嚴復的「信、達、雅」從提出到現在，仍舊控制著中國翻譯理論的發展，學者在討論這三個字的意義時，多從傳統的翻譯角度，來規範這三個字的意義以及實踐，並以此三個準則檢視嚴復的譯文。 事實上，嚴復在天演論譯例言中所表達的，是結合翻譯與中西修辭觀下所產生的翻譯觀，其中以儒家孔子的修辭觀為主要觀照對象。若將嚴復的信、達、雅與其譯事楷模相對照，則「信」與「修辭立誠」成為相互說明的一組，另外尚有「達」與「辭達而已」，「雅」與「言之無文，行之不遠」。因此，「信」不應解釋為「忠實於原文」，而應該是指譯者的人格。 本文試從中、西修辭學的觀點出發，探討嚴復在翻譯作品時所採的修辭觀，並且從其譯作中舉出實例，說明嚴復如何以譯者的身份，採用作者修辭的策略，在晚清的社會中從事譯書大業，並進而提升翻譯的地位。

Traditionally, Yen Fu’s translation theory is summarized in three powerful words, i.e. faithfulness, understandability, and elegance. Mentioned as the three difficulties in translation, these three words have dominated Chinese translation theory for a long time. The discussion on these three words was mostly focused on the interpretation of Yen Fu’s exact intention and the etymological development of these words. Scholars further apply these three standards to Yen Fu’s translation and find Yen’s application quite contradictory to what he has proposed. I argue that these three words cannot be separated from their context, his preface to the translation of Evolution and Ethics (天演論), and should be read in tandem with the three translation models mentioned in the same preface. Yen Fu’s translation theory is actually incorporated with the concept of rhetoric, especially the ethical aspect that both western and Chinese rhetoricians emphasized. The three models of translation are three excerpts of Confucius. Among them, supporting examples can be found from Yen Fu’s writing to prove that “faithfulness” should not be interpreted as being faithful to the original text, but as being faithful to the translator’s ethics. This paper starts from the discussion of western and Chinese rhetoric and explores the rhetoric concept in Yen Fu’s time. Examples are taken from Yen Fu’s translation to further explain and prove Yen Fu’s emphasis on ethics. With the ethical concern in mind as a translator, Yen Fu successfully upgraded the prestige of translators.