汉语成语翻译的方法

　　汉语成语翻译的方法汉语成语翻译的方法汉语成语翻译的方法
　　【摘要】汉语成语承载着中华五千年的文化特色和文化信息。而翻译并非只是两种语言之间的一种简单的对应转换过程，而是一种文化的交流和传递。
　　因此，在汉语成语英译的具体操作过程中，首先要充分理解汉语成语的内在含义，灵活运用不同的翻译方法，对比英汉语言中习语（成语）的异同，进行适当的结构调整，将汉语成语所承载的文化特色和文化信息最大限度地传译给外国读者。帮助外国读者消除或减少语言及文化障碍就要求译者尽最大努力把汉语成语翻译成外国读者乐于接受的形式。与此同时要在英语中再现汉语文化，这是一个很大的挑战。
　　把汉语成语翻译成英语，译者们掌握和熟悉两种语言以及其文化是非常重要的。他们必须从风俗和文化背景的角度，通过对汉语和英语语言学和文化差异的理解，尽量去把握成语的内在含义，从而使其观点与原文的精神相一致。本文简单介绍了汉语成语英译的几种方法。
　　【关键词】汉语成语，英语习语，翻译，文化内涵，源语，目标语
　　〔Abstract〕ChineseidiomsbearfivethousandyearsofChineseculturalcharacteristicandtheculturalmessages。Translationisnotonlyonekindofsimplecorrespondenceswitchingprocessbetweentwolanguages，butisonekindofculturalexchangeandtransmission。
　　Therefore，translatingChineseidiomsintoEnglishisaconcreteoperatingprocess。First，thetranslatorsmustfullyunderstandtheintrinsicmeaningoftheChineseidioms；second，theyshouldutilizeseveraldifferenttranslationmethodsnimblyandcontraststhesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweentheEnglishidiomsandChineseidioms；third，theyshouldcarryonthesuitablestructureadjustmentandtranslateChineseidiomswhichbearculturalcharacteristicandculturalinformationinmaximumlimitfortheforeignreaders。HelpingtheforeignreaderseliminateandreducelanguageandculturalbarrierrequeststhetranslatortoworkdiligentlytotranslatetheformofChineseidiominthewaythattheforeignreadersaregladtoaccept。Atthesametime，thisisaverybigchallengetoreappearChinesecultureinEnglish。
　　TounderstandandtranslateChineseidiomsintoEnglish，itisveryimportantforthetranslatorstomasterandwellacquaintthemselveswiththeoriginallanguageandthetargetlanguageandtheircultures。TheyshouldsetoutfromtheaspectsofcustomsandculturalbackgroundsandtrytograsptheconnotationoftheoriginalidiombyunderstandinglinguisticandculturaldifferencesbetweenEnglishandChinesesoastomakehisversionaliketheoriginaltextinspirit。ThisarticleintroducedseveralmethodsontranslationofChineseidiomsconcisely。
　　〔KeyWords〕Chineseidioms；Englishidioms；translation；cultureconnotation；originallanguage；targetlanguage
　　1。Introduction
　　Abouttranslation，thetranslationtheoreticianshaveproposedmanydifferentviewpoints。InChina，themostpopulartheoryisMr。Yanfu’sfaithfulness，expressivenessandelegance（信，达，雅）whileinthewesterncountries，themostpopularoneisequivalentvalue，equivalenteffectandfunctionequivalence（等值，等效，功能对等）。Theseviewpointsaremutuallyinfluencedandsupplemented。Althoughthetranslatorshavedifferentemphasispoints，theyalladvocatethatthetranslationmustexpresstheconnotationoftheoriginaltextfaithfullyandthestyleoftheoriginalworkshouldreappearintranslation。所谓忠实表达原文的意义，应指忠实表达原文的字面意义，形象意义，隐含意义三个方面。〔1〕p65（Socalledexpressingtheindicationoftheoriginaltextfaithfully，istoexpressthewordingmeaning，theimagemeaningandtheimpliedmeaningoftheoriginaltextfaithfully。）Butnotallexpressions，words，evencharactersintheoriginaltextsimultaneouslyhavethesethreekindsofmeanings。Maybesomeofthemonlyhavethewordingmeaning，butwithouttheimagemeaning；somemayhavethewordingmeaningandtheimagemeaning，butlackoftheimpliedmeaning。Anytwolanguagesareimpossibletobeallcoordinatedcompletely。