1 Introduction

This article explores the history and importance of adaptation in traditional Chinese translation theory, from ancient scholars such as Dao'an and Xuanzang to modern scholars such as Qian Zhongshu and Fu Lei, and then to discussions on adaptation by scholars such as Yan Fu, Huang Zhonglian, Liu Miqing, Chen Herong, and Ye Zinan. It emphasizes that adaptation is an indispensable tool in translation, involving various methods such as addition, subtraction, editing, description, reduction, merging, and modification. The purpose of flexibility is to solve the dilemma caused by language and cultural differences and achieve smooth translation. Based on the cultural, linguistic, social, and historical differences between China and foreign countries, Xu Yuanchong, starting from the practice of poetry translation, combined with the characteristics of Chinese poetry and readers' expectations, proposed the "Three Modernizations" and its flexible translation concept, enriching the flexible concept in the history of translation in China, and pointing out the flexible ways to solve the problem of poetry translation.

Xu Yuanchong's Translation Theory of "Three Transformations and Flexibility"

Explored Xu Yuanchong's "three transformations and flexibility" translation concept, emphasizing the influence of translation concepts on translators. Xu Yuanchong has constructed a translation art view through extensive practice and proposed translation theory from a philosophical perspective. He quotes Lu Xun's theory of "three beauties" and believes that poetry translation should convey beautiful meaning, beauty of sound and beauty of form, of which beautiful meaning is the most important. Xu Yuanchong further proposed the "three transformations" translation method: deepening, equalization, and shallowness, covering various specific techniques. He also proposed the "Three Theories", "Three Similarities", and "Three Potential Theory", which together with the "Three Beauties Theory" and "Three Transformations Theory" constitute the core of his translation ideas. Xu Yuanchong emphasized that in translation practice, the "three transformations" translation method should be flexibly applied according to the actual situation to convey the "three beauties" of the original poem. However, he did not specify when and what translation method to use, and only proposed the principle of conveying beautiful meaning. This flexibility stems from the complexity of translating poetry into foreign languages. To gain a deeper understanding of Xu Yuanchong's translation philosophy, it is necessary to start from his translation practice and further explore the characteristics of flexibility. The academic discussion on the "Three Transformations Theory" often takes English translation as an example. This article explores its application in translating poetry into French, providing new textual evidence for the theory.

Using the method of "three transformations and flexibility" to resolve the difficulty of translating Tang poetry

Explored how Xu Yuanchong used the "three transformations and flexibility" translation method to solve the difficulties in translating Tang poetry. The beauty of Tang poetry lies in its artistic conception, emotions, scenery, phonetics, and form, which become obstacles to maintaining the aesthetic appeal of the original poem during translation. Xu Yuanchong emphasized that beautiful meaning comes first, then in sound, and finally in form. When dealing with rhyme, he conveyed the beauty of sound by preserving the rhyme structure of the original poem and searching for suitable rhymes in French, such as through staggered rhymes in "Listening to the Zither". For reduplicated words, due to the limited use of reduplicated words in French, Xu Yuanchong chose to abandon the phonetic and morphological features of reduplicated words and instead convey their meanings. He deepened the translation by adding words, such as using "sans cesse" to describe the continuous rain in "Qingming Festival Rains". In digital translation, Xu Yuanchong adopts different strategies based on the types of numbers. For fuzzy numbers, he uses shallow processing, while for specific numbers, he uses equal translation. When necessary, he deepens cultural connotations by adding words, such as conveying Chinese newlywed customs through "depuis trois jours" and "mari é e" in "The Bride". In general, Xu Yuanchong's translation method reflects the dynamic and multi-dimensional translation of Tang poetry while maintaining the original poetic beauty, sound beauty and form beauty.

The characteristics of "three transformations and flexibility" as a translation method

Explored the application characteristics of Xu Yuanchong's "three transformations and adaptability" translation concept in practice. In terms of practicality, by analyzing the translation issues of rhyme endings, reduplicated words, and numbers in Xu Yuanchong's method of translating Tang poetry, it is demonstrated that the flexibility of "deepening", "lightening", and "equalization" can effectively solve the obstacles in poetry translation, and the forms are diverse and the levels are rich. In terms of adaptability, Xu Yuanchong uses the "three transformations" approach to adapt to the rhythmic features of French and poetry, solving problems such as Chinese reduplicated words, numerals, and proper nouns, reflecting the adaptability of translation activities and aiming to meet the specific needs of readers. In terms of dynamics and complexity, Xu Yuanchong flexibly selected flexible methods according to the actual situation, taking into account the beautiful meaning, sound and form of the whole poem, so that the "three beauties" are in dynamic balance. The flexible methods of "three transformations" do not have a one-to-one correspondence with their effects, but rather a complex and dynamic transformation process. Xu Yuanchong's "three transformations and flexibility" translation concept breaks the limitations of traditional binary static determinism and reflects the richness and complexity of translation activities.

5 Conclusion

Different terms and forms of flexibility in Chinese and Western translation theories; The practical source and guiding role of Xu Yuanchong's "Three Transformations Theory" in problem-solving; The academic community has conducted extensive research on the "Three Transformations Theory"; This article analyzes Xu Yuanchong's practice of translating Chinese poetry into legal form, clarifying the expression of "three transformations and flexibility"; Summarize the practicality, adaptability, dynamism, and complexity characteristics of the "three transformations and adaptability"; Deepen understanding of Xu Yuanchong's flexible translation ideas; Strengthening the concept of flexibility as a fundamental attribute of translation.