Abstract
As a special form of language, idioms carry a large amount of cultural information such as history, geography, religion, custom, nationality, psychology, etc., and therefore idioms are closely related to culture. thus people can know much about culture by studying idioms and in turn get better understanding of idioms by learning the cultural background behind idioms. in order to communicate with each other fluently, the study of the relationship between the idiom and culture is significant and urgent. this paper analyzes the main causes of cultural differences in english and chinese idioms and illustrates the manifestations of cultural differences. the aim of this thesis is to enhance language learners’ intercultural awareness of comprehending and utilizing idioms from different cultures precisely and accurately.
key words: English and Chinese idioms; features; comparison
摘 要
习语作为一种特殊的语言形式，承载着大量的文化信息，如历史、地理、宗教、风俗、民族、心理学等，因此习语与文化有着密切的关系。因此，人们可以通过学习习语的文化背景来了解文化，进而通过学习习语的文化背景来更好地理解习语。为了能流利地交流，习语与文化之间的关系的研究意义重大而迫切。本文分析了英汉习语文化差异的主要原因，并阐释了文化差异的表现形式。本论文的目的是提高语言学习者的跨文化意识，准确、准确地理解和运用不同文化的习语。
关键词： 中英文习语；特征；比较
Contents
Abstract I
摘 要 II
Introduction 2
Literature Review 2
Features of Idioms 2
2.1 Resources of Chinese and English idioms 2
2.1.1 Daily expression 2
2.1.2 Mythologies, legends and fables 2
2.1.3 Religions 2
2.1.4 Classical literary works 2
2.2 Features of English Idioms 2
2.2.1 Various lengths 2
2.2.2 Different structures 2
2.2.3 Meanings beyond literal 2
2.2.4 Words of high frequency 2
2.3 Features of Chinese idioms 2
2.3.1 Regular structure 2
2.3.2 Close relationship with the nation’s history 2
Classification of English and Chinese Idioms 2
3.1 Idioms on geographical conditions 2
3.1.1 The Chinese geography idioms 2
3.1.2 The English geography idioms 2
3.1.3 The differences: due to natural environments 2
3.1.4 The similarities 2
3.2 Idioms on lifestyle 2
3.3 Idioms on religious beliefs 2
3.3.1 General remarks 2
3.3.2 Examples 2
3.4 Idioms on historic events 2
Translation Methods of Idioms 2
4.1 Methods of translation 2
4.1.1 Direct translation 2
4.1.2 Amplified translation 2
4.1.3 Free Translation 2
4.2 Comparison: direct, amplified and free translation 2
Conclusion 2
Bibliography 3
