从英汉动物习语的对比看文化差异

学科分类号0502本科学生毕业论文（设计）题目（中文）：从英汉动物习语的对比看文化差异（英文）: On the Cultural Differences BetweenEnglish and Chinese from Animal Idioms 姓名郭倩倩学号 200504091237院（系）湖南科技学院外国语言文学系专业、年级英语专业2005级指导教师罗小英2009 年 5月08 日On the Cultural Differences Between Englishand Chinese from Animal IdiomsSubmittedbyGuo QianqianSupervisedbyAssociate Professor Luo XiaoyingsubmittedtoThe Foreign Languages DepartmentIn partial fulfillment of the requirementsfor the degree ofBachelor of Artsin the subject ofEnglish Language and LiteratureHunan University of Science and EngineeringYongzhouMay, 2009湖南科技学院本科毕业论文（设计）诚信声明本人郑重声明：所呈交的本科毕业论文（设计），是本人在指导老师的指导下，独立进行研究工作所取得的成果，成果不存在知识产权争议，除文中已经注明引用的内容外，本论文不含任何其他个人或集体已经发表或撰写过的作品成果。

对本文的研究做出重要贡献的个人和集体均已在文中以明确方式标明。

本人完全意识到本声明的法律结果由本人承担。

本科毕业论文（设计）作者签名：二○○九年五月二、湖南科技学院本科毕业论文（设计）评审表秀，80—89分记为良好，70—79分记为中等，60—69分记为及格，60分以下记为不及格。

三、湖南科技学院本科毕业论文（设计）答辩记录表Contents摘要.................................................................................ⅠAbstract....................................................................... . (Ⅱ)Introduction (1)1 A Brief Review of Animal Idioms (4)1.1 Definition and Features of Animal Idioms (4)1.2 Relationship Between Culture and Animal Idioms (6)1.3 Embodiments of Animal Idioms (7)2 Cultural Differences Between English and Chinese from AnimalIdioms……………………................................. (13)2.1 Dog andGou (13)2.2 Dragon andLong (14)2.3 Bat andBianfu (16)2.4 Peacock andKongque (17)3 Reasons for the Differences Between English and ChineseAnimalIdioms…………………………………………………........... (19)3.1 Different SocialConventions (19)3.2 Different LivingEnvironments (21)Conclusion………………………………………………………….......23 Bibliography………………………………………………………..... (25)Acknowledgements摘要习语在任何语言中都是精华。

