摘要習(xí)語是各國文化精華，反應(yīng)各國風(fēng)俗習(xí)慣。習(xí)語通常包含成語、俗語、格言、歇后語、諺語、俚語、行話等。其表現(xiàn)形式音節(jié)優(yōu)美，音律協(xié)調(diào)，或含蓄幽默，或嚴(yán)厲典雅，言簡意賅，形象生動，妙趣橫生，給人一個美享受。習(xí)語是語言精華，它帶有濃厚民族色彩和鮮明文化內(nèi)涵。所以對英語讀者和漢語讀者來說，做到徹底精準(zhǔn)地了解蘊含深刻文化內(nèi)涵習(xí)語翻譯是相對比較困難。本文首先從定義，習(xí)語分類，習(xí)語英漢特點方面分析了英漢習(xí)語相同點與不一樣點，然后從最能表現(xiàn)中西文化差異習(xí)語著手，闡述習(xí)語在文化各個層次上所反應(yīng)中西文化差異，并采納大量生動有趣例子作為論據(jù)進行適當(dāng)分析。整篇論文最大程度地傳遞習(xí)語中文化信息，表現(xiàn)中西文化不一樣價值觀念。關(guān)鍵詞:習(xí)語;特點；文化差異同；起源；相同；不一樣ABSTRACTIdiomsaretheessenceofcultureineverycountry,whichmirrorsmanynationaluniquefashions.Itusuallyincludesproverb,saying,slang,jargonandsoon.Itsformsofexpressionarebeautifulinsyllable,andharmoniousinrhythm.Someareimplicitorhumorous;someareseriousandelegant;someareconcise,vividandinteresting,whicharegratifyingman’saestheticsense.Idiomsarealsotheessenceofalanguage,whichhavestrongnationalcolorsanddistinctiveculturalconnotations.SoitisdifficultforbothEnglishandChinesereaderstounderstandtheidiomtranslationthoroughlyandexactly.ThisthesisfirstanalyzesthesimilarityanddifferencesofEnglishandChineseidiomsfromtheaspectofdefinitions,classificationandcharacteristicsandsoon.ThenitprobesintothecausesofthedifferencesinEnglishandChineseidiomsfromtheaspectsofdifferentlivingcircumstances,differentcognitionsofthings,differentreligionsandbeliefs,anddifferenthistoricalallusionsandmyths,etc.Allthesignificanceofthispaperistoconveytheidioms’culturalinformationasmuchaspossible,whichisveryusefulforthelanguagelearning.Soitisaveryimportantandcomplicatedthingforustounderstandandusetheseidiomscorrectly.Therefore,inthispaper,wewilldiscusstheidiomsreflectingthedifferencesofChineseandWesternculturesinvariouslevelswithmanylively,important,andinterestingexamplesofidioms.Thewholeessayultimateistorevealcultureincross-culturalcommunicationandembodythedifferentculturevalues.Keywords:idioms;characteristics;culturaldifference;origins;differences;similaritiesCONTENTS1.Introduction: 12.Definitionsofidioms 12.1SomeEnglishDictionaries 22.2Theexplanationofidioms 23Classificationofidioms 34.Characteristics 44.1Themassofpeopleisthecreatorofidiomsofbothlanguages 44.2Theidiomsonfarmingandsea 44.3Thedifferentliving-surroundingsandcustoms 54.4CustomsDifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseonIdioms 64.5Theoriginofidioms 74.6BothhaveregionalorgeographicalCharacteristics 114.7Bothhavedifferentfiguresofspeech 114.8Thefixorvariabilitycharacteristicsofidioms 134.9ThecharacteristicsofimagesymbolinChineseandEnglishidioms 135.Conclusion 15Reference 16Acknowledgements 17ComparativestudyonthecharacteristicsbetweenEnglishandChineseidioms1.Introduction:Idiomsaretheessenceofalanguage,whicharealwaysphilosophicalandeternal.AccordingtoOxfordAdvantagedLearner’sEnglish-ChineseDictionary,anidiomis“aphraseorsentencewhosemeaningisnotclearfromthemeaningofitsindividualwordsandwhichmustbelearntasawholeunit”.