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 idioms Abstract This 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 usin
2、g 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.
3、The 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
4、 of cultural exchange. Key words: idioms, legend,religious beliefs,different, Chinese and English idioms Content Abstract.2 Content3 、Introduction 4 、Definition and characteristics of idioms.4 (一)Definition of idioms 4 (二)common characteristics of idioms.5 、Cultural differences between Chinese and E
5、nglish idioms 7 (一)geographical conditions .8 (二)religious beliefs .9 (三)legends and fables .9 (四)Histories and cultures 10 IV、Conclusion 11 V、References .12 A Comparative Study of the Differences Between Chinese And English Idioms 、Introduction Every language contains a large amount of idioms, whic
6、h consist of the essence of a language. 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. Idi
7、oms not only derive from cultures, 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 re
8、membered. Secondly, people sometimes 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 cul
9、tural features will be the main task of the following chapters.1 、Definition and characteristics of idioms (一)Definition of idioms In 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
10、 customarily 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 authorita
11、tive dictionaries give the definitions of the word “idiom” as follows: 1succession of words whose meanings must be learnt as a whole 2a group of words in a fixed order having a particular meaning, different from the meanings of each word understood on its own 3a phrase which means something differen
12、t from the meanings of the separate 1 英语的习语.载上海外国语学院外国语. 1979 年第 4 期 p.1. words from which it is formed 4a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words From the definitions mentioned above, we know that the word “idiom” mainly refers to “a
13、set phrase” which should be understood as a whole. 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 “che
14、ngyu” as “a kind of shuyu (熟语) ,set phrases or word 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 *牵肠又挂肚) B. Deleting a word from it (e.g. *armed
15、to the teeth; *惊弓鸟) C. Replacing a word with another (e.g. *kick a bucket; *木已成船) D. Changing its grammatical structure 2林承璋英语词汇学引论 武汉大学出版社,2005 年 2 月版 (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. 2Fi
16、gures of speech in idioms Vividness and profundity 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,
17、which help to convey their meanings and to 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
18、cake 情深似海 (love as deep as the sea)2 如花似玉 (as 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 “
19、如”,“似”, etc. 3 Metaphor : 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
20、 begin well but fall off towards the end) 镜花水月 (flowers in a mirror and the moons reflection in water- insubstantial objects) 3 平洪, 张国扬. 英语习语与英美文化M. 北京: 外语教学与研究出版社, 1999 P24-25 掌上明珠 (a pearl in the palm-a beloved daughter) 草木皆兵 (the grass and trees are thought to be enemy soldiers-imaginary fears) M
21、etonymy: It is substituting the name of one thing for that of another with which it is closely associated. For example: behind bars (in prison-bars stand for the bars around the prison cell) make up a purse (collect money-purse stands for money) go under the hammer (goods are sold in a auction marke
22、t-hammer refers to the auction) marry money (marry a wealthy person- money is the symbol of a rich man) 巾帼英雄 (heroine; 巾帼 originally means womans headdress in ancient China and later it comes to stand for a woman) 青梅竹马 (green plum and a bamboo horse-a friendship formed in childhood) 投笔从戎 (cast aside
23、 the pen and join the army-give up intellectual pursuits for a military career) Synecdoche: When a part is substituted for the whole or the whole for a part, synecdoche is applied. For example: earn ones bread (bread stands for all the daily necessities) two heads are better than one (head stands fo
24、r a man) 情人眼里出西施 (Beauty lies in lovers eyes) 之乎者也 (pedantic terms) Repetition: Repetition, meaning that the same word appears repeatedly in an idiom, is used to achieve special effects. For example: measure for measure dog eat dog to call a spade a spade diamond cut diamond 三三两两 寥寥无几 碌碌无为 含情脉脉 、Cul
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