英汉习语对比及其翻译

　　英汉习语对比及其翻译英汉习语对比及其翻译英汉习语对比及其翻译
　　【Abstract】Idiomsaretheessenceofalanguage，whichhavestrongnationalcolorsanddistinctiveculturalconnotations。SoitisdifficultforbothEnglishandChinesereaderstounderstandtheidiomtranslationthoroughlyandexactly。ThisthesisfirstanalyzesthesimilarityofEnglishandChineseidiomsfromtheaspectofrhetoricalmeans，suchasalliteration，rhyme，repetition，antithesisandsoon。ThenitprobesintothecausesofthedifferencesinEnglishandChineseidiomsfromtheaspectsofdifferentlivingcircumstances，differentcognitionsofthings，differentreligionsandbeliefs，anddifferenthistoricalallusionsandmyths，etc。Afterthat，ittalksaboutthethreetypicalproblemsinEnglishChineseidiomtranslation，suchasinterpretingtheEnglishidiomstooliterally，copyingChinesecustomarysayingsmechanically，andlackinginnecessaryexplanatorynotes。Finally，itsummarizesfiveidiomtranslationmethods，includingliteraltranslationwithexplanation，literaltranslationwithassociation，transformationofmeanings，applicationofChinesecoupletandequalconsiderationofbothimagesandmeanings。Allthesignificanceofthisthesisistoconveytheidioms’culturalinformationasmuchaspossible，whichisveryusefulforthelanguagelearning。
　　【KeyWords】idiom；comparison；translation
　　【摘要】习语通常包括成语、俗语、格言、歇后语、谚语、俚语、行话等。其表现形式音节优美，音律协调，或含蓄幽默，或严肃典雅，言简意赅，形象生动，妙趣横生，给人一种美的享受。习语是语言的精华，它带有浓厚的民族色彩和鲜明的文化内涵。因此对英语读者和汉语读者来说，做到彻底精确地理解蕴含深刻文化内涵的习语的翻译是相对比较困难的。本文首先从修辞手法方面分析了英汉习语的相似性，然后分别从生存环境、对事物的认知、历史典故、宗教信仰等四个不同方面来比较和分析英汉习语存在的巨大差异，接着概括了英汉习语互译中存在的典型问题，，最后，本文侧重探索了英汉习语互译的最佳方法，包括直译加解释、直译加联想、意译改造法、采用汉语对联的形式，形象意义兼顾法等五种手段。整篇论文的意义在于最大限度地传递习语中的文化信息，对语言学习具有重大指导意义。
　　【关键字】习语；对比；翻译
　　1。Introduction
　　Idiomsaretheessenceofalanguage，whicharealwaysphilosophicalandeternal。AccordingtoOxfordAdvantagedLearner’sEnglishChineseDictionary，anidiomisaphraseorsentencewhosemeaningisnotclearfromthemeaningofitsinpidualwordsandwhichmustbelearntasawholeunit。Inthebroadsense，idiomsmayinclude：setphrases；proverbs；sayings；epigrams；slangexpressions；colloquialisms；quotations；twopartallegoricalsayings，ofwhichthefirstpart，alwaysstated，isdescriptive，whilethesecondpart，sometimesunstated，carriesthemessage（chieflyinChinese）。WhileinChinese，idiomsarecalledas‘熟语’，including：短语，成语（usuallyconsistingoffourwords），俗语，谚语，格言，箴言，名言（quotationorrecordedutterance），警句，隽语，俚语，粗话，行话，歇后语（includingpun），习语，etc。〔1〕However，thethesiswilldiscussEnglishandChineseidiomsinanarrowsense，andonlysetphrasesandproverbswillbeunderdiscussion。
　　EnglishidiomsandChineseidiomsaregemsofthetwolanguagesaswellasthecrystallizationofthetwonationalcultures。Mostofidiomsareofvividimageswhichareappropriatelyusedtocomparetootherthings，consequently，theyoftencontaindistinctivenationalandlocalcolors。Someidiomshavequiteclearmeanings，someareimplicitandprofound，whichcouldcauseagreatdealofassociation，whileothersmayincludeseveralmeanings，whichdependonthecontexttodefineitsrealindication。
　　BothEnglishandChineseidiomsareimportantrhetoricalmeansinlanguageaswellastheassembledmanifestationsofdifferentkindsofrhetoricalmeansinitself。Manyidiomshavesymmetricalforms，beautifulsyllablesandharmoniousrhythms。Allthesefeaturesgiverisetotheparticulardifficultiesintranslation：itismoredifficulttounderstandandmorechallengingtoconveytheculturalinformationclearlyandexactlythanthecommonlanguage，however，inordertokeepthetranslationfaithful，thesefeaturesshouldbepreserved。Notonlydoidiomsappearlargelyinliteraryworks，butalsoinpoliticalandscientificthesis。Thequalitiesoftheidiomstranslationdirectlyaffectthewholetranslation。Soitisessentialtostudytheidiomsandtheirmethodsoftranslationseriously。
　　2。ThesimilaritybetweenEnglishandChineseidiomsinrhetoricalmeans
　　AlthoughthereisalwayssomeculturaldistancebetweenChineseandEnglish，thereismuchoverlap，too，anditshowsinmanyaspects。However，thefocalpointofthethesiswilllieintheanalysisoftheEnglishandChineseidiomssimilarityfromtheviewofrhetoricalmeans。