“Inthebroadsense,idiomsmayinclude:setphrases;proverbs;sayings;epigrams;slangexpressions;colloquialisms;quotations;two-partallegoricalsayings,ofwhichthefirstpart,alwaysstated,isdescriptive,whilethesecondpart,sometimesunstated,carriesthemessage(chieflyinChinese).WhileinChinese,idiomsarecalledas‘熟語’,including:短語，成語(usuallyconsistingoffourwords),俗語，諺語，格言，箴言，名言(quotationorrecordedutterance)，警句，雋語，俚語，粗話，行話，歇后語(includingpun),習(xí)語,etc.”However,thethesiswilldiscussEnglishandChineseidiomsinanarrowsense,andonlysetphrasesandproverbswillbeunderdiscussion.EnglishidiomsandChineseidiomsaregemsofthetwolanguagesaswellasthecrystallizationofthetwonationalcultures.Mostofidiomsareofvividimageswhichareappropriatelyusedtocomparetootherthings,consequently,theyoftencontaindistinctivenationalandlocalcolors.Someidiomshavequiteclearmeanings;someareimplicitandprofound,whichcouldcauseagreatdealofassociation,whileothersmayincludeseveralmeanings,whichdependonthecontexttodefineitsrealindication.Havinglefttheirdeepanduniquestampsonthelanguage,idiomscanbestexpressthehistoricalprocess,culturaltraditionandcustomsofthepeople.Thepresentarticle,adoptingacontrastiveapproach,attemptstoputforwardthedistinctivecharacteristicsofbothEnglishandChineseidioms,namely,metaphoricallanguage,integratemeaning,fixedcollocationandeuphonioussound.Andthenittriestomakeananalysisoftheirculturaldiscrepanciesintermsofgeography,culture,customandreligiousbelief.Idiomsareamirrorofapeople.Theycomprisethehistoricalandculturalbackgroundaswellastheapproachtolifeandthewaysofthepeople.Notranslator,languagelearnerorlanguageteachercanaffordtoignoreidiomsifanaturaluseofthetargetlanguageisanaim.Therefore,withthemorefrequentcommunicationbetweentheEnglishpeopleandtheChinesepeople,thereisagreatdemandformoreresearchinEnglishidioms.2.DefinitionsofidiomsItisdifficulttogiveacleardefinitiontoidioms.First,peopleareoftenconfusedwiththeirscope,contentandform.Second,expertshavedifferentopinionsabouthowtodivideidiomsfromnarrowsenseandgeneralsense.Whatkindoflanguageexpressionreallybelongstoidioms?Differentexpertshavedifferentopinionsanddefinitionstoidioms.Somepeopleconsideridiomsasquintessenceofalanguage.Othersregardthemastreasuryofalanguage.Thesestatementsincertaindegreereflecttheidioms'characteristics,butcan'tberegardedasidioms'definition.Allofthesecausesbringdifficultytodefineaidiom.Maybeowingtothosecauses,theword“idiom”evenhasn'tbeencollectedinsuchauthoritiesreferencebooksasModernChineseDictionaryandChain(辭海).2.1SomeEnglishDictionariesLongmanActiveEnglish-ChineseDictionary(1990)definesanidiomas“aphrasewhichmeanssomethingdifferentfromthemeaningsoftheseparatewords”.TheconciseOxfordDictionary()givessuchadefinitionas“agroupofwordsestablishedbyusageandhavingameaningnotdeduciblefromthoseoftheindividualwords”.LongmanDictionaryofcontemporaryEnglish(1998)givesthedefinitive“aphrasewhichmeanssomethingdifferentfromthemmeaningsoftheseparatewordsfromwhichitisformed”.Webster'sNewWorldDictionaryoftheAmericanlanguage(2ndcollegeedition,1972)givesthisdefinition“anacceptedphrase,construction,orexpressioncontrarytothepatternsofthelanguagehavingameaningdifferentfromthelanguageorhavingadifferentfromtheliteral”.2.2TheexplanationofidiomsAnidiomisatermorphrasewhosemeaningcannotbededucedfromtheliteraldefinitionsandthearrangementofitsparts,butrefersinsteadtoafigurativemeaningthatisknownonlythroughcommonuse.Inlinguistics,idiomsarewidelyassumedtobefiguresofspeechthatcontradicttheprincipleofcompositionality;however,thishasshowntobeasubjectofdebate.ItmaybebettertorefertoidiomsasJohnSeeddoes:wordscollocatedtogetherhappentobecomefossilized,becomingfixedovertime.