erdEducation Reform and Development2652-53642652-5372Bio-Byword Scientific Publishing Pty. Ltd.10.26689/erd.v8i8.15381ArticleCultural Loss and Transmission in Poetry Translation: A Quantitative Corpus Study of Li Bai’s Translations by Waley and Xu Yuanchonghttps://artdesignp.com/journal/erd/8/8/10.26689/erd.v8i8.15381TangZan2026882026-09-17Li Bai, a leading poet of the High Tang period, filled his poems with elements that embody traditional Chinese artistic tastes, scholarly values and folk customs. This study builds a closed parallel corpus to examine two influential English translations of Li Bai’s poems by Arthur Waley and Xu Yuanchong. Drawing on translator subjectivity [1] as well as Venuti’s domestication and foreignization framework [2], the research combines quantitative statistics and qualitative analysis. All culture-laden terms are sorted into four categories: natural imagery, spiritual temperament, philosophical notions and folk cultural symbols. The data point to distinct differences in the two translation styles. In pursuit of higher readability, Waley applies domestication widely. Consequently, the original cultural implications are simplified, readers may misunderstand the text, and much cultural content is lost [3]. In contrast, Xu Yuanchong balances domestication and foreignization effectively, guided by his Three Beauties theory [4]. His work preserves most original cultural implications while retaining poetic rhythm and accessibility [5]. This paper confirms how translator subjectivity shapes cross-cultural transfer and offers practical references for promoting classical Chinese poetry and traditional culture across the globe within digital humanities research.Li Bai, Cultural loss, Cultural transmission, Domestication, Foreignization

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