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英汉成语的文化差异及翻译苏州大学!高立东［摘!要］成语中包含着丰富的文化信息，是语言中的精华所在。
本文主要研究了英汉成语中的文化差异，如宗教历史因素等，并提出了成语翻译的几个方法以及翻译中需注意的一些问题。
［关键词］成语!文化差异!翻译!!成语是语言高度发展的产物，它形式简练，含义精辟，是劳动人民智慧的结晶。
英汉两种语言都有着悠久的历史，在各自发展进程中都积累了丰富的成语，但由于两者在历史、政治、文化等诸多方面的不同，英汉成语的文化形象及内涵有较大差异，这对我们理解及翻译成语都有很大影响。
一"成语中的文化差异#民族心理英汉两民族拥有各自独有的心理特征和思维习惯，他们对许多事物有着不同的联想和感情色彩。
有时是同一事物表达不同的思想认识和概念，有时用不同参照物和表达形式反映同一事物。
两语言中关于动物、植物、颜色的字词或成语最能体现这一特征。
英语有成语$%&’()’*+,%&-*，汉语中却说“像老黄牛一样工作”。
其它如：+--.&%/0+-+,%&-*（像牛一样强壮），.+(’,%&-*（吹牛），1&)/’()’*+2)-,（牛饮）。
英语中说3,*)-0&**/4*5*1，而汉语则说“她眼红了”。
6自然环境自然环境包括地理环境、气候条件等诸多因素。
生活在不同自然环境的民族，对客观事物的想象不同，这必然要反映到语言中来。
中国地域宽广，是以陆地为主的国家，因而反映在成语上自然是以陆地上的人、事物作联想的多；相反，英国是个岛国，其成语则是与海洋或渔业有关的事物多一点。
英语中说“2)-,)/.,*+)&”，汉语中则有“缘木求鱼”，英语中说+--()77*&5+-+/**(，而汉语中则说“滑的像泥鳅”。
其它和鱼有关的成语如：+8)02)-,（大人物），+9%%(2)-,（无耻之徒），+-:;.*+-+2)-,（噤若寒蝉）。
英语中有<,*&*+&*:%&*2)-,)/.,* -*+（这个不行，还有其它的），主要用来安慰失恋者，与汉语中的“天涯何处无芳草”有异曲同工之妙。
英汉成语对比与翻译爱屋及乌 love me, love my dog.百闻不如一见 seeing is believing.比上不足，比下有余 "worse off than some, better off than many; to fall short of the best, but be better than the worst笨鸟先飞 a slow sparrow should make an early start.不眠之夜 white night不以物喜，不以己悲 not pleased by external gains, not saddened by personnal losses不遗余力 spare no effort; go all out; do one's best不打不成交 "no discord, no concord.拆东墙补西墙 rob peter to pay paul辞旧迎新 bid farewell to the old and usher in the new; ring out the old year and ring in the new大事化小，小事化了 try first to make their mistake sound less serious and then to reduce it to nothing at all大开眼界 open one's eyes; broaden one's horizon; be an eye-opener国泰民安 the country flourishes and people live in peace过犹不及 going too far is as bad as not going far enough; beyond is as wrong as falling short; too much is as bad as too little功夫不负有心人 everything comes to him who waits.好了伤疤忘了疼 once on shore, one prays no more好事不出门，恶事传千里 good news never goes beyond the gate, while bad news spread far and wide.和气生财 harmony brings wealth活到老，学到老 one is never too old to learn.既往不咎 let bygones be bygones金无足赤,人无完人 gold can't be pure and man can't be perfect.金玉满堂 treasures fill the home脚踏实地 be down-to-earth脚踩两只船 sit on the fence君子之交淡如水 the friendship between gentlemen is as pure as crystal; a hedge between keeps friendship green老生常谈，陈词滥调cut and dried, cliché礼尚往来 courtesy calls for reciprocity.留得青山在，不怕没柴烧 "where there is life, there is hope."马到成功 achieve immediate victory; win instant success名利双收 gain in both fame and wealth茅塞顿开 be suddenly enlightened没有规矩不成方圆 nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards.每逢佳节倍思亲on festive occasions more than ever one thinks of one's dear ones far away.it is on the festival occasions when one misses his dear most.谋事在人，成事在天 "the planning lies with man, the outcome with heaven. / man proposes, god disposes. "弄巧成拙 be too smart by half; cunning outwits itself.拿手好戏 masterpiece赔了夫人又折兵 throw good money after bad抛砖引玉 a modest spur to induce others to come forward with valuable contributions; throw a sprat to catch a whale破釜沉舟 cut off all means of retreat；burn one‘s own way of retreat and be determined to fight to the end抢得先机 take the preemptive opportunities巧妇难为无米之炊 if you have no hand you can't make a fist./ one can't make bricks without straw.千里之行始于足下a thousand-li journey begins with the first step--the highest eminence is to be gained step by step前事不忘,后事之师 past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future.