[1]Thiscollocation--wordscommonlyusedinagroup--changesthedefinitionofeachofthewordsthatexist.Asanexpression,theword-groupbecomesateam,sotospeak.Thatis,thecollocatedwordsdevelopaspecializedmeaningasawholeandanidiomisborne.g.HereallythrewmeacurvewhenonourfirstdateheaskedifIcouldpayforthedinner.Note,insomecultures,whenamanandawomanarecourtingeachother,themaleistraditionallytheonewhotakesupthebillorpaysthebill;however,timeschangeandinmanymodernsocieties,alotofcouplesgoDutch(yetanotheridiom).IntheEnglishexpressiontokickthebucket,forexample,alistenerknowingonlythemeaningofkickandbucketwouldbeunabletodeducetheexpression'sactualmeaning,whichistodie.Althoughitcanreferliterallytotheactofstrikingaspecificbucketwithafoot,nativespeakersrarelyuseitthatway.Itcannotbedirectlytranslatedtootherlanguages–forexample,thesameexpressioninPolishiskopwcalendars(tokickthecalendar),withthecalendarbeingasdetachedfromitsusualmeaningasthebucketintheEnglishphraseis.ThesameexpressioninDutchishatlodelegend(tolaythepieceoflead),whichisentirelydifferentfromtheEnglishexpression,too.Otherexpressionsincludebreakalegandfitasafiddle.ItisestimatedthatWilliamShakespearecoinedover9,000idiomsstillinusetodayAccordingtotheentireabovementionedidiom”isaphraseoragroupofwordsapprovedbypeopleandhasuniqueform.Itsmeaningisdifferentfromtheliteral.Ingeneralsense,thescopeofEnglishandChineseidiomsincludes,sayings,proverbs,idiomaticphrases,slang,atwo-partallegoricalandallusion,andsoon.3ClassificationofidiomsTheEachnationhasitsownlanguage，amongwhichidiomistheessenceandtreasure,andhasstrongculturalcharacteristics.Becauseofidiom’sadvantages,havingalonghistory,andaprofoundmoralandstrongexpression.Idiomsoftenhavestrongnationalcolorandlocalcolor.Generally,idiomscouldbedividedintofouraspects:setphrases,proverbs,commonsayingsandatwo-partallegoricalsaying.Justasitsscope,EnglishandChineseidiomscomefromdifferentfields,includingpeople'sthoughtsaboutobjectiveworld,humanbeingthemselves,philosophyandthelifeexperience,andsoon,aboutpeople'sthoughtsaboutobjectiveworldandsociallaw.Therearesuchidiomsas:“Asbrooksmakerivers,riversruntosea./Allriversrunintosea.”(如同小溪匯成江河,江河奔向大海。/大江總東去,時代總向前).Andfromthefollowingidioms,youcanknowPeople'sjudgmentonone'smannerandaction:“Thegreatesttalkersaretheleastdoers./Greatbraggartsarelittledoers.”(最偉大空談家是最渺小實干家./語言巨人,行動矮子.)“Firstthink,thenspeak./Lookbeforeyouleap.”(先思而后言./深思熟慮而后行.)People'sexperienceaboutsocietyandlife:”Lifeisacomedytohimwhothinksandatragedytohimwhofeels./Livingwithoutanaimislikesailingwithoutacompass.”(對于明哲善思人來說,人生是個喜?。粚τ诙喑钌聘腥藖碚f,人生是個悲劇./生活無目標(biāo),如同航海無羅盤.)Citizen’saltitudetowardsnationalaffairs“Everymanhasashareofresponsibilityforthefateofhiscountry.”