Analyzing the cultural reasons for idiomatic expression differences in Chinese and English.doc

analyzing the cultural reasons for idiomatic expression differences in chinese and english0. introductionlanguage is an important part of culture. they can not be separated from each other. for one thing, language is a part of culture and plays an important role in it. for another, as a mirror of culture, language is strongly influenced and shaped by culture; meanwhile, it reflects culture. idioms include metaphorical phrases, slang, colloquialism, proverb and so on. as an essential part of the language and culture of a society, idioms are characterized by their concise expressions, rich and vivid, involving geography, history, religious belief, living conventions and so on. they are usually highly specialized in meaning and closely tied to distinctive cultural features and cultural attitudes. it is believed that idioms are the most culturally loaded element in any language s vocabulary. undoubtedly they are often hard to understand and harder to use correctly. english and chinese idioms, closely related to their own culture, convey different cultural features and messages of their own nation, reflecting their own culture. (hu wenzhong 281)there exists vast difference between english and chinese culture and this difference occurs in english and chinese idioms, too. based on some scholors research, this paper intends to explore it by fully analyzing the main cultural reasons causing idiomatic expressions differences in both chinese and english.1. different living circumstancethat culture is determined by geographical environment is a subjective view of geographical determinism. it cannot be denied; however, that natural environment including geographical position, climate, and ecological condition is something that plays contributory role in the formation of a culture. people dwelling in a certain region try to adapt themselves to the surroundings so that livelihood can be maintained. as a result, their special way of living, thinking and behaving is formed as a side-product of their relationship with the environment.1.1. geographical environmentbritain is an island country. people who live along seacoast and whose livelihood is dependent on the sea will have idioms about water, sailing, island and fish. for example, we speak in chinese挥金如土，but we should render it into english as spend money like water. there are a lot of english idioms about ship ,water and fish: be taken aback(大吃一惊)，raise the wind(筹钱), all at sea(茫然)，between the devil and the deep sea(进退维谷)，to take the wind out of somebodys sail(先发制人)，hang in the wind(犹豫不决)，in full sail(全力以赴)，sail under false colors(欺世盗名)，half sea over(酒喝得太多), make fish of one and flesh of another (厚此薄彼)； “never teach fish to swim(不要班门弄斧)； the great fish eat up the small (大鱼吃小鱼 ); all hands to the pumps (齐心协力)，to trim ones sail to the wind (见风使舵), to be in the same boat (同舟共济)，to burn ones boat (破釜沉舟), a big fish in a little pond(山中无老虎，猴子称霸王).（jiangrui 110）on the other hand, the chinese people live on land, they belong to an agrarian society that places agricultural production at the top of the national agenda, regarding industry and commerce as the non-essentials. during the long history of farming, the chinese language has accumulated large numbers of farmers idioms, like二人同心，黄土变金(when two people are of the same mind, even clay may be changed into gold)，一败涂地 (meet one waterloo)，留得青山在，不怕没柴烧（a man who fights and runs away will come and fight another day），瓜熟蒂落(things will be easily settled when conditions are ripe)，斩草不除根，逢春发又生 (cut weeds and dig up the roots-stamp out the source of the trouble or they will grow again)，五谷丰登(abundant harvest of all food crops),种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆( as a man sows, so shall he reap )，四体不勤，五谷不分(can neither do physical work nor distinguish rice from wheat).（zhu li ling 99）1.2. different climateclimate is also a very important factor in the living conditions. while britain is located in western hemisphere, with north temperate zone and marine climate, so west wind is damp and warm . shakespeare compares lover to a summer in one of his poems, shall i compare thee to a summers day? thou art more lovely and more temperate.(shakespeares sonnet 18) the west wind blows from the atlantic ocean as warm and gentle as chinese east wind and brings voluminous rain to this area. so that britain abounds in rain can be proved in some idioms concerning rain: to make hay while the sun shines (趁热打铁), as right as rain（像下雨那样正确）, come rain or shine（无论如何）, to rain cats and dogs（倾盆大雨）, it never rains but it pours（不雨则已，一雨倾盆）, “for a rainy day ”(未雨绸缪)，c. britain used to be known as a country of fog partly due to the dampness and warmness of the weather condition and partly to the air pollution as side product of the industrial revolution. therefore, in english there are some idiomatic expressions concerning fog, such as in a fog（云里雾里），and to have not the foggiest idea. spring up like mushrooms (雨后春笋) may become incomprehensible to chinese learner if he is unaware that this idiom implies the richness of mushroom growing in the wet area in britain just as bamboo in chinese specialty, and as plentiful as blackberries(黑莓遍地) also indicates the ecological environment in britain, for blackberries are easily available in england.in chinese culture, east wind is the wind of spring; spring is warm and colorful, and it is regarded as the beginning of all lives. there are many idioms in china, which refer to spring：春暖花开(in warm spring, all the blossoms are in full bloom.), 春意盎然(spring is very much in the air), 一年之计在于春(the whole years work consists in a good start in spring)，万紫千红总是春(it