A Brief Survey on Cultural Implication of Idioms1

1、諺語(yǔ)的文化意蘊(yùn)a brief survey on cultural implication of idiomsabstract: english proverbs are the gems of the english language. large in quantity, long in history and rich in cultural information, both english and chinese proverbs are deeply rooted in life. proverbs represent the social phenomenon and natur

2、al rules accurately with lively and plain words. as far as their underlying cultural information is concerned, some proverbs are completely or partial equivalent both in chinese and in english while some others have nothing in common at all. in order to convey their cultural information fully, faith

3、fully and effectively, we can translate these proverbs word for word, give notes or add extra words. this paper explores the cultural differences between chinese and english proverbs, discuss the influences of cultural differences on the proverbs and gives some specific approaches in translation of

4、chinese and english proverbs. key words: english proverbs; chinese proverbs; cultural; literal translation; free translation摘 要：英語(yǔ)諺語(yǔ)是英國(guó)人民智慧的結(jié)晶。英漢諺語(yǔ)源于生活，紛繁浩瀚，源遠(yuǎn)流長(zhǎng)，文化信息異常豐富。諺語(yǔ)常用形象生動(dòng)、淺顯易懂的語(yǔ)言，準(zhǔn)確地描述社會(huì)現(xiàn)象、自然法則，高度地闡述人文習(xí)俗、思想感情。由于受歷史背景、地理環(huán)境、宗教信仰和生活習(xí)俗等方面文化差異的影響，英漢諺語(yǔ)中有些文化信息完全對(duì)應(yīng)，有些部分對(duì)應(yīng)，還有一些無(wú)任何對(duì)應(yīng)的關(guān)系。為了形神兼?zhèn)涞貍鬟f其的文化

5、信息，在翻譯諺語(yǔ)時(shí)，應(yīng)當(dāng)充分了解英漢諺語(yǔ)中所含的文化內(nèi)涵，視具體情況，或英漢對(duì)譯，或文外加注，或另添字詞。本論文從多方面比較英漢諺語(yǔ)中所體現(xiàn)的文化差異，列舉出在英漢諺語(yǔ)翻譯中常見(jiàn)的方法，如直譯,意譯等。直譯多適用于文化信息完全或部分對(duì)應(yīng)的英漢諺語(yǔ)翻譯，而意譯多用于對(duì)應(yīng)關(guān)系的諺語(yǔ)。關(guān)鍵詞：英語(yǔ)諺語(yǔ)；漢語(yǔ)諺語(yǔ)；文化；直譯；意譯contentsabstractkey wordsintroduction.1part i. characteristics of english proverbs.2a. many eloquence characteristics.21. oral and concise

6、 words.22. syntax structure and rhythm.3 b. deep thought and moral.3c. bright ethnic and geographical characteristics.4part ii. cultural backgrounds of english proverbs4 a. traditional customs.5 1. dog5 2. bat.5 3. dragon.6 b. religion.6 1. christianity.6 2. bible.7 c. historical stories and literar

7、y works7part iii. translation methods of english proverbs.8 a. literal translation.9 b. free translation.10 c. substitution translation.11 d. combination of literal and free translation13conclusionwork citedintroductiona proverb is a beautiful gem of a language as well as crystallization of national

8、 culture. yet it is also one of the most difficult things to learn and use in a foreign language. english proverbs have many characteristics, such as religious structure, concise form, deep moral, bold image, unique geographical and ethnic characteristics. these characteristics make difficulties for

9、 us to translate english proverbs if we want to keep the original proverbs language form and taste.chinese and english both abound with proverbs, whoes succinct forms and profound meanings make themselves more condensed and expressive. cultural studies have currently be prevailing in the west. and t

10、alking about cultural studies has also become a fashion in the circle of present chinese cultural and academia, especially in the field of litreary theoary and criticism. accordingly, in the wide sphrere of translation studies, there are some scholars both at home and abroad who have tried to replac

11、e translation with cultural translation studies and intrepretation. translation is considered to be a cross-cultural communication, which concerns not only the transfer between languages, but also the transfer between the cultural. like other nations proverbs, english proverbs are the essence of eng

12、lish peoples wisdom. a well-translated english proverb can not only teach, enlighten and persuade people, but also can enrich our chinese language and culture. so it is necessary to study a nations proverbs when we try to study its language and culture a proverb is a beautiful gem of a language as w

