六级翻译四大名著三缺一
受疫情影响，今年全国大学英语四六级延期后的第二次考试于今天开考。听说，今天的六级翻译考了四大名著中的《红楼梦》、《水浒传》和《西游记》，而你只准备了《三国演义》？
无注释原文：
The Four Classic Novels of Chinese Literature
The Culture Trip
Water Margin, Journey to the West, Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Dream of the Red Chamber; these four novels form the core of Chinese classical literature and still inform modern culture.
Dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties, these four novels are the bedrock of Chinese literary culture. Their influence has spread across Asia to inform elements of Japanese, Korean and South East Asian mythology. The writing and dissemination of these four works marked the emergence of the novel form in China as a counterpart to more refined philosophical and poetic works. The more expansive form of the novel allowed for a synthesis of the historical and the mythological, whilst also developing along more accessible narrative lines. These works thus marked a limited but notable democratization of literature which is perhaps most evident in their use of vernacular Chinese, rather than the Classical Chinese which had previously dominated. These four works also revealed the novel’s potential to embrace a multitude of perspectives, and to allow for irony; this permitted writers to voice previously suppressed critiques about the ruling order, whilst also expressing the vast multitude of voices which made up the Chinese populace.
Water Margin
Published in the 14th century, Water Margin was the first of the four classical novels to be released, and introduced the vernacular form and style which the others would adhere to. The title has been translated in a number of ways, including as Outlaws of the Marsh, Tale of the Marshes, All Men Are Brothers, Men of the Marshes, or The Marshes of Mount Liang, and whilst doubts persist over the identity of the author, most attribute it to Shi Nai’an, a writer from Suzhou. The novel is set in the Song dynasty and depicts a group of outlaws who eventually go on to serve the Emperor in battling foreign invaders. It was based on the real life story of the outlaw Song Jiang, who was defeated by the Emperor in the 12th century, and whose gang of 36 outlaws came to populate folk tales throughout China.
Journey to the West
Perhaps the most influential of the four classic novels of Chinese literature, and certainly the most widely known beyond China’s borders, Journey to the West was written in the 16th century by Wu Cheng’en. It depicts the pilgrimage of the Buddhist monk Xuanzang to India, and his resultant travels through the Western provinces of China, accompanied by his three disciples. Whilst the framework of the story is based on Buddhism, the novel draws on a host of Chinese folk tales and mythology, as well as pantheism and Taoism to create its fantastical cast of characters and creatures. These creatures include various demons who Xuanzang encounters along his travels, and a variety of animal-spirits who assume human form. This latter category includes the three disciples, who are characterised as a monkey, a pig and a river ogre, and who are bound to Xuanzang as they attempt to atone for their past sins.
Dream of the Red Chamber
Written in the mid-18th century during the Qing dynasty, Dream of the Red Chamber was the last of the four great novels of Chinese literature to gain prominence. It is a semi-autobiographical work which focuses on the financial and moral decay of author Cao Xueqin’s family and by extension the Qing dynasty. Recognized for its formal beauty and innovation, Dream of the Red Chamber has spawned a scholarly field of its own, ‘Redology’, which is still a thriving academic subject in China. The novel is markedly more nuanced and precise than its fellow classics, and it offers an incredibly detailed rendering of the life of 18th century Chinese aristocracy, paying particular attention to the complexities of social conventions in this esoteric world. The novel is thus a repository for those interested in Chinese culture, granting readers an insight into the religious, social and political world of upper class China. It also offers insight into a wide variety of aspects of Chinese culture, from medicine to mythology and art, all of which continue to inform contemporary culture in China.
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注：中文文本为机器翻译仅供参考，并非一一对应
含注释全文：
The Four Classic Novels of Chinese Literature
The Culture Trip
Water Margin, Journey to the West, Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Dream of the Red Chamber; these four novels form the core of Chinese classical literature and still inform modern culture.
