1.4 Research Methodology

This research is mainly a qualitative study featuring analysis and synthesis. Apart from giving an insight into the essence of CCE with general theoretic discussion，the research makes efforts to provide demonstrative descriptions of the mental mechanism that reveals the essential features of rendering processes in achieving CCE by integrating top-down and bottom-up approaches so as to build relevant empirical rules. In descriptive translation studies，Toury describes the top-down thinking mode，which is elaborated by Delabastita（2008：234）as follows：1）Level of system：theoretical possibilities（can be）；2）Level of norms：culture-bound constraints（should be）；3）Level of performance：empirical discursive practice（is）（Pym 2010：71）. This research emphasizes the bottom-up mode，which goes on the opposite way：a）describing what the actual translation is；b）explaining why the translation is in this way or what factors influence the translation；c）summarizing the possible empirical rule to guide translation. It has been widely accepted that no single research method or approach is adequately effective in translation studies and the complicated phenomenon of translation requires a multi-dimensional perspective. As Bell（1991：29）states，“A multiple approach，involving both induction and deduction in a cyclic investigation，is more likely to be revealing than the strict adherence to either induction or deduction alone.”This research actually integrates methods such as qualitative study, demonstrative analysis，induction and deduction through construction of the empirical rules.

1.4.1 Qualitative Study

This research assumes that translation in general is aimed at realizing cognitive contextual equivalence at certain levels，so the essential features of CCE realized in different situations are classified and analyzed. As translating is regarded as the process of conceptual integration in this research，qualitative analyses are alsomade in discussingdifferent kinds of conceptual integration.

1.4.2 Demonstrative Analysis

In translation studies，it is a weak point in explaining the translator's mental mechanism of conceptualization and meaning reconstruction or generation. This study tries to give demonstrative analyses of the translator's mental mechanism in realizing CCE. Contrastive and comparative analyses are also made to identify the results of different conceptual integrations by different translators.

1.4.3 Induction and Deduction

Methodologically，this research takes an integration of deductive（top-down）and inductive（bottom-up）approaches.

Deduction refers to theoretical construction from other subjects or fields, such as applying concepts，theories and methods of other subjects to translation studies，so as to get new viewpoint of translation and make new conclusions（Wang 2008）. This research introduces the existed concepts and terms of CIT and CPT to the study of translating process for describing the translator's mental mechanism and meaning generation in certain context. The research is also inductive in that we start from the bottom by focusing on the data：classifying examples，describing the process，exploring local rules，and inducing empirical rules. The study provides some empirical rules to guide translationpractice.

1.4.4 Data Collection

Examples are collected first-hand and second-hand from different kinds of materials with their translated versions，including literary works，poems, theoretical books，as well as scientific and technological reading materials, aiming atexplaining the various kinds of conceptual integration in translation.