“釋句”即“注釋句”，是指在特定的語(yǔ)句中，參照語(yǔ)言材料與語(yǔ)境的適應(yīng)性，用后句對(duì)前句或前句的部分內(nèi)容（包括人名、地名和事物名等）進(jìn)行形象化的具體解釋的句式?！都t樓夢(mèng)》里運(yùn)用釋句的例子很多，如在第五回里，警幻仙姑給寶玉解釋“淫”與“意淫”，從而闡發(fā)了作者的先進(jìn)思想，寄托了作者對(duì)“皮膚淫濫之蠢物”的鞭笞和對(duì)只可“心會(huì)”、“神通”，不可“言傳”、“語(yǔ)達(dá)”的純真愛情的贊頌；又如第十回里張?zhí)t(yī)論秦可卿之病的一大段話，更是釋句套釋句，一環(huán)扣一環(huán)，句式周密，富有很強(qiáng)的邏輯性。由于篇幅所限，在這里，我們選取幾個(gè)有代表性的釋句及其譯文，來分析它們各自的修辭效果。

1) 香菱道：“......合長(zhǎng)安城中，上至王侯，下至買賣人，都稱他家是‘桂花夏家’。”寶玉笑問道如何又稱為‘桂花夏家’？ ”香菱道：“他家本姓夏，非常的富貴。其余田地不用說，單有幾十頃地獨(dú)種桂花，凡這長(zhǎng)安城里城外桂花局俱是他家的，連宮里一應(yīng)陳設(shè)盆景亦是他家貢奉，因此才有這個(gè)渾號(hào)?！保ǖ谄呤呕兀?/p>

楊譯：

"...The whole capital, from nobles down to trad⑶men，all call that family the Osmanthus Xias. "

"How did they get that name?"

"Well, their surname is Xia, and they are rolling in wealth. Apart from other landed property，they have several hundred acres growing nothing but osmanthus trees. They own all the shops in the capital selling osmanthus，and they supply Palace too with all those needed for display. That's how they came by this name …."

霍譯：

…said Caltrop. '…In fact everyone in the city, from imperial Princes to shopkeepers, has heard of the Cassia Xias. '

'Oh,' said Bao-yu. 'Why do they call them that?'

'They are, as I say, very, very rich,' said Caltrop, 'and they own a great deal of land. Several hundred acres of their land are devoted just to growing cassia alone. They, and all the cassia, both cut flowers and potted plants, on display in the Palace, supply all the cassia sold in shops in the city. That's how they got the nickname…'

該例是以人物對(duì)話為釋句的形式，借香菱之口，向讀者介紹了夏金桂的出身，顯得自然、生動(dòng)、活潑。兩段譯文也同樣條理而流暢，使讀者隨著書中人物對(duì)話的展開而對(duì)夏家的了解由模糊漸趨明了。其中“都稱他家是‘桂花夏家’”一句，霍譯為...has heard of the Cassia Xias.，與楊譯的...all call that family the Osmanthus Hsias.相比，更多地消除了翻譯腔，更合乎上下文的語(yǔ)境和講話者的口氣和神態(tài)。

2) 迎春又令丫鬟炷了一支“夢(mèng)甜香”。原來這“夢(mèng)甜香”只有三寸來長(zhǎng)，有燈草粗細(xì)，以其易燼，故以此燼為限，如香燼未成便要罰。（第三十七回）

楊譯：

Yingchun had a stick of Sweet-Dream Incense lit. Being only three inches long and no thicker than a lampwick，this burnt quickly. The poems had to be finished before it burnt out, on pain of a penalty.