(國家興亡,匹夫有責(zé).)AstoEnglish,itincludes,forexample:Idiomaticphrasessuchas“tohaveone'sheadinclouds”,“themaninthestreets”;proverbssuchas“manymen,manyminds”,”Nomanisbornwiseorlearned”;Commonsayings“tochargesomeoneanarmandaleg”,“goingbanana”;Allusionsuchas“muchcryandlittleword”,“skeletoninthecupboard”;Slang“slangoff”.Chineseidiomsgenerallyinclude:setphraseespeciallythefour-wordsetphrases“氣貫長虹”，“國泰民安”;proverbs“好事不出門,壞事傳千里”;commonsaying“天下無難事,只怕有心人”;atwo-partallegoricalsaying“肉包子打狗-有去無回”Inshort,asapartoflanguage,idiomsincludesetphrase,commonsayings,proverbs,idiomaticphrase,slang,atwo-partallegoricalsayingandallusionetc,Englishidiomsmostlyconsistofsetphrase,andidiomaticphrase,proverbs,commonsayings,allusionandslang.Chineseidiomsmostlyincludesetphrases,andChinesesetphrasechieflyhavefourwords.Alsoincludeproverbs,commonsayings,allusionandatwo-partallegoricalsaying.4.CharacteristicsIdiomisthesedimentsofcultureandthevitalcomponentpartofacultureandalanguage,whichisdeeplyinfluencedandlimitedbyaculture.Idiom,theessenceofalanguage,isthecarrierofaculture.BothEnglishandChinesehavetheirowncharacteristics,andalsotheyhavesimilarcharacteristics.Thesecharacteristicsthoroughlyembodytheculture.thereareseveralcomparativecharacteristicsasfollowing.4.1ThemassofpeopleisthecreatorofidiomsofbothlanguagesMostofEnglishandChineseidiomsarecreatedbythemasses.Starlinghadsaidthatifonewantstostudyalanguage,oneshouldestablishalinkbetweenthislanguage,andthepeoplewhocreateandusethislanguageandtheirculturalhistory.MostofEnglishandChineseidiomsarecreatedbythemasses.Folkcommonsayingisthemainsourceofidioms,suchas“百聞不如一見”(Itisbettertoseeoncethanhearahundredtimes.),“人不知,鬼不覺”(notknowbymanorperceivedbyghosts),“成人之美”(helponeaccomplishsomethinggood).ManyEnglishandChineseidiomscreatedbypeopleduringtheirworkingandfarming,arethetrue-to-lifeportrayalofcommonpeople'slife.Peasantsproduceidiomsaboutfarmwork,whilesailorscreateidiomsaboutsailingandlifeonsea.Idiomstowardssportsandhuntingarecreatedbyathletesandhunters,andsoon.Thesekindsofidiomshavecloserelationwithpeople’severydaylife.Theyareactive,vivid,expressiveandgraphic.TherearegreatamountofthoseidiomsinEnglishandChinese.Theyareoneofthemostimportantcomponentsforidioms.4.2TheidiomsonfarmingandseaTheidiomsonfarminginChinesearemorethanthoseinEnglish.Chinaisatypicalagriculturalnationwithalargepopulationoffarmers,wholiveontheland;farmingistherootofournation.EverydynastyinancientChinatookitseriously.Asaresult,manyidiomsarerelatedtofarming.Theirdesireforgoodweatherforcrops,prayingforgoodharvestandlookingforwardtohappinessandhealthareallreflectionsthroughlanguage.Forexample:留得青山再，不怕沒柴燒Amanwhofightsandrunsawaywillcomeandfightanotherday.斬草不除根，逢春發(fā)又生Cutweedsanddiguptheroots-stampoutthesourceofthetroubleortheywillgrowagain.種瓜得瓜，種豆得豆Plantmelonsandyouwillgetmelons.Sowbeansandyouwillgetbeans.TheidiomsonsailinginChinesearelessthanthoseinEnglishThoughChinaisalsolocatedtothesea,andithaslongcoastline,sailinghadseenremainingatanundevelopedstage,idiomsderivingfromsailingarefew.Chinahasadoptedclose-doorpolicyforlong,andput“seaban”intopractice,soidiomsderivingfromsailinginChinesearelessthanthoseofEnglish,whiletheGreatBritainisanislandnationwithadvancedfisheries.Asaresult,therearemanyEnglishidiomsaboutnavigation,suchas:Tokeepone’sheadabovewater奮力圖存，使免于負債Toknowtheropes內(nèi)行，知道秘訣Tobeoverheadandearsindebt深陷債務(wù)中Allatsea不知所措Acoldfish冷漠人Inlowwater不如意Theseidiomsarecloselybounduptofarmers’everydaylife.Butbecauseoflackofeducation,theamountoffour-wordsidiomsspokenbyfarmersarelimitedinChinesewhileproverbsusedbyfarmersareenormous.Theseproverbsarefruitsoftheirlaborandintelligenceexperience.NoothercountrycanhavesuchvarietyofproverbsderivingfromfarmingasChina.Besides,Inchina,peopleoftenpraiseamanforhisgoodabilityinasmallvillageas“小廟里大菩薩”,butEnglishpeoplepraisethatmanasabigfishinasmallpond.TheChinesesetphrase“疾風(fēng)知勁草”(sturdygrasswithstandshighwinds)meansthatstrengthofcharacteristestedinacrisisandadversityisthemeasureofaman.Therehavemoresimilaridiomlikethis,goodpilotisnotknownwhentheseaiscalmandthewaterisfair.