2) 使隐含语义明朗化

⑤蜡烛有心还惜别，

替人垂泪到天明。

The candle has a wick just as we have a heart,

All night long it sheds tears * for us before we part. 

* The melted wax of a guttering candle is compared to tears. (trans . by Xu Yuanhong)

⑥ His secluded wife ever smiling and cheerful, his little comfortable lodgings, snug meals and homely evenings, had all the charms of novelty and secrecy.

罗登家里藏着的妻子总是对他眉开眼笑，他住的又舒服，吃的又受用，每天黄昏尝尝家庭的乐趣，这日子不但过的新奇，而且偷偷摸模的真有趣。(《名利场》杨必译）

在例⑤中，第一行中的“心”是谐音双关，即表示蜡烛之“芯”， 又表现了朋友之间的思念之“心”，离别之情。由于英语中很难找到一个与之完全对应的词，许渊冲先生在第一行中用“wick”和 "heart”两个词来表现汉语的“心”两层含义，并用脚注为英语读者传达了“替人垂泪”的含义。例⑥的主语是四个名词性短语，译文中全都处理成分句;原文中“charms of novelty and secrecy”含义十分丰富，如果按原文结构简单地翻译成“新颖和秘密的魅力”，一则可能引起误解，二则深奥难懂。译文“这日子不但过的新奇，而且偷偷摸摸的真有趣”恰当地补充了原文深层的含义，使读者能充分地感受到原文的要旨。

3) 增加历史文化背景知识

⑦ 何当载酒来，共醉重阳节。（孟浩然）

Why don't you bring wine here to have a time gay,

And be drunk with me on this Double-Ninth day?

* Double-Ninth Day, the ninth day of the ninth moon of ihe lunar calendar, was, and somewhat still is，a Chinese festival. On that day people customarily climb up the mountains to drink chrysanthemum (or other kinds of ) wine. ( trans. by Xu Yuanchong) 

⑧ He shrugged his shoulders.

他耸了耸肩，显出一副无可奈何的样子。