英語-中西諺語的比較研究AbstractProverbsarethecrystallizationofhumanwisdomandexperience,istherepresentativeofculture..Therearemanyproverbswhicharemetaphorical,andwhoseformationandcognitivemechanismsaredeterminedbythemappingofdifferentconceptualdomains.AProverbsarecloselyrelatedtonationalcultureandhaveimportantculturalvalue..Althoughdifferentregionsandcultures,EnglishandChineseproverbshavesomethingincommon.Theysharethesimilarorigin,similarfunctionsandsomesimilarfeatures.Thedifferenceslieinthreeaspects:numbers,imagesandmeanings.Thesedifferencesreflectdifferencesinregionalcultures,valuesandcustoms.SoitisnotaeasyjobfortranslationbetweenEnglishandChineseproverbs.Therefore,payattentiontothemethodwhentranslatingproverbs.Kverbs;similarities;differences;translation;ChineseProverbs;EnglishProverbsContentsAbstract IContents IIntroduction 11. AComparativeStudyofChineseandEnglishProverbs 21.1SimilaritiesbetweenEnglishandChineseproverbs 21.1.1Similarorigin 21.1.2SimilarFeatures 31.1.3SimilarPracticalValues 41.2DifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseproverbs 51.2.1DifferentNumbers 51.2.2DifferentImagesandMeanings 51.2.3DifferentCulturalTint 62.Conclusion 8References 9致謝 11IntroductionAproverbisaformofexpressionthatconveyscommonsenseinaconciseform.Alotofauthoritativedictionarieshavegivendefinitionsontheproverb.TheWebsterdefinesitas"ashortpopularepigramoraphorism";TheOxforddictionaryofadvancedlearningdefinesitas"ashortbutfamousstatementofageneraltruthorproposal".IthasbeendevelopedfromtheCambridgeAdvancedLearner'sDictionary,whichdefinesaproverbas"shortsentences,etc.,oftenfamiliartomanypeople,relatingcommonexperiencesorgivingadvice".Peopleliketouseproverbswhentheyaretellingthetruth.Usingproverbscorrectlycanmaketheiropinionsmoreconvincing.Infact,theessenceofproverbsistherefinementoflanguage,istoreflectaregionallanguagethemostintelligentexpression.Ontheotherhand,culturehasanimportantinfluenceonlanguage.Languageisinfluencedandshapedbyculture.Withoutculturalbackground,thereisnovividlanguage.ThegeneralityanddifferenceofEnglishandChineseproverbsleadtothesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenthetwo,andalsoprovidethepossibilityofresearchforthecomparisonbetweenthetwo.AComparativeStudyofChineseandEnglishProverbsChineseandEnglishproverbsbearthemarksoftheculturaldifferencesandcommonalitiesofthetwonations,whichhavesimilaritiesanddifferences,thusleadingtothedifferentcorrespondencebetweenthem.1.1SimilaritiesbetweenEnglishandChineseproverbsThesimilaritiesbetweenEnglishandChineseproverbsaremainlyreflectedintheirorigin,featuresandpracticalvalue.1.1.1SimilaroriginBroadlyspeaking,ChineseandEnglishproverbsenjoythesimilarorigin.Proverbsarethedaughterofdailylife;Proverbsarethechildrenofexperience.Theybothoriginatefrompeople’sdailylifeandexperience.Tobespecific,theybothcomefromfolklife,literaryworks,mythologyorfalrytaleandsoon.Firstofall,proverbscomefromfolklifeandareconstantlyenrichedbytheworkingpeople.Forinstance,Ifyourunaftertwohares,youwillcatchneitherbyhunters;NewbroomsweepscleanbyhousewivesandToomanycooksspoilthebrothbycooks,etc張維友.英語詞匯學(xué)[M].北京：外語教學(xué)與研究出版社，1997.P182..Someproverbsreflectsomelocalcustoms,asGoodwineneedsnobush.Similarly,Chinesepeoplehavetheir掛羊頭，賣狗肉tocriticizethosewhosayonethingbutmeananother.Someproverbscomefromperceptionsandopinionsthatpeoplehavealreadyformed.TheEnglish,forexample,havelongbelievedthatifapersonbreakssaltoutoftheshaker,nogoodluckwillcomeofit.Inturn,EnglishpeoplehavegottheproverbHelpmetosaltandyouhelpmetoosorrow.Chinespeoplehave左眼跳財(cái)，右眼跳災(zāi)toexpresstherelationbetweenbiologicalreactionandillluck.張維友.英語詞匯學(xué)[M].