is spring when the gayest colours abound). spring is the image of good things, so “春” is used in some idioms to express this: 满面春风(ones face radiates happiness),春风化雨(the life-giving spring breeze and rain-salutary influence of education). to conclude, different living surroundings may produce different idioms and different cultures.2. different historical allusiondifferent countries possess different historical culture, which mainly comprises allusion, myths, poems, ancient books and records, etc. among them, allusion is the most important; it reflects the national characteristic. idioms from historical cultures are the gems of human cultural heritage. it is worthwhile for us to learn them well. there are lots of idioms coming from the historical allusion. the structures of these idioms are very simple but they have profound meanings, so we cannot translate and understand these idioms from the literal meaning. the different historical backgrounds of the english and chinese people have their different legends and anecdotes about historical figures which have provided rich and varied materials for their idioms, and consequently give a national color to the idioms in the two languages. it is necessary for us to learn and understand the english allusion as well as the chinese allusion. it can enlarge our scope of knowledge, widen our field of vision and it is useful to learn about the origin and development of english and chinese language and literature. 2.1. historical eventsin most, if not all, languages, people embellish their speech or writing with references to characters or events from their history, that is to say, idiomatic expressions are closely related to a countrys history. take the aspect of language for example: there are a lot of idioms in the chinese language which cannot find an equivalent in the english language because the history of the two countries is quite different. many chinese idioms are from their own historical events which are well-known by chinese people. for instance, the following idioms are from historical events in ancient china: 风声鹤唳,草木皆兵(be in an extremely nervous state in which one is frightened by the slightest sound) is from the defeat of fu jians(苻坚) army at feishui river during the east jin dynasty; 卧薪尝胆(to sleep on brushwood and taste gall-to undergo self-imposed hardships so as to strengthen ones resolve to wipe out a national humiliation) comes from the historical records.yues state emperor gou jians noble family(史记越王勾践世家): when yues state emperor gou jian returned to his state, he had much physical suffering and was mentally worried. he placed a bitter gall in front of his seat, and he had a look at it when he sat or slept and tasted it when he had meals. ; 沉鱼落雁之容，闭月羞花之貌 concerns great beauties in ancient times. this idiom comes from dai shanfus academician tao writes good landscape when drunken(dai shanfu陶学士醉写风光好): to my mind, this woman is so beautiful that she will make the fish sink and the birds alight, or she will put the flowers to shame and outshine the moon. ;（yu jialou 537 ）三个臭皮匠，顶个诸葛亮expresses the wisdom of the masses exceeds that of the wisest individual, for诸葛亮is regarded as the master mind during the last years of the east-han dynasty.england has a history of more than one thousand years and has many important historical events as china. so the english language has much less idioms from historical events than the chinese language, but there are still some, for example, the die is cast(义无反顾)refers to the great caesar had determined to fight with pompeius magnus in gallia cisalpina.the german. “burn the boat”(破釜沉舟) refers to that when caesar crossed the rubicon river and burned all the ships to make himself and soldiers had no choice but to win the battle. when greek meet greek, then comes the tug of war means a fierce battle. a story is told that, in 1936, emilio mola headed four columns to attack the capital-madrid, before attacking, he delivered a speech that the four columns had surrounded madrid, while the fifth column was in the city. that is how the idiom the fifth column(第五纵队)came into being.（zhuang hecheng 209） similar examples are columbuss egg(哥伦布竖鸡蛋)(in the famous story of columbuss egg, the explorer, irritated at being told that his exploits were easy, challenged the guests at a banquet to balance an egg on its end. when all had failed, he succeeded by flattening one end by tapping it against the table, a trick that any would then have been able to repeat. repetition is easier than innovation and to eat crow(吃下乌鸦) which means to be forced to change what one has said; admit that one is wrong. the origin of to eat crow is that towards the end of the war 1812, a british officer encountered an american hunter near the british line, gained control of his musket and thereby forced him to eat the crow he had just shot. the american complied, but when his musket was returned, he forced the british officer to do the same. rome and denmark once occupied england for a long time, so the conquest influenced the english to a certain extent: six of one and half a dozen of the other(半斤八两) comes from denmark, whereas return to ones muttons(言归正传)and do in rome as the romans do(入乡随俗)are from france and rome respectively. the history of mankind is full of war, which is the source of numerous idioms, as is reflected in the following english and chinese idioms: what millions died that caesar might be great(一将功成万骨枯)，to steal a march on(先发制人)，to put up the sword(讲和). the chinese nation has a long history of war for more than two thousand years, and therefore the chinese language is rich in such idioms, which often appear in the following historical books such as孙子兵法，史记，三国志，三国演义，水浒传. they