Abstract: Image Schema theory offers a vital perspective for exploring the cognitive mechanisms underlying the translation of images from poetry in A Dream of the Red Mansions. It helps to systematically reveal the cognitive progression from understanding and transformation to reconstruction. The theory operates through three core paradigms. First, the enhancing of image schemas facilitates a cognitive shift from physical objects to mental representations and images, thereby achieving semantic condensation. Second, the updating of image schemas adjusts cognitive structures via refinement, generalization, and specialization. Third, the reconstruction of image schemas generates new frameworks based on existing schemas and experience. This study examines images from poetry in the novel and their English translation. It applies three methods from Variational Translation theory: translation plus explanation, translation plus comment, translation plus quotation. These methods correspond to the enhancing, updating, and reconstruction of image schemas, respectively. This research reveals the cognitive mechanisms of cross-linguistic transfer, and provides theoretical support and methodological reference for translating the poetry of the novel.