Therefore，itisimpossibletocompletelyreproducethethreekindsofmeaningsoftheoriginaltext。First，becausetheculturaldifferencesproducethecontradictioninthetranslationprocess，thewordingmeaningortheimagemeaningmustobeytheimpliedmeaning。Second，theimagemeaningoftheoriginaltextcannotbefoundinthetargetlanguage。Sometimestheimagesarethesamebuttheimpliedmeaningsareactuallydifferent。Inthissituation，whatthetranslatorsneedtoconsiderfirstistheaccurateexpressionoftheimpliedmeaning。Theimagesoftheoriginaltextshouldbechangedintootherimagesthattheforeignreadersarefamiliarwith。
　　2。SeveralmethodsofChineseidiomtranslation
　　Theexistenceofculturaldifferencesbringscertaindifficultiestotheculturalexchange。Itisalsothebiggestbarrierinthetranslation。Whenthetransla汉语成语翻译的方法汉语成语翻译的方法汉语成语翻译的方法torstranslateonelanguagetoanother，besidesunderstandingthewritingofthesetwolanguagesthoroughly，thetranslatorsalsohavetounderstandtheculturaldifferencesbetweenthesetwolanguagesprofoundly。
　　InChineseIdiomsmeansthat成语：人们长期以来习用的，简洁精辟的定型词组或短句。汉语的成语大多由四个字组成，一般都有出处。有些成语从字面上不难理解，如‘小题大做’，‘后来居上’等。有些成语必须知道来源或典故才能懂得意思，如‘朝三暮四’，‘杯弓蛇影’等。〔2〕P130（Sincelongagothepeoplehaveusedhabitually，conciseandsuccinctwordsorshortphrases。MostChineseidiomsarecomposedbyfourcharacters，generallyallofwhichhavethesource。ThemeaningsofSomeidiomsareavailablefromthewordwriting，suchas：‘小题大做’and‘后来居上’；Themeaningofsomeidiomsshouldbegotfromitssourceorallusion。Suchas‘朝三暮四’and‘杯弓蛇影’。）OnChineseidiomtranslation，culturehasagreatinfluenceonthetranslatorslogicalthinkingandtheglossarychoiceofthelanguage。
　　Thesemanticsofidiomhastheintegrity。Usuallywecannotgetitssignificancefromasinglecharacter。IfmanyChineseidiomsweretranslatedintoEnglishdirectlyaccordingtothewordingmeaning，althoughtheforeignreaderscanunderstandthemeaningofeachcharacter，theystillhavedifficultiesinunderstandingtheoverallsignificanceofthisidiom。
　　2。1Metaphrase
　　Metaphraseisamethodthattheimageandtheformsoftheoriginaltextarepreserved，whichcanbetranslatedliterally。Thereadersalsocancatchtheimpliedmeaningbythewordingtranslation。SomeChineseidiomshavesimilarimages，whichtheforeignreaderscanassociatetotheequivalentEnglishidioms。
　　2。1。1LiteralTranslation
　　Inidiomtranslation，thereisatendencytofindEnglishequivalentidioms，equivalentinreferentialmeaningratherthanintheimages。ThereasonisthatthetargettextmustbeidiomaticallyEnglish。Therefore，literaltranslationofChineseidiomsisoftenconsiderednonidiomatic。Aslongasthetranslationconveysavividimageandthereferentialmeaningisnotdistorted，literaltranslationcanintroduceChineseculturetotheworld。Literaltranslationisawaybywhichtherhetoric，nationalandregionalcharacteristicsarekeptinthetargetlanguage。Inthiswaythemeaningandtheformofthesourcelanguageareunchanged。
　　SomeChineseidiomscanbetranslatedliterallywiththesamevividfigurativeresultoftheoriginalones，whichcanmaketheforeignreadersassociatetotheequivalentEnglishidioms。
　　Forexample：
　　对牛弹琴Toplaythelutetoacow。ThereaderscanassociateittotheequivalentEnglishidiomtocastpearlsbeforeswine。
　　竭泽而渔Todrainapondtocatchallthefish（theequivalentidiom：Tokillthegoosethatlaysthegoldeneggs。）
　　易如反掌Tobeaseasyasturningoverone’shand（theequivalentone：Aseasyasfallingoffalog。）