　　BothEnglishandChineseidiomsusu英汉习语对比及其翻译英汉习语对比及其翻译英汉习语对比及其翻译allyadoptrhetoricalmeans，suchasalliteration，rhyme，repetition，andantithesis，etc，forthepurposeofenrichingtherhymeandrhythm。
　　2。1Alliteration
　　Alliterationistheoccurrenceofthesameletterorsoundatthebeginningoftwoormorewordsinsuccession〔2〕，whichsoundscontinualandiseasytoreadandtoremember。BothEnglishandChineseidiomstakefulladvantagesofthemeans，sothattheycouldbepasseddownfromgenerationtogeneration。Let’slookatsomeexamples。
　　InChinesethereare恍恍惚惚，红红火火，乒乒乓乓，etc。InEnglishtherearealsoascoolasacucumber（泰然自若），asbusyasabee（忙个不停），titfortat（以牙还牙），asthickasthieves（非常亲密，要好），singasongofsixpence，‘partandparcel’（主要部分），‘mightandmain’（竭尽全力），〔3〕Moneymakesthemarego。（有钱能使鬼推磨），etc。
　　Throughtheaboveexamples，wemaywellseethatbothEnglishandChineseidiomsarepopularbythismeans。
　　2。2Rhyme
　　Rhymeisthesamenessofsoundbetweenwordsorsyllable〔4〕，whichsoundsverybeautiful。SomeEnglishandChineseidiomsusethismethodaswelltoachievetheacousticenjoyment。Forexample：
　　InChinese，thereare从善如登，从恶如崩、不经一事，不长一智、差之毫厘，缪以千里、失之东隅，收之桑榆，etc。，whichusethemeansofrhyme。InEnglish，wealsocanfinditinAfriendinneedisafriendindeed。，Beggarscan’tbechoosers。，Eastorwest，homeisthebest。，Healthisbetterthanwealth。，‘assnugasabuginarug’（舒舒服服），‘highanddry’（孤立无援），‘byhookorbycrook’（不择手段）〔5〕，etc。
　　BothEnglishandChineseidiomsthatusethisrhetoricalmeansareoftinklingandjinglingsounds。Notonlyaretheyeasytoremember，butalsoitseemsthatwearereadingabeautifulshortpoem。
　　2。3Repetition
　　Inrhetorics，repetitionisacommonlyseenrhetoricaldevice，whichusuallyrepeatsasentenceorpartofsentenceatboththebeginningandendoflongsentences，stanzas，orparagraphs。Themainfunctionofrepetitionistoemphasizethekeypoints。〔6〕BothEnglishandChineseidiomsusethismethodtoachievetheemphaticeffect。The
　　examplesarelikethefollowing：
　　InChinese，thereare喜气洋洋，多多益善，沾沾自喜，泱泱大风，姗姗来迟，亭亭玉立，想入非非，落落大方，种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆etc。InEnglish，therearemeasureformeasure（一报还一报），stepbystep（循序渐进），neckandneck（并驾齐驱），diamondcutdiamond（棋逢对手），aneyeforaneyeandatoothforatooth（以眼还眼，以牙还牙），callaspadeaspade（直言不讳），etc。
　　Usingthemeansofrepetitionmakestheidiomshaveobviouslyemphaticobject。Theirmeaningswillbeclearataglance。
　　2。4Antithesis
　　Antithesisisthedeliberatearrangementofcontrastingwordsorideasinbalancedstructuralformstoachieveforceandemphasis。Theformoftheexpressionisveryimportantforeffect，fortheforceoftheemphasis，whetherforprofundityofjudgment，forhumororforsatire，dependschieflyonthejuxtapositionofdirectopposites，ofglaringcontrasts。〔7〕Manyidioms，bothEnglishandChinese，adoptthisdevice，too。Theexamplesbelowillustratethepoint：
　　InChinese，thereare大同小异，古往今来，冷嘲热讽，阴奉阳违，顾此失彼，因小失大，小事明白，大事糊涂，etc。InEnglish，therearefarandnear（四面八方），upsanddowns（盛衰沉浮）；soonerorlater（迟早）；moreorless（或多或少），pennywise，poundfoolish（小事聪明，大事糊涂），etc。
　　Thoughtheidiomshaveonlyafewwords，theycontainmuchtruthandphilosophyinthembycomparingtwocompletelyoppositethings。Antithesishasplayedanimportantroleinthisaspect，whichmakesthereadershavealotofaftertastewhileponderingoverthem。
　　3。ThedifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseidioms
　　EnglishspeakingandChinesespeakingcountriesaretwodifferentnations，sothereexistsvastdifferencebetweenEnglishandChinesecultureandthisdifferenceoccursinEnglishandChineseidioms，too。
　　3。1Differentlivingcircumstances
　　Idiomsarecloselyrelatedtopeople’sworkandlife。Sotheidiomshavestrongnationalcolors。BritainisanislandcountryontheAtlanticocean，surroundedbythesea，whichwasonceleadingtheworldwithitsnavigation，solotsofEnglishidiomshavesomethingtodowithnavigationandfish。Suchas：adropintheocean沧海一粟；plainsailing一帆风顺betweenthedevilanddeepsea进退维谷；knowtheropes懂得秘诀；gowiththestream随波逐流；ascloseasanoyster守口如瓶；steerclearofalldoubtfulquestions避免一切暧昧的事情；feelunderthewater感觉不适。
　　WhileChinaisanagriculturalcountry。Thepeasantshavepresentedmanyidiomsaboutfarmwork，suchas‘斩草除根’whichistranslatedliterallyinto‘tocuttheweedsanddiguptheroot英汉习语对比及其翻译英汉习语对比及其翻译英汉习语对比及其翻译s’，itsfigurativemeaningis‘tostampoutthesourceofthetrouble’。Moreexamples：
