Conceptual Metaphor in Poetic Imagery Translation: A Case Study of Xu Yuanchong’s Translation of a Moonlit Night on the Spring River

As a renowned Tang Dynasty masterpiece, A Moonlit Night on the Spring River has long been a focus of translation studies. While existing studies have predominantly explored its translation from the perspectives of aesthetics or narratology, research from a cognitive linguistic approach remains underexplored. This study employs Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) within cognitive linguistics as its theoretical framework to analyze translation strategies in Xu Yuanchong’s translation from three dimensions: structural metaphor, ontological metaphor and orientational metaphor. Key findings indicate that, for structural metaphors, either literal translation or explanatory supplementation is required depending on the specific cross-cultural mapping situation; ontological metaphors, benefiting from human beings’ universal cognition of material entities, can be rendered literally; and orientational metaphors require reconstruction of the connection between “spatial orientation” and “emotional connotations”. The findings demonstrate that adopting corresponding translation strategies based on different metaphor types can significantly enhance the cross-cultural transmission of poetic imagery.