中西方文化中动物象征意义的差异

ContrastinAnimal'sConnotationBetweenChineseandEnglish中英动物象征意义差异的比较

主讲内容forewordContentElseIntroductionAbstractSignificanceConclusion

similaritiesdifferencesasnakeinthegrasslikeacatonhotbricks

Lion–hearted

Getsb’sgoatSeparatethesheepfromthegoats

topdogcatanddoglifeAcatmaylooklikeakingThevocabularyindifferentlanguagescanreflectthedevelopmentsofdifferentlanguages.TherearemanyexpressionsconnectedwithanimalsinbothEnglishandChinesebecauseofhistory,customs,valueandreligionbeliefs.ThisPPTanalyzesthedifferencesbetweentheEnglishandChineseexpressionsconnectedwithanimals,vividlyshowingtheculturalinfluenceonvocabularyandthedifferencesbetweentheChineseandEnglishculture.AnditwillbehelpfulforEnglishlearners’interculturalcommunication.AbstractInthelongcourseofhumanhistory,animalskeepacloserelationshipwithourhumanbeingandhaveadeepeffectonhumanlivingandgrowth.Thisrelationshipbringspeopleallkindsofcomplicatedemotionsuchaslove,sympathy,disgustandfear.Moreover,peoplealsooftenreposetheirmoodonanimalstoexpresstheirfeeling.Owingtothedifferencesofgeographicalenvironmentsandcustoms,thesewordsandphrases,whosedenotationsaresimilarinthetwolanguages,havedifferentculturalbackgroundsinEnglishandChineselanguages,consequentlytheirculturalconnotationswillbedifferentfromeachother.ThisPPTwillmainlycontrastthedivergencesofculturalconnotationsforanimalwordstoexplaintheculturaldifferencesbetweenChineseandEnglish.IntroductionSignificanceofcontrastofanimalwordsbetweenEnglishandChinese1.LearningabouttheculturaldifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseappearinginanimalwordscanhelppeopleunderstandtheemotionalmeaningoflanguageandthetwoculturesfurtherandremovethebarriersininterculturalcommunications;thereforeitisofgreatvalueinpractice.2.Knowingabouttheconnotationsorassociationsofananimalwordinonelanguagecankeepusawayfromheavylossesincommercialactivitiesowingtoculturaldifferencesbetweenthetwolanguagessuchasnamingaproduct.3.Tolearnabouttheculturalbackgroundofawordisgoodforselectingarightwordforexpression.ToanEnglishlearner,makingagoodunderstandingofboththenativelanguageandtheforeignlanguageisagoodwaytohaveagoodcommandofthelanguage.Thesimilarities

Asamewordexpressesasamemeaning

Thesameconnotationofdifferentanimal

ThecorrespondenceofadoptedwordsInwhateverEnglishorChinese,lotsofwords,phrasesoridiomsareconnectedtoanimals.Theyaresolivelyandvividthatpeoplecanhaveadirectimpressioninmind,andthenconnecttheimagestotheinternalconnotations.Becauseoftheculturecommunicationsbetweeneastandwestandthesimilarityofthinkingmanners,ananimalwordwouldhavesameorsimilarconnotations.AsamewordintwolanguagesexpressesasamemeaningTobothChineseandwesternpeople,someanimalscontainsimilarconnotations,“parrot”(鹦鹉),theanimalwhichcansimulatehumanvoice,referstoamanwhorepeatsthewordsofotherswithouthisownopinionsinboththelanguages;“bee”(蜜蜂)inbothEnglishandChinesestandsforbusyandhardworkingpeople,forinstancethephrase“asbusyasabee”(像蜜蜂一样忙碌);and“jackal”(胡狼，豺)meansgreedy,contemptible.AnimalimagesofthesewordsinEnglishandChineseculturesareidenticalonthewhole.Wolves(狼)areallbloodthirstyandcruel,sointhetwolanguagestherearesimilarexpressionssuchas“ascruelasawolf”(像狼一样凶残),“awolfinsheep’sclothing”(披着羊皮的狼)“ashungryasawolf”(饿得像狼).InEnglish“wolf”hasaslangmeaning,sayingthatitreferstomanwhoseduceswomen,andlikewiseinChinesepeoplehavetheword“色狼”;bothofthemdevelopedfrom“greedy”(贪婪)whichisanattendantmeaningof“wolf”.Englishpeopleusuallydescribethatapersonis“wolfingdownhisfood”,andinChinesepeopleusewolf(狼)too.InChineseitissaid“狼吞虎咽”.Anothersimilarexampleisthe“crywolf”andthestoryof“狼来了”,bothofthetwomeanstellinglies.Ifaforeignercommentsapoliticianlikethis:“thatpoliticiancrieswolfineveryspeechhemakes”,heissurelysayingthat“那个政治家在他的每篇演说中都说了假话”.

