【Abstract】Rhetoric is an art of Communicating and writing. Rhetoric is used to make the expression livelier and more powerful. This paper takes the rhetoric of architectural translation in Chapter Seventeen as an example， researching the function of rhetoric， such as： metaphor， simile and hyperbole. At the same time， this paper will make a contrast of David Hawkes’ translation and the source text written by Cao Xueqin to analyze the difference between Chinese and English.
　　【Key words】Rhetoric translation； The Story of the Stone； Contrast
　　Chapter One Introduction
　　Translation itself is a process of comparison， because the translators try their best to find a balance between source language and target language. In order to reach the balance translators need to make sure the similarities and differences between the two involved languages.
　　Rhetoric is the art of discourse， wherein a writer or speaker strives to inform， persuade or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice， rhetoric has played a central role in the European tradition. The five canons of rhetoric， which trace the traditional tasks in designing a persuasive speech， were first codified in classical Rome： invention， arrangement， style， memory， and delivery. Along with grammar and logic， rhetoric is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric is a kind of way to express oneself. By using rhetoric， the text can become more vivid.
　　In The Story of the Stone translated by David Hawkes， there are a lot of rhetoric in the architectural translation， including： simile，， metaphor and hyperbole etc. According to the rhetoric in this part， readers can see how luxurious the houses are in Jia’s mansion. According to the description of the architecture， it can be seen that the development of the Jia’s family.
　　Chapter Two Literature Review
　　The Story of the Stone is can represent the highest level of Chinese literature in five thousand years， while it is a condensed Chinese civilization and the essence of the brilliant classic. The whole book uses the sentimental stories in the Kang Qian period of Qing Dynasty as the baseline， displaying the whole society like an encyclopedia. The Chinese famous writer， Lu Xun said： The scholars of Confucian classics see the “Zhouyi”； Confucian moralists see prostitution； gifted scholars see romance； revolutionaries see anti- Manchu； and gossips see Palace secrets...