前人栽树,后人乘凉 one generation plants the trees in whose shade another generation rests.one sows and another reaps.前怕狼,后怕虎 fear the wolf in front and the tiger behind/ hesitate in doing something弱龙容易压地头蛇 even a dragon (from the outside) finds it hard to control a snake in its old haunt - powerful outsiders can hardly afford to neglect local bullies.强强联手 win-win co-operation瑞雪兆丰年 a timely snow promises a good harvest.人之初,性本善 man's nature at birth is good.人逢喜事精神爽 joy puts heart into a man.人海战术 huge-crowd strategy世上无难事，只要兹登山 "where there is a will, there is a way. "世外桃源 a fictitious land of peace away from the turmoil of the world;死而后已 until my heart stops beating岁岁平安 peace all year round上有天堂，下有苏杭 "just as there is paradise in heaven, ther are suzhou and hangzhou on earth."塞翁失马，焉知非福 misfortune may be an actual blessing.三十而立 "a man should be independent at the age of thirty.at thirty, a man should be able to think for himself."升级换代 updating and upgrading (of products)四十不惑 life begins at forty.谁言寸草心，抓得三春晖 "such kindness of warm sun, can't be repaid by grass. "水涨船高 when the river rises, the boat floats high.时不我待 time and tide wait for no man.杀鸡用牛刀 break a butterfly on the wheel实事求是 seek truth from facts; be practical and realistic; be true to facts说曹操,曹操到 talk of the devil and he comes.实话实说 speak the plain truth; call a spade a spade; tell it as it is实践是检验真理的唯一标准 practice is the sole criterion for testing truth.山无此低，存有仙则名 "no matter how high the mountain is, its name will spread far and wide if there is a fairy; "韬光养晦 hide one's capacities and bide one's time糖衣炮弹 sugar-coated bullets天有不测风云 anything unexpected may happen. a bolt from the blue团结一致就是力量 unity is strength.“跳进黄河洗不清” "eve if one jumped into the yellow river, one can not wash oneself clean--there's nothing one can do to clear one's name "歪风邪气 unhealthy practices and evil phenomena物以类聚，人以群分 birds of a feather flock together.追忆例如风 "the past has vanished (from memory) like wind.; what in past, is past."望子成龙 hold high hopes for one's child屋漏又可逢连阴雨 misfortunes never come singly. when it rains it pours.文韬武略 military expertise; military strategy唯利是图 draw water to one's mill无源之水,无本之木 water without a source, and a tree wiithout roots无中生有 make/create something out of nothing无风不起浪 there are no waves without wind. there's no smoke without fire.徇私枉法 bend the law for the benefit of relatives or friends新官上任三把火 a new broom sweeps clean虚心并使人进步,自豪并使人滞后 modesty helps one go forward, whereas conceit makes one lag behind.蓄势而发 accumulate strength for a take-off心想事成 may all your wish come true心照不宣 have a tacit understanding; give tacit consent; tacit understanding先入为主 first impressions are firmly entrenched.先下手为强 catch the ball before the bound像是热锅上的蚂蚁 like an ant on a hot pan现身说法 warn people by taking oneself as an example息事宁人 pour oil on troubled waters喜忧参半 mingled hope and fear循序渐进 step by step一路平安，一路顺风 speed somebody on their way; speed the parting guest严以律己,宽以待人 be strict with oneself and lenient towards others鱼米之乡 a land of milk and honey有情人终成眷属 "jack shall have jill, all shall be well."有钱能使鬼推磨 money makes the mare go. money talks.有识之士 people of vision有勇无谋 use brawn rather than brain有缘千里去相见 separated as we are thousands of miles apart, we come together as if by predestination.