A Comparative Study on Chinese and English Idioms

潘放

We all know that Idioms are the important part of a language. No matter in written language or oral language， idioms has its special language patterns and characteristics. Idioms are used in high frequency. A lot of language and cultural information can be conveyed by idioms when people talk with each other.

But what is the concept of idiom？ Different people have different opinions to idioms. So there are more definitions of idioms. Some experts regard idioms as treasury of a language， others consider idioms as the quintessence of language. These opinions reflect the idioms characteristics in some degree. But they couldnt express the idioms definition. Different dictionaries always have different definitions. For example， Longman Active English-Chinese Dictionary （1990） defines an idiom as “a phrase which means something different from the meanings of the separate words”. The concise Oxford Dictionary （2000） gives such a definition as “a group of words established by usage and having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words”. Longman Dictionary of contemporary English （1998） gives the definitive “a phrase which means something different from them meanings of the separate words from which it is formed”.

Now we have already known what the idioms are， but what are the differences between English and Chinese idioms. Chinese idioms generally include： set phrase especially the four-word set phrases “氣貫長(zhǎng)虹”，“國(guó)泰民安”； proverbs “好事不出門(mén)，壞事傳千里”； common saying “天下無(wú)難事， 只怕有心人”； allusion “青女素娥”； a two-part allegorical saying “肉包子打狗-有去無(wú)回”. As to the English idioms， English idioms generally include： Set phrase， idiomatic phrases such as “to have one's head in clouds”； Proverbs such as “many men， many minds”； Common sayings “to charge someone an arm and a leg”； Allusion such as “much cry and little word ”； Slang “slang off”.

Differences in classification of English and Chinese idioms

1. The four groups of English idioms

1）Set phrases ： The set phrases include idioms and abbreviated expressions. They function as a word in sentence and should be used as a whole without change of their forms.

Bear a grudge against somebody（耿耿于懷）： dislike someone because of something， that has happened in the past.

Wet behind the ears（乳臭未干）： lacking experience， training or knowledge， na？ve and immature.

2）Colloquialisms： An informal word or expression which is more suitable for use in speech than in writing

Hand in there： not to give up.

Big wheel： an influential or important person.

3）Proverbs

Nothing ventured， nothing gained： one cannot obtain anything unless one risks something or makes an effort to obtain it.

All work and no play make Jack a dull boy： it is not wise to concentrate only on work and not to allow time for relaxation. Without proper leisure time， the worker and therefore the work will suffer.

4）Slang expressions

Dish the dirt： gossip or spread rumors about others.

Hit the sack： go to bed.

2. The four groups of Chinese idiom

1）成語(yǔ)（set phrases）： Chinese set-phrases are a kind of special and fixed expressions with brief form， regular structure and rich and profound meaning. Set phrase is a group of words that together has a particular meaning， especially when they express the meaning well in a few words.

Bury the hatchet（偃旗息鼓）：restore a relationship after a long quarrel.

Split hairs（吹毛求疵）：find and unimportant differences as if the differences are important.

2）俗語(yǔ)（common saying）： Common saying is a well known short statement that expresses an idea， most believe is true and wise. In Chinese， common saying is created for ordinary people， which is passed down from one generation to the next.

坐失良機(jī)，后悔已遲It is too late to grieve when the chance is past.

不鳴則已，一鳴驚人It never rains but it pours.

3）諺語(yǔ)（proverbs）： Proverb is short well-known statement that contains advice about life in general. Proverbs are created and developed by people and passed down from one to another by spoken language. It is combination of peoples wise and experience. Using proverbs can make the language and dialogue more humorous and vivid， and also can prove the expression ability of text.

“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”：foolish people say and do things too hastily. A wise person avoids rash action.

4）歇后語(yǔ)（two-part allegorical sayings）： Two-part allegorical sayings are special language form which are created by the people from daily life. It usually consists two parts. The front part is brought alive by its masterful use of metaphor. The latter part is explanation， which is suitable.

肉包子打狗——有去無(wú)回Throw a meat-stuffed bun at a dog – something gone， never to return

鐵打的公雞——一毛不拔Iron cock – stingy person

English has a rich repertoire of idioms. Getting a good knowledge of English idioms can help us understand English culture， express ourselves clearly and avoid using Chinese English. English idioms are very important in our daily life. In order to learn English， we have to master the commonly-used idioms or phrases. If not， we may make many silly mistakes. So I hope this text can help us to master more and more English and Chinese idioms， in order to prove our English level.

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