它是在不同的历史，地理环境和文化背景下形成的；承载着一定的民族文化特色和文化信息。

英汉两种语言历史悠久，包含着大量的动物习语，由于历史，社会生活等方面因素的影响，英汉动物习语体现了中西文化的相同和差异。

国内外多数学者已对习语做了研究。

我国邓炎昌教授对动物习语体现的英汉语言文化进行对比分析，其为对动物习语日后的研究打下基础。

本论文从一些动物习语入手，通过比较其在中西文化中所具有的不同文化内涵，向读者展示中西文化的差异，以便人们更好地理解动物习语，在跨文化交际中恰当运用。

关键词：动物习语；文化差异；原因AbstractIdiom is the cream of any language. The formation of idiomis achieved under different history, geographical environment and cultural background, which is a symbol of one national’s unique culture and culture information. English and Chinese languages both have a long history, and they contain many animal idioms. Because of the history, social life and some other influences, English and Chinese animal idioms reflect the similarities and differences between Chinese and Western cultures.Many scholars and linguists at home and abroad have done researches about idioms. Professor Deng Yanchang (2003) made a contrastive study of English and Chinese language cultures from the animal idioms. The research of animal idioms laid a foundation for the researches on idioms later on. This thesis starts its discussion from animal idioms to show the differences between Chinese and Western culture by contrasting the different connotation in different areas. To get people to know the function that animal idioms are used in multi-cultural communication, can make people use it proficiently.Key words: animal idiom, different culture, reasonIntroductionNowadays, with the economic globalization and the regional economic integration strengthening, the cultural exchanges between China and the West have become more and more important. Transmission and application in English is used widely, so understanding the differences between Chinese and Western culture is imperative. However, the social development is reflected in the language.Without idioms, our language would become dull and dry, whereas an appropriate use of them in our speech and writing will add to the strength and vividness of our language. And the idiom can better reflect the cultural characteristics and connotation. Idioms are fixed and unique expression, which are formed in the process of using a language. Idioms are the sediment of the history and culture, the essences of culture derived from the process of recognizing and transforming the nature, the substantial corpus of information, and a vivid reflection of national culture. Both English and Chinese languages have a long history, and they contain many idioms which are implicitly, humorous, serious, elegant, concise and vivid image. These idioms are closely linked with the culturaltraditions, which reflect the cultural characteristics and cultural information of the nation. Therefore, theidioms of English and Chinese, especially the animal idioms, reflect sharp differences of national culture. Deeply understanding animal idioms makes cross-cultural communication go smoothly.Animal idioms have been emphasized and studied at home and abroad. At home, Yu Fumin (1996) made strenuous and successful efforts in comparing English and Chinese idioms to illustrate the author’s pertinent points. Chen Dezhang (1999) had a research of cultural connotation of animal words in English and Chinese and find out what images people have over 30 common animals. Jiang Lei (2000) analysed animal idioms and made a survey of contrastive studies of English and Chinese idioms, which show the nation’s long history and cultural character. There are also overseas linguists who have done researches of idioms. Strassler (2004) made a pragmatic analysis on English idioms and created a pragmatic model for English idioms and to provide a basis for a theory of idioms as a phenomenon of natural language. (Chang Chenguang, 2004:36)A contrastive method will be taken to analyze the difference of animal idioms between English and Chinese to help people have a good understanding of the different cultures. It contains five parts.Introduction, the first part, states the significance, method, framework and modern researches of the thesis. The second part of this thesis is a brief review of animal idioms such as definition, features, the relationship between culture and animal idioms. Cultural differences between English and Chinese from animal idioms are illustrated in the third part. The fourth part of this thesis lists the reasons for the differences between English and Chinese animal idioms. The last part is a summary of the whole paper.1A Brief Review of Animal Idioms1.1 Definition and Features of Animal IdiomsAnimal idiom, just as its name implies, is one type of idioms which are combined by animal words, therefore it is essential to define idiom first of all.Idiom is a phrase or sentence whose meaning is not clear from the meaning of its individual and which must be learnt as a whole unit, in Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary.Idioms are fixed phrases or short sentences derived from a long-term use of language. It contains a wealth of cultural information, cultural characteristics and cultural background. It has a distinctive image and