Little Textual Treats
There are a lot of really little textual treats in Dream of the Red Chamber that are impossible to translate adequately.
A really subtle example comes from yesterday’s text.
When the child calls out for Mrs. Zhou, he uses this phrase:
指道：「這就是他家。」又叫道：「周大媽，有個老奶奶子找你呢。」
He pointed to it and said, “This is where she lives.” And then he called out, “Aunt Zhou! There’s an old lady here to see you!”
