Image is the term of ancient Chinese literary theories. It is combined with the subjective intension of the poets as well as the external and natural scenes of the real society. That is to say, image is blended in poets’ subjective intension of objective things, or their subjective feelings with the description of objective things in their poems. Image, which serves as the materialized form of emotion, suggests that the scene in the poems is not only the objective existence in reality (in other words, the linguistic function of language), but more importantly the expression and conveyance of the poet’s emotions (that is to say, the poetic function). The linguistic function is just a tool of communication. Once the meaning has been conveyed, the tool is inoperative. Just as the saying goes, “The meaning being already known, one’s words are therefore no more necessary”. However, the poetic function is both the tool and the purpose of communication. Imagist poet Ezra Pound defines image not a concept but a central point, which is just like a whirlpool that various views are constantly presented from it.
从陶渊明《归园田居》英译看中诗意象的传达与翻译(3):http://www.751com.cn/yingyu/lunwen_57158.html