The English version of The Story of the Stone translated by David Hawkes is widely praised, and the translation principles can also be applied in Chinese literature translation. This paper analyzes and discusses the translation principles and limitations of Hawkes’ translation from the perspective of Memetics. The conclusion is that, in order to promote the successful replication of source language meme, the translation should: (1) be faithful to represent the meaning and style of the source text; (2) take readers’ background into consideration; (3) avoid variation that will cause cultural loss.