与时俱进 advance with times以人为本 people oriented; people foremost因材施教 teach students according to their aptitude欲穷千里目，更上一层楼 "to ascend another storey to see a thousand miles further; ascend further, were you to look farther; would eye embrace a thousand miles? go up, one flight."欲速则不达 haste does not bring success.优胜劣汰 survival of the fittest英雄所见略同 great minds think alike.冤家宜求解不必结 better make friends than make enemies.冤假错案 "cases in which people were unjustly, falsely or wrongly charged or sentenced; unjust, false or wrong cases"一言既出，驷马难追 a real man never goes back on his words.招财进宝 money and treasures will be plentiful债台高筑 become debt-ridden致命要害 achilles' heel众矢之的 target of public criticism知己知彼,百战不殆 know the enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat.纸上谈兵 be an armchair strategist纸包不住火 truth will come to light sooner or later.左右为难 between the devil and the deep blue sea; between the rock and the hard place。
中文常见成语的英文翻译与英汉差异爱屋及乌Love me, love my dog.百闻不如一见One look is worth a thousand words.比上不足，比下有余To fall short of the best, but be better than the worst.笨鸟先飞A slow sparrow should make an early start.不遗余力Spare no effort; go all out; do one's best.不打不成交No discord, no concord.拆东墙补西墙Rob Peter to pay Paul.辞旧迎新Bid farewell to the old and usher in the new.大事化小，小事化了Try first to make their mistake sound less serious and then to reduce it to nothing at all.大开眼界Broaden one's horizon; be an eye-opener.国泰民安The country flourishes and people live in peace.过犹不及Going beyond the limit is as bad as falling short;excess is just as bad as deficiency;too much is as bad as too little.好了伤疤忘了疼Once on shore, one prays no more.好事不出门，坏事传千里Bad news travels fast.和气生财Harmony brings wealth;friendliness is conducive to business success.活到老学到老Never too old to learn.既往不咎Let bygones be bygones.金无足赤，人无完人There are spots even on the sun.金玉满堂Treasures fill the home.脚踏实地Be down-to-earth.脚踩两只船Sit on the fence; be a fence-sitter; have a foot in either camp. 君子之交淡如水A hedge between keeps friendship green.已成定局Cut and dried.礼尚往来Courtesy calls for reciprocity.留得青山在，不怕没柴烧Where there is life, there is hope.马到成功Achieve immediate victory; win instant success.名利双收Gain both fame and wealth.茅塞顿开Be suddenly enlightened.没有规矩，不成方圆Nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards.每逢佳节倍思亲On festive occasions more than ever one thinks of one's dear ones far away. 谋事在人，成事在天Man proposes; God disposes.弄巧成拙Make a fool of oneself in trying to be smart.赔了夫人又折兵Suffer a double loss; lose the bait along with the fish.抛砖引玉A modest spur to induce others to come forward with valuable contributions; throw a sprat to catch a mackerel.破釜沉舟Cut off all means of retreat；burn one's own way of retreat and be determined to fight to the end.抢得先机Take the preemptive opportunities.巧妇难为无米之炊One can't make bricks without straw.千里之行始于足下A thousand-li journey begins with the first step--the highest eminence is to be gained step by step.前事不忘，后事之师Past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future.前怕狼，后怕虎Fear wolves ahead and tigers behind; hesitate in doing something.强龙难压地头蛇The mighty dragon is no match for the native serpent.瑞雪兆丰年A fall of seasonal snow gives promise of a fruitful year.人逢喜事精神爽People are in high spirits when involved in happy events.