On Translating Similes and Metaphors in Traditional Chinese Medicine Literature

This research is to explore the approaches to translating similes and metaphors in TCM works into English based on the translation principles and methods suggested by foreign translators.Through the analysis,conclusions are drawn:①The principle of making sense should be emphasized,since TCM works mainly concentrate on conveying the objective information about human’s physical conditions during diagnosis and therapy.②Literal translation approach can be applied in translating similes to describe the symptoms and signs of the patients.③The translation of metaphors is more complicated.They can be converted into the form of similes or with certain explanations to achieve the comprehensibility of the target language.And some images can be left out from the metaphors or necessary explanations added to make them comprehensible to English readers.