| Abstract | 第1-9页 |
| 摘要 | 第9-10页 |
| List of abbreviations | 第10-11页 |
| Chapter One Introduction | 第11-17页 |
| ·Research background | 第11-13页 |
| ·Purpose and significance of the research | 第13页 |
| ·Introduction to Chinese folk wisecracks | 第13-16页 |
| ·Structure of Chinese folk wisecracks | 第14页 |
| ·Classifications of Chinese folk wisecracks | 第14页 |
| ·Denomination of Chinese folk wisecracks in English | 第14-16页 |
| ·Structure of the thesis | 第16-17页 |
| Chapter Two Literature Review | 第17-25页 |
| ·Critical review of studies on the translations of Chinese folk wisecracks | 第17-20页 |
| ·Linguistic perspective | 第17-18页 |
| ·Cross-cultural perspective | 第18-19页 |
| ·Rhetorical perspective | 第19-20页 |
| ·Critical review of studies on limits of translatability | 第20-23页 |
| ·Previous studies on limits of translatability abroad | 第20-22页 |
| ·Previous studies on limits of translatability in China | 第22-23页 |
| ·Summary | 第23-25页 |
| Chapter Three Theoretical Framework | 第25-35页 |
| ·Prototype category theory | 第25-28页 |
| ·The definition of prototype | 第25-27页 |
| ·The characteristics of prototype | 第27-28页 |
| ·Prototype theory of translation | 第28-29页 |
| ·Limits of translatability in light of prototype theory | 第29-34页 |
| ·The rareness of the best exemplar | 第30页 |
| ·The prototypical characteristics of category members | 第30-31页 |
| ·Limits of translatability by the translator in translation process | 第31-34页 |
| ·Searching for prototype of target text readers | 第31-32页 |
| ·Obtaining an understanding of the source text which is close to the source text prototype | 第32-33页 |
| ·Finding the correspondent target text prototype | 第33页 |
| ·Recreating the understanding of source text in the target language | 第33-34页 |
| ·Summary | 第34-35页 |
| Chapter Four Research Procedure | 第35-69页 |
| ·Research questions | 第35页 |
| ·Research methods | 第35页 |
| ·Data collection | 第35-36页 |
| ·Data analysis | 第36-63页 |
| ·Figurative Chinese folk wisecracks | 第37-53页 |
| ·Literal translation | 第37-48页 |
| ·Free translation | 第48-51页 |
| ·Partly borrowing English idioms | 第51-53页 |
| ·Punny Chinese folk wisecracks | 第53-63页 |
| ·Literal translation | 第53-56页 |
| ·Free translation | 第56-60页 |
| ·Partly borrowing English idioms | 第60-61页 |
| ·Fully borrowing English idioms | 第61页 |
| ·Omission | 第61-63页 |
| ·Results and discussion | 第63-69页 |
| ·Translation methods of Chinese folk wisecracks in Hong Lou Meng | 第63-64页 |
| ·Limits of translatability by the translator in the translation process | 第64-66页 |
| ·Possible factors to minimize limits of translatability | 第66-69页 |
| ·Assimilation of language | 第66页 |
| ·Mutual infiltration of culture | 第66-67页 |
| ·Improvement of the translators’ability | 第67-68页 |
| ·Enhancement of the TT readers’ability | 第68-69页 |
| Chapter Five Conclusion | 第69-71页 |
| ·Major findings | 第69-70页 |
| ·Limitations and further suggestions | 第70-71页 |
| References | 第71-76页 |
| Acknowledgements | 第76-77页 |
| Appendix | 第77-79页 |