　　‘瑞雪兆丰年’（atimelysnowpromisesagoodharvest）；‘顺藤摸瓜’（itsoriginalmeaningistofollowthevinetogetthemelon；itsextendedmeaningistotrackdownsomebodyorsomethingbyfollowingclues）；‘捡了芝麻，丢了西瓜’（itsoriginalmeaningistopickupthesesameseeds，butoverlookthewatermelons；itsextendedmeaningis‘mindfulofsmallmatterstoneglectoflargeones’）〔8〕，etc。
　　Typicallyspeaking，Englishpeopleusespendmoneylikewatertodescribesomeonewhosplashesmoneyonsomething。WhileChinesepeoplesay挥金如土。HowevermanyidiomsconcerningboatsandwatercannotbegiventhesameequivalentsinChinese，suchas，torestonone’soars（暂时歇一歇），tokeepone’sheadabovewater（奋力图存）allatsea（不知所措）etc。〔9〕
　　Duetothegeographicalandenvironmentalfactors，thebambooshootsgrowabundantlyinChina，thus，thereareidiomsconcerningbamboo。Onthecontrary，bamboodoesn’tgrowinBritishislandsatall，eventhewordbambooisaloanone，sothatthereisnoEnglishidiomsinthisaspect。Forexample，theChineseidiom‘雨后春笋’istranslatedinto‘springuplikemushrooms’〔10〕inEnglish。
　　InChineseculture，‘eastwind’is‘thewindofspring’；summerisalwaysconnectedwithextremelyhotortheintenseheat，so‘赤日炎炎似火烧’‘骄阳似火’aretermsoftenusedtodescribesummer。WhileBritainislocatedinwesternhemisphere，withnorthtemperatezoneandmarineClimate，so‘westwind’isthesymbolofspring。ThefamousEnglishpoetShirley’s‘Odetowestwind’isapraisingsongofspring。SummerinBritainisawarmandcomfortableseason，whichisusuallylinkedwith‘lovely’，‘gentle’and‘nice’。Shakespearecomparetheetoasummerinoneofhispoems，‘shallIcomparetheetoasummer’sday？Thouartmorelovelyandmoretemperate’〔11〕
　　Sodifferentlivingsurroundingsmayproducedifferentidiomsindifferentlanguageanddifferentculture。
　　3。2Differentcognitionsofthings
　　Becauseofthedifferencesbetweeneasternandwesterncultures，peoplehavegreatlydifferentcognitionsofthings，andthisexertsagreatinfluenceonthedifferencesoftheoutcomeofbothChineseandEnglishidioms。
　　3。2。1Differentcognitionsofanimals
　　EnglishandChinesebelongtotwodifferentlanguagefamilies。ChinesebelongstotheHanTibetanlanguagefamily。Beinglimitedtothelivingconditions，climateandsoon，severalanimalsfindthesameenvironmentonwhichtheyrelyforexistenceasthehumanbeing。Theseanimalsandthehumanbeingsareinterdependent。Whilethemanarethemostemotionalanimalsthatgivetheanimalsdifferentaffection，asaresult，thesymbolicmeaningoftheanimalsvarygreatly。
　　ThecattlehadoncedonegreatcontributionstoChineseagricultureinhistory，so
　　thereemergedidiomsconcerningthisanimal，suchas力大如牛，倔犟如牛，鞭打快牛，etc。FortheEnglish，horseisusedasanimportanttoolwhosemeritsandcontributionsareoutstanding。Consequently，thereareequivalentidiomshavingthesamemeaningasChineseidiomsinEnglish，suchasasstrongasahorse，asstubbornasamuleandThehorsethatdrawsbestismostwhipped。Besides，theBritishadvocatehorsemanship。Theylikeraisinghorsesandholdinghorseraces。Thusthereareagreatnumberofidiomsconcerninghorse，suchas：darkhorse，eatlikeahorse，betonthewronghorse，changehorseinmidstream，holdone’shorse，etc。
　　Inwesternculture，thecunningfoxspeciallylikeseatingthegoosesurreptitiously。Ifleavingthefoxtolookafterthegeesealone，wouldn’titmeanlookingfortrouble？WehavenosuchknowledgeinChinese。Thereby，theEnglishidiomsetafoxtokeepone’sgeese（让狐狸看鹅）wouldbequitebafflingtotheChinese。ButthereisanidenticalidiominChinese引狼入室whichmeansthesamethingassetafoxtokeepone’sgeese。Bothofthetwoidiomsaretranslatedcorrespondinglyandvividly。
　　Itisworthmentioningthat，inChinese’seyes，tigeristhekingofwildanimals。It
　　hasrichculturalsymbolizedmeaning，includingthecommendatoryconnotation，suchasvalor，grandeurandmight，aswellasthederogatoryconnotationofcruelty，savagenessandferociousness。WhileinEnglishculture，lionisthekingofallanimals，consequently，thereareobviouslymuchmoreEnglishidiomsconcerninglionthantheChineseidiomsconcerningtiger，sothatweoftentranslatelioninto‘虎’inEnglishtranslation，suchas‘alionintheway’（拦路虎），‘placeoneselfinthelion’smouth’（深入虎穴），etc。〔12〕