　　口蜜腹剑Tobehoneymouthedanddaggerhearted（theequivalentone：AJudaskiss）
　　ThoughtherearenotequivalentEnglishidioms，someChineseidiomswiththeliteralmeaningscanalsobetranslatedliterallywiththeaccurateimages。Suchas：
　　井底之蛙Tobelikeafrogatthebottomofawell
　　史无前例Tobewithoutprecedentinhistory
　　七嘴八舌WithsevenmouthsandeighttonguesRegardingChineseidiomstranslation，whatmanytranslationbooksdiscussedmainlywasthereplacementtechnique。Sometimes，equivalenttranslationscanbefound，butmostlyonlysimilarones。Usuallythereplacementtechniqueisnecessaryinthefollowingsituations。
　　（）Chineseidiomshavesamemeaningsandculturemessagesasthoseinthetargetlanguage。
　　TherearemanyChineseandEnglishidioms，whichhavethesameimagesaswellastheexpressionforms。
　　InChinese，浑水摸鱼means〔释义〕浑水：浑浊的水。指在浑浊的水中摸鱼。〔用法〕比喻趁混乱的时机捞取不正当的利益，也作‘混水摸鱼’。〔3〕P259ButtheEnglishidiomtofishintroubledwatermeanstakeadvantageoftroubledoruncertainconditionforpersonalprofit。Thesetwoidiomsaresimilarinbothexpressionformandintrinsicmeaning。
　　Thesimilaridiomsareasfollows：
　　赴汤蹈火Gothroughfireandwater
　　随波逐流Togowiththetide
　　知识就是力量Knowledgeispower。
　　眼不见，心不烦Outofsight，outofmind。
　　谋事在人，成事在天Manproposes，goddisposes
　　空中楼阁Castlesintheair
　　充耳不闻Turnadeafearto
　　（）Chineseidiomssharesimilarmeaningsbutdifferentculturemessagesandimageswiththetargetlanguage。
　　nb汉语成语翻译的方法汉语成语翻译的方法汉语成语翻译的方法sp；TheChineseidioms，whichhavesameorsimilarvividanalogywiththeEnglishidioms，shouldbeexchangedintothesameorcorrespondingEnglishidiomsdirectly。Differentlanguageshavedifferentimages。
　　Forexample：iftranslatorstranslatetheChineseidiom胸有成竹directlyintohaveabambooinone’sstomachaccordingtothewordingmeaning。Theforeignreadersnotonlyhavedifficultiesingettingthemeaningthatthisidiomcontained，butalsohavethewrongassociationeasily。Therefore，thetranslatorsmustdiscardtheimagesinthisidiomandchangethemintotheimagesthattheforeignreadersarefamiliarwith。Soitmaybetranslatedashaveacardinone’ssleeve
　　TheChinesesay噤若寒蝉（asmuteasawintercicada），yetthenativeEnglishsay，asmuteasafish。Fishandcicadahavesimilarfunctionintheaboveexamplesthoughtheyarenotsimilaratall。Asfarassilenceisconcerned，fishisafamiliarimagetoEnglishspeakers，yettheChinesetendtoassociatethesensewithwintercicada。
　　TheChineseidiom瓮中之鳖（theturtleinthejar）means〔释义〕瓮：大坛子；鳖：甲鱼。大坛子中的甲鱼。〔用法〕形容已在掌握之中，逃脱不了。〔4〕P651。ButtheEnglishidiomlikesaratinahole，whoseimageisamouse，whichisstrandedinahole。Itisinanextremelydifficultsituation。Thesetwoscenesagreewithoutpriorconsultationbuthappentoholdthesameview。Thoughthetranslatorsreplacedtheimage，theforeignreadershavenodifficultytounderstanditsmeaning。
　　ThesimilarChineseidiomsincluded：
　　胆小如鼠Astimidasarabbit
　　挥金如土Spendmoneylikewater
　　东张西望Lookrightandleft
　　缘木求鱼Seekahareinhen’snest
　　抛砖引玉Tothrowasprattocatchaherring
　　So，familiarimagesofthetargetlanguageareoftenusedtoreplacethoseofthesourcelanguage。ItisveryregretthattheforeignreaderscannotunderstandtheexoticatmosphereofChineseculture。
　　（）Chineseidiomssharesimilarimagesbutdifferentculturemessagesandconnotationwiththetargetlanguage。
