Influence of British and Chinese Culture on their Idioms and their Learning and Translation1

1、influence of british chinese culture on their idioms and their learning and translationintroductiona chinese student promised her british teacher that she and her three classmates would win the 100-meter-relay-race. she said, i can run very fast. i will not pull my classmates leg. there is a bamboo

2、in my heart. a pyrrhic victory is right there. she smiled joyfully, without noticing that her teacher was in a fog.why could not the english teacher understand his student the reason was that the girl misused three idioms. first, she used pull ones leg to substitute the chinese idiom 拖后腿. however, t

3、he true meaning of this english idiom is to play a joke on somebody. second, chinese people may literally translate there is a bamboo in my heart into 胸有成竹 and know that it means to have a preconceived idea at heart. but this word-for-word translation is not right and it may puzzle our foreign guest

4、s. the girl should have explained to her teacher its original meaning to have a bamboo in an artists mind before drawing a picture of it. third, a pyrrhic victory originated from an ancient greek myths .its correct meaning is a victory gained at such cost that it is almost equivalent to a defeat. sh

5、e only saw the word victory while she did not pay attention to the allusion in this idiom.many people want to create vividness by using idioms in their speeches and writings. however, many of them cannot make an appropriate use of them. an appropriate use of idioms in our writing, daily communicatio

6、n and important situations, such as a press conference, will add to the strength and vividness of our language to be used. it also helps to narrow the cultural gap among different nations and facilitate cross-cultural communication as well.providing suggestions about learning and translating idioms

7、may contribute to the appropriate use of idioms. in this thesis, a number of examples are cited to illustrate the national characteristics of idioms and the translating skills, improve the sensibility of culture and the ability of cross-cultural communication, make ourselves understood. the suggesti

8、ons are supposed to help cross-cultural communicators avoid the misunderstandings or offenses caused by misuse of idioms and serve as practical guideline for cross-cultural communication.how can we achieve the appropriateness in intercultural communication above all, a thorough understanding of engl

9、ish and chinese idioms is the most important factor. many examples of misuse of idioms show that some users often fail to comprehend the background knowledge concerning idioms, especially the cultural characteristics of them. besides, the techniques used in the translation of english idioms into chi

10、nese idioms or vice versa are also essential to the appropriate use of idioms. so this paper will focus on the discussion of cultural characteristics of idioms and some suggestions about how to learn and translate idioms.1 culture and idiomsin order to analyze the cultural characteristics of idioms,

11、 we must first make clear what culture is, what an idiom is and how the two affect each other.1.1 definition of culture different people have different views on culture. culture derives from the latin word culture, which means cultivated materials and human cultivated nature. among various definitio

12、ns, the first generally accepted and comparatively complete definition is presented by an anthropologist - sir edward tylor in primitive cultures (1871). he defines culture as that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquir

13、ed by man as a member of a society. some linguists consider culture as the deed and thought of a society. some famous translation theorists define culture as the way of life of a peculiar community, which is expressed by a language. afterwards, scholars enriched the concept of culture by adding mate

14、rial to it and divided it into three parts in broad terms. (1) material culture, which is manifested by various productions made by mankind. for instance, drinks, foods, buildings, dresses, tools, etc. (2) spiritual culture, which is presented by the way and the result of mens thinking process, incl

15、uding beliefs, ideas, views, values, outlook on life, etc. (3) social systems and customs, which means peoples way of life and social regulations, involving laws, customs, education, history, etc. but this classification is not the terminal one. other scholars, such as eugene a. nida, view ecology a

16、 part of culture. so generally speaking, culture is like an umbrella, covering every aspect of our life, from environment to cultivated nature, from social productions to spiritual works.1.2 definition of idiom it is quite difficult to give a clear-out definition to the word idiom, for it possesses

17、several meanings, which might cause us confusion. it may mean the language of a people or a country, or a dialect, or a linguistic usage that defies grammatical analysis. but the most suitable definition for this paper is as follows. idiom is an expression established in the long usage of a language

18、 that is peculiar to itself either in grammatical construction or in having a meaning that cannot be derived as a whole from the conjoined meanings of its elements. english idioms, in a broad sense, include idiomatic phrase, proverbs, colloquialisms and slangs. in comparison, the chinese equivalent

19、for idiom is 熟语. it means a kind of set phrase or sentence, which, like a stock expression, is often quoted by the common people. chinese idioms can be roughly divided into 成语(set phrases),俗语(common sayings),谚语 (proverbs),歇后语(a two-part allegorical saying),and 粗俗语(vulgar expression). from the above

20、definitions and classifications we can extract three basic characteristics of idioms. (1) an idiom is a special form of language. an idiom must be well established and accepted through common practice. it stands as a whole. so no element in an idiom can be changed. in many cases, idioms hold implied

21、 meanings, and cannot be interpreted just according to their literal meanings. (2) an idiom is the crystallization of language. language gives birth to idioms. it also polishes idioms. refined by long usage idioms have been described as the core of language. (3) an idiom is the representative of a l