　　3。2。2Differentcognitionsofcolors
　　T英汉习语对比及其翻译英汉习语对比及其翻译英汉习语对比及其翻译herearethreekindsofbasiccolors：red，yellowandblue。Colorsarecognizedmainlythroughthesevenkindsofcolors：red，orange，yellow，green，blue，indigoandpurpleinthespectrum。Duetothedifferentcountries’historicalbackgrounds，geographicallocations，customsandtraditions，peoplehavepersecognitionsofcolors，sotheidiomsrisingundertheconditionsreflectsuchregionaldifferences。
　　Takingredandwhiteforexample，inwesterncountries，redisregardedasbrutalityandunluckiness。Redmeansbleeding。Sothereappearssomehavingderogatoryandtaboocolorwords，suchasredskin（对印第安人的鄙夷称呼），redtape（繁文缛节，官僚习气），inthered（亏损），outofred（扭亏为盈），redalert（空袭、紧急警报），redcock（纵火引起的火灾），redcent（毫无价值的事物）etc。〔13〕WhileinChina，redmeansluckandjoy。TherearemanyChineseidiomsobviouslyhavingcomplimentarysense，suchas开门红（getofftohaveagoodstart），红颜薄命（abeautifulgirlhasanunfortunatelife），红运当头（haveagoodluck），红光满面（inthepink），红男绿女（gailydressedyoungmenandwomen），红得发紫（extremelypopular），红极一时（enjoypopularityforatime），红装素裹（cladinwhite，adornedinred），etc。
　　Peopleinwesterncountrieslookuponwhiteasthesymbolofpurity，aswellassomeimplicationsofracialdiscrimination。Thewesternersarewhitepeoplewhoentrustextremelynoblesymboltowhite。InEnglishthereare：whitehat（好人），whitelies（善意的谎言），whiteheadedboy（宠儿），thewhitehope（带来荣誉的人），whiteslavery（逼良为娼西方人认为白种人不能做奴隶），etc。HoweveritisdifferentinChina。InChinese’seyes，whitestandsforfuneralandrevolt，whichhasderogatorycolor。Forexample，thereare白日做梦（indulgeinwishfulthinking），白费口舌（wasteone’sbreath），一穷二白（poorandblank），白忙乎（invain），白字连篇（reamsofwrongcharacters），白云苍狗（whitecloudschangeintogreydogsthechangesinhumanaffairsoftentakefreakishforms）etc。
　　3。2。3Differentcognitionsofnumerals
　　Numeralworshipandtabooexistbothineasternandwesterncourtiers，however，thepeopleinthetwocountrieshavetotallydifferentcognitionsofnumerals。
　　Inthewest，13isregardedasanunluckynumber，owingtothestoryintheBiblethatJesusChristwasbetrayedbyhis13thdiscipleJudas。666symbolizesdemonintheBible。7standsforgoodluck，greatprosperityandvictory。Butthereisnoparticularconnotationof9atallinEnglish。Theexamplesare：intheseventhheaven（极其快乐），theSeventhDay（星期六犹太人安息日），etc。InChina，13，666，7havenospecialmeanings，therefore，thereisnotaboousageofthem。However，six
　　（六）、nine
　　（九）havepeculiarculturalconnotationstotheChinesepeople。nine
　　（九）。meansalongperiodofpeaceandorderorlastingpoliticalstabilityinChinesetraditionalculture。Theemperorsofthepastdynastiesworshippednine
　　（九），hopinghiscountrycouldbeingreatpeaceandorder。ThereareChineseidiomsconcerningnine
　　（九），suchas九九归一，九死一生etc。six
　　（六）meansthatsomethinggoesonsmoothlyinChinese，thereare六六大顺六畜兴旺etc。Meanwhile，Chinesepeopleplacetheallegoricalmeaningontheevennumber，suchas双喜临门、四季发财、八面玲珑etc。ItiscalculatedthattherearefarmoreChineseidiomusingnumeralsthantheEnglishidioms，whichisadifficultproblemtothetranslation。〔14〕
　　3。3DifferentReligionsandBeliefs
　　Religionplaysanimportantroleinthedevelopmentofthelanguage。Differentreligionsproducedifferentidioms。BuddhismhasbeentransmittedtoChinaformorethanonethousandyears，whichoccupiestheleadingpositioninChinesetraditionalreligions。
　　PeoplebelievethereisaBuddhawhocandominatetheworldanddecideeveryone’sdestine。ManyChineseidiomscomeformBuddhism，suchas佛口蛇心、佛头着粪、借花献佛、五体投地、一尘不染、现身说法、回头是岸、在劫难逃、大慈大悲etc。TherearealsoproverbscomingfromBuddhism。Forexample，不看僧面看佛面、闲时不烧香，临时抱佛脚、跑得了和尚跑不了庙、泥菩萨过河，自身难保、放下屠刀，立地成佛、一个和尚挑水吃，两个和尚抬水吃，三个和尚没水吃etc。InwesterncountriesespeciallyinBritainandAmerica，peoplebelieveinChristianity。TheBiblehasbeenregardedtheclassicalChristianscripture，whichestablishesafoundationofwesterncountries’culture，artandideology，IdiomsconcerningtheBiblecanbefoundeverywhere。Forexample，doubtingThomas（怀疑的托马斯）isanidiomfromtheBiblenowstandsfor不肯轻易相信别人的人（peoplewhowillnotbelieveinotherseasily）。AndTheidiomcastpearlsbeforeswine（把珍珠丢在猪的面前）isalsofromtheBible：NewTestament，andnowitstandsfornottogivethepreciousthingstopeoplewhocannotreallyappreciateit（不要把珍贵的东西送给不识货的人）ornottoplaythelutetoacow（不要对牛弹琴）。Gotohell（下地狱去）isacurse。Othersarelike‘alionintheway’，‘Nobodyisbornlearned，evenbishopsaremadeofmen。’，‘It’sbettertoreigninhellthanserveinheaven。’，‘Badpriestsbringthedevilintothec英汉习语对比及其翻译英汉习语对比及其翻译英汉习语对比及其翻译hurch’‘Judaskiss’，‘adeaddog’，‘theappleofone’seye’（掌上明珠），‘washone’shandsofathing’（洗手不干），etc。〔15〕