　　SomeChineseidiomsandEnglishidiomsarealmostthesameintheexpressionform，butthecommendatoryorderogatorymeaning，whichtheidiomscontained，isdifferent。Sotheycannotbemutuallytranslated。
　　习俗文化指的是贯穿于日常社会生活和交际活动中由民族的风俗习惯形成的文化。。〔5〕P64（Thecustomculturereferstotheactivities，whichformedbynationalitysmannersandcustomsinthesocialdailylife）Asaresultofthecustomculturedifferences，thetranslatorsmustpayattentiontotheanimalwordsintheidiomswhosemeaningsaredifferent。Forexample，inChina，thepeopleoftenthinkthedogisloathing。Therefore，mostdogrelatedidiomsincludethederogatorymeaning。
　　Forexample，狐朋狗友（Packofscoundrels），狼心狗肺（heartlessandcruel）andsoon。Butinthewesternnation，thedogwasconsideredashumansgoodfriends。Forexample：helpalamedogoverastile（雪中送炭），loveme，lovemydog。（爱屋及乌）andsoon。
　　Forexample：theChineseidiom笑掉大牙includesthemeaningridicules。TheEnglishidiomtolaughoffone’sheadisonlytheexpressionoflaughorlaughloudly。Itisaneutralword。Thesetwoidiomslookverysimilarliterally。Butthecommendatoryandderogatorytermsoftwowordsaredissimilar。Sotheycannotbemutuallytranslated。
　　TheChineseidiom说曹操，曹操到（whenyoumentionCaoCao，hesoonarrives）meansIwasjusttalkingaboutyou！itdidnotbringthederogatorymeaning，butEnglishidiomtalkofthedevilandhewillappearhasthederogatorymeaning。
　　Ifyoutranslate亡羊补牢toEnglishproverblockclosethestabledoorafterwhenthehorsehasbeenstolen。Thedirecttranslationmistakesthemeaningof亡羊补牢whichmeansstillhasnotbeenlate！ButthisEnglishproverbexpressedthemeaninghasalreadybeenlate，beyondanyhelp。Therefore，亡羊补牢cancorrespondtotheEnglishproverbastitchintimesavenineorbetterlatethannever
　　IntheChineseidiom令人发指andtheEnglishidiomtomakeone’shairstandonend，〔6〕P164theformeronemeanstomakethepersonextremelyangry，thelatteronerefersthatfrightenorhorrifysomeone。So‘令人发指’canbetranslatedintomakethebloodboil。
　　2。2Paraphrase
　　Paraphraseisamethodthattheoriginalcontentsarepreserved，buttheformsarechangedinthetargetlanguage。
　　WhenChineseidiomsaremetaphrasedintothetargetlanguage，readersstillcannotgraspthemeaningsduetoculturaldifference。有些习惯用语带有很浓的中国文化色彩对于这部分成语，字面翻译是无法为外国读者所接受的。如加上许多解释性的文字，就失去了成语精粹的特点。最好的办法就是绕开其文化背景，译出其汉语成语翻译的方法汉语成语翻译的方法汉语成语翻译的方法真正的内涵意义。〔7〕P139（SomeidiomshavetheChineseculturecharacteristic。。Regardingthiskindofidioms，thewordingtranslationisunablefortheforeignreader’sacceptance。Ifweaddmanyexplanations，theidiomcharacteristicwilllose。Thebestmethodistodiscarditsculturalcontextandtranslateitsconnotation。）
　　Thus，paraphraseisneededtokeepmeaningstopointandkeepconnotationinlinewiththecultureinthetargetlanguage，thoughitmayfailtoshowthestyleoftheoriginallanguage。ItisagoodwaytoconveytheconnotationofChineseidioms。
　　2。2。1Negation
　　Mr。YeZinanmentionsnegationin《高级汉英翻译理论与实践》。Hegivesthedefinitionlikethis：反面着笔法（negation）有时也称正说反译或反说正译。其基本概念是原文从一个角度下笔，译文恰恰从相反的角度下笔。〔8〕P80（Sometimesnegationalsowascalledthattoexpresspositivelybutbetranslatednegativelyortoexpresspositivelybutbetranslatednegatively。Althoughthebasicconceptoftheoriginaltextstartswritingfromanangle，thetranslationexactlystartswritingfromtheoppositeangle。）。
　　Sometimesthetranslatorsutilizethenegationtechniquejusttoformanexquisitearticle。
　　Forexample：
