culturedifferencesbetweenchineseandenglishanimalidioms(编辑修改稿)

culturedifferencesbetweenchineseandenglishanimalidioms(编辑修改稿)内容摘要：

banded together as a traitors） c. 狼心狗肺（ to be ferocious and diabolical in nature as a wolf or a dog/brutal and coldblooded cruel and unscrupulous） d. 狼烟四起（ smoking signals rising all the sides, war alarms raised everywhere） e. 中山狼（ to express a person who repay good with evil） There are some English idioms about wolf. Such as: f. cry wolf (谎报 ) g. a wolf in sheep’s clothing (披着羊皮的狼，伪君子 ) h. as cruel as a wolf (像狼一样残忍 ) ５ i. to have a wolf by the ears (身临险境 ) j. to wolf it down（狼吞虎咽）。 to have a wolf in the stomach (饥肠辘辘 ) k. keep the wolf from the door (很艰难的维持生活不受饥寒 ) In addition, when “wolf” is used to refer to a person who always ready to make sexual advances to a woman. In English, there is the idiom “a wolf whistle”(调情口哨 ). In Chinese, there is also a such an expression“色狼” . (4) Bear In English and Chinese, bear means the rude, stupid and reckless people, for example: as cross a bear (脾气极坏 )； be a bear for punishment (倔强，顽强 )； like a bear with a sore head (脾气急坏 ) (5) Pig In China, pig means greedy, lazy, dirty and foolish. When we describe somebody like a pig, means he is lazy. We often hear that: a. 蠢猪 (stupid pig), 懒猪 (lazy pig) b. 猪八戒倒打一耙 (make unfounded countercharges or put the blame on one’s victim) To the West, pig has same meaning with China. Some examples as follows: c. make a pig of oneself (吃的或喝的太多 ) d. make a pig’s ear of something (双方争吵的很凶 ) e. pig in the middle (受夹板气的人 ) f. pigs might fly (即使有奇迹也不太可能出现的事情 ) From the above examples, we can see that there are many similarities between Chinese and English idioms. The same idiom with different meanings Although some idioms in Chinese and English are similar, but with the different natural environment, customs, history and society systems. Some animal idioms have different meanings. ６ (1) Dog Let’s look at the “dog”, which is familiar to all of us. Although in China and Western countries, there are many people keep dogs, but they have different views on it. The English people have a high opinion of the dog and think dog to be a faithful friend of people. For example: a. clever dog (clever boy or clever guy)。 a gay dog (a happy man) b. to help a lame dog over a stile (to help a person in trouble) c. every dog has his day (every man has his lucky day)。 dog does not eat dog (partners do not frame up each other) d. love me, love my dog (accept my friends as yours) e. The westerners think dogs to be loyal partners. In their eyes, dogs are not only pets, but also their family members. Once a gentleman said to others: “I have two daughters and two dogs.” Maybe he was content with his lot by using two head vowels (“dogs” and “daughters” ) Dog have so high social position in the west, however, in China , dog have bad image, as it reflect in sayings as follows: f. 狗眼看人低 (act like a snob) g. 狗咬吕洞宾，不识好人心（ mistake a good man for a bad one） h. 狗嘴吐不出象牙（ a filthy mouth can not utter decent language） i. 狗血喷头（ a torrent of abuse） j. 狼心狗肺（ rapacious as a wolf and savage as a cur） (2) Dragon Another case in this point is dragon. Both dragon in Chinese and western cultures are a kind of virtual animals that people imaged. Chinese people admire and worship this imagined animal. It’s the symbol of authority, strength and good fortune. Chinese people regard themselves as the descendants of dragon. It often use as analogy of outstanding people, the strong shots, and a man with a high status. For example: a. 龙行一步，百草皆春（ Dragon flies only a step, a hundred herbs will sprout） ７ a. 山不在高，有仙则名；水不在深，有龙则灵 . (A mountain is famous not because it id high but because a fairy lives in there。 A water is attractive not because it is deep but Chinese dragon lives there.) b. 龙凤呈祥 (prosperity brought by the dragon and the phoenix)。 龙腾虎跃(dragons rising and tigers leapinga scene of bustling activity)。 望子成龙(hoping one’s children will have a bright future) However, in the western culture, dragon is a kind of animal that have wings, scales and fire sprayed from its mouth. It is a cruel monster. It is the symbol of evil, viciousness and brutality. For example: a. She id a real dragon (她是一个实实在在地泼妇 ) b. Dragon somebody into doing something (强迫某人做某事 ) (3) Cow As we all know, China is a big agriculture country. In Chinese traditional agriculture, cow plays a very important role. It often associate with hardworking, honesty, selfless dedication and sturdy. In addition, people often use “cow” to express the meaning of big or more. In China, there are many idioms related to cow, such as: a. 俯首甘为孺子牛 (implies a person who is indomitable, hardworking and honest) b. 牛有千斤之力，人有倒牛之方 . (A cow has an endless power, people have a way of conquering it) c. 健壮如牛 (healthy and strong like ox)。 九牛二虎 (spend an immense amount of energy) Westerners have the impression of being cranky, rampageous and clumsy. When cow is used in English idiom, it’s often derogatory. Look at a example: d. Father like a bull in a china shop when he tries to help in the kitchen. (爸爸在厨房帮忙时，往往显得手忙脚乱。 “a bull in a china shop” indicates a clumsyhanded and crazy man) (4) Fish Fish, in Chinese culture, always regard as “surplus”, symbolizing richness. As ８ we all know, in Chinese culture, “鱼 ” and “余 ” have the same pronunciation. It’s the symbol of prosperity, wealth and health. Sometimes, people use fish to show their respect to ancestors in some special days. Such as： a. 浑水摸鱼 (fish in trouble waters) b. 鱼目混珠 (fish eyes for pearls) c. 沉鱼落雁 (exceedingly beautiful) d. 临渊羡鱼，不如退而结网 (It is better to go back and make a than to stand on the edge of a pool and idly long for fish) However, in western countries, fish usually contains derogatory sense color which describ。