ones ) as a means of flirting with men of letters. In Earnshaw ' s translation, the poem is replaced by a single word : " Tomorrow " .
 
A Western lady in a cloak-and-dagger romance ( like Milady in The Three Musketeers ) might have written such a note, but surely not a famous Chinese singsong girl by the shores of Western Lake. Although Earnshaw declared that he has changed nothing, but has only omitted certain things,12 this example shows that omission can in fact entail change. Olivia Mok seldom removes things, but expands a lot. She often inserts 12 " There are some differences between the original and my translation, but they are differences only of omission. " ( http : / / village.ios.com./ ~ earnshaw/B&s.htm ) explanations within the text. For example, hu-kou 虎口 is translated as " the Tiger ' s Mouth, the web between the thumb and first finger " ( 34 ) , and nei-gong 內 功 is translated as " endomarts, the martial art of developing strength through breathing and other exercises of his internal organs " ( 46 ) .
 
This is sometimes a handy strategy to inform readers about foreign expressions or