《水浒传》、《西游记》、《三国演义》和《红楼梦》，这四部小说构成了中国古典文学的核心，至今仍在影响着现代文化。
inform
这篇文章多次出现inform一词，熟词僻义，原意表示“通知，告知”，此外还有一个含义表示“对…有影响；影响着...”，英文解释为“to have an influence on sth”举个🌰：
Religion informs every aspect of their lives.
宗教影响着他们生活的各个方面。
Dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties, these four novels are the bedrock of Chinese literary culture. Their influence has spread across Asia to inform elements of Japanese, Korean and South East Asian mythology. The writing and dissemination of these four works marked the emergence of the novel form in China as a counterpart to more refined philosophical and poetic works.
这四部小说可追溯到明清时期，是中国文学文化的基石。它们的影响力已遍及整个亚洲，影响着日本，韩国和东南亚神话的元素。这四部作品的写作和传播，标志着小说形式在中国的出现，与更精炼的哲学和诗歌作品相对应。
bedrock
表示“基础；牢固基础；基本事实；基本原则”，英文解释为“the main principles on which something is based”举个🌰：
Honesty is the bedrock of any healthy relationship.
诚实是维持一切良好关系的基本原则。
mythology
mythology /mɪˈθɒlədʒɪ/ 表示“神话”，英文解释为“myths in general”举个🌰：
She's fascinated by the stories of classical mythology (= ancient Greek and Roman myths).
她被古典神话故事迷住了。
dissemination
dissemination名词，动词形式disseminate /dɪˈsɛmɪˌneɪt/ 表示“散布；传播”，英文解释为“To disseminate information or knowledge means to distribute it so that it reaches many people or organizations.”举个🌰：
Their findings have been widely disseminated.
他们的研究成果已经广为传播。
🎬电影《疯狂父母》（Mom and Dad）第五季中的台词提到：the last thing we want to do is disseminate any information 我们要做的最后一件事是传播信息
🎬电影《美国队长3：英雄内战》（Captain America: Civil War）第五季中的台词提到："To generate, disseminate..." and preserve knowledge. 生成、传播，保护知识。
counterpart
counterpart一词经常出现，counter-表示“相反的；对立的；相应的”（opposite; against; in return; corresponding），和part一起就是“对立的，相应的事物”，从而表示“职位相当的人；作用相当的事物”，英文解释为“Somene's or something's counterpart is another person or thing that has a similar function or position in a different place.”此处指的就是对应的火星字。
refined
1）表示“精炼的；提纯的；精制的”，英文解释为“made pure by having other substances taken out of it”如：refined sugar 精制糖；
2）形容人，表示“有礼貌的；优雅的；有教养的”，英文解释为“polite, well educated and able to judge the quality of things; having the sort of manners that are considered typical of a high social class”。
3）表示“精细的；完善的；精妙的”，英文解释为“improved because of many small changes that have been made”，如：highly refined theories 非常精炼的理论。
The more expansive form of the novel allowed for a synthesis of the historical and the mythological, whilst also developing along more accessible narrative lines. These works thus marked a limited but notable democratization of literature which is perhaps most evident in their use of vernacular Chinese, rather than the Classical Chinese which had previously dominated. These four works also revealed the novel's potential to embrace a multitude of perspectives, and to allow for irony; this permitted writers to voice previously suppressed critiques about the ruling order, whilst also expressing the vast multitude of voices which made up the Chinese populace.