22、anguage. though both british and chinese people use idioms and give the almost same definition of idioms, we cannot equal the two idioms, for their ranges are different. 1.3 relationship between idiom and culture as has been noted, an idiom is the essence of a language. therefore, the relationship b

23、etween idiom and culture is just like the relationship between language and culture. first of all, language is a part of culture, but not the full content of culture, since material culture is manifested by mans productions. furthermore, language mirrors culture. the most important function of langu

24、age is to reflect productions made by humankind, peoples outlook on life and the development of a community. last but not least, language is influenced and shaped by culture. the development of culture promotes the creation of new words and expressions in a language. besides, every aspect of culture

25、, either material or spiritual, influences language directly. owing to this kind of close relationship, language is described as the carrier of culture and the mirror of cultural characteristics. therefore, idioms -the refined part of language, are influenced deeply by culture. they are culturally c

26、haracterized. as is well known, different nations possess different cultures. as a result, idioms of different nations must be affected by their peculiar cultures.2 influence of british and chinese cultures on their idiomsthe idioms of a nation are closely associated with its culture. english and ch

27、inese idioms are no exception to the rule. british and chinese geographical conditions, life experiences, histories, religious beliefs and literatures are all stamped on their idioms.2.1 influence of environment and weather upon english and chinese idioms in a strict sense, environment and weather a

28、re not cultural. they are introduced here on the consideration that they interact with the ways of material production and consumption of a culture and sometimes seriously affect the existence of culture. the value of culture is to inspire people to adapt themselves to the environment. if one wants

29、to survive in the arctic pole, he should learn eskimo culture, eat raw foods and live in igloo. this is a kind of cultural behavior, so environment and weather are more or less related to culture.2.1.1 geographical conditions and features reflected in idioms britain is an island country, with atlant

30、ic ocean to the west and north, the english channel to the south and the north sea to the east. so british culture can be regarded as sea culture. there are a lot of idioms about sea and ocean.e.g. (1) all at sea: confused, not known what to do不知所措(2)a drop in the ocean: a quantity too small to make

31、 any improvement沧海一粟the long and bendy coastline promotes british sailing and fishing, so idioms of this kind are in large quantities.e.g. (1) plain sailing: a course of action that is free from difficulties一帆风顺 (2) when ones ship comes home/in: when one has become successful功成名就 (3) a big fish: an

32、important and influential person大亨 (4) a fresh fish: a new prisoner新囚犯 (5) a poor fish: a foolish person愚蠢易欺的人 on the other hand, china, since time immemorial, has been a large continental country, only with seas to its east, and is chiefly based on agriculture. so a great number of chinese idioms a

33、re derived from agricultural production.(1) 种瓜得瓜,种豆得豆: as you sow, so will you reap. (2) 瑞雪兆丰年: a snow year, a rich year.besides, some particular geographical features in each country also play an important role in idioms. e.g.(1) to set the thames on fire: to do something remarkable; to make a bril

34、liant reputation做惊人之举 (2) 不到长城非好汉: he who does not reach the great wall is not a true hero. (3) 上有天堂,下有苏杭: there is a paradise above and suzhou and hangzhou below.2.1.2 influence caused by weather the climate of britain is the typical temperate oceanic climate, rainy and foggy. the annual rainfall o

35、f the whole britain is about 1016mm. moreover, it is foggy on the island, especially in winter. china is a country with a vast territory and various climates and has the temperate climate in the north whereas subtropical climate in the south. it is rainy in the east whereas arid in the west. so the

36、weather is diverse. the traditional chinese invented the lunar calendar, in which a year is divided into twenty-four solar terms. these solar terms are often used in proverbs to illustrate principles concerning weather and climate. the following are some examples: e.g. (1) rain cats and dogs: rain v

37、ery heavily.倾盆大雨 (2) fog-bound: trapped by fog.因雾受阻 (3) it never rains it pours: misfortunes usually cone in large numbers.不下则已,一下倾盆(4) 清明时节雨纷纷: unbroken spell of wet weather around the qingming festival 2.1.3 national characteristics of english and chinese idioms summing up from above mentioned exa

38、mples, we can see that both english and chinese idioms are reflecting their national geographical conditions and climates. on the one hand, there are some similar idioms. for instance, a snow year, a rich year equals 瑞雪兆丰年, cast not a clout till may be out equals 吃了端午粽,棉衣远远送, and when round the moon

39、 there is a halo, the weather will be cold and rough equals 月晕而风,础润而雨 . however, more idioms are different. chinese people have created a quantity of idioms on the basis of agriculture whereas british people have employed sea and fish into their idioms. chinese people appreciate east wind whereas en

40、glish people enjoy warm west wind. in a word, different environments give birth to diverse national characteristics of idioms.2.2 influence of history upon english and chinese idioms history, as part of social culture, is an influential factor not only for a nation but also for a language. it plays

41、an indispensable role in the development of a country. it also promotes the evolution of a language and affects its idioms.2.2.1 influence caused by history sometimes an idiom may summarize a historical event both in chinese and english.e.g. (1) to cross the rubicon: to take a decisive and irrevocab