世上无难事，只怕有心人Where there is a will, there is a way.世外桃源A retreat away from the turmoil of the world.人之初，性本善Humans are born good.上有天堂，下有苏杭Just as there is paradise in heaven, there are Suzhou and Hangzhou on earth 塞翁失马，焉知非福A blessing in disguise;Every cloud has a silver lining.三十而立A man should be independent at the age of thirty. /At thirty, a man should be able to think for himself.水涨船高A ship rises with the tide时不我待Time and tide wait for no man.杀鸡用牛刀Use a steam-hammer to crack nuts.实事求是Seek truth from facts; be practical and realistic; be true to facts.说曹操，曹操到Speak of the devil.实话实说Speak the plain truth; call a spade a spade; tell it as it is.实践是检验真理的唯一标准Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth.韬光养晦Hide one's capacities and bide one's time.糖衣炮弹Sugar-coated bullets.天有不测风云Anything unexpected may happen. a bolt from the blue.团结就是力量Unity is strength.跳进黄河洗不清Even if one jumped into the Yellow River, one can not wash oneself clean - there's nothing one can do to clear one's name歪风邪气Unhealthy trends and vulgar practices.物以类聚，人以群分Birds of a feather flock together.望子成龙Hold high hopes for one's child.唯利是图Seek nothing but profits; be blind to all but one's own interests.无中生有A sheer fabrication out of nothing; fabricate rumors out of thin air.无风不起浪There are no waves without wind. Nothing comes of nothing.徇私枉法Twist the law to suit one's own purpose.新官上任三把火A new broom sweeps clean.蓄势待发Accumulate strength for a take-off.心想事成May all your wish come true.心照不宣Have a tacit understanding; thoroughly understand each other, without havingexchanged a word of explanation.先入为主First impressions are firmly entrenched.先下手为强He who strikes first gains the advantage.The best defense is offense.热锅上的蚂蚁Ants on a hot pan现身说法Warn people by taking oneself as an example.息事宁人Pour oil on troubled waters; patch up a quarrel and reconcile the parties concerned. 循序渐进Proceed in an orderly way and step by step; advance gradually in due order.严以律己，宽以待人Be strict with oneself and lenient with others.有情人终成眷属Jack shall have Jill, all shall be well.有钱能使鬼推磨Money makes the mare go./ Money talks.有识之士A man of insight.有勇无谋Bold but not crafty.有缘千里来相会Separated as we are thousands of miles apart, we come together as if by predestination.与时俱进Keep pace with the times.以人为本People-oriented.因材施教Teach students according to their aptitude.欲穷千里目，更上一层楼To ascend another storey to see a thousand miles further; Ascend further, were you to look farther.欲速则不达Haste makes waste.More haste, less speed.优胜劣汰Survival of the fittest.英雄所见略同Great minds think alike.冤家宜解不宜结Better make friends than make enemies.冤假错案Cases in which people were unjustly, falsely or wrongly charged or sentenced; unjust, false or wrong cases.一言既出，驷马难追A promise is a promise.A real man never goes back on his words.招财进宝Bring in wealth and treasure.债台高筑Become debt-ridden.众矢之的Target of public criticism.纸上谈兵Be an armchair strategist.纸包不住火You can't wrap fire in paper.What's done by night appears by day.左右为难Caught in a dilemma; between the devil and the deep blue sea.英语学习应注意的英汉差异英语重形合(hypotaxis)，汉语重意合(parataxis) 。
英汉成语的比较与翻译摘要:成语是语言的重要组成部分之一。
它反映出一个民族和一个文化的特点。
如何理解以及如何翻译成语就成为外语学习者面临的一个语言难点,也是外语学习者必须要解决的一个问题。
现从英汉成语的若干差异,初步探讨理解与翻译英汉成语的问题。
关键词:英汉成语比较翻译成语是一种特殊语言,它是人们长期以来习用的、简洁精辟的定型词组或句子,具有浓厚的民族、历史和地方色彩。
从广义上说,成语包括谚语、习语、俗语和典故等,是一种在意义上和搭配上都比较稳定的语言结构,因而为人们所喜闻乐用,广泛流传。
