OnIdiomsandTheirTranslationfromChineseintoEnglish习

On Idioms and Their Translation from Chinese into

English

习语及习语的汉英翻译

Abstract

Idioms are just like incomparably resplendent bight pearls emitting dazzling rays in

the palace of literature. Throughout the ages, they animate the works of countless men

of literature and writing. Idioms have fixed patterns and abundant connotations. Their

vivid images explicitly convey incisive meanings. Chinese idioms are part of the

essenceof Chinese culture with a history of thousands of years. In this thesis, the

English translation of Chinese idioms will be discussed on the foundation of simply

introducing the definitions, origins, features, and classifications of idioms, and a

series of principles and methods of idiom translation will be put forward, mainly

involving the translation of the Chinese idioms which have similar and dissimilar

implications in English.

Key words

Chinese idioms； similarity ； dissimilarity

摘 要

习语犹如文学殿堂里一颗璀璨无比的明珠放射着历久不衰的光芒， 古往今来，

无数文人墨客的笔下都闪耀着它的异彩。 它结构固定而涵义深刻， 用生动的形象

明确地表达着深刻的思想。 汉语习语是几千年华夏文化的精髓之一。 本文在简单

介绍习语就的定义， 来源，特点及分类的基础上， 研究汉语习语的英语翻译并提

出一系列的汉语习语英译的翻译原则和翻译方法 ,其中主要涉及对似和非对似汉

语习语的英语翻译。

关键词

汉语习语； 对似性； 非对似性

Introduction

Language is the most important communicative tool of all human beings. It plays its

role as not only the carrier and form of culture but also the most vital element of

transmission and inheritance of culture. Language of any kind is the crystallization of

the culture of its own nation. As the cream of the culture, the idiom is a kind of

widespread set phrasesor sentences, with specific implications, abstracted from the

spoken language and experience of the people and the classical works. Due to its

vivid image and profound connotation, the idiom is deeply loved by the masses, as a

member with fine expressible ability in the family of language. Idioms frequently

appear in the spoken language and literary works. Chinese idioms have a solid

cultural base to take root, develop and flourish now that the Chinese nation has

broad and profound culture.

Nowadays, the international status of China is upgrading gradually. People all over

the world take delight in acquainting themselves with Chinese culture. As the essence

of Chinese culture and the crystallization of the wisdom of the common Chinese

people, idioms are bound to become an important part to promote the Chinese

culture to the knowledge of people of all the other countries. The idiom is a contact

point of the knowledge of the Chinese culture for people all over the world. To sum up,

in order to make the western peoples know Chinese culture thoroughly, the study of

the English translation of Chinese idioms is quite necessary and of far-reaching

significance.

Section One

Introduction to Idioms

Idioms are those set phrases or short sentences abstracted from the spoken language

or classical works, and the like. They were passed down from generation to generation

for centuries. Idioms are scientific summary of people?s experience and the

crystallization of people?s wisdom. After thousands of years? accumulation, idioms are

provided with vivid images, profound implications and exquisite rhythms.

Idioms could mirror the local customs and practices of different regions, the living

style of the people, the natural environment and so on. We could see that the idiom

has a very strong color of its nation. Therefore, to understand and study the idiom is

supposed to start from its definition, origin, features, and classifications.

I. Definition of Idioms

As for the definition of idioms, there are various versions according to different

dictionaries and scholars. I picked out some of those definitions from some

authoritative dictionaries as follows:

(1) An idiom is an expression which functions as a single unit and whose meaning

cannot be worded out from its separate parts (Longman Dictionary of Applied

Linguistics, 1985) and (2) An idiom is a phrase, construction or expression that is

recognized as a unit in the usage of a given language and either differs from the

usual syntactic patterns or has a meaning that differs from the literal meaning of its

parts taken together. (Webster?s New World College Dictionary 3rd Edition, 1996)

Some experts, who have been engaged in the study of idioms for many years, also

have opinions of the definition of idioms.

(1) Weinreich held the view that a phraseological unit involving at least two

polysemous constituents, and in which there is a reciprocal contextual selection of

subsenses will be called and idiom.

(2) Schweigert and Moates have the idea that idioms are common expressions used

in colloquial speech with accepted, figurative meanings that differ from their present-day literal meanings. These above are from dictionaries and experts or scholars. To