42、le step. the allusion is to julius caesars act when with his army in 49b.c. he unconstitutionally crossed the river rubicon, which separated his province from italy, and so brought on the civil war. 渡过鲁比肯河,断然采取有进无退的重大活动 (2) do in rome as the romans do: one should change ones habits to suit the custo

43、ms of the place one is living. the allusion is to the roman conquest of england.入乡随俗 (3) 卧薪尝胆: to sleep on brushwood and taste gall, to undergo self-imposed hardships so as to strengthen ones resolution to wipe out a national humiliation. the allusion is to the act of yueh emperor goujian in the war

44、ring period, when his country was conquered; however, he did not lose heart but wanted to rebuild his empire.in the following idioms, it is evident that historical figures contribute much to their distinctive national features.e.g. (1) every caesar has his brutus: one should be aware of ones false f

45、riend for his friend brutus finally betrayed caesar.防人之心不可无 (2) lynch law: the practice of killing (an accused person) by mob action and without lawful trial, usually in defiance of local authority.私刑(3) 项庄舞剑,意在沛公: xiangzhuang performed the sword dance as a cover for his attempt on liubangs life-to

46、act with a hidden motive.(4) 三个臭皮匠,顶个诸葛亮: three cobblers with their wit combined equal zhugeliang the mastermind-the wisdom of masses exceeds that of the wisest individual. two heads are better than one.2.2.2 comparison of english and chinese idioms of this kind as both people have taken many idioms

47、 from history, some idioms may, by chance, coincide with each other. there was no caesar in chinese history, whereas there was no zhugeliang in british history. for instance, the english idiom the apple of discord, meaning cause of contention strikes the same note as the chinese idiom 二桃杀三士, meaning

48、 three generals were killed because of two peaches. however, more english idioms are different from chinese idioms. every country has its own history. as a result, the different historical backgrounds of the english and chinese people have given their national colors to their own idioms in the two l

49、anguages.2.3 influence of life experiences upon english and chinese idiomslife experiences of people belong to the social system. the fact that the british people and chinese people share both similarities and differences in life experiences is also reflected in their idioms.2.3.1 idioms about simil

50、ar life experiences the best example to illustrate their similar life experiences is that both people have created many idioms concerning heart. owing to their lack of scientific knowledge, they regarded heart as the center of their soul, thought and emotion, in the ancient times.e.g. (1) to lose he

51、art: to lose courage, confidence, and hope or to become dispirited and discouraged. the chinese counterpart is 灰心丧气. (2) heart and soul: with ones deepest feelings and thoughts. the chinese counterpart is 全心全意. (3) 心有灵犀一点通: hearts that beat in unison are linked. the english counterpart is lovers hea

52、rts are closely linked.(4) 心有余而力不足: the heart is willing, but the flesh is weak-unable to do what one wants very much to do. the english counterpart is ones ability falls short of ones hearttheir similarities in life experiences are also shown in the following equivalent idioms:e.g. (1) 晴天霹雳:a bolt

53、from blue sky (2) 如坐针毡:to be on pins and needles (3) 一耳进一耳出:in at one ear and out at the other(4) 英雄所见略同:great minds think alike.2.3.2 idioms about different life experiences nevertheless, most idioms, after all, are the offspring of their different life experiences, so naturally they manifest two d

54、ifferent kinds of national characteristics. for example, we chinese often use the set phrase 雨后春笋 to describe a rapid development and a large production. the english counterpart is to spring like mushrooms, since there was no bamboo in england, and even the word bamboo is of foreign origin. so it is

55、 impossible for english people to use the image of bamboo in their idioms. on the contrary, we chinese are very familiar with bamboo and create many idioms about it, such as:e.g. (1) 势如破竹: like splitting a bamboo, with a crushing force. the english counterpart is like a hot knife cutting through but

56、ter. (2) 青梅竹马: innocent childhood friends. the english counterpart is calf love.there are more idioms in which english and chinese people use different images to express the same ideas. 拦路虎-a lion in the path 露马脚-let the cat out of the bag 害群之马-the black sheep of the family 缘木求鱼-seek a hare in a hen

57、s nest 杀鸡取卵-kill the goose that lays golden eggs 胆小如鼠-as timid as a hare 热锅上的蚂蚁-like a cat on hot bricks what is more, different life experience results in different attitudes towards animals.what is more, different life experience results in different attitudes towards animals. for instance, britis

58、h people appreciate dog for loyalty, but chinese people show contempt for it. many idioms are created in both languages but with totally opposite connotations.(1) every dog has its day: everyone enjoys good luck or success sooner or later.人人都有得意时 (2) love me, love my dogs: if one loves somebody, one will or should love everyone and everything associated with him.爱屋及乌 (3) 狗拿耗子多管闲事: a dog trying to catch mice-too meddlesome (4) 狗嘴里吐不出象牙: a dogs mouth emits no ivory-a filthy mouth cannot utter decent language.2.4 influence of religious beliefs upon english and chinese idiomsspiritual cult