　　塞翁失马，焉知非福？isarhetoricalquestion，butthetranslationisDangerisnextneighbortosecurity。whichisanaffirmationdeclarativesentence。
　　我很高兴看见你安然无恙。Iamgladtoseeyousafeandsound。
　　InChinese，无恙meanshaven’tgotillness，whichisexpressednegatively。Butitstranslationsound，whosemeaningis健康，isexpressedpositively。
　　英语中有许多含有否定或半否定语气的词语，在翻译中可充分利用，以便使译文符合英语习惯，并使句子结构多样化。〔9〕P60（TherearemanydenialorhalfdenialexpressionwordsandexpressionsinEnglish。Iftheyarefullyusedintranslation，thetranslationwillconformtotheEnglishcustomandthesentencestructuresaremorevaried。）
　　Forexample：木已成舟inChineseisfirmlyadeclarativesentence。ButitsEnglishtranslationisthingsdonecannotbeundonewhichexpressestheidenticalmeaningfromthedenialdeclarativesentenceangle。
　　不入虎穴，焉得虎子？isarhetoricalquestion，whosetranslationisnothingventure，nothinghave。Itisanaffirmationsentence。
　　他开车的时候心不在焉，几乎闯祸。Hisabsenceofmindduringthedrivingnearlycausedanaccident。
　　Thenounabsenceconcealsthemeaningofnegation。ItagreedwiththelogicsofthenativeEnglishreaders。
　　Mr。YeZinanhadadded有时采用这种方法却是译者为了行文优美的目的，不用这个反面着笔的方法译文并非不通。反面着笔的方法在实际翻译中如果用的恰到好处，常常会使译者绝处缝生，是英汉翻译中非常有用的一个技巧。〔10〕P81（Sometimesthetranslatorusesthismethodinordertoreachagoalofforminganexquisitearticle。Soeveniftheydon’tusethemethodofnegation，othertranslationmethodsstillwork。IfthetranslatorusesNegationproperly，hewillfindhiswayoutfromanimpasse。ItisausefulskillinChineseandEnglishtranslation。）
　　2。2。2Substitution
　　SubstitutionreferstosomeChineseidiomsareabstractwhiletheequivalentEnglishidiomshaveconcreteimages；someChineseidiomshaveconcreteimagesbuttheequivalentEnglishonesarealwaysabstract。
　　2。2。2。1Substituteabstractconceptforconcreteimages
　　TheChineseidiomisquiteabstract，whiletheEnglishidiomisconcrete。Becauseitsvividimagemayenablethereadertorealizeflavor。
　　Forexample：做贼心虚maybetranslatedthatabadconscienceisjustlikeasnakeinonesheart。Weuseasnakeinthehearttotransmit心虚theafraidandguiltyconscienceofthethief。
　　ThecorrespondEnglishidiomof事与愿违isallyourswansaregeese。Whensomeonefinedoutallswansareordinarygeeseandthedisappointedfacialexpressioniscontrarytowhatheexpects。
　　不知所措correspondstheEnglishidiomallatsea。Shallwetrytoimaginethesituationthatapersonintheboundlesssea。Itishelpless。
　　Theidiom入乡随俗maybetranslatedintowheninRome，doastheRomansdo。WhyinRomebutnototherplaces？Buttheforeignreadersareveryfamiliarwiththisidiom。Wechange乡（village）toRomewhichtheforeignreadersaresofamiliarwith。CertainlytheycanaccuratelyunderstandintrinsicmeaningoftheChineseidiom入乡随俗。
　　Thesimilaridiomsareasfollows：
　　青出于蓝胜于蓝Thepupiloutdoesthemaster。
　　不择手段Byhookandbycrook
　　不辞而别TotakeFrenchleave。
　　2。2。2。2Substituteconcreteimagesforabstractconcept
　　中国人特别喜欢用具体形象词语比喻抽象的事物，以物表感，状物言志。〔11〕P30（TheChineselik汉语成语翻译的方法汉语成语翻译的方法汉语成语翻译的方法eusingthevividconcretewordsandexpressionstosubstituteabstractthings，expressingtheirfeelingsandwillsbythings）SomeChineseidiomsusetheconcreteimagesorthingstodescribetheabstractconcepts。Therefore，intranslationprocess，thetranslatorsshouldboldlydiscardtheseimagesandtranslatetheconnotationofthemappropriately。
