1.Introduction 1.1Research background Francis Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) is hailed as the mouthpiece of the Jazz Age as well as one of the most important writers of the lost generation, whose novels and short stories recorded America#8217;s Jazz age, a term he coined for the years between the end of World War I and the rise of the Great Depression, when economy prospered and the traditional values declined. He is well-known for the novel The Great Gatsby, which depicts disillusion with the American dream of self-betterment, wealth, and success through hard work and perseverance. The work puts forward a penetrating criticism of moral emptiness of the wealthy society in the United Stated during the 1920s. By contrasting Gatsby with Nick, the two main characters, the book shows two sides of the author#8217;s personality and conflicting feelings about the very age. Like Gatsby, who idolizes and devotes himself to gaining wealth and luxury, and throws lavish parties to win Daisy#8217;s love, Fitzgerald, passionate and energetic, wrote furiously to fund and please his crazy wife Zelda with ceaseless parties. But also like Nick, he himself is sober and reflective, and regards the American dream with huge criticism and suspicion. Finally, he sees through the glitter of the Jazz Age the moral emptiness and hypocrisy beneath. He does a very good job in the use of various rhetorical devices in The Great Gatsby, hence a language of conciseness and vividness. Over the past decades, a mounting number of translated works in Chinese symbolize its popularity. As early as 1954, the first Chinese version Da Heng Xiao Zhuan (大亨小传) is introduced to China by George Kao; in 1982 Professor Wu Ningkun#8217;s Liao Bu Qi De Gai Ci Bi (了不起的盖茨比) comes out; in 2004 Yao Naiqiang#8217;s Liao Bu Qi De Gai Ci Bi (了不起的盖茨比) is published by People Literature Publishing House. A large variety of Chinese versions have appeared since then, among which Wu Ningkun#8217;s and Yao Naiqiang#8217;s are the most popular though the two scholars employ different translation techniques: Wu#8217;s literal translation and Yao#8217;s liberal translation. Eugene A. Nida#8217;s Functional Equivalence Theory deals with the target reader#8217;s responses to the target language as the focus of translation. For him, it is of significance to show the most natural and closest equivalence to the source language, which means the target reader#8217;s response to the target text is equivalent to the source reader#8217;s response to the source text, and which is the kernel of Functional Equivalence Theory. For Nida (2004), the closet natural equivalence to a source message includes three significant terms:(1) equivalent, which points towards the source language message; (2) natural, which points towards the source receptor language; (3) closet, which binds the two orientations together on the basis of the highest degree of approximation. In short, during the translation practice, the translator needs to pay more attention to the spirit and meaning of the source language instead of being restricted by its form and structure. Since it is introduced to China, the researches on The Great Gatsby have increased dramatically. Most of the studies focus on its literary value and American culture; some focus the translation of this book from angles of Cognitive Linguistics or Toury#8217;s norm theory; very few are from the perspective of Functional Equivalence Theory. Therefore, this thesis aims to make a comparative study of both Wu Ningkun#8217;s and Yao Naiqiang#8217;s Chinese versions of rhetorical devices from the perspective of Functional Equivalence Theory advocated by Nida, aiming that we can both deepen the application of Functional Equivalence Theory to translation studies and obtain a more comprehensive appreciation of the ingenious language of The Great Gatsby. 1.2 Need for the study This thesis has both practical and academic meanings. As there is always a struggle between Functional Equivalence and Form Equivalence in rhetoric translation, the study explores whether to use Functional or Form Equivalence and its finding may provide a reference for rhetoric translation in literary works. Therefore, it will not only testify the guiding role of the Functional Equivalence Theory in practice but also provide for scholars hints at the combination of the theory and translation studies. 1.3 Layout of the thesis This thesis consists of five chapters. Following this introduction, Chapter Two reviews extant literature and research that motivate and generate the research questions addressed in this thesis. It also considers, from a variety of perspectives, how the Functional Equivalence Theory guides us to translate rhetorical devices, and reviews some major findings from previous research studies concerning the translation of The Great Gatsby. Gaps in previous research are subsequently identified and the research questions are raised for investigation. Chapter Three depicts the theoretical framework adopted in the study including the definition, applicability and effects. Chapter Four includes a detailed account and analysis of the translation of three rhetorical devices in relation to previous relevant research findings. Chapter Five summarizes the study findings, focuses on both pedagogical and research implications of the study, and indicates its limitations as well. 2. Literature Review Previous studies on rhetorical devices and the Chinese Versions of The Great Gatsby will be reviewed on in this section. 2.1 Rhetorical devices A rhetorical device is a technique that an author or speaker uses to convey to the listener or reader meanings with the goal of persuading him or her into consider a topic from a different perspective. 