北京：外語教學(xué)與研究出版社，1997.P182.Secondly,literaryworksprovidemanysourcesforthegenerationofEnglishandChineseproverbs.ThepopularliteraryworksofShakespeare,forexample,areused.Forinstance,Allisnotgoldthatglitters,whichisfromthegreatworksofThemerchantsofVenice.Thisproverbtellsusthatapersonwhoisgood-lookingdoesnotnecessarilyhaveknowledgeorconnotation.So,wedonotbedeceivedbytheappearance,toformtheirowncultivation.Eachnationhasitsownmythsandfairytales.ChinesecultureisdeeplyimpactedbyBuddhismandmanyprovervsarefromBuddhistrecordssuchas解鈴還需系鈴人；佛法平等，佛門難上.BibleisessentialforBritishandAmericancultures.Manyoftheideasinthebiblehavebecomeproverbsandaregraduallybeingaccepted.Theseproverbsarenotonlyreligioustruths,butalsosummariesofwisdom.Aneyeforaneye,atoothforatooth.Eachnationalityhasitsownmythologyandfairytales.Thefourgreatcivilizationshaveleftmanypopularfairytales,whichhavebecomeoneofthesourcesofproverbsandenrichedtheformationofproverbs.Fourthly,Anation’sproverbsoriginateinaspecifichistoricalcontext.Behindmanyproverbsareimportanteventsofsocialandhistoricaldevelopment,whichhavebecomeanimportanttoolforfuturegenerationstounderstandhistory.Inthemiddleages,withthediscoveryofthenewworld,tradeinteractedandcitiesemerged.Thereweremanybourgeoislandlords.ThepowerofthesebourgeoisieweakenedthepowerofthefeudalKings,andtheseKingshadtopromise”Tonomanwillwerefusejustice.’’何煦之.論英語諺語的文化價(jià)值[J].長沙電力學(xué)院學(xué)報(bào)（社會(huì)科學(xué)版），2001(2).SomeChineseproverbsarealsofromhistoricaleventsorconditionssuchas姜太公釣魚，愿者上鉤;只許州官放火不許百姓點(diǎn)燈何煦之.論英語諺語的文化價(jià)值[J].長沙電力學(xué)院學(xué)報(bào)（社會(huì)科學(xué)版），2001(2).1.1.2SimilarFeaturesEnglishandChineseproverbshavesomesimilaritiesinlexicalfeatures,rhetoricandflexibility.Proverbdictiontendstobeneatandsimple.Theyareusuallysimplyandinformallyworded.Measuresaregenerallydailylanguage,conciseandcomprehensive,andwiththeleastwordstoexpresstherichestmeaning.Aproverbismuchmatterdecoctedintofewwords.Forinstances,Nopains,nogains,滿招益，滿招損.Alltheproverbsshowthisfeatureintheirwording.Alltheproverbsshowthisfeatureintheirwording.TheChineseproverb一字值千金tellstheimportanceofwording.Proverbsarethecondensingofhumanwisdom.EnglishandChineseproverbshavemanysimilaritiesinvocabulary,suchasexpressinggoodandevil.Whatsobernessconcealsdrunkennessreveals.”soberness”isoppositeto“drunkenness”and”conceal”isto“reveal”Chineseproverb”千金易得，知音難覓”,thetwooppositephrases”易得”and“難覓”stressthedifficultyingettingtruefriendship.Theflexibilityofproverbsissimilarinsomeplaces.Someproverbslookdifferent,butinfact,theyallmeanthesameorsimilarexpressions.ThetwoChineseproverbs路遙知馬力and疾風(fēng)知?jiǎng)挪輘howthesameideathat“Ittakestimeorsomeothercosttoknowthetruth.”Wecanreplacetherelevantpartwithasynonymandkeeptheexactmeaning.Forexample,wemaychange留得青山在，不怕沒柴燒into留得青山在，不愁沒柴燒andthemeaningdoesn’tchange.Anothermanifestationoftheflexibilityofproverbsistheoriginalityoftheiruse.Forexample,wemaychoosetheEnglishproverbAllworkandnoplaymakesJackadullboy,Wecanjustsay”Allworkandnoplay…”toconveywhatwemeanandthatdoesn’taffectthecommunication.EnglishandChineseproverbssharesomesimilarsentencepatterns.Theyareusuallyveryshortandsimpleinstructure.Someofthemaresimplesentencessuchas知識就是力量；Knowledgeispower;Inaddition,invertedsentencesandellipticalsentencesarealsoused:無風(fēng)不起浪，Nosmokewithoutfire.1.1.3SimilarPracticalValuesProverbshavegreatpracticalvaluesintheirlife.Theyarelikeacompass,guidingpeople'slivestoavoiddetours..Ontheonehand,someproverbsserveaswarnings,likefablestoremindpeopleofthecodeofconduct.Forexample,don’thavecloaktomakewhenitbeginstorainand未雨綢繆.Ontheotherhand,someproverbsarephilosophicaltomakepeoplefeeltheheightoflife.Forinstance,Actionsspeaklouderthanwordsand事實(shí)勝于雄辯issuchproverbs.Manyproverbssummarizeknowledgeofpeople’sdailylifesuchasSoftfiremakessweetmaltand慢工出細(xì)活.Someproverbshavestronglocalcolor,mixedwithlocalculturalandnaturalcharacteristics.Forexample,Englishistheringingisland,Hullforwomen.TheChinesecivilizationhasalonghistoryandmanyscenicspotsandhistoricalsiteswithahistoryofover1,000yearsareveryattractive..