metaphor, showing thedistinctive national characteristics and geographical color. (包惠南,2001:148)The fixed phrases or sentences in English and Chinese are called “idiom”,and can also be interpreted as “set phrase”. Idioms, fixed in their structure, have been used for expressing the full meaning for a long time. Such phrases or short sentences are gradually formed in the development of the language, so they can not be opened or re-combined. (蒋磊,2000:49)Last but not least, idiom means an accepted phrase, construction, or expression contrary to the usual patterns of the language or having a meaning different from the language or having a meaning different from the literal, written in Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language.The Chinese equivalent for “idiom” is 熟语(shú yǔ). It means a kind of set phrase or sentence, which, like a stock expression, is often quoted by the common people. (郁福敏,郭珊琏,1999:8)English idioms, in a broad sense, include idiomatic phrases, proverbial sayings and a number of slang expressions. Whereas Chinese idioms can be roughly divided into: set phrases(成语),common sayings(俗语), proverbs(谚语), a two -part allegorical sayings(歇后语), and some vulgar expressions(粗俗语).As a particular linguistic unit, idiom shows its own specific characteristics. Firstly, idioms are usually forceful, concise, vivid and comprehensive, and some idioms such as animal idioms, often contain images and figures of speech, so they have acquired a figurative meaning. They convey more meanings as a whole than the few words could carry separately. Secondly, many idioms do not follow any standard rules, for they often violate conventional grammatical rules, and sometimes are wrong in logic. They seem arbitrary and it can not be explained how or why a particular idiomatic phrase has assumes its present form.They are the brief statement of English and Chinese idioms. Knowing the definitions and features of idioms will help people understand their cultures better.1.2 Relationship Between Culture and Animal IdiomsAnimals are friends of human beings. Languages of all nations contain a lot of words denoting animals, and so do Chinese and English. With the development and progress of human society, many animals were tamed to become domestic ones serving people, and many others have become people’s pets. So, animals have become part of people’s life. As science develops, people learn more and more about animals. Zoological gardens are now necessary scenes in many major cities all over the world. Hundreds of thousands of books on animal have been published. Every TV station broadcasts special programs about animal in certain channels. In all this process, animal words gradually got their established connotations in all languages, that is, people associate their feelings and emotions, even happenings and natural phenomena with various animals which are thought to represent different characters like people, or serve as omens. Many animals have become a kind of symbolism in people’s thinking and this symbolism is reflected in the language. However, because of different history and culture, the connotations of animal idioms in one language do not necessarily coincide with those in another. So, the idioms of animal best are reflected the culture. (胡文仲,1999:236)1.3 Embodiments of Animal IdiomsThere are so many kinds of animals in the nature, and they each have their own nature and living habits. Animals are the indispensable part of human’s daily life, whether it isthe rural labor, oxen and horses, or domestic pet in the town, they all closely linked with the people’s life. At long-term contacts with animals, people have a deep-rooted knowledge of the animals’nature. There have many English and Chinese idioms which derived from the animals’ nature and habits. Language, as an important part of the social cultural, can not avoid the influence of the society. It is often hard to understand or use animal idioms correctly. People often associate certain qualities with certain creatures or objects. These qualities often arouse certain reactions or emotions, although there is little or no scientific ground for such association. The qualities that are associated or the emotions that are aroused are not always the same as different peoples. 1.3.1 The Same Idiom with Same MeaningsChinese and English countries’ cultures have the same view of the most animals’ nature and living habits. Such as:Horses are hard-working and brave. People in Chinese and English countries all appreciate the horse’s reliable quality. In Chinese and English, most of the expressions of horses are complimentary sense. Here are Chinese idioms: 路遥知马力，日久见人心;(A long journey tests the horse’s strength, a long acquaintance shows you a man’s heart.); 一马当先，万马奔腾; (The horse taking the lead will make ten thousand horses gallop ahead.)In English, there are: work like horses(拼命干活),It’s a good horse that never stumbles(好马总有失蹄时),from the horse’s mouth(确凿可靠),a dark horse(黑马，实力难以预测)Wolf has the meaning of cruel and greedy in the idioms of English and