　　Besides，therearemanyproverbsinEnglishbasedonthemetaphorsandthemesofGodanddemon。Forexample：Manproposes，Goddisposes（谋事在人，成事在天）；Godhelpsthosewhohelpthemselves。（自助者必有天助。）；Everyoneforhimselfandthedeviltakethehindmost。（人不为己，天诛地灭。）
　　3。4DifferentHistoricalAllusionsandmyths
　　Therearelotsofidiomscomingfromhistoricalallusions，mythsandlegends。Thestructureoftheseidiomsisverysimplebuttheyhaveprofoundmeaning，sowecannottranslateandunderstandtheseidiomsfromtheliteralmeaning。It’snecessaryforustolearnandunderstandtheEnglishallusionandmythsaswellastheChineseallusionsandmyths。It’susefultolearnabouttheoriginanddevelopmentofEnglishandChineselanguageandculture。Forexample东施效颦itisfrom《庄子天运》andnowitmeansimitatingsomebodystupidly。名落孙山itreferstoapersonwhofailintheexamandisnotenrolled。叶公好龙meansapersonwhoprofessedloveofwhatonereallyfears。Otherallegoricalstorieslike守株待兔、愚公移山、黔驴技穷、刻舟求剑areoftenquotedandwidelylovedbyChinesepeople。Theancientmythsandlegendsalsoproducelotsofidioms。InChinese，suchsetphrasesas嫦娥奔月、夸父追月、画龙点睛精卫填海、女祸补天areallpiecesofbeautifulandtouchingmyths。Theproverbs天冷不冻织女手，饥荒不饿苦耕人and雷公先唱歌，有雨也不多containthelegendarycharacters。
　　WhileEnglishtraditionalcultureisdeeplyassociatedwiththeGreekRomanMyth。Forinstance，theTrojanHorse（特洛伊木马），Pandora’sBox（潘多拉之盒，指灾难，麻烦，祸害的根源），Archilles’heel（阿基里斯的脚后跟，指唯一致命弱点），meetone’swaterloo（一败涂地），penelope’sweb（铂涅罗铂的织物，指永远完不成的工作）〔16〕，crocodile’stears（鳄鱼的眼泪），itisjustliketheChineseidiom猫哭老鼠假慈悲etc。
　　TherearealsomanysetphrasesbasedontheGreekRomanlegends。Forexample：IfeartheGreeks，evenwhenbringinggifts（Greekgifts：危险的礼物；糖衣炮弹）。WhenGreekmeetsGreek，thencomesthetugofwar。Homersometimesnods。〔17〕
　　4。TheproblemsinEnglishChineseandChineseEnglishidiomtranslation
　　Whenwedotheidiomtranslation，wemaycomeacrossthiskindoforthatkindofproblemsinevitably。ThethesiswillgivesometypicalproblemsinbothEnglishChineseandChineseEnglishidiomtranslation。
　　4。1TheproblemsinEnglishChineseidiomtranslation
　　4。1。1InterpretingtheEnglishidiomstooliterally
　　WeknowthatsomeEnglishidiomslookverysimilartosomeChineseidiomsintheforms。PeoplearepronetoassociatetheEnglishwordsandexpressionswhichtheycomeacrosswiththeChinesemeaningorChineseversionmechanically。Asamatteroffact，inmanysituations，thoughEnglishandChinesehavethesimilarforms，theyhavedifferentmeanings，thatistheyareseeminglyinharmonybutactuallyatvariance。
　　Forexample：
　　1）pullsomebody’sleg。
　　wrongtranslation：拉后腿
　　revised：愚弄某人，开某人的玩笑
　　2）Moveheavenandearth
　　wrongtranslation：翻天覆地
　　revised：想方设法，千方百计
　　Theproblemoftenoccurswhenwedothetranslation。Weshouldtryourbesttoavoiditandgetclosetotheoriginalimpliedmeaningnotonlybytheliteralmeaning。Afterall，EnglishandChinesearetwocompletelydifferentlanguages。ManyEnglishidiomsandChineseidiomsalwaysreflectrespectivenationalcharacteristicsorlocalcolors。Sowhendoingthetranslation，wehavetopayattentiontoremainthedistinguishingfeaturesandavoidapplyingChineseidiomswhichhavedistinctivenationalorlocalflavortotheEnglishidiomsmechanically，incasethatChinesenationalfeaturesandlocalcolorsareimposedonthetranslatedversion，whichwouldcontradicttothecontext。
　　Forexample：
　　1）Twoheadsarebetterthanone。
　　originaltranslation：三个臭皮匠胜过诸葛亮
　　2）Whenthecat’saway，themicewillplay。
　　originaltranslation；山中无老虎，猴子称大王
　　Intheabovementionedexamples，theoriginaltranslationsimposethestrongChinesenationalcolorsonthetranslatedversion，whichareincompatiblewiththeoriginaltext。Weshoulddosometransformationlikethese：
　　1）Twoheadsarebetterthanone。
　　transformedtranslation：一人不及两人智