2.1.1 Classification Opinions vary from person to person when scholars categorize rhetorical devices. In general, it is divided from the historical period, discipline, application and rhetorical schools. Some of the rhetorical devices do not have relatively fixed forms. They are closely related to grammar, structure, and vocabulary but only play with them a little for modification and innovation. These are called ”passive rhetorical techniques” (Feng, 1995: 12). Some, on the contrary, have fixed forms such as simile, metaphor, personification and transferred epithet. They are called ”active rhetorical techniques” (Feng, 1995: 13). It is noted that rhetoric in this thesis refers to active rhetoric, active use of stylistic devices. Stylistic devices can be further classified into three sub-categories. In most cases, rhetorical devices are divided into three types as demonstrated in Table 1: Table 1 Classification of Rhetorical Devices Types Examples Lexical Stylistic Devices simile, metaphor, metonymy, personification, irony, hyperbole, litotes, pun, parody and paradox. Syntactical Stylistic Devices repetition, parallelism, antithesis, rhetorical question, anastrophe and aposiopesis. Phonetic Stylistic Devices onomatopoeia and alliteration. The thesis will take three of the lexical stylistic devices (exaggeration, irony and simile) for example to analyze Wu Ningkun#8217;s and Yao Naiqiang#8217;s translations of The Great Gatsby. 2.1.2 Previous study on rhetorical device translation Rhetorical devices have gained more and more attention. Wei Shumin (2010) makes a research on Xu Yuanchong#8217;s and Jenning#8217;s translation of rhetorical devices based on the former#8217;s Three-Beauty Principle. Xie Xiyan (2008) makes a contrastive study on Two Chinese versions of Harry Potter series under the guidance of Functional Equivalence Theory. Sun Na (2010) contrasts three rhetorical devices and their deficiencies in two versions of Hong Lou Meng. Among all the rhetorical devices, exaggeration, irony and simile are no doubts the commonest. Tan Bin and Li Guo-qing (2016) take the figure of speech as the data, namely the similes and metaphors in the micro-registered text Health and Pleasure excerpted from Li Yu#8217;s Casual Expressions of Idle Feeling. Tan Xuechun (2012) makes an in-depth study on hyperbole in terms of structure, semantics and discourse. Wang Yan (2009) compares the source text with the two Chinese versions in aspects of rhetorical analysis of dialogues and the tackling of the English rhetorical devices in Chinese. 2.1.3 General principles in rhetorical device translation There are three general principles when we refer to translation of rhetorical devices. First and foremost is to convey the correct information. The advantage of using rhetorical devices is to make language vivid and expressive; meanwhile, what the author really wants to express cannot be changed. The second is that we need to consider the context and cultural difference. To some extent, rhetorical language differs from each other. Take ”She is a dragon who breaks fire at home.” It is unimaginable for Chinese people to associate the dragon with something ferocious; on the contrary, a dragon in Chinese culture is majestic. Thus, translators need to make certain adjustment in order to help the target receptors grasp the context. The last is to create aesthetic effects. For an eligible translator, it is not so hard to achieve ”faithfulness”. What is difficult is to embrace faithfulness but not to sacrifice readability. 2.2 Chinese versions of The Great Gatsby Chinese versions of The Great Gatsby are listed in Table 2: Table 2 Chinese Versions of The Great Gatsby Translator Name of Translation Year(s) of Publication Publishing Press Wu Ningkun 《了不起的盖茨 比》 1983 Shanghai Translation Publishing Press Fan Yue 《大人物盖茨比》 1983 Liaoning People Press Wang Jinhua 《了不起的盖茨比》 1994 Beiyue Literature＆Art Publishing House Wu Ran 《了不起的盖茨比》 1997 PLA Literature＆Art Publishing House Jia Wenhao 《了不起的盖茨比》 2001 Beijing Yanshan Publishing House Wang Haitao 《了不起的盖茨比》 2001 Distant Publishing House Wu yu 《了不起的盖茨比》 2002 Xinjiang People Publishing Press Zhang Leifang 《了不起的盖茨比》 2002 South Publishing Press Shi Jianhua 《了不起的盖茨比》 2002 Jinghua Publishing House Wu Fang 《了不起的盖茨比》 2004 Qingdao Publishing House Yao Naiqiang 《了不起的盖茨比》 2004 People Literature Publishing House Shi jianhua 《了不起的盖茨比》 2010 Jiangsu People Publishing Press Zhao Feiqiang 《了不起的盖茨比》 2010 Inner Mongolia People Press Since the 21st century, The Great Gatsby has been translated by a large number of translators, among whose versions, Wu Ningkun#8217;s and Yao Naiqiang#8217;s have received most appraisal. The data of China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) shows that 444 essays study The Great Gatsby but only 10 focus on its translations. Among them, Xie Hua (2006) contrasts Wu Ningkun#8217;s and Yao Naiqiang#8217;s versions in three aspects: accuracy of meaning, expression of language in the version and reproduction of the style and romantic charm of the source text. Tan Li and Li Jihong (2007) make a contrastive study on Wu Ningkun#8217;s and Yao Naiqiang#8217;s under the guidance of Yan Fu#8217;s ”faithfulness. He He (2015) conducts an in-depth research on the two versions from the angles of preliminary norms and operational norms. However, almost no one pays attention to rhetorical device translation under the guidance of Functional Equivalence Theory proposed by Eugene A. Nida. Therefore, based on the previous studies, this paper aims to figure out the important role that Functional Equivalence Theory play in translating rhetorical devices and at the same time confirm the leading position Functional Equivalence Theory holds in literature translation in the systematic contrast of rhetorical devices, that is, exaggeration, irony and simile, in two Chinese versions of The Great Gatsby. 