Cultural Differences Reflected in English and Chinese Idioms

Abstract：Idioms can reflect a nation just like a mirror. As a special form of language, idioms carry a large amount of cultural information such as history, geography, religion, custom, nationality, psychology, etc., and therefore idioms are closely related to culture. Thus people can know much about culture by studying idioms and in turn get better understanding of idioms by learning the cultural background behind idioms. In order to communicate with each other fluently, the study of the relationship between the idiom and culture is significant and urgent. This paper analyzes the main causes of cultural differences in English and Chinese idioms and illustrates the manifestations of cultural differences. The aim of this thesis is to enhance language learners' intercultural awareness of comprehending and utilizing idioms from different cultures precisely and accurately.

Key Words: idioms; origin; cultural; differences

I. Introduction

Idioms can be considered as items of special collocation.Famous linguist Carter describes idioms as “restricted collocation which cannot normally be understood from the literal meaning of the words which make them up”. Furthermore, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English defines idioms as “a fixed group of words with special meaning which is different from the meanings of the individual words”. Despite their differences, there is one thing in common: a great number of idioms have a figurative sense that cannot be derived from the understanding of component parts. Unlike literal language, it is impossible to explain the idiom from the literal meaning of the separate words. It is an established form that has been accepted by traditional usage. As such, the component words, word order and meaning of each idiom should be learned as a whole.

II. The history and the origins of idioms

i. From Customs

One nation’s custom is formed through a long history and firmly rooted in people’s mind. It plays an important source of idioms. In different countries customs drastically differ in various aspects, so a lot of idioms turn out with different features.

Take food habits for example, cake has been a common food in English, so it is understandable that they use “a piece of cake” denoting an easy-done task. However, in China, cake cannot be seen until the last one hundred years, so it is impossible for the same idiom to appear in Chinese. On the other hand, dishes are very common in China, therefore a similar idiom “小菜一碟” turned out in Chinese to express the same meaning.