由于中英两国语言和历史发展的背景不同,各有不同的成语色彩和特点,翻译时就要考虑这些特点,要把具有这些特点的成语在译文里恰到好处地表选出来是很不容易的。
现从英汉成语中所反映的文化差异方面略作比较,探讨英汉成语的翻译方法。
一、英汉成语中所反映的文化差异文化的定义最早是由英国人类学家泰勒(E.B.Tylor)提出来的。
他在《原始文化》一书中,给文化下了一个比较经典的定义:“文化是一个复合体,其中包括知识、信仰、艺术、法律、道德、风俗以及人作为社会成员而获得的任何其他能力和习惯。
”语言是文化的载体,每一种语言都具有民族文化的烙印。
英汉成语的若干差异主要表现在以下几个方面:1. 社会习俗上的差异风俗习惯的差异是文化差异的一个主要方面,在成语当中有较多的反映,特别是在动物形象上。
例如:英语中的dog被视为一种宠物,英国人普遍对狗有好感,很多家庭都养狗,由此产生了一些与狗有关的成语。
如:Love me,love my dog(爱屋及乌),top dog(重要的人),Every dog has his day(凡人皆有得意日)等。
而汉语中的狗则多带有贬义色彩,常用来形容和比喻坏人坏事。
例如:狗仗人势、狗胆包天、狼心狗肺等等。
不同的民族心理对不同的事物做出了迥异的价值取向。
在中国传统文化中,龙象征着吉利,汉语中与龙有关的成语一般都含褒义。
安徽文学ANHUIWENXUE 安徽文学2018年10期总第423期英汉成语对比与翻译王楠竹南京信息工程大学文学院摘要：成语作为语言体系中一部分，具有不可或缺的重要地位，意义上具有整体性，能够精炼、形象、警辟、生动地表达丰富的内容，使得文章增姿多彩，发人深省，耐人寻味。
英语和汉语里都有着丰富的成语。
很多中英文成语都能相互找到对应的表达。
本文就英汉成语的特点及其差异的探讨，相应地提出了几种英汉成语的翻译方法。
关键词院英汉成语对比翻译无论是英语里还是汉语里，都含有丰富的成语。
在汉语中，成语是人们表达自己情感的重要语言形式。
词组简洁、短语精辟都是汉语成语的重要特点。
在英语中，成语通常都具有特殊意义，以短语的形式存在。
英语成语和汉语成语都是以短语为基本形式，在含义，内容等方面都高度相似。
但若忽视英汉成语文化上的差异，在翻译的过程中就很容易出现错误。
所以，我们要对英汉成语的特点及其之间的差异有充分的了解，在翻译英汉成语的过程中反复揣摩其之间的异同，从而正确掌握翻译英汉成语的方法与策略，做好英汉成语的翻译工作。
一、英汉成语特点英语和汉语里所包含的成语使用范围十分广泛，无论是人们在平时的口语交流中还是书面语的表达里，成语都以较高的频率出现。
成语在语言的表达上起着非常重要的作用，英语成语和汉语成语还有一些共同点和相近之处。
汉语成语和英语成语都具有整体性。
即一条成语所表达的含义是整体的、独立的、完整的。
在理解它们的含义的时候就要从整体考虑，不可以断章取义。
每个成语背后都有自己独特的含义。
在语言的表达上起到言简意赅的效果，有画龙点睛的作用。
此外。
汉语成语和英语成语的结构都是固定和定型的。
不能随意更改或调换成语里的词序结构，也不可以给成语随意加词或减词。
汉语成语很多都是从古代流传下来的，有些根据字面意思就能够理解，而有些却是一个典故的浓缩，要了解了成语典故的出处才能理解它的意思。
例如《三国演义》中的三顾茅庐、草船借箭，《史记》中的负荆请罪，《战国策·楚策》中的狐假虎威。
英汉成语对比及其翻译策略摘要：由于受自然环境、地理位置、社会历史、文化传统的影响，英汉两种语言在成语方面的巨大差异成为英汉互译的障碍。
英汉两种语言历史悠久，包含着大量的成语，它们或含蓄、幽默，或严肃、典雅；不仅言简意赅，而且形象生动、妙趣横生，给人一种美的享受。
从中西文化差异的角度对英汉成语进行对比，研究英汉语言之间的差异，有助于找出适当的翻译策略，提高译文水平。
关键词：英语成语，汉语成语，文化差异，翻译策略A Contrastive Study of English and Chinese Idioms andTranslation StrategiesAbstract: There are great differences between English and Chinese idioms due to natural environment, geographical location, social history and cultural traditions which turn to be the obstacles of translation. Since the long history of two languages, a large number of idioms are created. These enjoyment are immersed in simple and vi vid languages which are implicit, humorous, serious and elegant. The contrastive study of English and Chinese Idioms makes a great contribution to the application of translation strategies and the improvement of translation quality.Key words: English Idiom, Chinese Idiom, Cultural Difference, Translation Strategy语言与文化从来都是密不可分的，成语与文化更是息息相关。
英汉词语对比与翻译--- 系统、语义及其他词类在英汉语中使用的频率有差异1.我成功了。
I was in success.2. The old man cast impatient glances at the clock. 这位老师不耐烦地看了看钟。
3.他初出茅庐，没有什么经验。
He is a green hand4. On entering the door I remembered the doll I had broken. I felt my way to the hearth and picked up the pieces. I tried vainly to put them together.一进门，我就想起来了被我摔碎的娃娃。
我摸索着走到壁炉跟前，捡起了碎片。
A Contrastive Study ofEnglish and Chinese --- 英汉语对比研究人到齐就开会。
The meeting will begin when all are here. 不要人云亦云。
Don’t say what others have said.帐单撕碎了。
The bill was torn to pieces. 问题解决了。
The problem was solved.你再说一个字，我马上走。
If you should say one more word, I would go at once. 你死了，我去当和尚。
If you should die, I would go and be a monk.1．人在阵地在。
The position will not be given up so long as we are still living.(Condition 条件)2．人无远虑，必有近忧。
If one has no long-term considerations, he will find trouble at his doorstep.(Condition 条件)3．病来如山倒，病去如抽丝。