Chinese. Most of the idioms are negative connotation, for example: 中山狼;(the Zhong Shan wolf in the fable, to express a person who repay good with evil);狼狈不堪;(to be in a fluster/ to be in terrible stuck/ to be in the suds /in an embarrassing situation/the situation is unbearable); 狼狈逃窜;(to flee in confusion/ to flee helter-skelter); 狼狈为奸; (to action in collusion with…/ to be banded together as traitors/collusion between…and…); 狼心狗肺; (to be ferocious and diabolical in nature as a wolf or a dog/ brutal and cold-blooded cruel and unscrupulous); 狼烟四起; (smoke signals rising on all sides, war alarms raised everywhere). In English, we can also find many phrases about wolf, such as:cry wolf (谎报)Wolf in sheep’s clothing. (温厚、内心陷恶之人；伪君子)Keep the wolf from the door. (很艰难的维持生活不受饥寒) In English and Chinese, ass has an implied meaning of foolish, stupid and the person who is in troubles, for example: 走投无路;(have one’s ass in a sling); 狐假虎威;(an ass in lion’s skin); 阿谀逢迎;(ass kissing); 蠢如驴; (as stupid as an ass). Make an ass of oneself. (做傻子受人嘲笑), don’t be an ass (别傻了), someone’s ass is on the line (处境危险), one’s ass in grass (受害遭殃、陷入困境)Both the Chinese and English think the fox stands for cunning and slyness.Here are Chinese idioms about fox：狐假虎威;(to assume some one else’s authority as one’s own/ the fox makes himself feared by walking in tiger’s company, to assume someone else’s authority to browbeat others); 狐狸尾巴;(fox’s tail-something that gives away a person’s real character or evil intentions); 狐群狗党;(a bunch of rascals); 狐疑不决;(to be wavering and unable to decide).There are also such idioms in English, for example: as sly as a fox(狡猾的像个狐狸), an old fox(老狐狸精), play the fox(行为狡猾), fox’s sleep(假装漠不关心).In English and Chinese, bear means the rude, stupid and reckless people, for example: as cross as a bear(脾气极坏), bea bear for punishment(倔强、顽强), like a bear with a sore head(脾气暴躁), sell the bear’s skin before one has caught the bear(过早乐观).From these examples above，we find a lot of similarities between Chinese and English animal idioms, so many scholars and researchers will take for granted the knowledge of Chinese animal idioms to grasp the study of English animal idioms. However, the English animal idioms are not entirely similar to the Chinese animal idioms, there are still many differences between them, and they have their own role in their own languages.(徐青,2000:90)1.3.2 The Same Idiom with Different MeaningsIn English and Chinese, there are some same idioms with different meanings. Such animals as dog, dragon, bat ect.Dog, man’s best friend, is sometimes heard in English conversation or seen in English writing. How many Chinese know what animal is being referred to? Many Chinese would be surprised that it is the dog. Dogs, in China, are generally associated with unpleasantness. They are kept not because they make good companions, but because they are useful. However, English appreciate the quality of dog, such as: loyalty, dependability, courage and intelligence.As we know, dragon is the symbol of royalty in China, and stands for the king or emperor. As an auspicious creature, dragon supposedly brings good luck. While in English, the dragon is often a symbol of evil, and is usually associated with fierceness.Another animal bat is usually associated with negative qualities in the west. “As blind as bat”, “crazy as a bat”and “have bats in the belfry”are typical expressions of the negative associations. To Chinese, however, the bat is a symbol of good fortune, well-being and happiness---all positive qualities.1.3.3 Different Idioms with Same MeaningsIn English and Chinese, there also are some different idioms having the same meanings, such as lion ect.To the English and most Westerners, “the king of the beasts”, is the lion. The lion enjoys high prestige, as can be seen from such expressions as “regal as a lion”, “majestic as a lion”. RichardⅠ, the King of England in the latter part of the 12th century, was known as lion-hearted for his courage and chivalry. It is no wonder that the English have chosen the lion as their symbol.In Chinese culture this beast has fewer such associations. It is regarded commonly as being fierce and powerful, but not necessarily majestic or regal. To Chinese, it is the tiger that more likely evokes such associations. However, the characteristics associated with the tiger in Chinese culture are embodies from two aspects: positive and negative, good and bad. On the positively it shows courage, vigor, decisiveness. On the negative side it expresses ferocity, cruelty, ruthlessness. (邓炎昌,刘润清,2003:53)There are the brief statement of English and Chinese idioms, such as definition, features and the relationship between culture and animal idioms. Animals are the indispensable part of human’s life, reflect the social cultures. In English and Chinese, there have some animal idioms that show the same meanings. There are also some different idioms showing the same meanings, and even different animal idioms show the same meaning.2Cultural Differences Between the English and Chinese from Animal