(天氣晴朗和大海平靜時看不出好水手).TheChineseidiom“未雨綢繆”(toploughmulberryfieldandrepairthehousebeforeitrains)impliesthatpeopleshouldmakeenoughpreparationbeforesomethingchangesbad.ThesimilarEnglishidiomsis“whileitisfineweather,mendyoursail”（修帆趁天晴）.Tosumup,asEnglandisanislandcountry,Englishpeoplearefondofsea.Theyestablishedadoseconnectionbetweentheirlifestruggleandsea.Soyoucouldgetmanyidiomsrelatedtoseafromtheirtalking.4.3Thedifferentliving-surroundingsandcustomsTheliving-surroundingsandcustomsaredifferent,soeachnationreflectsthesubjectdifferently.BothidiomsofChineseandEnglishareobviouslydifferentDifferentexpression,buttheyhavethesamemeaning.TheChinesetranslatetheidiom“一箭雙雕”as“toshoottwohawkswithonearrow”,buttheEnglishsay“tokilltwobirdswithonestone”.Viewingfromadifferentangle,suchdifferentexpressiontowardonesameidiomreflectsthehabitdifferenceofeachnation.Thewesternersaredeeplyinterestedinwatchinghorseracing.Therefore,manysetphrasesderivefromthissport.Forexample,peopleuse“adarkhorse”tometaphortheunexpectedwinneranduse“buttonthewronghorse”or“backthewronghorse”todescribethemanwhomadeafalsejudgemenorgotawrongchoiceconsequently.Idioms,thecarrierofcultureandinformation,aretheimportantpartofalanguage.Generalityandparticularitycoexistindifferentcultures.CulturalgeneralityreflectsculturalsimilarityandculturalparticularityreflectsculturalVarity.ItistheculturalparticularitytatcausesEnglishandChineseidiomshavingstrongnationalandculturalcharacteristics.Someidiomsareapparentlyinharmonybutactuallyatvariance.Idioms,derivingfromdifferentliving-surroundings,havestrikingnationalandculturalcolor.Sinceancienttimes,Chinesehavelivedofftheland.TheagriculturalpopulationinChinaholdsthemostpartofwholepopulation.Peasantsaccumulateawealthofexperiencefromfarmworkwhichfartoomanyidiomsfullofagriculturalculturerisetherefrom,suchas瓜田李下(inamelonpathorunderaplumtree);瓜熟蒂落(whenamelonisripe,itfallsoffitsstem-thingsaresettledonceconditionsareripe),andsoon.WhileEnglandisaislandcountrywhichfisheryandnavigationhistoricallyhasaboomingdevelopment.Asaresult,manyidiomsderivefromsailingandfishing,suchas“strugglenotagainstthestream”;“pullnotagainstthewind”;“acoldfish”,andsoon.4.4CustomsDifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseonIdiomsDifferentidiomsoriginatefromdifferentcustomsandreflectthem.Folkcustom,long-establishedbyhumanbeing,isageneraltermofhabits,antique,conventionandbeliefandafixedculturalpatternapprovedbypeople.TherearenumerousEnglishandChineseidiomsaboutcustoms.However,owingtothecustomdifference,althoughtheBritishandChinesedescribethesamething,thereisquiteacompletedifference.TheChineseoftensay“紅白喜事”（redandwhiteaffairs）.Theyholdthatweddingsarered(happy)affairswhilefuneralsarewhite(sad)events.