TITLE:
Narrative Tension Construction of Extreme-Scale Quadrisyllabic Expressions from the Perspective of Rhetorical Narratology
AUTHORS:
Na Li, Jiayi Hao, Mingyang Du
KEYWORDS:
Extreme-Scale Quadrisyllabic Expressions (EQEs), Narrative Tension, English Translation Strategies
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.14 No.8,
August
25,
2026
ABSTRACT: Extreme-Scale Quadrisyllabic Expressions (EQEs), a distinctive four-character rhetorical form in Chinese, function as a core narrative device in rhetorical narratology, constructing vivid temporal and spatial imagery while intensifying readers’ emotional engagement. Drawing on 27 EQE excerpts from Mo Yan’s Red Sorghum and Howard Goldblatt’s authoritative English translation, this paper systematically examines how narrative tension operates within these expressions and identifies translation strategies best suited to preserving their emotional force and narrative function. These strategies are essentially helpful to avoid the failure of rhetorical conventionality and dissipation of narrative power in the original text caused by the degradation of narrative tension.