　　2）Whenthecat’sawaythenicewillplay。
　　transformedtranslation：猫儿不在，鼠儿作怪
　　Aftersometransformations，notonlydotheEnglishidiomsremaintheoriginalmeaningsbutalsoavoidunnecess英汉习语对比及其翻译英汉习语对比及其翻译英汉习语对比及其翻译aryconflictsandcontradictionscausedbydifferentnationalcultures。
　　4。1。3Lackinginnecessaryexplanatorynotes
　　SomeEnglishidiomshavemarkednationalfeaturesandlocalflavor，andsomealsocontaintheallusions。WhentheyaretranslatedintoChinese，theChinesemustbefollowedbytheexplanatorynotesforsupportingtheoriginalmeaninginordernottocausethereaders’unnecessaryguessingevenmisunderstanding。
　　Forexample，theEnglishidiom‘AChinesechance’doesn’tmean‘中国人的机会’，butitmeans‘没有机会’。〔18〕Weshouldnoteclearlyinthetranslationlikethis：theidiomcameintobeinginthegoldrushinCaliforniain19thcentury。ItreferstothattheChineseemigrantsdidtheirutmosttowashthegolddregsleftoverbythewhitemen。Itcanbewellimaginedtheycouldobtainverylittleamountofgold。Consequently，thewhitemenwhogloatedovertheChineseplightcalltheawkwardsituationasAChinesechance。Thenthereaderscouldunderstandthegenuineconnotationofthisidiom。
　　4。2TheproblemsinChineseEnglishidiomtranslation
　　4。2。1CopyingtheEnglishmeaninginthedictionarymechanically
　　Theremaybeseveraltranslationsforoneidiom。Thetranslationofanidiommaybedifferentfromthatofthesameidiominadictionary。Adictionarytranslationneedstoreproduceboththeformandthecontentoftheidiomwhileacontexttranslationneedstobefitforitsparticularsituation。Therefore，weshouldmakesomechangesaccordinglyinsteadofcopyingthetranslationinadictionarymechanically。
　　Usually，thetranslationof‘谋事在人，成事在天’is‘manproposes，Goddisposes’。ButinthetranslationofADreamofRedMansions，itwasrewritten。
　　‘谋事在人，成事在天’，咱们谋到了，靠菩萨的保佑，有些机会，也未可知。（《红楼梦》第六回）
　　‘Manproposes，Heavendisposes。’Workoutaplan，trusttoBuddha，andsomethingmaycomeofitforallyouknow。（TranslatedbyYangxianyi）〔19〕
　　‘Buddha’isaBuddhisttermwhileGodisaChristianterm。Inordertomakethetextcoherent，GodischangedintoHeaven。
　　4。2。2NeglectingtheChineseidiomlocalornationalcolorsinthetranslation
　　Incontexts，idiomswhichhavemuchlocalornationalcolourscouldnotbetranslatedequivalently。
　　Forexample：
　　‘小人有眼不识泰山，一时冒渎兄长，望乞恕罪。’（《水浒传》第二十三回）
　　Theidiom‘小人有眼不识泰山’issimilarinmeaningto‘toentertainanangelunawares’。Butbothofthetwoidiomshavemuchlocalcolor。泰山（MountTai）whichisageographicaltermisoneofthefamousmountainsinChina。Theidiommeans‘tofailtoidentifyapersonofgreatability。’Theidiom‘toentertainanangelunawares’isfromTheNewTestament。Theoriginalis‘tobenotforgetfultoentertainstrangers，fortherebysomehaveentertainedangelsunawares。’Itcanbetranslatedinto‘有眼无珠’。ThereforeJacksontranslatedthesentencelikethis：
　　‘IfailedtorecognizeyoureminenceandIhopethatyouwillforgivemeforthatblunder。’〔20〕
　　Intheexample，有眼不识泰山wastranslatedfreely，anditslocalcolorswerelost。
　　4。2。3InterpretingtheChineseidiomstoocomplicatedly
　　ManyChineseidiomsareantitheticalphrases。Eachofthemconsistsoftwopartswhichmeanthesamething。It’senoughtotranslateoneofthem。TakingtheChineseidiom土崩瓦解forexample，someonemaytranslateitintosoilcollapsesandtilebreaksup。Actuallyspeaking，wejustneedtotranslateitintotofallapart。Anotherexample沉鱼落雁之容，闭月羞花之貌，theremayappearfishwildgoosemoonflowerinthetranslationwhichareextremelycomplicated。WeonlyneedtochooseonethinginsteadofalltotranslateitintoHerbeautywouldputtheflowerstoshame。
　　5。Methodsusedinidiomtranslation
　　ThetranslationofEnglishandChineseidiomsisanextremelyimportantproblem。It’swellknownthattranslationisnotonlythecommunicationbetweenthetwolanguages，butalsothecommunicationandtransmissionofthetwokindsofculturalinformation。Idiomsareavaststorehouseofculturalinformation，containingahostofculturalcharacteristicsandculturalbackgroundsaswellasdistinctiveimagesandabundantassociation，therefore，idiomsastheessenceofthelanguagearedifficulttounderstandandevenmoredifficulttotranslate。
