中外文化差异

1、 有些动物在两种文化中也会代表不同的形象，成为不同的象征 if you praise a western child “You are like a little monkey.”, he will be angry, thinking that you curse him. Because in English, “little monkey,” means “a troublesome playful child”. And “monkey” is often likened to a person with a whole bag of tricks,“The man is as tri

2、cky as a monkey. (那人诡计多端，极为狡猾。)” Therefore, in English, expressions with “monkey” have derogatory meanings, e.g. “monkey business (捣鬼，骗人的勾当)”; “monkey around (闲荡，瞎弄)”;“monkey meat (美俚：劣等牛肉)”; “suck the monkey (英俚：酗酒)”. You chicken！” he cried looking at Tom with contempt （“你这个胆小鬼！”他轻蔑地看着Tom 道。）（不是“你这

3、只鸡”。） The stork visited the Jim yesterday（Jim家昨天添了一个孩子。）（不是“有鹳鸟做客”。）chicken指“懦夫”或“胆小鬼”， a visit by the stork指“孩子诞生”，fish鱼 年年有余（鱼） a queer fish fish-blooded fishwife a cold fishbat蝙蝠 as blind as a bat to have bats in the belfry(钟楼） crazy as a bat 蝙蝠（福）ugly and evillion虎 The British Lion play oneself

4、in the lions mouth come in like a lion and go out like a lamb(羊羔） like a key in a lionhide 置身虎穴 虎头蛇尾 狐假虎威 owl 猫头鹰 as wise as an owl as a geave as a owl 猫头鹰进宅，好事不来wise and serioussheep,goat to play the goat =play the fool to get sbs goat separate the sheep from the goat好人坏人 English people would say,

5、“He is a fox.”Similarly, Chinese people can understand the meaning of the sentence “He is a fox.” in Chinese “他是一只狐狸。” fox is cunning and dishonest. Wolf is a kind of greedy, savage and cruel beast, so in Chinese there exist such expressions:“狼心狗肺”,“豺狼当道”,“如狼似虎”, “狼吞虎咽”, “狼狈为奸”, “狼子野心”. “a wolf in a

6、 sheeps clothing or a wolf in lambs skin ”; “wake a sleeping wolf”;“hold a wolf by the ears”;“keep the wolf from the door”. Similarly, the greedy, sinister险恶的, dishonest character of wolf also displays vividly and incisively in western culture, “a wolf in a sheeps clothing or a wolf in lambs skin ”;

7、 “wake a sleeping wolf”;“hold a wolf by the ears”;“keep the wolf from the door”. “Ass(驴)” in English and Chinese has the same connotation meaning “foolish, stupid”. In Chinese the expression “笨驴” is used to indicate a fool or an idiot. “ass in grain (十足的大傻瓜)”;“an ass in a lions skin (from Aesops Fab

8、les, 冒充聪明人的傻瓜)”;“all asses wag摇动 their ears (谚语：驴子摇耳朵，傻瓜装聪明)”; “asses bridge (笨人难过的桥)”;“act the ass (做糊涂事)”;“make an ass of oneself (做蠢事)”; “sell you ass (口语：不要这样呆头呆脑)”. “as timid as a rabbit, chicken-hearted or pigeon-hearted (胆小如鼠)”;“like a cat on hot bricks (热锅上的蚂蚁)”;“as stubborn as a mule (犟得像头牛)”; “wet as a drowned rat (落汤