Abstract:  The translation of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） in literary works plays a crucial role in promoting the global
dissemination of TCM culture. From the perspective of eco-translatology, this paper examines the English translations of A Dream of
Red Mansions by Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang, and by David Hawkes. It investigates the translators' choices among thick translation,
thin translation, and literal translation for metaphorical TCM prescriptions and explores new approaches to disseminating TCM culture
globally. The findings show that Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang tend to adopt a foreignizing strategy that relies primarily on literal
translation and omission, leaning toward thin translation. This approach, which preserves Chinese cultural nuances, constitutes a form
of "adaptive reduction" in eco-translatology. By contrast, Hawkes favors a domesticating strategy and thick translation, employing free
translation, explanation, loan translation, and amplification, an approach corresponding to "adaptive addition" in eco-translatology. For
prescriptions rich in cultural connotations, thick translation helps construct deeper cultural contexts and cognitive schemas, yet often
results in lengthy translations. In such cases, thin translation serves as an effective complementary strategy to better convey the cultural essence of the source language.

Key words:  thick translation, thin translation, literal translation, metaphorical prescriptions, eco-translatology