ThesameculturalconnotationofdifferentanimalwordsThatistosay,differentanimalwordscanexpressasameorsimilarmeaning.Althoughtheanimalwordpeopleuseinonelanguageisdifferentfromthatusedintheotherone,theyaresimilarinfigureofspeechJustbecauseofthecommoncharactersofhumanculture,people,whateverChineseorEnglish,havesomesamenessinmindtothisobjectivereality.Therefore,peoplespeakingdifferentlanguagesindifferentcountriescanexchangetheirmindfreelytoforeignersincross-culturecommunication.Todescribethatapersonistimid,Chinesepeoplesay“胆小如鼠”,whileinEnglishpeoplewoulduse“rabbit”,“chicken”,or“pigeon”forinstance“astimidasarabbit”,“chicken-hearted”and“pigeon-hearted”.Whatisinterestingisthat,mouse(鼠)inChinesecultureisconsideredasatimidanimal,butinEnglishpeoplethinkthatmicearequiet,sotheysay“asquietasamouse”.Todescribesomeoneisanxiousaboutsomething,Chineseusetheidiom“热锅上的蚂蚁”,whileEnglishuse“likeacatonhotbricks”;Chinesesay“吹牛”whileEnglishsay“talkhorse”;todescribesomeoneisstrong,peopleinEnglishsay“heisasstrongasahorse”whileChinesesay“健壮如牛”;Englishsay“worklikeahorse(马)”whileChinesesay“温驯肯干似老黄牛”.Theseadoptedwords,whichareliberaltranslations,keeptheiroriginalanimalimages.Thesekindofadoptedwordsaregraduallyusedbypeople,andsometimesit’shardtorecognize,suchas“uglyduck”(丑小鸭),“papertiger”(纸老虎),“darkhorse”(黑马),“fleamarket”(跳蚤市场),“nightowl”(夜猫子),“ostrichpolicy”(驼鸟政策),“crocodile’stears”(鳄鱼的眼泪).Theyarewordsofpartlycorrespondenceinculturalconnotations.ThecorrespondenceofadoptedwordsNationalCulturalCharactersofAnimalWordsCulturalDifferencesofAnimalWordsBetweenEnglishandChineseThedifferences

NationalculturalcharactersofanimalwordsDifferentnations’culturesaredifferent;theirculturalbackgroundsendowanimalwordsdifferentculturalconnotations.Becauseoftheculturalclashes,somenationalculturalcharactersofanimalwordsareobvious.PhoenixPhoenixiscalled“凤”or“凤凰”inChinese.InthemindofChinese,phoenix,isamiraculousbirdbeyondmundanity.Askingofbirds,itisalwaysfollowedbytheotherbirds,soinChinesethereisasaying“百鸟朝风”.ItjustcorrespondstotherelationshipofLordandhisministers,thereforephoenixsymbolizesthepower,whichisthesameastheChinesedragon.Afterwards,“phoenix”(凤)graduallybecameaspecialbywordforempressinfeudaltimes.Itsappearancebetokensapeacefulperiod;,andthereisalsothesaying“龙风呈祥”.However,itstillcannotmatchwiththepositionoftheChinesedragonwhichisthesymboloftheking.

Inwesternmyths,phoenixisamagicalbird,whichissaidlivinginArabianDesertwithalonglifeabout500or600years.Beforedeath,itbuildsanestforitsown,singsadirge,flapsitswingstotakefiretoburnitself,theninashestherecomesanewbornphoenixwhichissobeautifulanditwon’tdieagain.Therefore,phoenixhasameaningofrebirthorrevival.InEnglishphoenixreferstoperfectionsandexcellentpersons.InChina,horseswenttothebattlefieldtodefendcountrywiththeirmasters.Thereforephrasesabouthorseareconnectedtowarsuchas“戎马生涯”,“金戈铁马”,“单枪匹马”，“马前卒”.“厉兵秣马”

“马到成功”

兵荒马乱”

Horsesarealsoconnectedtotalentswhocanmakecontributionstothecountry,especiallythewell-known“千里马”(thewingedhorse)namedbytheancients.HorseinEnglishstandsforcourage,magnanimity,andmeanseachaspectinlife.Suchas“agoodhorseshouldseldomspurred”(好马不用鞭),“agoodhorsecannotbeofabadcolor”(好马无劣色),Theyarealltheremarksofexperiencedpeople.Therearealsolotsofotherexpressions,like“getonthehighhorse”(摆架子，目空一切),“lockthestabledoorafterthehorseisstolen(贼去关门)”,“itisagoodhorsethatneverstumbles”(马有失蹄),andsoon.Horse

CulturaldifferencesofanimalwordsbetweenEnglishandChineseTheliteralmeaningsofanimalwordsinthetwolanguagesaresame,butowingtoeachone'sculturalbackground,includingcustoms,religionsandfaith,andthewordsthemselvesindifferentlanguages,thesamesubjectmaybringaboutdifferentwordsmeanings.Thisisthereasonwhyculturalconflictshappenalot.AgoodsenseinEnglish,badinChineseInChinese,dogsaregenerallyconnectedwithunpleasantness.Phraseswithdogsareusedasdisparagingterms,justlookatthesewords:走狗,狐朋狗友,丧家犬（狗）,狗仗人势,狗东西,狗腿子,狗眼看人低;“狗嘴里吐不出象牙来”“狗急跳墙”“挂羊头，卖狗肉”“兔死狗烹”InEnglishpeoplecallsdogas:Man’sbestfriend.Theword“dog”inmostsituationsisingoodsenseinEnglish,usedtodescribeapersonwhodeservesthedeservingpity.Suchas“helpadogoverastile”(帮助人度过难关),“aluckydog”(幸运儿),“anolddog”(老手/上了岁数的人),“loveme,lovemydog”(爱屋及乌),“everydoghashisday”(凡人皆有得意日)Inwesternculture,dogmeansfaithful,reliableandhard-working

GoodsenseinChinese,badinEnglish

ChineseregardtheChinesedragon“龙”asatotemism,andtherearenumbersofidiomsaboutdragonthatareallingoodcausessuchas“龙跃凤鸣”、“龙骧虎步”etc.InChinaparentsareall“望子成龙”whichmeansparents’hopethatchildrencanamounttosomethingwhentheygrowup,somanyparentswouldliketonametheirsonswith“龙”

InaverseoftherankingnovelwriterKingyong(金庸)itsays:“虎啸龙吟，换巢鸾凤，剑气碧烟横”NowWesternnewspaperscalled“亚洲四小龙”“fourAsiantigers”,andChinesetraditional“龙”aregenerallycalled“Chinesedragon”tokeepawayfromthe