3.Functional Equivalence 3.1 Definition Nida#8217;s translation theories are formed in the 1960#8217;s. In 1964, he first comes up with the concept of Dynamic Equivalence in Towards a Science of Translating, which is defined as ”the closets natural equivalent to the source language message” (2004). In 1969, Nida himself redefines Dynamic Equivalence in The Theory and Practice of Translation as ”in terms of the degree to which the receptors of the message in the receptors language respond to it in substantially the same manner as the receptors in the source language” (Nida Taber, 2004). As some translators question the term ”Dynamic Equivalence” that refers to ”anything which might have special impact and appeal for receptors”, Nida (2005) decides to replace it with the term ”Functional Equivalence” which focuses more on the word ”function” and explained to us by illustrating an example. When the translator is rendering the expression ”white as snow” into a Middle East language which has no word for snow, he can use several means to deal with this problem. He may put it literally into the receptor language with a footnote, or use a phrase such as ”white as snow” in the receptor language, which is functional equivalent to ”white as snow”. In his Language, Culture and Translating (2005), Nida divides ”Functional Equivalence” in two levels. The minimum level is defined as ”The readers of a target language text should be able to comprehend it to the point that they can conceive of how the source language readers of the text must have understood and appreciated it.” The maximum level refers to ”The readers of a target language text should be able to understand and appreciate it in essentially the same manner as the source language readers did” (1993, p.118). As we can see, the former one seems more realistic while the latter more sublimate. 3.2 Applicability Functional Equivalence Theory summarizes the research findings of linguistics, anthropology, information theory, communication theory and semantics in the translation process. Therefore it is not only linguistics-oriented but also multidisciplinary-oriented. Since the 1950#8217;s Nida#8217;s Functional Equivalence Theory has been deemed as a norm for translation of The Bible. When the theory is first introduced to China, it triggers heated discussions for the reason that in the past a translation work is evaluated under the guidance of ”faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance” on which Yan Fu, however, do not give us the concrete instruction. Hence, the Functional Equivalence Theory is gradually adopted by an increasing number of Chinese scholars. Nevertheless, as time passes by, some scholars set about to query the applicability of this theory to translation practices. Among all the doubtful opinions, Wang Dongfeng#8217;s (2002) is the most convincing. He stresses that one of the purpose of translation is to spread an alien culture rather than hide it, but Nida#8217;s ”functional equivalence” theory puts much emphasis on the meaning and ignores the form so it will inevitably lead to a domesticating translation. Wang#8217;s view is rational in some certain situations like poem translation. The fundamental purpose of a translation work is to let the reader feel what the author would like to express. If we only highlight the form in order to spread foreign cultures, the aftermath is that after reading the translation, the readers know nothing about what it says. Just as a saying goes, we produce flowers but bear no fruits. Due to different culture and thinking patterns, it is not possible to totally translate the rhetorical devices literally. Functional Equivalence Theory keeps a watchful eye on the functions of the source text. Therefore, the problem of untranslatability of the rhetorical devices can be solved as long as the same effect is produced. According to Resis#8217; typology, there are three types of text: informative, expressive and operative. Each text type is related to different translation strategies. The informative text should focus on conveying information and the expressive text concerns the form and structure. The operative text pays attention to appellative functions. In literary works like The Great Gatsby, rhetorical devices can portray characters and express feelings. As the author#8217;s real purpose is to affect readers, the translation of rhetorical devices belongs to the operative category and the translation method is to reproduce the effect that receivers can experience. 3.3 Effects Functional Equivalence Theory has great impact on the translation world. From a macro perspective, this theory provides a relatively new angle for translation studies. Since the early 1960s, Nida#8217;s theory has gained great popularity in America and Germany. Newmark (2005) points out that since the rise of modern linguistics (philology was becoming linguistics here in the late 50s), the general emphasis, supported by communication theorists as well as non-literacy translators, has been placed on the reader #8212;on informing him effectively and appropriately. He states that Functional Equivalence Theory tends to rule out all others. This theory brings linguistics, anthropology, information theory, communication theory and semantics to the translation process, which provides new methods for translation studies. It indeed lays a solid foundation for modern translation studies. From a micro perspective, Functional Equivalence Theory provides a lot of constructive suggestions for translators, requiring them to reproduce the effect of source language in different language structures and limits their unrestrained freedom in the translation process. References Feng, C. H. (2005). A handbook of English rhetorical devices. 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