所謂“跳脫”，即金圣嘆所謂“不完句法”，是指使用語言時由于特殊的語境，如語意的含蓄，心思的急轉(zhuǎn)，事物的突出等等，有時故意中斷語句，造成語意不全，或句子成分殘缺的句式。按照中斷語流的不同特點和上下文銜接的方式，可以分為急收、突接和岔斷三種。跳脫在句式上一定是殘缺不全或者是間斷不接的，這在語言上本是一種變態(tài)，但是，《紅樓夢》的作者把跳脫句式用得合乎實情實境，其不完整處盡顯完整的情韻，不連接處卻有連接的效力。正如郭熙《林泉高致集》 所說山欲高，盡出之則不高，煙云鎖其腰則高矣。水欲遠，盡出之則不遠，掩映斷其脈則遠矣?！睘槲淖鳟嫞淅肀M通。
談到《紅樓夢》中的省筆藝術(shù)，人們會自然地想到寶黛愛情悲劇的高潮，即寶釵出閨成大禮之時，黛玉氣絕之前的一段：
1) 探春紫鵑正哭著叫人端水來給黛玉擦洗，李紈趕忙進來了。三個人才見了，不及說話。剛擦著，猛聽黛玉直聲叫道寶玉，寶玉， 你好……”說到“好”字，便渾身冷汗，不作聲了。（第九十八回）
楊譯：
Weeping, they called for water with which to wash her. Then Li Wan hurried in. The three of them had no time for civilities. They were washing Daiyu when she raised a sudden cry：
“Baoyu，Baoyu! How.... ”
Those were her last words. She broke out in a cold sweat.
霍譯：
Tan-chun and Nightingale wept as they gave orders for water to be brought and for Dai-yu to be washed. Now Li Wan came hurrying in. She, Tanchun and Nightingale looked at each other, but were too shocked to say a word. They began wiping Dai-yu's face with a flannel，when suddenly she cried out in a loud voice：
'Bao-yu! Bao-yu! How could you...'
Her whole body broke into a cold sweat and she could say no more.
人們對這略而不寫的省筆贊詞不絕，認為這是高鶚續(xù)書的神來之筆。有人試圖為黛玉的半截話填空，但總是力不從心，備感無奈。事實上，這樣的省文無須補出，也難于補出。對讀者而言，那未講出的半截話，效果與分量并不輕，換言之，應(yīng)是“此時無聲勝有聲”。
對于本是“無聲”的原文，譯文也應(yīng)以“無聲”傳達，將“勝有聲”的效果再現(xiàn)出來。讓譯文讀者更近一步地接近原作的藝術(shù)魅力，體會作者省筆的妙處。研讀兩段譯文，應(yīng)該說均無“添亂”之嫌。細細品味， 楊霍二人均為譯文讀者提供了足夠的空間，去感受那余音繚繞的意境。
我們巳經(jīng)注意到，用跳脫法組成的語句，大都用破折號或刪節(jié)號表示，而且文中有時會有“剛說到……便（就）……”等字眼，從而真實地表現(xiàn)出說話時的特殊語境，保留說話人的真實神態(tài)。再看林黛玉口中的另一個跳脫句：
2) 林黛玉看見，便道：“啐！我道是誰，原來是這個狠心短命的……，，剛說到“短命”二字，又把口掩住，長嘆了 一聲，自己抽身便走 了。（第二十八回）
楊譯：
Then, looking up, she saw Baoyu.
"So that's who it is." She snorted. "That heartless, wretched..."
But the moment the words "wretched" escaped her she covered her mouth and moved quickly away with a long sigh.
霍譯：
'Pshaw!' she said crossly to herself. 'I thought it was another girl, but all the time it was that cruel, hate —'
'Hateful' she had been going to say, but clapped her mouth shut before uttering it. She sighed instead and began to walk away.
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