IdiomsIn English and Chinese language, there are many animal idioms which have different connotation, and show the different cultures.2.1 Dog and GouWhether in China or the United States, Britain and some other western countries people have dogs. The main purpose of keepingdogs at the village of our country is for security, while in the city, people take dogs as pets recently. But in the West, dog, one of the most favorite pets, is consideredas man’s best friend. However, it will not be honored so muchin China. The Westerners are disgusting at eating dog meat. Because of people’s views and feelings about the dog are not exactly same, they express the different meanings in English and Chinese animal idioms.Dogs, in China, are generally associated with unpleasantness, so there are most negative connotations for dog, such as: 狗仗人势(like a dog counting on its master’s backing---to bully others because of one’s master’s power and position); 狗头军师(a good-for-nothing adviser/ a person who offers bad advice); 狗腿子(hired thug/ henchman/ lackey); 狗眼看人低(to act like s snob).In English, the connotation of dog is extremely different from that in Chinese. The English find loyalty, dependability, courage, intelligence in dogs. So many good expressions can be found often: a lucky dog(幸运儿), every dog has its day(人人皆有得意时), as faithful as dog(像狗一样忠诚), gay dog(快活的人), top dog (优胜者). Sometimes, in the eyes of the Western, they think the dog is poor. Here are some idioms about this:a good dog deserves a good bone (好狗应该得到好骨头), this idiomimplied that reward those people who have credit. dog-tired (非常疲劳的), die a dog’s death (悲惨的死去), sick as a dog (病的很厉害), to lead a dog life (生活贫困), give a dog a bad name and hang him (莫须有的).He who has a mind to beat his dog will easily find his stick (欲加之罪,何患无辞) Dogs in Chinese language have, however, negative connotation, therefore, Chinese use the word “dog” in a derogatory way. Unlike Chinese, English gives a dog much positive connotation as faithful, caring, etc. They use dog to show something good. (刘月琴,2005:24)2.2 Dragon and LongDragon is the Chinese traditional legendary or mythological creature. In the dynastic times in China, dragon was the traditional symbol of royalty. The dragon stood for the king or emperor. There were few negative connotations, and even today, these mythological creatures occasionally appear in traditional Chinese designs. As an auspicious creature that supposedly brings good luck, the dragon gave rise to the saying that parents----望子成龙longing to see their son become a dragon, that is , be successful. In Chinese, there have the expressions as following: 龙凤呈祥(Prosperity brought by thedragon and the phoenix---in extremely good fortune); 龙飞凤舞(Like a dragon flying and phoenixes dancing---lively and vigorous flourishes in calligraphy).To Westerners, however, dragon is often a symbol of evil, a fierce monster that is dangerous and must be destroyed. Several stories of saints or heroes deal with struggles against the monsters, which in most cases are slain in the end. The most notable perhaps is the story of Beowolf, an Anglo-Saxon epic around the year of 700A.D. telling how the hero Beowolf defeats a monster called Grendel, but was eventually killed in slaying a dragon. In English “th e old Dragon” refers to the devil instead of the old dragon, and “dragonish”is the meaning of violence. “D ragon”is always used to express one fierce person, especially a woman. If someone said “You are an absolute dragon”, it is not a praise sentence, but implies that “you are a fierce person”.So, the dragon is the totem of the Chinese people. The word “dragon” is in every sense a positive term in Chinese. Its common associations are “good luck and fortune”, “wisdom”, “royal and noble”, etc. There are some other phrases showing Chinese love for this legendary animal, the four most developed countries in Asia are called “四小龙 (four dragons)”in Chinese, but “four tigers”in English since English speakers attribute the power to the tigers rather than the dragons. In English, the dragon refers to a dreadful creature like a crocodile or snake, and it is associated with fierceness and derogatory sense when is used to describe a person. (宋莉,2004:104)2.3 Bat and BianfuIn English and Chinese, the bat has the same denotation but different connotations. The bat is usually associated with negative qualities in the West. For example:as blind as a bat to express the people who have eyes but can’t see anything(有眼无珠), vampire bat(吸血蝙蝠), have bats in the belfry(发痴、异想天开). They are typical expressions of the negative associations. They may be even worse. Mention of the bat often evokes the image of an ugly, sinister, blood-sucking creature.To Chinese, however, the bat is a symbol of good fortune, well-being, and happiness----all positive qualities. The reason for such association is probably that the name of the creature is pronounced the same as the word 福. Thus the popularity of the traditional design that shows the bat and thedeer together, 蝠鹿, pronounced the same as 福禄--- good