Abstract：Mr. Xu Yuanchong initiated the translation theory of Three Beauties which defines that translation should reproduce the beauty in sense, sound and form of the original. And it is the key content of the complete set of translation theory he has presented. As the guidance, a new climate has been created in the theory and been applied by Xu through his abundant translation examples. The Romance of West Bower, one of the most excellent literary pearls of drama in the context of the classical Chinese literature, has been handed down form age to age and appreciated by audience or readers of various generations. The Verse Exchange, as one of the acts in the play, has been reputed as one of the best created one because of the heart-touching delivery of the lingering love and the meticulous psychological description. Xu Yuanchong’s English version for this act is born with the aesthetic elements and echoes his Three-Beauty Principle. When his version meets his own theories, the chances are there for us to give an objective and comparative observation in depth. And the comment will roll down by analyzing both the skills efficiently presented in the translation and deficiency open for improvement. Flowing in a way featuring detailed analysis, and through the theoretical and critical perspective, this paper tries to contribute to study on the effect of Xu’s application and calls for additional relevant research in this area. 

Key words: Xu Yuanchong; The Three-Beauty principle; Verse Exchange; The Romance of West Bower 

中文摘要：许渊冲先生提出了“三美论”，即要在译文中传达原作的意美、形美、音美。该理论被许先生用于他的大量翻译实践，特别是中国古典文学翻译实践。《西厢记》为中国戏曲的传世佳作，诗情洋溢，声情并茂。而其中的《酬韵》一折更以其铺情缠绵动人之能事以及细致淋漓的人物内心活动刻画被赞誉为全戏本中的妙笔之一。许渊冲的《西厢记•酬韵》英译本承传了原作的美学价值并且呼应了其“三美论”。当译者的译作与其翻译理论相遇，我们拥有了客观比照分析译本的可能性。本文将通过批评视角下的细节分析，并比照理论，阐释该文本翻译的得与失。并希望以此为契机，扩展关乎许氏翻译研究的视域宽度，引起大家对许氏翻译的进一步探析。

关键词：许渊冲；三美论；《西厢记•酬韵》

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

1. Introduction-1

2. The Three Beauties Principle-2

3. Manifestations of the TB Principle on Translation Skills in Verse Exchange-3

3.1 Reproducing Beauty in Sound-3

3.2 Reproducing Beauty in Form-4

3.3 Reproducing Beauty in Sense-5

4. Two Factors Limit the Application of the TB principle-6

4.1 Limitation of the Imbalance towards Metrical Translation-6

4.2 Limitation of the Language-Featured Figures of Speech-7

5. Conclusion-9

References-11