　　TocounterthevastdifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseidiomsandtheparticulardifficultiesgeneratedbythedifferences，therearefiverelativelypracticalmethodsthatcouldbeusedinidiomstranslation。
　　5。1Literaltranslationwithexplanation
　　英汉习语对比及其翻译英汉习语对比及其翻译英汉习语对比及其翻译ItisdifficultfortheChinesereaderstothoroughlyunderstandtheimpliedmeaningwhensomeEnglishidiomsaretranslatedtooliterally。Yetiftheyaretranslatedfreely，theiroriginalimagesandstylescannotbepreserved。Toadopttheliteraltranslationwithexplanation，notonlycanthereadersseeitsoriginalmeaning，imagesandstyles，butalsotheirimpliedmeaning。Thoughthetranslationwillbesomewhatwordyandoverlaborate，itcoulddemonstratetheoriginalnaturalcolors。Thismethodisoftenappliedtodictionarycompiling。〔21〕Forexample，
　　（Thereis）norosewithoutathorn。没有不带刺的玫瑰（世上没有十全的幸福；有乐必有苦。）
　　Anolddogwilllearnnonewtricks（youcannotteacholddogsnewtricks）老狗学不出新把戏。（老顽固不能学新事物。）
　　Agooddogdeservesagoodbone。好狗应该得好骨头。（有功者受奖。）
　　Undersimilarcircumstances，itisdifficultfortheEnglishreaderstounderstandtheimpliedmeaningswhensomeChineseidiomsaretranslatedintoEnglishtooliterally。Consequently，theexplanatorynotesarenecessary。Forexample，
　　膏粱子弟thechildrenfromwellfedfamilies（goodfornothingsonsanddaughtersoftheidlerich）
　　高屋建瓴pourwateroffasteeproof（operatefromastrategicallyadvantageousposition）
　　Strictlyspeaking，thetranslationwithexplanationisnotagoodmethodintranslatingapieceofworks。Butinadictionaryofidiom，itisnecessarytodigoutthesourcesofsomeidioms。Thisisoneofthedifferencesbetweenidiomstranslationindictionaryandincontext。〔22〕
　　5。2Literaltranslationwithassociation
　　BecauseoftheculturaldifferencesbetweentheChinesespeakingandtheEnglishspeakingcountries，althoughsomeChineseidiomsandEnglishidiomshavethebasicallysimilarconnotationsormetaphoricalmeaning，theyhaveutterlydifferent
　　expressions。Forthesekindsofidioms，literaltranslationwithassociationisbetter，i。e。，theliteraltranslationiseasyforthereaderstoassociateitwiththeirfamiliaridioms。Forexample，
　　Badworkmenoftenblametheirtools。
　　拙匠常怪工具差。（association：不会撑船怪河弯。）
　　Hewholaughsatcrookedmenshouldneedwalkverystraight。
　　笑别人驼背的人得自己首先把身子挺直。（association：己不正不正人。）
　　It’salonglanethathasnoturning。
　　路必有弯，世上没有直路。（association：事必有弯；瓦片也有翻身日。）
　　Theliteraltranslationwithassociationenablesthereaderstounderstandtheoriginalmeaningbetterandmorethoroughly。Itmayafterallbeacceptedasagoodwaytodothetranslationjob。
　　5。3Transformationofmeanings
　　SomeEnglishidiomsandChineseidiomshavemoreorlessequivalentmeaning。Theonlydifferencebetweenthemliesjustintheirimagesandstyles，anditonlyneedssomeslighttransformationwhileintheprocessoftranslation，thenitcouldexpressitsoriginalmeaningentirely，atthesametime，notviolatetheoriginalidioms’structuresandhabits。Forexample，
　　Oneswallowdoesnotmakeasummer。，theoriginalmeaningoftheproverbisonlyfindingoneswallowcannotshowthecomingofsummerenough。ThereisnocompletelyequivalentproverbinChinese。ButinChinesethereare一花不是春and一木不成林whosemeaningsaresimilartoit，onlytheimagesandstylesareslightlydifferent。
　　Thereareotherexamples：
　　He’snothonesttoyou；he’sturningyouaroundhisfinger。
　　他不是真诚对待你，只是玩弄你于股掌之间。
　　Theidiomturntwistapersonaroundafingeristranslatedliterallyinto把某人玩弄于手指间。Itseemsthatitcouldbetranslatedinto玩弄某人于股掌之间reluctantly。Butitshouldbenotedthattheimpliedmeaningofthesentenceistobuypeople’ssupportortowinsomebodyoverbyanymeanswithoutsincereheart，while玩弄某人于股掌之间mayhavecertainpoliticalcolors。
　　琼自从丈夫死后，好几月都悲痛欲绝。
　　Formonthsafterherhusband’sdeath，Joansimplyateherheartout。
　　TheChineseidiom悲痛欲绝canbetranslatedliterallylikethefollowing：Someoneissadtodeath。，whichisnotbetterthanthequotationofEnglishidiomeatone’sheartoutwhichismorevividtothereaders。
　　Thoughtheoriginalmeaninghasbeenslightlychanged，thetranslationturnsouttobemorevividandlivelier，furthermore，thereaderscouldhaveabetterunderstanding。
　　5。4ApplicationofChinesecouplet