小说的形式更为宽泛，可以将历史和神话综合起来，同时也沿着更容易理解的叙事路线发展。因此，这些作品标志着文学有限但显著的大众化，这一点也许最明显地表现在它们使用的是白话文，而不是以前占主导地位的文言文。这四部作品还揭示了小说具有包容多种观点并具有讽刺意味的潜力。这使得作家可以表达以前被压抑的对统治秩序的批评，同时也表达了中国广大民众的声音。
vernacular
vernacular /vəˈnækjʊlə/ 表示“方言；土语”，英文解释为“the language spoken in a particular area or by a particular group, especially one that is not the official or written language”
whilst
whilst /waɪlst/ 同while，表示“当…时；在…的过程中；虽然，尽管”，英文解释为“Whilst means the same as the conjunction while”。
区分：
whistle /ˈwɪsəl/作名词表示“哨子，口哨声”（a small object that produces a high whistling sound when you blow into it）；
narrative
表示“故事；叙事”，英文解释为“A narrative is a story or an account of a series of events.”如：a fast-moving narrative 一个快节奏的叙事。
populace
populace /ˈpɒpjʊləs/ 表示“平民百姓；民众”，英文解释为“all the ordinary people of a particular country or area”。
Water Margin
《水浒传》
Published in the 14th century, Water Margin was the first of the four classical novels to be released, and introduced the vernacular form and style which the others would adhere to. The title has been translated in a number of ways, including as Outlaws of the Marsh, Tale of the Marshes, All Men Are Brothers, Men of the Marshes, or The Marshes of Mount Liang, and whilst doubts persist over the identity of the author, most attribute it to Shi Nai'an, a writer from Suzhou.
《水浒传》发表于14世纪，是四部名著中的第一部，并引入了其他小说所坚持的白话形式和风格。《水浒传》有多种译法，虽然对作者的身份仍有疑问，但普遍认为是苏州人施耐庵所著。
outlaw
表示“（尤指旧时的）不法之徒，草寇”，英文解释为“(especially in the past) a person who has broken the law and who lives separately from the other parts of society because they want to escape legal punishment”。
marsh
表示“湿地；沼泽；草本沼泽”，英文解释为“an area of low land that is always soft and wet because there is nowhere for the water to flow away to”。
The novel is set in the Song dynasty and depicts a group of outlaws who eventually go on to serve the Emperor in battling foreign invaders. It was based on the real life story of the outlaw Song Jiang, who was defeated by the Emperor in the 12th century, and whose gang of 36 outlaws came to populate folk tales throughout China.
小说以宋朝为背景，描写了一群亡命之徒，最终为皇帝效力，抗击外来侵略者的故事。它是根据12世纪被皇帝打败的亡命之徒宋江的真实故事改编的，他的36个亡命之徒团伙在中国各地的民间故事中出现。
depict
表示“描写，描述，描绘；描绘，绘画”，英文解释为“to describe something or someone in writing or speech, or to show them in a painting, picture etc”，举个🌰：
The artist had depicted her lying on a bed.
画家画了她躺在床上的画像。
此前价值1.8亿元毕加索名画被撕文中出现过，According to Tate, the artwork depicts Picasso's lover Dora Maar and was painted in Paris in May 1944, during the final months of the Nazi occupation.
Journey to the West
《西游记》
Perhaps the most influential of the four classic novels of Chinese literature, and certainly the most widely known beyond China's borders, Journey to the West was written in the 16th century by Wu Cheng'en.
《西游记》可能是中国文学四大名著中影响最大的一部，当然也是中国以外最广为人知的一部，它由吴承恩写于16世纪。
It depicts the pilgrimage of the Buddhist monk Xuanzang to India, and his resultant travels through the Western provinces of China, accompanied by his three disciples. Whilst the framework of the story is based on Buddhism, the novel draws on a host of Chinese folk tales and mythology, as well as pantheism and Taoism to create its fantastical cast of characters and creatures. These creatures include various demons who Xuanzang encounters along his travels, and a variety of animal-spirits who assume human form. This latter category includes the three disciples, who are characterised as a monkey, a pig and a river ogre, and who are bound to Xuanzang as they attempt to atone for their past sins.
