Contrastive Study of the Connotation of Chinese and English Proverbs with Numeral “One”含有数字“一”的汉英习语的隐含意义比较.doc

contrastive study of the connotation of chinese and english proverbs with numeral “one”abstract: the proverbs with numeral “one” in english and chinese always have potential ambiguity. therefore we may make use of the analysis of it to compare the connotation of culture, and conclude the translating methods and principles of such idioms. in conclusion, it is necessary to have over-all knowledge of both language and culture. only in this way can we exactly convey the meaning of proverbs with numeral “one”. this paper will lead us to know the necessity of giving presentation of culture on different proverbs with numeral “one”. finally, taking a consideration of what we did in the past, we can achieve some strategies to give the presentation to promote the quality of translating such idioms.keywords: english and chinese culture, number, translating methods, translating principles 含有数字“一”的汉英习语的隐含意义比较摘要：英汉数字习语一直都具有潜在歧义。利用含有数字在内的习语，进行分析英汉两种语言的数字背后的文化内涵，并概括总结出这一类习语翻译的常见方法及翻译原则，从而得出翻译者要准确传达数词习语的含义，必须对中、英两种语言与文化有较全面的了解。本文分析了文化导入的必要性，并提出了文化导入的策略和方法如何提高翻译这类习语的质量。关键词：英汉文化；数字；翻译方法；翻译原则contents1. introduction.12. general learning of proverbs with numeral “one” 12.1 colorful proverbs . 12.2 lucky numbers with “one” .13. connotation manifested in different aspects. 23.1 the origins of idioms with numeral “one” 23.2. the content of idioms.53.3 national characteristics affecting the understanding of english and chinese numeral proverbs with numeral “one”. .64. comparison of usages74.1 comparison of “few” and “many” in the proverb with numeral “one” 74.2 comparison in vertical expression115.methods of translating proverbs with numeral “one” .126.conclusion.12reference.12acknowledgement.13141. introductionin recent years, many professional scholars have attached importance to the connotation study of chinese and english proverbs，especially those with numeral “one” . they are trying to summarize what the roots of connotation of chinese and english proverbs are.proper translation method is one of the most important essential methods for contrastive study of the connotation of chinese and english proverbs with numeral “one”. by all appearances, it is necessary for us to know how the differences of culture affect numbers and what measures we should take to improve the quality of translation of english numeral proverbs into chinese or vise versa. with the intention of acquiring the answers, this paper will discuss the importance of culture presentation in connotation of numeral “one” by comparing chinese culture with english culture and by analyzing the process of translation of english and chinese numeral proverbs from the cognitive angle.2. general learning of proverbs with numeral “one”2.1 colorful proverbs people always meet some vivid numeral proverbs with “one”, though they know the numbers, but they dont know the exact meaning of them. so they would translate them according to the facial meaning, e.g. one swallow does not make a summer -一燕不成夏 and some of them are so elegant, e.g. in english: one lie makes many (说一个慌要用更多的慌来圆这个慌) one mans meat is another mans poison (张三的美肉是李四的砒霜) one good turn deserves another (好人有好报)；in chinese: 竹篮打水-一场空 (to draw water with a bamboo basket-all in vain) 昙花一现(a nine days wonder.) 一贫如洗 (as poor as a church mouse) 心有灵犀一点通(hearts which beat in unison are linked) 多一位菩萨多一炉香(more buddha, more incense burning) 一不做，二不休(carry the thing though, whatever the consequence) , these proverb some are similar, but some mean much more than what they read.2.2 lucky numeral idioms with “one”english proverbs with numeral one carry the meaning about luck. first, look at a proverb, “one hundred and one thanks” (十分感谢，千恩万谢)(yin, 2005: 3). why is it bothered to add one thanked to the one hundred thanks? in china, everyone knows that ever numbers represent luck. they give presents in even numbers. on contrast, people from the english-speaking countries always believe the odd numbers are lucky, so that the numeral one exerts its special meaning here. for example: in the expression of further degree, the number “one” is always added to the even numbers of hundreds or thousands “have one thousand and one things to do”. (日理万机) 3. connotation manifested in different aspects3.1the origins of idioms with numeral “one” without knowledge of the allusions made in idioms we can hardly explain why, for instance, “graftons a real one-horse town” means grafton is a small town where very little happens. or why “bakers dozen” happens to be not twelve but thirteen. to be aware of this knowledge of the origins of idioms and their national characteristics is indispensable, for it can help us not only understand idioms better, but also use them appropriately.in this segment we shall see that there is a surprising similarity in the origins of english and chinese idioms. but on the other hand, differences are sure to appear in idioms in both languages, particularly in their national characteristics. the origins of idioms are many and varied, but the chief sources are from the speech of the common people, ancient legends and fables, historical events, classical works, religion, translation loans from foreign languages and neologisms. (yu, 1999: 110) let us consider each source in turn: (1) most idioms came from the colloquial speech of the common people, for through their practical work people have created a great number of idioms, just as sailors have invented many lively sea phrases, laborers in the fields have created expressions concerning formwork, and workers idioms from all kinds of occupations. moreover, the fisherman talks of life in terms of fishing, the housewife helps herself out with metaphors from her kitchen or her farmyard, the sportsman expresses himself in the idioms of sports, the hunter of his hunting, or his dogs and horse; etc. these idioms are terse, colloquial, vivid and charged with life, and before long they acquire a wide application to most useful of these idioms, make their way from popular speech into the standard language, and finally come to be universally understood. here are some idioms to illustrate this point.