13、ell as crystallization of national culture. yet it is also one of the most difficult things to learn and use in a foreign language. english proverbs have many characteristics, such as religious structure, concise form, deep moral, bold image, unique geographical and ethnic characteristics. these cha

14、racteristics make difficulties for us to translate english proverbs if we want to keep the original proverbs language form and taste.chinese and english both abound with proverbs, whoes succinct forms and profound meanings make themselves more condensed and expressive. moreover, because of the diffe

15、rences of religious beliefs，habits and customs，fables and myth，and culture and art，english proverbs and chinese proverbs carry on the different national cultural characteristics and information. if we do not know these cultural backgrounds, we cannot understand the english proverbs connotation and c

16、annot translate them precisely. to our chinese people with a little cultural knowledge about english, it is very difficult for us to understand and translate english proverbs. so when studying english, we should try to study its culture firstly.in order to present an adequate translation of a prover

17、b，we can use the four translation methods flexibly：literal translation，free translation，substitution translation，literal translation combined with free translationwhen translating, we should try to choose a proper translation method firstly. secondly, we should translate the proverbs connotation. me

18、anwhile, we should try to keep the original proverbs form.part i. characteristics of english proverbs english proverbs have the same characteristics like the other nations proverbs. they are produced orally by farmers, hunters, workers, sailors, housewives, etc, so they conclude british peoples expe

19、rience of fighting with the society and nature, and have the function of teaching, enlightening, and persuading people. english proverbs possess the following characteristics.a. many eloquence characteristics 1. oral and concise words we all know that english proverbs are produced by british working

20、 people orally, so the words of english proverbs are very concise and oral. when we translate them, we should try our best to keep the original proverbs oral characteristic. for example, “bad workmen quarrel with their tools.”拙工咎器. obviously, we can see that the translation is more formally, and it

21、will lose its oral characteristic. so the above one should be translated like this, “拙工常怨工具差” , which will be easier for people to recite. now we will give two kinds of translations of some english proverbs. from these translations, we can see that the second translation is more popular, and is easi

22、er for people to recite.1. waste not, want not.儉以防匱。（不浪費(fèi)，不愁缺。）2. a good beginning makes a good ending. 欲善其終，必先善其始。（有了好的開(kāi)始，才有好的結(jié)果。）3. a danger foreseen is half avoided.預(yù)見(jiàn)其患，則患不足懼。（預(yù)見(jiàn)了危險(xiǎn)，就等于防備了一半。）2. syntax structure and rhythmmoreover, when we read proverbs, we will find that the syntax structure of

23、english proverbs is compact and symmetrical; and the rhythm is gentle and united. for example, “you may take a horse to the water, but you can not make it drink”. if we translate it like this, 你把馬牽到河邊去，但不能叫它飲水, it will lose the characteristics of concise words, symmetrical and compact syntax structu

24、re and gentle rhythm. so it is better for us to translate like this, 牽馬河邊易，逼馬飲水難。(zhou 57) proverbs have the characteristics of concise and oral word, symmetrical and compact syntax structure and gentle rhythm. therefore, when we translate them, we should try our best to keep these characteristics.

25、only in this way, can the translation have the taste of proverb.b. deep thought and moral like other proverbs, english proverbs imply deep thought and moral. they usually express peoples noble thought, and they can teach, encourage, enlighten and persuade people, like peoples good friends and motto.

26、 for example:1. complacency is the enemy of study.學(xué)習(xí)的敵人是自己的滿足。2.learning is better than house and land. 學(xué)富五車(chē)勝過(guò)萬(wàn)貫家財(cái).3.a hedge between keeps friendship green.君子之交淡如水。4.all that glitters is not gold.閃亮的不一定都是金子。5.failure is the mother of success.失敗是成功之母。6.fish and guests smell in three day. 魚(yú)不過(guò)三日鮮，言不過(guò)三日

27、親。7.knowledge makes humble, ignorance makes proud.博學(xué)使人謙虛，無(wú)知使人驕傲。8.a wise man thinks all that he says; a fool says that entire he thinks. 智者思其所言，愚者言其所思。9.pleasure comes through toil.苦盡甘來(lái)。10.no rose without a thorn.沒(méi)有不帶刺的玫瑰。c. bright ethnic and geographical characteristicsenglish proverbs are based en