　　Forinstance：ifthetranslatorstranslate顺手牵羊directlyintowalkoffwithasheepaccordingtothewordingmeaning。TheforeignreadersmaymisunderstandthatthethievesinChinaonlystealthesheepbutnototherthings。ButChinesereadershaven’tgotsuchmisunderstanding。Inthisidiom，thesheep（羊）isaconcretethingactuallywhichreferstoothersthingperhapstheproperty。Itexpressesanabstractconceptwiththeconcretething。
　　Whenwetranslatetheidiom狗急跳墙，wedonotneedtodescribespecificallythathowanxiousthedogis（狗急），andhowittojumpthewall（跳墙）。Aslongasweexpresstheintrinsicmeaning，theforeignreadersmaybeclearataglancewhenwetranslateitasdosomethingdesperate。
　　Perhapswehavetohavealengthyspeechwhentranslate明火执仗。Butthedirecttranslationisdoevilthingsopenly。Theforeignreaderscanunderstanditsintrinsicmeaningconcisely。
　　Iftranslate守株待兔inadetailedway，dowehavethenecessitytotellthefablestorywhichconcealsthisidiomindetails？Evenwetoldthisstory；theforeignreadersalsocannotrealizetheimplication，whichthisidiomcontains。Ifwetranslateitdirectlylikesthis：trusttothechanceandstrokeofluck。Theforeignreadersmayunderstandtheimplicationeasily。TheonlyregretthingisthatitlackstheChinesecharacteristic。
　　BecausethenativeEnglishreaderscan’tacceptthefigurativeimagesofsomeChineseidioms，weshouldtranslatetheseidiomsflexiblyaccordingtotheiractualmeanings。
　　Forexample，ifwetranslatetheidiom眉飞色舞intohiseyebrowsareflyingandhiscountenanceisdancing，thenativereaderswillnotonlyfeelconfusedandpuzzled，theywillalsothinkitfunnyandridiculous。
　　Moresimilaridiomsare：
　　粗枝大叶Tobecrudeandcareless。（Deadtranslation：withbigbranchesandlargeleaves）
　　灯红酒绿Dissipatedandluxurious。（Deadtranslation：withredlightsandgreenwine）
　　开门见山Tocomestraighttothepoint。（Deadtranslation：toopenthedoorandseethemountain）
　　大张旗鼓Onalargeandspectacularscale。（Deadtranslation：tomakeagreatarrayofflagsanddrums）
　　风雨飘摇Beingunstable。（Deadtranslation：Thewindandrainarerocking）
　　2。2。3Additionalremarksamp；Note
　　Thereadersneedadditionalremarksandnoteifthemeaningoftheidiomisnotcompletelyunderstood。
　　2。2。3。1Additionalremarks
　　Additionalremarksreferstotoincreasetherelatedinformation，whichmayhelpunderstandtheintrinsicmeaningoftheidiominthetranslationprocess。Itisusuallyconcise。
　　Forexample：
　　Thetranslationof事后诸葛亮istobeawisemanlikeZhugeLiangaftertheevent。Asweknow，ZhugeLiangisarenownedcharacterintheChinesehistory。Heisthesymbolofwisdom。Buttheforeignfriendsmaynotnecessarilyknowwhoheis。Therefore，thetranslatorhastoexplainwhoZhugeLiangis。Theforeignreadersareeasiertounderstandtheconnotationoftheidiom。
　　你这是班门弄斧。YouareshowingoffyourproficiencywithanaxebeforeLubanthemastercarpenter。
　　Inordertohelpforeignreadersunderstandthemeaningoftheidiom，translatorsaddshowingoffyourproficiencytoindicatetheconnotationof班门弄斧andalsoaddsomebackgroundknowledgeofthisidiom，thatistosay，LuBanisamastercarpenter。Themethodoftranslationnotonlymakesthetranslationprecisebutalsotakesthemeaningexpressionandtheculturalexchangeintoaccount。
　　Like东施效颦maybetranslatedasTungshihimitatesHsishih（HsishihwasafamousbeautyintheancientkingdomofYueh。Tungshihwasanuglygirlwhotriedtoimitateherway）。Itsconcealedmeaningisimitatesotherstomakeafoolofoneself。