(a) idioms from the colloquial speech of ordinary people:e.g. like one oclock: at once; quickly.the allusion is that one oclock takes less time to strike than any other hour.百闻不如一见：it is better to see once than hear a hundred times.(cf. to see is to believe. seeing is believing.a thousand words of hearsay are not worth a single glance at the reality.)一个巴掌拍不响：one hand alone cannot clap(b) idioms from the working people:two hands are better than one (cf. 两只手比一只手好: the work can be finished faster with two hands than one)一板一眼：follow a prescribed pattern in speech or action. it also means doing in a rigid way and unable to change according the real situation.(c) idioms from sailors and fisherman:一帆风顺：plain sailing-a course of action that is simple and free from difficulties.(d) idioms from soldiers 一将功成万骨枯: it is the blood of the soldier that makes the glory of the general. a general builds his success on ten thousand bleaching bones. it equals an english proverb: what millions died that a caesar might be great. (f) idioms from sportsmen and hunters: kill two birds with one stone: achieve two objects with one action.this proverb equals the chinese proverb: 一箭双雕(2) the second source is from ancient myths, legends or fables. greek and roman civilization have had a great influence on the english language. the following english idioms, which have been derived from the greek myths and legends, are so frequently used in the writing that we should all be familiar with them. for example,“one swallow does not make a summer (一燕不成夏)” which is from “ aesops fables” and means that in the early summer, many swallows fly to england, but it is always the case in which one or two arrive first. people might make a conclusion from that swallow that the summer has come. it also has an expansion meaning: dont make a judgment according to one thing; dont make a plan according to one proof and so on. chinese ancient myths and fables are also generalized in the following idioms.“一朝天子一朝臣”： become rank-and file when ones leaders are changed. this proverb comes from a chinese story called “chasing hanxin”, it means when a new leader comes to power, the staff would change. (shao, 1995:43)一得之愚：stupid person may once in a while have a good idea. this proverb comes from “records of the historian（史记）”. it means that every wise man can be failed once, and every fool can be successful once.3.2 the content of idiomsthe content of idioms, particularly that of proverbs, is wide-ranging and all-embracing. idioms express the life experience of the common people and their world outlook. both english and chinese idioms use a terse, vivid and figurative language to generalize various experiences and laws in the struggle of life, and to express the thought and wisdom of the common people. in english, there are proverbs with numeral “one” to express this value. lets look at the following proverbs:the proverb “one father is more than a hundred schoolmasters” (一父胜百师) means much more than what it reads. it emphasizes the important effect of parents to the growing of children. just like the chinese proverb: 养不教，父之过. another two proverbs in english: the mouse that has but one hole is quickly taken. (只有一个洞穴的老鼠被捉得快) dont put all your eggs in one basket. (莫把所有的蛋搁在一个篮子里) (xiao 2000: 127)they mean that one should scatter the danger. though accidents are inevitable, we can put our property in different places in order not to lose all of them. chinese proverbs also have such kind of meaning of prudence： 一动不如一静and its antonym: 孤注一掷.3.3 national characteristics affecting the understanding of english and chinese numeral proverbs with numeral “one”.3.3.1 the idioms of a nation are closely associated with its history, cultural heritage, life experience, geographical conditions, social conventions and state of mind, etc., these being the chief determinants of the national characteristics of the idioms. so we might compare idioms to a mirror, which best reflects the special features of a nation or a culture. proverbs are the refinement and sublime of a nations style. for the english and the chinese nations, the proverbs with numeral one have unique origination and deep fundament of the culture. if these proverbs are used properly, one can express their cultural connotation, increase the ability in the expression, and nail the key point correctly. therefore, the proverbs are always related to a nations historical incidents, heroes, myths and customs and so on. for example, 一枕黄粱 (fools paradise) comes from “枕中记” if one doesnt know the story, it can not be translated properly. it means a dream which can not come true. in chinese proverb“一败涂地”，the western countries would translate it as “meet ones waterloo” , here waterloo means the great failure of napoleon.