　　TheproverbsinChineseareoftenseenintheformsofcouplet。Thefirstlineofacoupletisabouttheimage，andthesecondisaboutthemeaning。Forexample，路遥知马力，日久见人心、棋逢对手，将遇良才，etc。SomeEnglishidiomscannotbeex英汉习语对比及其翻译英汉习语对比及其翻译英汉习语对比及其翻译pressedexactlyandintegratedlyintheprocessoftranslationinafewChinesecharacters。Itwouldbebetterforthetranslationresultsusingtheformofcouplet。Forexample，Greatmenarenotalwayswise，itsliteraltranslationis伟人也不总是聪明的whichmeanseventhecleverpersonwillbehaveasafoolsometimes。Ifweadopttheformofcouplet，wecantranslateitinto人有失手日，马有失蹄时or老虎也会打盹，好马也会失蹄or智者千虑，必有一失。Therearemoreotherexamples：
　　Illnewscomesapace。
　　好事不出门，坏事传千里。
　　Hewhokeepscompanywiththewolfwilllearntohowl。
　　近朱者赤，近墨者黑。
　　ApplicationofChinesecoupletisawaytogivefullplaytotheadvantagesofChinese。Thetranslatorscouldexpresstheoriginalmeaningexactlyandvividlytothebestoftheirabilitybyapplyingthismethod。Theoutcomewillturnouttocomparefavorablywiththeoriginal。
　　5。5Equalconsiderationofbothimagesandmeanings
　　BecauseofthevastdifferencesbetweentheculturesofthetwonationsthatspeakChineseandEnglishrespectively，thoughsomeofeachidiomshavesimilarconnotationsorfigurativemeaningsbasically，theirwaysofexpressionsareofgreatdisparity。Onthisquestion，thesekindsofidiomstranslationshouldgiveequalconsiderationofbothimagesandmeanings。
　　Forexample，
　　Theyputtheirheadstogetheranddecidedonagift。
　　他们经过碰头商量，最后决定选购一件礼物。
　　puttheirheadstogethermeansputtingeverybody’sheadstogethertothinkofawayortrytofindasolution，anditistranslatedinto碰头商量here，whichappearstobevividandsuccessful。
　　Gorgewasenjoyinghimselftothetopofhishead。
　　乔治快乐到了极点。
　　thetopofhisheadmeanstoprevelry。topreferstotheextremelyhighestpoint。Sothetranslation快乐到了极点isjustappropriate。
　　子承父业，顺理成章，他后来成了其父创办企业的新老板。
　　顺理成章meanswellreasonedinChinese，whileinEnglishthereisanidiomtobeinthecardswhichmeanssomethingisverylikelytohappenorsth。willhappenintheexpectedway。Accordingtothefurthermeaningofthesentence，wecantranslateitintoItwasinthecardsforthesontosucceedhisfatherasheadofthebusiness。
　　因为一个错误的投资，他的一生积蓄全部化为乌有。
　　化为乌有meansleavenothingorcometonaughtinChinese，whiletheEnglishidiomgodownthedrainmeansflowawaybythesewagebyliteraltranslationwhosefigurativemeaningisnearlylosteverything。Sowecantranslatethesentencelikethis：Hislifesavingswentdownthedraininabadinvestment。
　　Tousethistranslationmethod，notonlycouldthereadersunderstandtheoriginalmeaning，butalsotheycouldappreciatethestylesofthewordsandtheimagesthattheoriginalisinclinedtoconvey。
　　6。Conclusion
　　Translationisnotmerelyfromonelanguagetoanother，butalsotointroducetheculturalbackgrounds，habitsandcustoms，culturaltraditionsandothersoftheoriginal，soisthetranslationofidiomswhicharerichinstrongnationalandlocalcolors，thatistosay，weshouldalwayskeepthetargetreadersinmindwhenwearedoingthetranslation。Therefore，itisnoteasytotranslateonekindoflanguageidioms。Weshoulddomorepractices，paymoreattention，accumulatemoreknowledge，consultthedictionariesfortheunknownmoreoften，andasktheexpertsformoreadviceatordinarytimes，besides，wealsohavetododesultoryreadingoftheBible，TheFablesofAesop，W。Shakespeare’splays，fairytalesandotherclassicalmasterpiecesinwesternculture。Inaword，whentranslatingtheidioms，weshouldkeepfaithfultotheoriginal，remainingtheoriginalidioms’vividcomparison，richassociation，rhetoricaleffects，nationalandlocalcolors，meanwhile，weshouldtryourbesttodothetranslationmorevividlyandmoreexpressively。
　　Bibliography〔2〕牛津高阶英汉双解词典第四版增补版〔M〕。北京：商务印书馆牛津大学出版
　　社，1997，P36
　　〔3〕陈志立。英语习语的特征与翻译〔J〕。郑州航空工业管理学院学报，2005
　　（8）。P2
　　〔4〕同〔2〕。P1291
　　〔5〕同〔3〕。P2
　　〔6〕冯翠华。EnglishRhetoricalOptions〔M〕。外语教学与研究出版社，2003。P74
　　〔7〕同〔6〕。P37
　　〔8〕LiuJinding。TranslationofChineseandEnglishIdioms〔J〕。武当学刊，1995
　　（9）。P4
　　〔9〕冉秀霞。CulturalDifferencesinEnglishandChineseIdioms〔J〕。重庆
　　职业技术学院学报，2004
　　（7）。P1〔11〕同〔9〕。P1
　　〔12〕顾红曦，刘玲。英汉习语的文化底蕴及翻译〔J〕。广东职业技术师范学院学
　　报，2002
　　（2）。P2〔14〕张藐。英汉文化差异性比较研究〔J〕。西安工业学院，2003
　　（4）。P3
　　〔15〕刘慧芬。汉英习语的文化探源与文化翻译〔J〕。平顶山工学院学报，
　　2004hr（6）。P2〔17〕同〔10〕。P2〔19〕同〔1〕。P134
　　〔20〕同〔8〕。P9
　　〔21〕同〔8〕。P10
　　〔22〕同〔8〕。P9P