　　Ifwetranslate八仙过海totheeightfairiescrossedtheseawithoutintroducing八仙（theeightfairies）arecharactersintheChinesemythstory，thereadersshouldbepuzzled。Thereforewemustaddtheannotationbehindthetranslation：theeightfairiesofTaoisminChinesefolklore。
　　2。2。3。2Note
　　Notereferstotoaddtherelatedinformationandbac汉语成语翻译的方法汉语成语翻译的方法汉语成语翻译的方法kgroundsoftheidiomsindetails。Itisusuallythefootnotes。
　　Althoughthestructureissimple，theimpliedmeaningisprofound。Therefore，theycannotbesolelycomeuptheunderstandingandtranslationfromasingleword。SomeChineseidiomsarerichinChineseculturalbackgrounds，amongwhichcontaintheancientChinesenamesfrommythologyandhistory。Ifwetranslatethiskindofidiomsliterally，thenativeEnglishreaderswillnotunderstandthem。Ifwetranslatetheidiomswithmoreexplanation，thetranslationswilllosstheidiomcharacteristicofbeingconcise。Inthiscase，we’dbettertranslatetheidiomfreelywiththeactualmeaningratherthanfocusonitsculturalbackground。Ifweusethemethodofdirecttranslationtotranslatethiskindofidioms，itwillbringdifficultiestothenativeEnglishreadersreadingandunderstanding。Moreover，evenifweusethemethodofsignificancetranslation，westillcan’tvividlyreappeartheliteraryreferenceandtheculturalconnotationoftheChineseidioms。
　　SomeforeignreadersdontknowthemeaningoftheChineseidiomsfromtheparaphrase。Buttheymaybewonderingthestoriesrelatedtothem。Inthiscase，concisenoteisnecessarytocompensatetheculturaldifferencesanddecreaseculturalloss。Thesemethodsshouldbecautiouslyusedintheavoidanceoftediousnessandtheexplanatorynotesareusuallyfootnotes。
　　Suchas：
　　画饼充饥Allayinghungerwithpicturesofcakes
　　Inthethreekingdomsperiod（2202
　　80），thekindoftheWei，CaoRui，wantedtoselectaverycapablemantoworkforhim。Hesaidtohisministers：whenchoosingatalentedperson，alwaysbewareofonewithafalsereputation。Afalsereputationisjustlikeapictureofacake，itcan’trelieverhunger。later，thisidiomcametobeusedtomeancomfortingoneselfwithunrealisticthoughts，withoutsolvingpracticalproblems。
　　叶公好龙LordSheh’sloveofdragons
　　Shehwassofondofdragonsthatheadornedhiswholepalacewithdrawingsandcarvingsofthem，butwhenarealdragonheardofhisinfatuationandpaidhimavisit，hewasfrightenedoutofhiswits。
　　Thetranslatorshavetoaddafootnotetothisidiom，andtheforeignreaderscangettheconnotationfromit。
　　Moresimilaridiomsareasfollows：
　　毛遂自荐MaoSuirecommendinghimself
　　Inthewarringstatesperiod，thestateofQinbesiegedthecapitalofthestateofZhao。DukePingyuanofZhaoplannedtoasktherulerofthestateofChupersonallyforassistance。Hewantedtoselectacapablemantogowithhim。AmancalledMaoSuivolunteered。WhenthenegotiationsbetweenthetwostateswerestalledbecausetherulerofChuhesitatestosendtroops，MaoSuiapproachedhim，brandishingasword。Inthatsituation，therulerofChuagreestohelpZhao，againstQin。
　　SotheChineseuse毛遂自荐tomeanthattovolunteerone’sservice
　　一鼓作气Rousingthespiritswiththefirstdrumroll
　　Duringthespringandautumnperiod，anarmyfromthestateofQiconfrontedonefromthestateofLu。AfterthefirstrollofdrumsfromtheQisidetosummonLutobattle，theLurulerwantedtoattack。ButhiscounselorCaoGuisaidweshouldwaituntilthethirddrumroll，sire。aftertheQisidehadbeatenthedrumsthreetimes，theLuarmyattackedanddefeatedtheQiarmy。Afterthebattle，thekingaskedCaoGuithereasonsforhisoddadvice。CaoGuianswered，fightingneedsspirit。Theirspiritwasarousedbythefirstrollorthedrums，butwasdepletedbythesecond。Anditwascompletelyexhaustedbythethird。Westartedtoattackwhentheirspiritwasexhausted。That’swhywewon。