“Red”derivedfromHanpeople’straditionalmarriagecustoms.Whenholdingweddingceremony,thebridewearsinredandiscarriedinaredsedan,lightingredcandlesineveryhouseroom,pastingupredpaintings,eatingredeggs.“Red”isthesymbolofhappinessandjubilation.“White”originatedfromthetraditioncustomthatinfuneralceremony,therelativesaredressedinwhiteandwithburlapovertheirshouldersinmourningfordeceasedpeople.However,themarriageandfuneralcustominwesterncountriesistotallydifferentfromthatoftheHanpeople.InEnglandandAmerican,thebridewearwhitegarmentwhenholdingweddingceremony,becausetheythinkthatwhitestandsforpureandhonest.So“正式婚禮”inEnglishis“whitewedding”,amongwhichwhiteisentirelycontrarytoredinChinese.Astofuneralceremony,thewesternersconsiderlifesuperiortoother.Thedeathofindividuallifeisextremelysad.Wherecanpeoplefindhappiness?Inordertoavoidtouchingonthesensitiveissue,theyexpress“died”inaroundaboutway.Forexampletheyusuallysay“passingaway”or“kickthebucket”orothereuphemismstostandfor“died”.Inanycountry,thenationalcharacteristicsarereflectednotonlyinthenativelanguage,butalsointheconnotationofthenationalculture.Idiom,asaparticularlanguageform,hasdifferentsymbolicmeaning.Thesameobjecthasdifferent,evencompletelycontrarymeaningbetweenEnglishcultureandChineseculture.Forexample,dragoninChinesecultureisthesymbolofauthority,regardedasamascot.Theword“dragon”isacommendatoryterm.Fromthefollowingidioms,youcanunderstandfully“望子成龍”（longtoseeone’ssonbecomedragon-longtoseeone’ssonsucceedinlife）“龍駒鳳雛”（dragoncoltoryoungphoenix-abrilliantyoungman）.Onthecontrary,dragoninEnglishcultureisthesymbolofevil,oftenregardedasafierceandbrutalbeast.Theslang“chasethedragon”referstothedrugaddicts.Anotherexample,dogisusuallythesymbolofbaseandsordidmeninChineseculture.Thus“dog”isaderogatoryterminChinesemind.Peopleoftensay狗仗人勢（likeadogthreateningpeopleonthestrengthofitsmasterpower）,狗嘴里吐不出象牙（noivoryissuesfromthemouthofadog）.However,inEnglishculture,thedogistheguardofahouseandthehelpfulfriendofmen.Inthewesterncountriesofmediaevalage,dogwasoftenthesymbolofloyaltytofeudallordandfaithtomarriage.Thus“dog”isacommendatoryterminEnglishpeople’smind.Usually,peopledrawananalogybetweenhumananddog,suchas“everydoghashisday”,“aluckdog”and“toteachanolddognewtricks”.Theword“dog”isoftenusedasatermofabuseinChineseculturewhileinEnglishcultureitisusedasatermofpraise.Owingtotheculturaldifference,theuseofidiomsisnotencouragedorthelearnerswhohavelittleknowledgeaboutthecircumstancesunderwhichtheyaretobeapplied,norshouldoneattemptitattheexpenseofintelligibility,whichwillultimatelydoharmtosuccessfulcommunicationIdioms,thecarrierofrichculturalinformation,areavitalpartoflanguage.Becauseoftheculturaldifference,EnglishandChineseidiomshavetheirowncharacteristicswithstrongnationalcolor.Althoughgenerality,toacertainextent,existinbetweenEnglishandChineseidioms,therehasparticularityinlanguageexpression,culturalintensionaswellasinoriginandusage4.5TheoriginofidiomsTheoriginofidiomsofeachnationisdifferent,sodotheidioms.Characteristicscanbeprobedfromtheorigin,whichcanbeeasilytounderstandthecharacteristicsofEnglishidiomsandChineseidioms.Thereareseveraloriginsasfollowing.Someidiomsderivingfrommilitaryaffairsaredifficulttounderstandandtranslate;itwouldbehelpfultoknowabouttheoriginofthem.