中西方动物习语翻译对比

图书分类号：密级：学期论文从动物习语看中西方文化差异Analysis on the Chinese and English Cultural Differences from IdiomsAbout Animals学生姓名程青平学院名称外国语学院专业名称英语班级10英语2班学号20100302213指导教师薛冰莲副教授2012年11月29日徐州工程学院学位论文原创性声明本人郑重声明：所呈交的学位论文，是本人在导师的指导下，独立进行研究工作所取得的成果。

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论文作者签名：导师签名：日期：年月日日期：年月日Contents Abstract (I)摘要 (II)I . Introduction........................................................................................... 错误！未定义书签。

1.1 Background .......................................................................................... 错误！未定义书签。

1.2 Purpose and significance ...................................................................... 错误！未定义书签。

1.3 Organization ......................................................................................... 错误！未定义书签。

II . The Definition and Features of Idioms ................................................ 错误！未定义书签。

2.1 The definition of idioms ....................................................................... 错误！未定义书签。

2.2 Semantic unity ...................................................................................... 错误！未定义书签。

2.3 Structural stability ................................................................................ 错误！未定义书签。

Ⅲ. Comparison of Connotations of Animal Idioms (3)3.1 Similarities of connotations (3)3.2 Differences of connotations (3)3.2.1 The same animal words with different meanings (3)3.2.2 Different images with the same connotation..................................... 错误！未定义书签。

Ⅳ. Reasons Causing Cultural Connotation Differences (5)4.1 Different geography (5)4.2 Different customs (5)4.3 Influence of historical allusion (6)4.4 Influence of religion (6)Ⅴ. The Reasons of Different Animal W ords Have the Similar Cultural Meaning (7)5.1 Cultural exchanges (7)5.2 Attitude toward the same animal (7)VI . Conclusion (8)References (9)AbstractLanguage is the main carrier of culture. Idioms are conventionalized phrases and sentences. English and Chinese idioms carry the different national cultural characteristics and cultural information. Among these idioms, a large number of them employ the animal images because of the significance of animals in people’s life. In order to understand these idioms clearly, this paper will analyze cultural differences from four aspects of geography, customs, historical allusion and religion, and then put forward the reasons why they have the cultural similarities.Keywords: animals idioms cultural connotation cultural differences摘要语言是文化的载体，习语是习俗化的短语和句子。

