对有相当的表达功力的翻译者而言，对意义和意向把握的深度和完整度与其表达的质素是成正比的。一般说来，具有这样的水平的翻译也完全理解“勿失厥义”（三国时代支谦引维祇难语，“厥”的意思是“其”，当时指的是梵文经书；“勿失厥义”意思是不要丧失经书原文的本义）的重要性。

应该说，“勿失厥义”是表现论的第一要义或基本要求。因此，我们可以根据译者对意义把握和意义表达的程度之深浅将翻译分为深层翻译、中介层翻译及表层翻译。下面是《易传》中《系辞》的一段：

一阴一阳之谓道。继之者，善也；成之者，性也。仁者见之谓之仁，知者见之谓之知，百姓日用而不知，故君子之道鲜矣。

很明显，译者要把握意义必先把握指称：“阴、阳”就是一个大问题，此外还有“仁”、“知”、“君子”、“道”等等。表层的翻译通常的做法是（一）回避指称；（二）不求甚解，按字面定指称；（三）不揭示句子与句子间的逻辑关系，译成流散型语段(俗称流水句）。下面的翻译属于这种类型：

The collocation of Yin and Yang is called Tao. He who follows it is wise. He who succeeds to follow it gives the credit to his nature. He who is benevolent could find benevolence in what he regards it as benevolent and he who is wise could find wisdom in what he regards it as wise. The ordinary people act upon these principles everyday without being aware of them. This is why they say that the superior man's Tao is rare.

中介层翻译以意向参与对意义的调节、调和为特征，频频借助于替代、解释，以充分表达作者的陈述意向。

下面引用的译文出自理雅各（James Legge，1815-1897)，理雅各的翻译似乎是在针对浅层翻译的弊端，有意地释而改译之：

The successive movement of the inactive and active operations constitutes what is called the course (of things). That which ensues as the result (of their movement) is goodness; that which shows it in its completeness is the natures (of men and things). The benevolent see it and call it benevolence. The wise see it and call it wisdom. The common people, acting daily according to it, yet have no knowledge of it. Thus it is that the course (of things), as seen by the superior man, is seen by few.