On English and Chinese Idioms Translation 论英汉成语的翻译

郑州大学毕业论文

题目：On English and Chinese Idioms Translation

论英汉成语的翻译

学生姓名：XXX 学号：..........

指导教师：...... 职称：副教授

院（系）：..... 年级：2009级

专业：....... 班级：....

完成时间：2013年5月25日

On English and Chinese Idioms Translation

By

.........

As Partial Requirements

For the Bachelor’s Degree of Arts in English Supervised by Associate Professor .........

The School of Foreign Languages

.............

Abstract

The idiom is a very common phenomenon of language in both Chinese and English. And it is the most important part of language and culture. It is also the language crystal through human being’s activit ies and associations. The idioms have the tremendous similarities between Chinese and English. And there are also some differences because of different social backgrounds, customs and religions.

The author of this paper examines the sources and characteristics of idioms between English and Chinese and the strategies of the translation so that we can master and use the idioms well to make our idioms translation more vivid and live.

The key word: similarities; differences; translation; idioms

摘要

成语无论在汉语中还是在英语中都是一个常见的语言现象，是一个社会语言和文化的重要组成部分，也是人们在长期实践和认识过程中提炼出来的语言结晶。英汉成语有惊人相似之处。但是由于不同的社会背景、风俗习惯和宗教信仰，在两种语言中也出现了一些不同之处。

本文作者通过对英汉成语来源、特点以及成语翻译策略的比较，使我们能更好地掌握和使用成语来使我们的成语翻译更生动形象和地道。

关键词：相同；不同；翻译；成语

Acknowledgment

Sincerely, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all my respectful teachers and the people who, directly and indirectly have supported and encouraged me to finish this thesis.

First of all，I would like to extend my gratitude to my supervisor, Associate Professor ........, who has guided me through the various stages of writing this paper, from whose insightful comments and valuable advice I have benefited immensely．Without her painstaking efforts in correcting the errors in my drafts, the completion of the present paper would have been impossible．

Secondly, I am grateful to many professors and teachers in the school of Foreign Languages of Zhengzhou University, who have taught me in my undergraduate studies. Through their classes，I have not only gained basic knowledge of the English language，but also gained some specialized knowledge.

Finally, special thanks should be given to my classmates, friends, for their support, understanding and unselfish love. All of them have contributed to the completion of this thesis.

On English and Chinese Idioms Translation

Outline

I. Introduction (1)

II. Characteristics of the English and Chinese Idioms (1)

III. The Strategies of Translating Idioms (5)

A. The Similarities between English and Chinese Idioms (5)

B. The Differences between English and Chinese Idioms (6)

C. The Ways of Translation (7)

IV. Conclusion (12)

Bibliography (13)

On English and Chinese Idioms Translation

I. Introduction

As we all know, English and Chinese belongs to the two different language families, and they have different vocabulary, different word forms and different sentence formation that makes up, and also different idioms which are the major part that this essay will discuss later. Chinese and English idioms are the cultural fruits of two different nations. They live in different places of the world, they have different material conditions,according which they create different systems, ways of thought, cultures, traditional habits, cultural customs and so on. All of the differences between Chinese and Western cultures show in every aspect of daily life, especially the idioms. If we want to translate the idioms well, at first, it is necessary to understand the idioms exactly. and we also are aware that Chinese and English idioms are complicated. In this essay, therefore, I will analyze the idioms from many different parts, with an aim that every reader has a comprehendible and broad understanding about English and Chinese idioms. First, the source of English and Chinese idioms is analyzed, and then the similarity and difference of idioms between English and Chinese idioms. Finally, I will deliver the strategies of translation of English and Chinese idioms, and the points that we should pay attention when we translate idioms.

II. Characteristics of the English and Chinese Idioms

The idiom of English is defined as set phrase or idiom. Let’s take a look at the definition:

An idiom is a fixed group of words with a special meaning which is different from the meanings of the words that from it -----(A handbook of writing ).

An idiom is a phrase of sentence whose meaning is not clear from the meaning of its individual words and which must be learned as a whole unit.

-----(Oxford Advanced Learner’s English )

From the definition above, we can easily find that the idiom of English is a set phrase which has the special meaning. It has two characteristics: which are the integrity of meaning and stability of structure .In the structure of English idioms, they can not change in the great extent. First, its composition can not be replaced, for example: in a brown study as an idiom means deep in thought .Second , the word order of the idiom can not shifted .for example. By twos and threes can not be written down with by threes and twos, and the lion’s share can not be replaced by t he share of the lion .Third, the composition can not be added or deleted ,even though it is just an article. For example: out of the question as an idiom means impossible, when the is deleted , it will lose the meaning of the idiom .