英汉习语承载着不同的民族文化特色和文化信息。

由于动物在人类生活中的重要性，这些习语中有很多采用了动物形象。

为了更清澈的理解这类习语，本文将从地域文化、习俗文化、历史典故、宗教文化四方面来分析存在的差异性并提出导致文化相似性的原因。

关键词:动物习语；文化内涵；文化差异I. Introduction1.1 BackgroundHuman’s li fe is closely related to animals, and there are an increasing number of English and Chinese idioms about animals which are concise, readable and vivid. Many animals have become a kind of symbolism in people’s thinking, and this symbolism is re flected in the language. However, because of different history and culture, the connotations of animal words in one language do not parallel with those in another. Due to the cultural differences of geography, customs, historical allusion, religion and so on, such idioms embody the distinctive characteristics of national culture.1.2 Purpose and Significance“Language is the carrier container of culture, and is strongly influenced and shaped by culture.” And with the development of economy and science, glob alization is a more and more obvious phenomenon. The relationship between countries is becoming closer and closer. In order to understand these idioms more clearly and make the international communication more effectively, it is useful and necessary to compare such idioms.1.3 OrganizationThis paper will analyze cultural differences from four aspects of geography, customs, historical allusion and religion, and then put forward the reasons why they have the cultrual similarities.Ⅱ. The Definition and Features of Idioms2.1 The definition of idiomsIdiom is an expression, made up of two or more words, which functions as a single unit and whose meaning cannot be worked out from its separate parts.Chirac Fernando defined English idioms like this: Idioms, or conventionalized multiword expression, often but not always non-literal are hardly marginal in English, though they have been relatively neglected in lexical studies of the language.2.2 Semantic unityBeing phrases or sentences, idioms each is a semantic unity. People must consider the idiom as an unit, otherwise they wouldn’t get the meaning of idiom.For example, “show the white feather”, if understood from its literal meaning, it means “显示白色的羽毛”, but as an idiom, it means “show one’s cowardice”. So when studying idioms, people should pay attention to the feature of semantic unity, and don’t translate them literally.2.3 Structural stabilityUnlike free phrases, the structure of an idiom is to a large extent unchangeable. In other words, an idiom functions as a unit of meaning which cannot be predicted from the literal meaning of its member words.Firstly, the constituents of idioms can not be replaced. For example, bury the hatchet can’t be changed as “bury the ax”. “a stitch in time saves nine” can’t be changed as “one stitch in time saves nine”. “千载难逢” can’t be changed as “千载难见”. “唇亡齿寒” can’t be changed as “唇亡齿冷”. Secondly, the word order can not be inverted or changed. Take “kick the bucket” for example, if this idiom is passive, it will appear in an unacceptable form such as “the bucket was kicked by John”, which no longer means that John died. Rather it means that John struck a pail with his foot.The above-mentioned examples, as fixed phrases, idioms can’t be changed, because t heir structures are common law.As Chitra Fernando said: Idioms are indivisible units whose components cannot be varied or varied only within definable limits. In other words, the structure of an idiom is also an unit. In an idiom, every element is fixed, so it can’t be separated or replaced.Ⅲ. Comparison of Connotations of Animal Idioms3.1 Similarities of connotationsAll humankind lives on the same planet and they have similar environment, psychology, and cognitive ability. Therefore, both Chinese and English people nearly have the same knowledge of animals. As a result, they have the same or similar association and give the same cultural connotation to animal words. The examples are following：(1)as sly as a fox像狐狸一样狡猾(2)as fat as a pig 肥得像猪(3)as cruel as a wolf 像狼一样残忍(4)as slow as snail像蜗牛一样缓慢Both Chinese and English think the fox stands for cunning. To the native English speaker and Chinese people, the first characteristic of pig is fat. It also stands for laziness and stupidity. A “wolf” is one kind of fierce wild animal. Avariciousness and fierceness are its natural instincts. So we often hear some of the same expressions in English and in Chinese, such as “a wolf in a sheep’s clothing” or “cry wolf”. These idioms are given the same cultu ral meaning from their characteristics, so that both English and Chinese can understand each other directly and easily in cross-cultural communication. At the same time, with more and more communication, lots of foreign words come into both languages. We can find some idioms with even the same images and the same intonations, such as:(5)fish in troubled water浑水摸鱼(6)a dark horse 黑马(7)a wolf in sheep’s clothing 披着羊皮的狼3.2 Differences of connotationsThe majority of animal words carry different connotations, because of their different natural environment, customs, and society systems. Besides, English history is influenced more by Egypt and Roman, while Chinese history is much more independent.3.2.1 The same animal words with different meanings“Magpie” in Chinese is a welcome bird, and it is named “喜鹊” that means happy bird. It is a messenger of good news. When it calls out, something good are going to happen. The bird will bring good luck to you. So there are expressions such as “晴色先从喜鹊知”, “今朝闻鹊喜，家信必有归”, “喜鹊报喜”，etc. On the contrary, in the UK, people use it to describe a person who chatters a lot. As the poet John Clare said, “Magpie that chatted, no omen so black.”The “peacock” is a large male bird with long blue and green tail feathers, which can spre ad out like a fan. English speaking people think it is proud and vain when it is walking, so it gives them the impression of vanity and arrogance. We can find some phrases like “as proud as a peacock”, “play the peacock”, “as vain as a peacock”, etc. Howev er, in Chinese traditional culture, the peacock is the symbol of auspiciousness, especially for the Dai ethnic minority. They use “peacock-dance” to express their glorious desire.Let’s take the dog for example. The “dog” has a very close relation with people in both cultures. This is reflected in the saying “love me, love my dog.” in English and “打狗看主人” in Chinese. Most of Chinese idioms about dogs are deprecated, as is reflected in sayings like “act like a snob(狗眼看人低)”, “mistake a good man for a bad one(狗咬吕洞宾，不识好人心)”, “a filthy mouth can not utter decent language.