Herearesuchidioms:Toturnhostilityintofriendship/burythehatchet化干戈為玉帛Toknowtheenemyandknowyourselfandyoucanfightahundredbattleswithnodangerofdefeat知己知彼，百戰(zhàn)不殆Allisfairinwar兵不厭詐Speediswhatcountsinwar兵貴神速Resorttoarms兵戎相見ChaosofwarbrokeoutinEnglishhistory,sotherearemanyidiomsrelatedtomilitaryaffairsinEnglish:Marktime猶豫/猶豫不決Maskone’sbatteries掩蓋敵Sticktoone’sguns堅持Havebeeninthewars在生活中吃過苦頭Ahorseforakingdom一匹馬換一個國王Chinaisoneofthecountrieswhichhavelargescaleofcivilstrifeinhistory.WecansayChinesehistoryisaboutitshistoryofwar.Alargenumberofwarswererecordedinthefamoushistorybook,suchasShihChi/HistoricalRecords，AnnalsofZuo，Threekingdoms.Lotsofidiomswerederivedfromthem.It’sthesourceofidiomsaboutwars.“天下大勢，分久必合，合久必分”Chaosofwardisputelivethroughtheages,forthisreasonidiomsderivingfrommilitaryaffairswaswidelyused.Historycultureisformedbyaspecifichistorydevelopmentandhistoricallegacy.Becausetheyhavedifferenthistorybackgrounds,ChinesecultureandEnglishculturearetotallydifferent.Historycultureiscomposedoftradition,decrees,regulation,poems,ancientbooksandrecordsetc.Herearesomeexamples:破釜沉舟Toburnone’sboats/TocrosstheRubicon明修棧道，暗渡陳倉Topretendtoadvancealongonepathwhilesecretlygoingalonganother/todoonethingundercoverofanother一敗涂地Tomeetone’swaterlooInaddition,Differenthistoryproducesdifferentallusions.However,differentallusionsallovertheworldareamazinglysimilar.TheChineseallusion“破釜沉舟”（tobreakthecauldronsandsinktheboatsaftercrossing,toburnonesboats）originatefromHistoricalRecords,whichmeanstocatoffallmeansofretreatandtodefeattheenemytillonegainsthesuccess.Theidiom“burnonesboats”,however,derivesfromawesternallusion.In49BC,Kaisa,theGeneralofoldancientRoman,commandedthecountry’sarmedforcestoattacktheRomancity,crossingKubiconimpliedthatKaisadeclaredwartoRomanSeniorCongressandPongpei,themostpowerfulmanatthattime.AftertheycrossedtheRubicon,Kaisahadproclaimed“WehavecrossedtheRubicon.Wemustgoforwardbutneverfallback.”Usingtheidiomtometaphor破釜沉舟,expressedthemeaningthatonceamanmadeadecisionoranaction,hecannotchangelater.Theidiom“tomeetone’sWaterloo”derivesfromawesternallusion.In1815,Napoleonhadallbutsufferedadevastatingdefeatinwaterloo.Withthisidiom,peopledescribeamanwhosufferedacompletedefeatoranattack.Astonishingparallelscanoftenbefoundinhistory.TheChineseallusion“敗走麥城”derivingfromTheRomanceofThreeKingdomsbyLuoGuanzhongoftheearlyMingDynasty,isthesamemeaningas“tomeetone’sWaterloo”.EnglishidiomsmostlystemfromBible、Aesop’sFables、GreekandRomanmyths.Herearesomeallusionswhichwesternreaderscanknowwell,butitisdifficultforChinesereadertounderstand.Gordianknot棘手問題ThetouchofMidas點石成金Trojanhorse內(nèi)部顛覆者（即起內(nèi)部破壞作用原因）坑騙性程序Achilles’heel唯一致命弱點Penelope’sweb永遠完不成巨作APandora’sBox潘多拉之盒？災(zāi)難Cat’spaw貓抓風(fēng)（被人利用人）ManyChineseidiomsarethecrystallizationoftremendousamountofChinesefablesandtales.Forexample:孫悟空七十二變Seventy-twotransformationsoftheMonkeyKing精衛(wèi)填海ThemythicalbirdJingWeitryingtofilluptheseawithtwigsandpebbles-doggeddeterminationtoachieveone’spurpose“世上無難事，只怕有心人”，“勞民傷財”，“豬八戒上陣倒打一耙”AllthesefamousidiomscomefromJourneytotheWest.“畫龍點睛”，“夸父追日”，“嫦娥奔月”arefromtraditionalChineselegend.Allthesehavearichculturalbackgroundandhistoricalorigins.Someidiomsoriginatefromallegories.An