fortune, happiness,wealth and position. In the New Year in China, lots of people will paste a red “fu” on the wall, and hope that they will have a good fortune the next year. Here is a Chinese folklore of bat, if the bat has a thousand years age, it will become white, and is hung upside on the tree, and the person who eats the meet of this bat will live longer.2.4 Peacock and KongqueIn our country peacock is one kind of bird for the people to watch. Because their feather has a bright color, they are considered as one of the most beautiful birds, especially when they are opening their tails, they’re very charming. In China, people think that the time when peacock open their beautiful tails is the symbol of fortunate and satisfying. In the Yun Nan province of China, the local people dances the pavane to express their best wishes.In the Western culture, people believe that the peacock is an arrogant animal, for they frequently swing their heads when they are walking, and open their beautiful tails to show off its beauty. Here are the idioms about peacock:the young peacock (arrogant young people)proud as peacock (as proud as a peacock)All these animal idioms are informative and instructive, and they reflect the culture difference between the Western and Chinese. Learning a foreign language can help us to make a good cross-cultural communication. So the knowledge of society, culture, custom and living environments is indispensable.3Reasons for the Differences Between the English andChinese Animal IdiomsDifferent languages may reflect different cultures, and different cultures entail different language expressions. Animal idiom is a common linguistic phenomenon in communication, which is not only a social language phenomenon, but also a cultural phenomenon. Both English and Chinese idioms are widely used in social life owing to their powerful communication functions.Animal idioms are gathered during the long history, so, one can find they are deeply rooted by social conventions and living environments. We compare idioms to a mirror, which best reflects the special features of a nation or a culture.3.1 Different Social ConventionsThe different historical background of the English and Chinese people with their different legends and anecdotes about historical figures, have provided rich and various materials for their idioms and consequently give a national color to theidioms in the two languages. In thedynastic times in China, the “dragon” stood for king or emperor, and it was the symbol of royalty; however, to the Westerner, the dragon is often a symbol of evil, a fierce monster. The mentioned example above, which is derived from ancient legend and historical event, bears the stamp of their nationality.As one kind of social ideology, religious belief has a very big influence on human society. Religion is also an important source for idioms. As religion once had an immense influence on people in feudal society, there are still many idioms which reflected religious belief at that time. Because most of the Westerners have a belief in Christianity, they go to church frequently. There is idiom like “as poor as church mouse”. China is a country with many kinds of religion, in contrast, Buddhism made an immense influence on Chinese, so there are many idioms and proverbs from it. Owing to their different religion, the English and Chinese people used different figures in their own idioms with religious allusions. (胡文仲,1999:107) Moreover, the Chinese people traditionally have a deep hatred for corrupt officials, and disrespect for religious services, because the working people had been oppressed by the ruling classes for more than two thousand years of feudal rule,theyregarded religion as a spiritual yoke on people’s neck. The following examples give expression to this traditional state of mind of the Chinese people, “苛政猛于虎(Oppressive government is fiercer and more feared than tiger)”, “一人得道，鸡犬升天(When one becomes a high official, even his fowls and dogs will get promoted---unashamed nepotism)”, etc.3.2 Different Living EnvironmentsCulture is formed on the basis of nature, society and human. So, the nature difference is the fundamental reason for the different cultures between the English and Chinese. As we all know, Britain is an island country, which has a long history of navigation, and therefore a great number of English idioms are derived from the sea, on the other hand, China, since the time immemorial, has been a large country chiefly based on agriculture, and an overwhelming majority of the people live in the rural area, and depend on farming, so there are many idioms form the agriculture.Owing to their different living conditions, the English and Chinese people have their own individual state of mind and ways of thinking, which also add national color to the idioms. Since different people can have different ways of viewing a thing,the English and Chinese traditionally have different opinions of the dog, though they both have cultivated the habit of keeping a dog. The Chinese usually despise such an。