are兵不厌诈(there can never be too much deception in war)，兵荒马乱(amidst the ravages and turmoil of war),短兵相接(cut and thrust)，赶尽杀绝(cut down the grass and dig up the roots)，知己知彼，百战不殆(know the enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat),临阵磨枪(to sharp ones spear only before going into battle).2.2. different fables and mythologiesidioms are usually closely related to distinctive cultural fables and mythologies. greek and roman civilizations have a great influence on the english language, so the greek and the roman mythologies have greatly enriched the english idioms. most english allusions come from the bible and the greek roman myth. lets take a glance at the following idioms: achilles heel(致命弱点)which is from the greek mythology has the meaning the one weak spot in a mans circumstances or character. a pandoras box (潘多拉之盒) which means the origin of all evils is also from greek mythology;（taojie 360）and penelope s web(铂涅罗铂的织物,指永远做不完的工作), greek mythology, refers to work never ends; crocodiles tears(鳄鱼眼泪) is from the voiage and travaile of sir john mandeville written by sir john mandeville, it is just like the chinese idiom“猫哭老鼠假慈悲”. david and jonathan means a pair of devoted friends. the story is from the bible: jonathan is davids friend, and he always protects him from danger. (like chinese“管鲍之交”); every caesar has his brutus implies that one should be aware of ones false friend in case one would be betrayed by him. here, brutus was once a friend of caesar who was murdered by him. another example, hercules was one of the most famous heroes in greek mythologies. he killed two snakes when he was a baby, and was known as a man of muscle. because of this, he walks into the english idioms: hercules choice means the reward of toil in preference to pleasure, the herculian efforts(九牛二虎之力)，the pillars of hercules(天涯海角).in addition, aesops fables greatly influence the english idioms. perhaps you are quite familiar with these idioms: mistake the shadow for the substance(以假当真，捕风捉影), sour grapes(聊以自慰), nurse a viper in ones bosom(姑息养奸)，the lions share(最大或最好的份额), to cut the gordian knot(快刀斩乱麻).most of the following chinese idioms are from chinese historical works and ancient fables and fairy tales. they are vivid with profound meanings. for example:拔苗助长: try to help seeding grow by pulling them-spoil things by undue haste;囫囵吞枣: swallow a date wholly without chewing or tasting it-uncritical acceptance without real comprehension of what one reads or studies; 画龙点睛: draw the eyes when painting a dragon-a crucial touch which drives home a point otherwise difficult to explain; 邯郸学步: learn the ways of walking-imitate others only to lose ones originality; 夜郎自大: it refers to blinded by ones presumptuous self-conceit. such allusions not only make the language richer, but also make communication much more vivid and often easier.2.3. literary worksidioms from literary works are also one of the main sources from which idioms are derived. in the english literature, shakespeare plays a very important role; his dramas are the major source of this kind: much ado about nothing (庸人自扰), by all eyes(目不转睛), make assurance doubly sure (加倍小心) and at one fell swoop(一下子，一举) come from macbeth; have an old head on young shoulders (年轻却有头脑) and to claim ones pound of flesh (割某人的一磅肉) are from the merchant of venice; hoist with ones own petard (搬起石头砸自己的脚) and out of joint (杂乱无章) are from hamlet, “comparisons are odious(人比人气死人) is from dogberry. besides, the woks of other famous writers also store a great many idioms: a nine-day wonder (昙花一现) appears in troilus and cressid written by geoffrey chaucer; a fly on the wheel (妄自尊大) derived from aesops fables, can refer to assuming a self-important air; mind ones eye (当心你的眼睛)-charles dickens barnaby rudge; “reading makes a full man, conference a ready man, writing an exact man”-bacon of studies, catch 22(第22条军规)-joseph hellers catch 22; the ugly duckling(丑小鸭)is from han andersons tales.（tao 23）chinese idioms like精卫填海(the mythical bird trying to fill up the sea with pebbles, a person with strong will) and机关算尽太聪明，反算了卿卿性命(too much cunning in plotting and scheming is the cause of her own undoing are from山海经and红楼梦respectively;项庄舞剑，意在沛公(to act with a hidden motive)，天网恢恢，疏而不漏(gods mill grinds slow but sure)，山高水低(unfortunate accidents or happenings)，弃暗投明(quit the reactionaries and side with the people) are all from ancient chinese literature史记项羽本纪老子金瓶梅词话三国演义 and there are many other examples:毕恭毕敬(extremely deferential) and风雨飘摇(swaying in the storm)-诗经;文质彬彬(gentle and polite) and小不忍则乱大谋(if you are too tender-hearted over small matters, youll jeopardize affairs of great moment)-论语; 东施效颦(now it means imitating somebody stupidly)-庄子天运;兵临城下(with troop closing in on the city) and心满意足(to ones hearts content)-水浒传;欲穷千里目，更上一层楼(you can enjoy a grander sight by climbing to a greater height)-王之涣登鹳鹊楼;物换星移(things change with the passing of years)-藤王阁序;谁言寸草心，报德三春晖(such kindness as young grass receives from the warm sun cant be repaid)-孟郊游子吟.（zhuang hecheng 23）3. different religions and beliefsas a cultural phenomenon, religion, which is the manifestation of different cultures, is the vital part of human thought. it penetrates into every possible aspect of peoples life, which consequently causes great cultural difference between people with different religious beliefs. china is a multi-religious country, yet comparatively speaking; buddhism has a greater influence on chinese culture. it was first introduced into china in the first century a.d., and has shaped the chinese language, diet, arts, etc., and greatly stimulated the development of chinese literature. the large number of words and idioms derived from buddhism is one of the manifestations of its influ