《西游记》描写了佛教徒玄奘去印度朝圣的故事，以及他在三个弟子的陪同下游历中国西域的过程。虽然故事的框架是以佛教为基础，但小说借鉴了大量的中国民间故事和神话，以及泛神论和道教，创造了奇幻的角色和生物。这些生物包括玄奘在旅途中遇到的各种妖怪，以及各种化作人形的兽灵。后者包括三个弟子，他们分别被刻画为猴子、猪和河怪，在试图弥补过去的罪过时被束缚在玄奘身边。
pilgrimage
pilgrimage /ˈpɪlɡrɪmɪdʒ/ 1）表示“朝圣，朝觐”，英文解释为“a special journey made by a pilgrim”，如：make a pilgrimage/go on a pilgrimage to... 去...朝圣。
2）表示“朝圣之旅；参拜之行”，英文解释为“a visit to a place that is considered special, where you go to show your respect”举个🌰：
For many fans, the national stadium is a place of pilgrimage.
对许多足球迷来说，国家体育馆就是圣地。
disciple /dɪˈsaɪpəl/
表示“信徒；门徒；追随者”，英文解释为“a person who believes in and follows the teachings of a religious or political leader”。
pantheism /ˈpænθɪˌɪzəm/
表示“泛神论”，英文解释为“Pantheism is the religious belief that God is in everything in nature and the universe.”
ogre /ˈəʊɡə/
表示“食人魔；凶恶的人，可怕的人（形容人可怕的幽默说法）”，英文解释为“If you refer to someone as an ogre, you are saying in a humorous way that they are very frightening.”
atone for sth
表示“赎（罪）；弥补，补偿（过错）”，英文解释为“to do something that shows that you are sorry for something bad that you did”举个🌰：
He has expressed a wish to atone for his actions in the past.
他表示愿意为其以前的行为向世人谢罪。
Dream of the Red Chamber
《红楼梦》
Written in the mid-18th century during the Qing dynasty, Dream of the Red Chamber was the last of the four great novels of Chinese literature to gain prominence. It is a semi-autobiographical work which focuses on the financial and moral decay of author Cao Xueqin's family and by extension the Qing dynasty.
《红楼梦》写于18世纪中叶的清朝，是中国文学四大名著中最后一部崭露头角的作品。它是一部半自传体作品，主要描写作者曹雪芹家族乃至清朝的经济衰败和道德败坏。
Recognized for its formal beauty and innovation, Dream of the Red Chamber has spawned a scholarly field of its own, ‘Redology’, which is still a thriving academic subject in China. The novel is markedly more nuanced and precise than its fellow classics, and it offers an incredibly detailed rendering of the life of 18th century Chinese aristocracy, paying particular attention to the complexities of social conventions in this esoteric world. The novel is thus a repository for those interested in Chinese culture, granting readers an insight into the religious, social and political world of upper class China. It also offers insight into a wide variety of aspects of Chinese culture, from medicine to mythology and art, all of which continue to inform contemporary culture in China.
《红楼梦》以其形式上的美感和创新而被公认，它催生了一个属于自己的学术领域--“红学”，至今在中国仍是一个蓬勃发展的学术课题。小说明显比其他经典作品更细致、更精确，它对18世纪中国贵族的生活进行了令人难以置信的细致渲染，尤其关注这个神秘世界中社会习俗的复杂性。因此，这部小说是对中国文化感兴趣的人的资料库，让读者深入了解中国上层社会的宗教、社会和政治世界。它还提供了对中国文化的各个方面的洞察力，从医学到神话和艺术，所有这些都继续影响着中国的当代文化。
spawn
表示“引发；使大量出现，使大量产生；酿成”，英文解释为“If something spawns something else, it causes it to happen or to be created.”举个🌰：
New technology has spawned new business opportunities.
新技术创造了大量新的商机。
spawn还可以指鱼或蛙“大量产卵”（if a fish or frog spawns, it produces eggs in large quantities at the same time）。
nuanced
nuanced 这里是形容词，是由它的名词nuance /njuːˈɑːns/派生而来，表示“（在外表、意义、感觉、声音等上）有细微差別的”举个🌰：
Opinion polls tell a more nuanced story.
民意调查中可以发现更微妙的结果。
aristocracy
aristocracy /ˌærɪˈstɒkrəsɪ/ 表示“（某些国家的）贵族；贵族阶级”，英文解释为“(in some countries) people born in the highest social class, who have special titles”。
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