Se, Jie, a 1978 short story by Chinese writer Eileen Chang, was translated into English as Lust, Caution in 2007.Existing scholarship has neglected theoretical analyses of identity and image in this translation.To address this gap, this study applies Identity Theory to delve into the protagonists' identity dynamics and image construction in both texts.Findings reveal that, despite using "omission," the translator primarily employed "literal translation," "shift," and "addition" to restore Wang Jiazhi's shifting identity salience (from national/ state roles to individual female identity) and Mr. Yi's unwavering identity commitment to his high-ranking agent role.Integrating these techniques with "negation" and "simplification," the translator effectively rendered Wang's diachronic identity evolution (from patriotic student to revolutionary comrade and to individual woman) and constructed Yi as a multifaceted figure rooted in power-focused identity commitment.These strategies vividly portray the gendered images in the era of Republic of China, expose repressed female desire, elevate female selfhood, and highlight the core conflict between nationalist ideology and female individual desire.
Jinghua Yu (Thu,) studied this question.