从语用学角度对《红楼梦》及其译本中礼貌用语的比较研究

COMPARATIVESTUDYOFCOURTESIESINHONGLOUMENGANDITSTRANSLATIONFROMTHEPERSPECTIVEOFPRAGMATICS从语用学角度对《红楼梦》及其译本中礼貌用语的比较研究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从语用学角度对《红楼梦》及其译本中礼貌用语的比较研究学生：白雅迪指导老师：姚敏(湖南农业大学外国语学院，长沙410128)摘要：本文主要研究在语用学中广泛应用的六条利奇（Leech）的礼貌原则，结合顾曰国提出的五条礼貌准则，分析《红楼梦》及其霍译本中的礼貌用语。并通过对比分析发现汉语中的礼貌策略被译成英文时是否符合西方礼貌原则。在语用学视角下，进一步解析该部小说中的人物对话及其翻译，并通过运用中西方的礼貌原则理论，分析出小说中人物对话所蕴含的各种语用功能与其文化特色，从而使得双语学习者能更好地把握在中英文语境下的礼貌原则应用，并将其作为在实际生活中语言应用的规范，同时也为《红楼梦》及其翻译研究提供语用学视角。因此，本文着重使用对比研究的方法，从礼貌原则的提出、内容、意义、礼貌原则在《红楼梦》及其霍译本人物对话中的实际应用、东西方礼貌原则的对比、礼貌原则的违反和不礼貌的避免几个角度进行研究，通过分析英汉两种语言对于同一内容的不同表达，对比得出一定的结论。关键词：礼貌原则；《红楼梦》；霍译本；礼貌用语；对比研究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“适闻仙师所谈因果，实人世罕闻者，但弟子愚拙，不能洞悉明白。”[9]WhenShi-yintalkingtothemaster,heused“仙师(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“大师!弟子蠢物,不能见礼了！”[10]inthissentence,thestonecalledthemonk“大师(master)”toshowhisrespect,andthenheclaimhimselftobe“蠢物(idiot)”,thustobemodestandtoaskforsomeguidance.Thetitlealsorepresentsakindofsocialrelationshipbetweenpeople.Slightchangesintitleoftenmeanabigchangeintherelationshipbetweenpeople.Forexample,aChinesestudentgreetsateacherusuallyuseamodelof“lastnameplusteacher”,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:“若蒙大开痴顽，备细一闻，弟子洗耳谛听”[11];Andinthissentence,hetriedtousethegracefulwordslike“洗耳谛听(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:“雨村听了，并不推辞，便笑道：‘既蒙谬爱，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:“士隐听了，不便再问，因笑道：‘玄机固不可泄露，但适云“蠢物”不知为何，或可得见否？’”[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“替我问候(greetingforme)”.Inthesetwoexpressions,wecanfindthesameusageinEnglishandChinesegreetings.Inanotherchapter,whenCaltropmovedintotheProspectGarden,Bao-chaisaidtoherinTheStoryoftheStonethat“Iadviseyoutotakethingsmoregently.TodayisyourfirstdayintheGarden.IfIwereyou,Ishouldgooutofthatcornergateand,beginningwithLadyJia’s,callinatallthedifferentapartmentsandpayyourrespectstoeverybody.”[15]andinHongLouMeng,thiscontentisexactlythesame,“从老太太起，各处各人，你都瞧瞧，问候一声儿，也不必特意告诉他们搬进园来。”[16]Inthissituation,whenCaltropfirstmoveintotheGarden,shemustgogreetingeveryonesenioritytoher.It’sakindofpolitenessinthebigfamily.However,therearesomethingdifferentintheexpression,intheEnglishversion,Hawkesusedthesubjunctive“ifIwereyou”tobeeuphemisticandomitthelastsentencewith“不必特意告诉(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“专(specially)”toemphasizehisexpectationforher.Asthedialoguesabove,hetoldherthatsheshouldcomebackearlyandhespeciallyleavesomethingwaitingforher.BothinEnglishandChinese,weoftenusethesewordsdirectlyshowingouremotionstoothers,asBao-