrowed from the library, the Internet and resource centers. The research mainly uses literature retrieval way, which means the author will refer to books, newspapers and magazines about translation and rhetoric. What’s more, the paper also uses the paradigmatic method. In addition, some advice will be given by the tutor and classmates.

II. A Brief Retrospection of Rhetoric

2.1 Definition

We can learn about the definition of rhetoric from the works which are written by rhetorician and linguists all around the world. For example, according to The World Book Dictionary, rhetoric is the art of using words in speaking or writing so as to persuade or influence others (Barnhart 196). Or rhetoric is a kind of art which deals with how to manipulate language effectively in Modern Rhetoric (Brooks and Warren 205). Rhetoric is, in short, an activity which expresses all the content the author would like to convey properly, according to the theme of artistic conception, using all kinds of language materials, and various expressing ways. The ancient Greek philosopher and scientist Aristotle defines it in On Rhetoric as a kind of function can find the possible means of persuasion on any one question (6). And Chen Wangdao, a modern grand master in rhetoric, also mentions that rhetoric makes efforts to adjust the words and express feelings appropriately. Using rhetoric is not only to make the expression more vivid, outstanding, but also to enhance the appeal and penetration of language and cause the resonance of readers on the basis of the neat symmetry and sonorous tone.