28、glish cultural backgrounds. when we read english proverbs, we cannot stop to imagine the english history, geography, customs, politics, economy, etc. obviously, english proverbs have bright ethnic and geographical characteristics. therefore, when we translate this kind of proverbs, we should try our

29、 best to keep the original proverbs ethnic and geography characteristics. now we will take some proverbs as examples following with two kinds of translations. we can compare which one is better to keep the ethnic and geographical characteristics of proverbs. 1. talk of the devil and he is sure to ap

30、pear. 說(shuō)到魔鬼，魔鬼就到。（說(shuō)曹操，曹操到。） 2. two heads are better than one. 兩個(gè)人的頭腦總比一個(gè)的好。（三個(gè)丑皮匠頂個(gè)諸葛亮。） 3. beauty lies in lovers eyes. 情人眼里出美人。（情人眼里出西施。） 4. do not cross the bridge until you come to it. 船到橋頭自然直。（不要杞人憂天。） 5. never offer to teach fish to swim. 不要教魚(yú)兒游水。（不要班門(mén)弄斧。）we all know that “曹操 ，諸葛亮，西施，杞人，魯班”are t

31、he unique people in chinese history. if we choose the second translation, our chinese people will make a misunderstanding that there are also曹操 ，諸葛亮，西施，杞人，魯班 in britain. on the contrary, the first kind of translation implies the bright ethnic and geographical characteristics, and people can easily k

32、now that they are english proverbs but not chinese ones.(yan 72)part ii. cultural backgrounds of english proverbsproverbs are based a nations unique cultural backgrounds. human culture has much in common, but also has much in difference. the differences of the traditional customs, religions and hist

33、orical stories and some other literature works make proverbs have strong cultural characteristics.(lin 126) if we want to master a foreign language, we must know the specialty of the foreign countrys cultural backgrounds. in the following part, we will talk about the cultural backgrounds of english

34、proverbs: traditional customs, religion and historical stories and some other literature works, which will help us understand the english proverbs well, then translate them precisely and faithfully.a. traditional customsevery nation has its own traditional culture, in which its own traditional custo

35、ms, are different from others. for example, people from different nations have different feelings to the same animal.1. dogin china, although some people feed dogs, most people abhor and despite this kind of animal psychologically. they often compare dogs with bad people or some disgusted things. on

36、 the contrary, englishmen like dogs, because they think that dogs can hunt with them and look their homes. they regard dogs as their companions and pets. therefore, in many english proverbs, british people often compare dogs with people. (yang 179)for example:1.every dog has his day.風(fēng)水輪流轉(zhuǎn)。2.better b

37、e the head of a dog than the tail of a lion.寧為雞頭，勿為鳳尾。3.give a dog a bad name and hang him! 欲加之罪,何患無(wú)辭。4.every dog has its day. 凡人皆有得意時(shí)。5.let the sleeping dog lie.別惹是生非。6.beware of a silent dog and still water.提防不吠的狗,小心靜止的水。 7.dog does not eat dog.同類(lèi)不相殘。2. batin china, bat stands for “happiness”. bec

38、ause in chinese, the pronunciation of “蝠 ” is the same as “?！?happiness), chinese people think that bat is a lucky thing meaning happiness. on the contrary, bat stands for an unlucky thing in britain, which we can see from many english proverbs. for example:1. as blind as a bat. 有眼無(wú)珠。2. go on a bat.

39、 酗酒胡鬧。3. dragondragon is an imaginary animal with wings and claws, able to breathe out fire. in china, dragon is regarded as an auspicious deity standing for emperor. so chinese people adore it very much, and compare themselves with dragon, such as “龍的傳人” and “望子成龍”. but in british mythology, dragon

40、 is a fierce and cruel animal with four feet, which is a synonym of evil. so dragon is a derogatory sense in britain.if you call a woman a dragon，you mean that she is fierce and unpleasant. (zhou 83). for example, 1.to sow dragons teeth播下不和的種子2.to chase the dragon. 服用鴉片海洛因b. religion1. christianityw

41、e all know that buddhism has great influence on chinese culture. so there are many chinese proverbs referring to buddhism, for example, “放下屠刀，立地成佛” and “不念僧面念佛面” however, britain is a nation which is influenced deeply by christianity. there are many english proverbs referring to god, heaven, devil,

