所谓“跳脱”，即金圣叹所谓“不完句法”，是指使用语言时由于特殊的语境，如语意的含蓄，心思的急转，事物的突出等等，有时故意中断语句，造成语意不全，或句子成分残缺的句式。按照中断语流的不同特点和上下文衔接的方式，可以分为急收、突接和岔断三种。跳脱在句式上一定是残缺不全或者是间断不接的，这在语言上本是一种变态，但是，《红楼梦》的作者把跳脱句式用得合乎实情实境，其不完整处尽显完整的情韵，不连接处却有连接的效力。正如郭熙《林泉高致集》 所说山欲高，尽出之则不高，烟云锁其腰则高矣。水欲远，尽出之则不远，掩映断其脉则远矣。”为文作画，其理尽通。

谈到《红楼梦》中的省笔艺术，人们会自然地想到宝黛爱情悲剧的高潮，即宝钗出闺成大礼之时，黛玉气绝之前的一段：

1) 探春紫鹃正哭着叫人端水来给黛玉擦洗，李纨赶忙进来了。三个人才见了，不及说话。刚擦着，猛听黛玉直声叫道宝玉，宝玉， 你好……”说到“好”字，便浑身冷汗，不作声了。（第九十八回）

杨译：

Weeping, they called for water with which to wash her. Then Li Wan hurried in. The three of them had no time for civilities. They were washing Daiyu when she raised a sudden cry：

“Baoyu，Baoyu! How.... ”

Those were her last words. She broke out in a cold sweat.

霍译：

Tan-chun and Nightingale wept as they gave orders for water to be brought and for Dai-yu to be washed. Now Li Wan came hurrying in. She, Tanchun and Nightingale looked at each other, but were too shocked to say a word. They began wiping Dai-yu's face with a flannel，when suddenly she cried out in a loud voice：

'Bao-yu! Bao-yu! How could you...'

Her whole body broke into a cold sweat and she could say no more.

人们对这略而不写的省笔赞词不绝，认为这是高鹗续书的神来之笔。有人试图为黛玉的半截话填空，但总是力不从心，备感无奈。事实上，这样的省文无须补出，也难于补出。对读者而言，那未讲出的半截话，效果与分量并不轻，换言之，应是“此时无声胜有声”。

对于本是“无声”的原文，译文也应以“无声”传达，将“胜有声”的效果再现出来。让译文读者更近一步地接近原作的艺术魅力，体会作者省笔的妙处。研读两段译文，应该说均无“添乱”之嫌。细细品味， 杨霍二人均为译文读者提供了足够的空间，去感受那余音缭绕的意境。

我们巳经注意到，用跳脱法组成的语句，大都用破折号或删节号表示，而且文中有时会有“刚说到……便（就）……”等字眼，从而真实地表现出说话时的特殊语境，保留说话人的真实神态。再看林黛玉口中的另一个跳脱句：

2) 林黛玉看见，便道：“啐！我道是谁，原来是这个狠心短命的……，，刚说到“短命”二字，又把口掩住，长叹了 一声，自己抽身便走 了。（第二十八回） 

杨译：

Then, looking up, she saw Baoyu.

"So that's who it is." She snorted. "That heartless, wretched..." 

But the moment the words "wretched" escaped her she covered her mouth and moved quickly away with a long sigh.

霍译：

'Pshaw!' she said crossly to herself. 'I thought it was another girl, but all the time it was that cruel, hate —'

'Hateful' she had been going to say, but clapped her mouth shut before uttering it. She sighed instead and began to walk away.