上有天堂下有蘇杭，thisproverbtellspeopleaboutthelovelysceneryinSuzhouandHangzhou.1.2DifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseproverbsRegionaldifferencesdirectlyleadtolanguagedifferences,whichcanalsobedirectlyreflectedinproverbs.ThedifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseproverbsmainlyfocusonthemeaning,quantityandculturaltint..1.2.1DifferentNumbersComparedwithEnglishproverbs,ChineseproverbshaveonemorecharacteristicthanEnglishproverbs:theyareinlargeNumbersEnglishproverbsarenotsomanyasChineseproverbs.Insomecertainaspects,Chineseenjoysamuchlargernumberofproverbsforsomespecialreasons,as富家一頓飯，窮家一年糧.EnglishproverbsalsohaveimplicationsforexploitationsuchasMightisright,ButnotasmuchasChineseproverbs.Chinesepeoplebelieveinsocialharmonyandbrotherhood.Theycherishmutualhelpanddoinggoodforothers.Theyregarditasoneofthemostimportantvirtues.1.2.2DifferentImagesandMeaningsEnglishandChinesearebornunderdifferentregionalcivilizations,andtheirdistinctivelanguagecharacteristicsalsohighlighttheircharm.Therearethreedifferences:similarimagesfordifferentmeanings;differentimagesforsimilarmeaningsandimageblank.Duetoculturaldifferencesanddifferentunderstandings,thetwosidesmayhavedifferentunderstandingsandimpressionsofsimilarimages,whichdirectlyleadtodifferentmeaningsofproverbs.Thesaying"ajourneyofathousandmilesbeginswithasinglestep"isverysimilartotheChineseproverb"ajourneyofathousandmilesbeginswithasinglestep"失之毫厘，謬以千里.Inspiteofthesimilarimages“miss”and“失”，themeaningsofthetwoarequitedifferentbecauseofthedifferentthinkingmodesofEnglishandChinesepeoples.1.2.3DifferentCulturalTintEnglishandChineseproverbshavedifferentcharacteristicsduetotheiroriginsindifferentregionalcivilizations.Firstofall,EnglishandChineseproverbscomeintobeinginthecontinuouspracticeofworkingpeopleinbothcountries.Theyreflecttheirdifferentlivinghabitsandcustoms.ManyChineseproverbssuchas不耕不種，終身落空；農(nóng)民不使勁，餓死世間人showtheimportanceofagricultureinpeople’slife.Secondly,It'sgeographicaldifferences.Whenthesunsetsbrightandclear,aneasterlywindyouneednotfear.萬事俱備，只欠東風(fēng).Fromthesetwoproverbs,wecanseethatthepeopleofthetwocountrieshavedifferentattitudestowardsthewind.Becausetheeastwindisthearrivalofwarmandwetair,istoinfiltratethewholeworld,whilethewestwindisthearrivalofcold.Lastly,EnglishandChineseproverbsreflectdifferentphilosophicalvaluesInthewest,independenceandprivacyarethecharacteristicsoftheindividual,andtherearedistinctsubjectiveandobjectivedifferencesbetweenmaterialandspiritual,ratherthanconflation.Somanypeoplearepreoccupiedwithpleasureseeking.TheproverbEat,drinkandbemerry,fortomorrowwedieisanactualexampleofthis.Onthecontrary,theChinesehaveaparticularaversiontoindividualism.Theybelievethatthemostpowerfulthingistofocusondoinggreatthings.Theroleoftheindividualisofteninferiortotheroleofthecollective,theyemphasizethesupremacyofthecollective.2.ConclusionProverbsreflecttheregionalcultureandrepresentthecharacteristicsoftheregionallanguage.Theynotonlyshowtherichestcontentsinthesimplestexpression,butalsoreflectthecloseconnectionbetweencultureandlanguage.Inaddition,asanamecardofaregionandnationalculture,ithasgreatresearchsignificance,anditalsoprovidesameaningfulsupportforunderstandingtheeconomicsocietyandhumanistichistoryofaregion.Soproverbsareveryhelpfulforlearningalanguageandacountry'sculture.ThedifferencebetweenEnglishandChineseproverbscannotpreventthetwosidesfromcommunicating.Afterall,botharelanguages.Thesecommunicationpointsactuallyenablesomelanguagelearnerstohavemoreeffectivelearningideasandmasteralanguagemorequickly.Onlythroughsystematicanalysisandresearchonproverbscanthetranslatorachievetheidealcommunicativepurpose.Comparativestudiesmustbeconductedinacomprehensiveculturalcontex