　　So，later，thisidiommeans，togetsomethingdonewithonesustainedeffort。
　　2。2。4Omission
　　MsHuAipinghasmentionedthat汉语成语有些是对偶词组，前后两对含义相同，修辞上优美匀称，尤其是在四字结构的成语中，多呈现‘同义反复’的现象。这种现象在崇尚简洁的英语中是最忌讳的。〔12〕P69（SomeChineseidiomsarethematchedphrases。Themeaningsofthetwopairsofwordsaresame。Theyareexquisiteandsymmetricalinrhetoric。Particularlythefourcharactersstructureidiomspresentthephenomenonof‘tautology’。ThiskindofphenomenonisatabooinEnglish，whichadvocatesuccinctness。）
　　TheimagesinChineseidiomsarevivid。Manyidiomshavethecompoundantithesisstructure。Thoughtheirexplanationsaredifferent，theconcealedmeaningsaresame。Regardingthiskindofidiomtranslation，Inordertoavoidtautology，translatingthemeaningofimageisok。
　　Forexample：
　　汉语成语翻译的方法汉语成语翻译的方法汉语成语翻译的方法近朱者赤，近墨者黑Onewhostaysnearvermiliongetsstainedred。Whenyoutouchred，youbecomered。TherearesomesimilarexpressionsintheEnglishspeakingcountries：onetakesthebehaviorofone’scompany。oronetakesontheattributesofone’sassociates。orwatchthecompanyyoukeep。
　　无影无踪，whosemeaningistovanishwithoutatrace，themeaningof无影iswithoutanimage，无踪meanswithoutatrace。Hence，withoutatraceisenoughtoexpressthewholemeaningofthisidiom。
　　忽闻有人在牡丹亭畔，长吁短叹。（罗贯中《三国演义》）suddenlyheheardarustleinthepeonypavilionandsomeonesighingdeeply。
　　Here，长吁and短叹havethesamemeaningofsighingdeeply。
　　这断子绝孙的阿Q！远远地听得小尼姑的带哭的声音。（鲁迅《阿Q正传》）AhQ，mayyoudiesonless！Soundedthelittlenun’svoicetearfullyinthedistance。
　　Inthetranslation，diesonlesscanexpressthemeaningsofboth断子and绝孙。
　　她只觉得头晕眼花，辨不出路径Shefelttoodizzytorememberthewayshehadcome。InChinese，头晕and眼花havethesamemeaningofdizzy。
　　Thesimilaridiomsare：
　　愁眉苦脸Gloomyfaces
　　天长地久Eternallikeskies
　　五光十色Multicolored
　　生龙活虎Burstingwithenergy
　　字斟句酌Weigheveryword
　　3。Conclusion：
　　Nevertheless，translationmethodsarenotfixed。OneChineseidiommaybetranslatedinseveraldifferentways。Propertranslationsaretobechosenbyconsiderationofvariouscontextsandreaders’acceptability。Eugene。Nidathoughtthat，对于真正成功的翻译来说，双文化能力甚至要比双语能力更为重要。〔14〕P70（Regardingthesuccesstranslationthat，thedoubleculturalabilityevenmustbemoreimportantthanthebilingualability）Therefore，translatingChineseidiomsintoEnglishisaconcreteoperatingprocess。First，thetranslatorsmustfullyunderstandtheintrinsicmeaningoftheChineseidiom；second，theyshoulduseseveraltranslationmethodsflexibly，contrastthesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenEnglishandChinese，adjustthestructuresuitably；last，trytheirbesttotranslateChineseidiomswhichbeartheculturalcharacteristicandinformationtotheforeignreaders。HelpingtheforeignreaderseliminateandreducelanguageandculturalbarrierrequeststhetranslatortotranslatetheformofChineseidiomsdiligentlythattheforeignreadersaregladtoaccept。AtthesametimeitisabigchallengetoreappearChinesecultureinEnglish。
　　Translationisnotonlytwolanguagesexchanges，butalsoonekindofcrossculturalexchange。Itsgoalistobreakthebarrierbetweenthetwodifferentlanguages。
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