(song, 1998; 176)3.3.2 the different historical backgrounds of the english and chinese people with their different legends and anecdotes about historical figures have provided rich and varied materials for their idioms, and consequently give a national color to the idioms in the languages. the above-mentioned idioms, which are derived from ancient legends and historical events, all bear the stamp of their nationality. in connection with historical figures, lets look at an english translation version of a chinese proverb 一个和尚挑水吃，两个和尚抬水吃，三个和尚没水吃 cited in chapter 3 from a book called “百炼成钢” (zhou, 1991: 164 )a lone monk brings his own bucket of water to drink, two monks carry their bucket of water jointly, but when three monks are together, there is no water at all.this translation confuses people: why the three monks cant carry their bucket of water jointly? why is it no water at all? the point is that the translator didnt translate the “挑” and “抬” correctly. that is they didnt show the connotation of national characteristics of the idioms. here has a connotation of a tool used in the routine life of the han minority-picul stick. one person use it by over the shoulder means “挑”, two persons “抬”, and then three persons is difficult to handle. because of that if one person brings the bucket while the other two persons carry the bucket, the one person would not agree. so they quarrel and without an effective solution, they give up, as a result, there is no water at all. actually, the first two parts of the proverb is just a setoff. the central part is the third part. it means that without responsibilities, there is no success. it equals the english proverb “ everybodys business is nobodys business (ronald ridout & clifford witting, 1992: 187). professor fan cunzhong had mentioned such sentence in the english magazines as “one boy is a boy, two boys half a boy, three boys no boy. he thought the two are alike. (chen, 2005: 280) 3.3.3. in order to translate these proverbs with national features correctly, we always use literal translation. in the case of free translation, we should use some neutral words. but the neutral words are not allowed to translate with words having national feature. for instance, carry coals to newcastle can be translated as “多此一举”. but on the contrary, “多此一举” may not accurately be translated as “carry coals to newcastle”. because its easier to translate proverbs with national characteristics into neutral words, while hard to translate neutral proverbs into proverbs with national characteristic, especially from chinese to english.4. comparison of usages4.1 the comparison of “few” and “many” in the proverb with numeral “one”“一” generally refers to small comparing to large. it means “be outnumbered” or “individual is not as good as collective”. for example: 一人一个脑，做事没诀窍；十人十个脑，办法一大套一人一双手，做事不顺手；十人十双手，拖着泰山走一人一把号，没法成曲调一人一条心，穷断骨头筋；众人一条心，黄土变成金一人见识有限，众人智慧无穷。一人主张，不如两人商量。these proverbs reflect a value which encourages individuals to cooperate with each other in a collective and avoid the individualism. its true that the harmony between a person and the collective is an ideal that all kinds of nationalities have been striving for. there are also many proverbs with numeral “one” in english for this kind value. one flower makes no garland 一朵花做不成花环two hands are better than one. 两只手比一只手好。one sparrow does not make a spring. 一只麻雀形不成春天one swallow does not make a summer. 一只燕子形不成夏天。the last two proverbs look similar, besides the meaning that the individual is not strong enough to make success, they have more meanings. especially the last one which is from “aesops fable”, means that in the early summer, many swallows fly to england, but it is always the case in which only one or two arrive first. people should make a conclusion from that swallow that the summer has come. it also has an expansion meaning: dont make a judgment according to one thing; dont make a plan according to one proof and so on. to be more interesting, there is also a similar proverb in chinese: 一燕不成春. it has the similar form of the two english proverbs, but has a closer meaning to the former one. the difference in the form is caused by the geography or climate condition. the spring swallow in chinese would be summer swallow in the west.( wang, 2003: 171)turn back to the relation between “one” and “many. actually, it is not always the situation. the proverbs also have the opposite experience, e.g. 一个和尚挑水吃， 两个和尚抬水吃，三个和尚没水吃。 in this sentence, the “one” is better than the “two” and “three”. this suggests that people are not responsible to each other, and as a result, the “many is worse than the “few”. there are also many proverbs reflecting the case, e.g. one volunteer is worth two pressed men. 一个志愿者抵得上两个被迫者。another one is a unique situation in english : one englishman can beat three frenchmen 一个英国人能打败三个法国人。this proverb is from shakespeares historical play “henry fifth”. of course, now it means the few can beat the many. another english proverb:one bad general is better than two good ones. 宁要一个坏将军，不要两个好将军。this proverb has a similar meaning with a chinese proverb: 一山不容二虎。一个和尚挑水吃，两个和尚抬水吃。 it takes first consideration about the comparison of “one” and “two, and the second for “bad and “good”. let us take a look at another english proverb: one today is worth two tomorrow. 一个今天抵两个明天. the meaning of this proverb can refer to a chinese proverb: 今日事今日毕. it stimulates people to cherish the present time. another proverb also has this meaning: one hour today is worth two tomorrow. 今天一小时抵得明天两小时. besides the cherishing of time, the english proverbs also measure the quality of life, e.g. one day of pleasure is worth two of sorrow. 快乐的一天抵得忧愁的两天. here the “few” is better than “many”, the “one” equals “two. actually, it is the quality better than the “quantity”. it is like a chinese proverb: 好日子不经过, and another one 度日如年. like such proverb, there is a proverb with “one relating to the culture of april fools day: on the first of april, you may send a fool whither you will. 在四月一日, 你可把傻子送到你要送的地方. but here the first having the meaning of one day is an ordinal word. april the first is the fools day in the west. people can cheat each other as a joke, and the person who is cheated is called april fool. （chen,2005:217)4.2 comparison as viewed from vertical expressionin order to describe the vertical meaning of the large or small amount and degree in the english and chinese numeral idioms, an exaggeration and comparison means would be introduced to give the readers a deep impression. but as the divers