A comparative study of the differences between Chinese and English idioms 英语毕业论文.doc
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1、A comparative study of the differences between Chinese and English idiomsAbstractThis paper first point out the backgrounds and the definition and characteristics of idioms,include the definition of idioms and common characteristics of idioms. Then expatiates their completely different idioms using
2、habits and what and how to made it thay way,this paper compares the different idioms between English and Chinese toward four ways: geographical contidions, religious beliefs, legends and fables., histories and cultures. Finally, it concluded that translating idioms is a tough and fascinating job. Th
3、e methods proposed in this essay cannot be naturally counted as perfect, and they are likely to leave much to be desired. The essay is written only in the hope that it will be of some help to the translation of Chinese and English idioms and a better fulfillment of a translators duty as ambassador o
4、f cultural exchange. Key words: idioms, legend,religious beliefs,different, Chinese and English idiomsContentAbstract2Content3、Introduction4 、Definition and characteristics of idioms4(一)Definition of idioms4(二)common characteristics of idioms5、Cultural differences between Chinese and English idioms7
5、(一)geographical conditions8(二)religious beliefs9(三)legends and fables9(四)Histories and cultures10IV、Conclusion11V、References12A Comparative Study of the Differences Between Chinese And English Idioms、IntroductionEvery language contains a large amount of idioms, which consist of the essence of a lang
6、uage. People create them in daily lives and work during hundreds of years. Chinese and English are both languages with a long history and they have developed the abundance and variety of idioms, which make themselves more vivid, more succinct, and more profound. Idioms not only derive from cultures,
7、 but also reflect distinguishable cultural features. The reason why people like using idioms in their language so much can be summarized as some aspects. Firstly, idioms are generally short and fixed, while their meanings are profound. So they are easily used and remembered. Secondly, people sometim
8、es use idioms, instead of using a sentence or a paragraph, to achieve some rhetorical effects. Idioms play such an indispensable role in peoples daily lives that the translation of idioms is of special importance. To discuss the translation methods in respect of cultural features will be the main ta
9、sk of the following chapters. 英语的习语.载上海外国语学院外国语. 1979年第4期p.1. 、Definition and characteristics of idioms(一)Definition of idiomsIn almost all cases, Chinese idioms are referred to as “chengyu”. People may think that the English word “idiom” is equivalent to “chengyu” in Chinese because “idiom” is cust
10、omarily translated into “chengyu”. In fact, no exact equivalence can be established between the English “idiom” and the Chinese “chengyu”. Here, it is significant and necessary for us to find a satisfactory definition for each before any attempt should be made to compare the two.Some authoritative d
11、ictionaries give the definitions of the word “idiom” as follows:1succession of words whose meanings must be learnt as a whole2a group of words in a fixed order having a particular meaning, different from the meanings of each word understood on its own3a phrase which means something different from th
12、e meanings of the separate words from which it is formed4a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual wordsFrom the definitions mentioned above, we know that the word “idiom” mainly refers to “a set phrase” which should be understood as a whole
13、. While the Chinese “chengyu” can be defined broadly or narrowly, what will be discussed here are the definitions of idioms in the broad sense. To conclude the definition of Chinese “chengyu”, some references provide great help. Cihai(辞海) defines “chengyu” as “a kind of shuyu (熟语),set phrases or wor
14、d groups that are of customary usage”.( Xia, 1999: 4699) Ciyuan(辞源) puts “chengyu” as “an old saying of common usage and those phrases or clauses which are set in form to express a complete idea.”(Cai & Fu, 1980:1186) Xiandai Hanyu Cidian(现代汉语词典) defines “chengyu” as “set phrases or clauses that peo
15、ple have customarily used for ages in terse forms and with incisive meanings.”(Lv, 2006: 173) So we can define “chengyu” as a kind of set phrase or clause, which is often quoted by the common people to express a complete and incisive meaning.林承璋英语词汇学引论 武汉大学出版社,2005年2月版 (二)common characteristics of i
16、dioms1Structural integrity An idiom is a set phrase or a sentence whose meaning should not be understood from the meanings of its individual words and which must be learnt as a whole unit. (Hornby, 2003: 734) As a general rule, no elements in idioms can be altered. Replacement of the words in an idi
17、om will ruin the integrity and alter the original meaning. An idiom such as “see red” (to be angry) can not be changed into “see scarlet” which only means to see the bright red color of something. In Chinese, we can say 三更半夜, but not 三更半晚. Neither can we turn 丧家之犬 into 丧家之狗. An idiom allows no varia
18、tion in form under normal circumstances. Unless he is consciously making a joke or attempting a play on words, a speaker or writer cannot normally do any of the following with an idiom. A. Adding a word to it (e.g. *like the father, like the son; *牵肠又挂肚) B. Deleting a word from it (e.g. *armed to th
19、e teeth; *惊弓鸟) C. Replacing a word with another (e.g. *kick a bucket; *木已成船) D. Changing its grammatical structure(e.g.*the roof is hit; *拔剑张弩)As is shown in the above examples, there are strict constraints on variation of an idiom in normal circumstances.2Figures of speech in idiomsVividness and pr
20、ofundity of idioms are partially due to their figures of speech, which enhance the impact and appeal in terms of form and meanings.Generally, the most common figures of speech applied in idioms include simile, metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche and repetition, which help to convey their meanings and to
21、achieve certain rhetorical effects.Simile:Simile is the direct comparison, in which subject, reference and indicator are all present. For example: as clear as crystal as pale as ashes as blind as a bat eat like a bird drop like a hot potato sell like hot cake 情深似海 (love as deep as the sea)2 如花似玉 (as
22、 pretty as flowers and jade) 光阴似箭 (time flies like an arrow) 如雷贯耳 (reverberate like thunder) 如出一辙 (be exactly the same as)It is clear that the English comparison is indicated in most cases by such words as “like”, “as”, while the Chinese, by words like “如”,“似”, etc. 平洪, 张国扬. 英语习语与英美文化M. 北京: 外语教学与研究出
23、版社, 1999 P24-25Metaphor :Metaphor is also a comparison, but the comparison is implied, not expressed with the word “as”, “like”, “如” or “似”,etc. For example: a wet blanket to make a splash to blow ones own trumpet to lead a cat-and-dog life 花容月貌 (fair as a flower and beautiful as the moon) 虎头蛇尾 (to
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