42、hell, etc. for example: 1. each cross hath its own inscription. 每個(gè)十字架都有自己的銘文。2. god helps those who help themselves. 自助者，神助之。3.whom the gods love die young. 上帝的寵兒早夭折。4.man proposes, god disposes. 謀事在人,成事在天。4.god sends meat and the devil sends cooks.上帝賜給食物，魔鬼派來(lái)廚師。2. biblewe all know that bible is a b

43、ook referring to christianity, and it is also an essential book in every english family. even though in a small poor village, you will find that there is a bible in every farmers austere house. obviously, bible has controlled english peoples spirit and every aspect of their life, which has been refl

44、ected in many english proverbs. for example, jesuss guidance “, if some people have hit your right face, also lets him the left face hit”, all sharing, “, so long as knows wrong, main will forgive you”, but will also have are many i to think that is unable the thing which understood, adam eve steals

45、 the pardoned crime which the food forbidden fruit will violate, the pardoned crime is what? knows has the desire ashamed? if does not have the satan enticement, they will be will continue in the garden of eden joyful life? what except carefree also has in theirs life? hungry must eat thing this not

46、 is also the person most primitive desire? between the desire and the desire also has the difference? why is it the crime? there are many english proverbs coming from bible. for example:1.cast not the first stone. 欲責(zé)他人,先思己過(guò)。 2.the love of money is the root of all evil. 愛(ài)財(cái)為萬(wàn)惡之源。3.sell ones birthright

47、 for a mess of pottages.因小失大；見(jiàn)利棄義。4.the writing/finger on the wall.不詳之兆；大禍臨頭。bible has figured many people with vivid individuality. now, we know that bible plays an important part in british peoples life. if we do not know the literature illusions and proverbs from bible, we cannot study english we

48、ll. so, if you want to translate vividly and concisely, please read bible！it will give you great help.c. literary works and historical stories we all know that every nation has its own culture and history, so every nation has its own unique literature works. in china, confucianism and taoism influen

49、ce people greatly. however, in britain, people are influenced greatly by greece fables, aesops fables and some other literature works, such as shakespeares works, and many proverbs are originated from them. therefore, if we do not know these historical stories well, we cannot translate precisely. fo

50、r example: lion has fallen in love with farmers daughter , has made a proposal to her. the farmer cannot bear to betroth the daughter to allotment a wild beast, but fear that lion , a period of time have no way to decline , thereupon, he has a brainwave when in danger , hits upon an idea. otherwise

51、but he just says when lion comes to ask a farmer once again, he thinks that lion marries self daughter very suitable, lion must draw out first getting rid of a tooth , chop away a talon, can not marry the daughter to him, because of the girl is fear of these things.the lion is blinded by inordinate

52、ambition , the color gets lost capacity for clear thinking , the request having accepted a farmer very effortlessly. herefrom, that farmer looks down on right away the lion, is fear of him not in the least. the farmer uses rod to beat him right away when the lion comes again, him is tied up.this sto

53、ry explained that, some people easily believed others speech,abandons the oneself unique strong point, finally, easily original isfeared they the person to defeat. there are many proverbs of this kind. the following are as examples, 1. uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. 位高心不寧。it is originated

54、from shakespeares famous play- henry.2. he has burnt his bridges behind him. 破釜沉舟，背水一戰(zhàn)。it is originated from a historical story in roman.3. happy is the man who learnt from the misfortunes of others.前車(chē)之鑒，后人之福。it is originated from aesops fables4. when greeks meet greeks, then comes the tug of war. 兩

55、雄相爭(zhēng)，其爭(zhēng)必烈。it is originated from greece fables.5. do not change horse in the middle stream. 河中莫換馬，臨陣莫換將。it is originated from a historical story in england.6. practice makes perfect. 熟能生巧。it is originated from english poet, christopher anstey.7. curiosity killed the cat. 多一事不如少一事。it is originated from

56、 thomas gray, a famous english poet in 18th century. part iii. translation methods of english proverbs from the above discussion, we know that proverbs have bright cultural backgrounds and ethnic and geographical characteristics. if we do not master enough english cultural backgrounds, we cannot understand their true meanings and connotations. when we translate proverbs, we should first deal with