(狗嘴吐不出象牙) ”,etc. In most cases, the word “dog” is neutral in its connotation in English language. It is all right to refer to certain people as big dog, top dog, lucky dog, etc. in English. “To help a lame dog over the stile” means “to help someone in difficulty”. “Every dog has its day” means “every person will some day succeed or become fortunate”. Such usage does not contain derogatory connotation.3.2.2 Different images with the same connotationDiversities of environment and cultural background cause another phenomenon in the two languages.(8) as mute as fish 噤若寒蝉(cricket)(9) like a cat on hot bricks 像热锅上的蚂蚁(ant)(10) talk horse吹牛(cattle)(11) wet as a drowned rat 落汤鸡(chick)(12) a rat in a hole 瓮中之鳖(turtle)(13) goose flesh鸡皮疙瘩(chicken)According to the meanings they carry, one image in one language can find the corresponding one in another language.Ⅳ. Reasons Causing Cultural Connotation DifferencesCulture is an extremely complex concept and an enormous subject. Putting it simply, culture refers to the entire way of a society, or the way of people.4.1 Different geographyThe UK is located in the Western Hemisphere. Its seafaring and animal husbandry are well-developed. China is located in Eastern Asia, the west coast of Pacific Ocean. Its agriculture is well-developed. On account of these distinct differences, people in two countries have different attitudes to the same animal. For example:(14)talk horse 吹牛(15)as strong as a horse 力大如牛(16)drink like a horse 牛饮(17)work like a horse 像牛一样勤劳In addition, because the UK is an island surrounded by sea, fish also play an important role in people’s daily life. In consequence, there are a great number of idioms about f ish. Sometimes it is used to describe people or things that are not good enough. For example:(18)a poor fish 愚蠢易欺的人(19)loose fish 放荡的人(20)Never offer to teach fish to swim. 不要班门弄斧(21)It is a silly fish that is caught twice with the same bait. 聪明人不会两次上当(22)Fish begins to stink at the head. 上梁不正下梁歪But in China, “鱼” and “余” are homophonic words. It means surplus.4.2 Different customsIdioms as a special part of the language, are greatly influenced and restricted by customs. One of the most typical differences between English and Chinese idioms is the difference between “animal culture”.Human beings and animals coexist on the earth. Some of the animals have close ties with human. In China there are many dog-related idioms and the word “dog” in most ph rases is associated with some derogatory connotation. Such as: “狐朋狗友”, “狗急跳墙”, “狗头”.While in English, it is always considered as the most faithful human friend. For example:(23)Y ou are a lucky dog. 你是幸运儿(24)An old dog barks not in vain. 老年人做事有经验(25)A good dog deserves a good bone. 有功者受赏(26)Love me, love my dog. 爱屋及乌Additionally, “dragon” is a divine totem in the Chinese culture, and is greatly admired by the Chinese people and they consider themselves as the descendants of the dragon. Dragon is the symbol of all auspicious animals. For example: “望子成龙”, “龙腾虎跃”, “卧虎藏龙”, “龙盘虎踞”. In English the word “dragon” symbolizes evil. Such as: “the old dragon”, “dragon’s teeth”. Chinese people take “owl” as a symbol of bad luck. But in the UK,“owl” stands for wisdom.4.3 Influence of historical allusionHistorical allusion is rich in historical and cultural information, which has a strong ethnic color and distinctive cultural identity.In China, such idioms mainly come from a broad array of ancient books, myths, fables and legends. For example,“守株待兔”, “叶公好龙”, “画蛇添足”.However, most English idioms about animals come from the Greek and Roman mythology. Take The Fables of Aesop for example. Many English idioms about animals derive from it. For instance, “cry wolf”, “dog in the manger”, “a fly on the wheel”,“lion’s share”, “kill the goose that lays the golden eggs”, “don’t count one’s chickens before they are hatched”.4.4 Influence of religionReligion is a kind of spiritual phenomenon and an important composing part of culture. In the UK, The Bible is not only the classics of Christianity but also the important prop of English culture. Many animal idioms derive from The Bible. For example:(27)“pharaoh’s fat cow” foreshows auspiciousness.(28)“a lion on the way” stands for terrible difficulties.(29)Can the leopard change its spots. 本性难移(30)the scapegoat 替罪羊In China, such idioms about animals are few.Ⅴ. The Reasons of Different Animal Words Have the SimilarCultural Meaning5.1 Cultural exchangesWith the advent of information age and the process of globalization speeding up, cultural cooperation and exchange between countries are uninterrupted increasing. The culture of different countries has common features and individual features. Idioms are not only the precipitation of human history, but also change with social development. As a result, some idioms about animals have the same meaning. In China, tiger is considered as the king of the beasts. They use tiger to describe people who are brave, fierce and majestic. In the UK, lion is considered as the king of the beasts. For example:(31)come in like a lion and go out like a lamb 虎头蛇尾(32)play oneself in the lion’s mouth 置身虎穴(33)lion lies down with the lamb 言归于好(34)lion in the way 拦路虎(35)lion’s p rovider 为虎作伥(36)lion’s skin 狐假虎威(37)in the lion’s den 身处困境中5.2 Attitude toward the same animalOn account of the similar ecological environments, people in the UK and China have a common sense on life experience and thought. For instance:(38)as cunning as a fox 如狐狸般狡猾的(39)as gruff as a bear 像熊一样粗暴(40)social butterfly 交际花(41)have ants in one’s pants 焦躁不安(42)as timid as a mouse 胆小如鼠(43)as strong as an ox 如牛般强壮的VI . ConclusionIdioms are the essence of the national language and the part of language, and the richest in national cultural characteristics.English and Chinese are both rich in animal idioms. With the development of the animal culture, more and more animal words are employed in English and Chinese idioms. They read smooth and sound pleasant to the ear, and they are widespread and popularized. This paper compared such animals from four aspects: geography, customs, historical allusion, and religion. The purpose of the comparative study is to make readers understand such idioms more clearly. As cultural exchange developed, such idioms will certainly exchange with each other, which will help to enrich the idioms. Readers in modern societies which develop at a rapid rate must pay more attention to such idioms.Only by grasping the national culture connotation can we truly grasp a language, so that to make it work for us as a communicative tool. Besides, connotative differences influence a lot in cross-culture communicate, so we need to update our concept so that to adapt to other people’s culture in order to have a successful communicationReferences[1]Robertson. A Comprehensive Understanding of English idioms[M].New Y ork: Oxford University Press, 1987.[2]W.Mcmordie. English Idioms And How To Use Them[M]. 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