Modern Chinese Dictionary defines the idiom in this way :idiom is a set phrase through human being’s long time use, which is terse in form, concise and refined in meaning. In broad speaking, idioms include set phrase, proverbs, sayings, allusions, epigrams, slangs, colloquialisms, quotations and two-part allegorical sayings. Its principles and techniques are to try to retain image, meaning, and the figure of speech, and conform to the idiomatic expression and reflect the features of national culture and people’s way of thi nking .

The Chinese idiom is often composed of four words, and it usually has the providence. Like the characteristics of English idiom, the Chinese idiom has also the characteristics of the integrity of meaning and stability of structure. The meaning of idioms is not added simply by the compositions which make up. The real meaning of the idiom is sought by the literal meaning down into the deep level . The idioms of English give an emphasis on the special use of language. However , the idioms of Chinese lay stress on the conciseness and comprehensiveness .

Most of the idioms come from the human being’s activity and they are the product of many people and they have the strong features of cultures. And they are full of cultural information of two nations which represent different cultural

background, and the different of the local color. the two nations of Chinese and English live in different environment ,with different customs and histories. So the two nations form different world views and through the history change, they have different and similar idioms in not only language form, but also in the source of the idioms. Idiom is refined from real life and human activity. Some come from recreation and some come from physical activity and some come from the food and the cuisine, and some come from agriculture and business and military part. These kinds of idioms coming from the real life are live and vivid. So in English many of these idioms exist. For example:

To speak by the card (说话精确)

To have other fish to fry (有别的事干)

To play into somebody’ hands (因失算而使别人占上风)

To cook one’s goose (破坏某人的计划)

To talk shop （讲专业的话）

As cool as cucumber (冷静)

But in Chinese idioms there are not so many as that in English . for example:一箭双雕，添油加醋, 画饼充饥, 瓜熟蒂落.

The idioms come from the history tradition. In ancient china, Chinese looked down upon the merchant .So the merchant in the Chinese eyes is very mean .and then the idiom of 囤积居奇is created ,and also there are many wars in two thousand years ago in China and there are many military idioms. for example : 临阵磨枪，枪林弹雨etc. However, England is an island country, which is surrounded with the sea ,so many idioms about sea are created .for example :

In the same boat with some body

To clear the decks.

The idioms come from the religion and the classics. There are rather a part of idioms coming from the religion in Chinese and English nations. The western countries comes from the Christianity, therefore, many English idioms are from the story of Holy Bible, many of which become the mottoes of people. For example : Do as you would be done by

Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die

A soft answer turnth away wrath

An eye for an eye ,a tooth for a tooth

In China Buddhism has a profound effects on Chinese culture. for example:五体投地，借花献佛etc, but the idiom from the religion in Chinese is much less than that from the holy bible in English .

The idioms come from the masterpiece of the famous English writer. In English literature, the most famous one is Shakespeare, therefore, many of the idioms come from his dramas. For instance:

Out of point ----Hamlet

To wear one’s heart on one’s sleeves ----Othello

Peter pan ----Peter Pan

Man Friday ----Robinson Crusoe

There are also many idioms in Chinese classics. For instance: the famous Tao The King and the Analects

三人行，必有我师---The Analects

天网恢恢，疏而不漏---Tao Te king

金玉良言-----Romance of the Western Chamber

不可胜数----MO- Tse

Idioms come fr om mythology and allegory . Aesop’s fables, and the Greek mythology are the source of English idioms .

Sour grape ----Aessop’s fables

A Chilles’ hell ---the Greek mythology

The lion’s share----Aesop’s fables

The Chinese idioms most come from the history document and then people sum them into the idioms.

E . g

精卫填海---Shanhaiching

守株待兔---Han Feizi

杞人忧天----Lieh tzu

The idioms come from the history story .These happens many events in the history ,so there are many idioms from the events. English has the history of more than 1000 years ,and china has the history as long as 5000 years. So in this part ,the idioms in English are less than those of Chinese, for example,

To eat crow

Columbus’ egg.

However, there are many more idioms from history allusion .Most of them were wrote down in the history document, for example: history as mirror, and strategies of warring states and zuo zhuan, and shi chi

四面楚歌-----Shi Chi

图穷匕见---- Strategies of Warring States

贪生怕死----Han Shu

III. The Strategies of Translating Idioms.

A. The Similarities of English and Chinese Idioms

English idiom often comes as a whole ,and its meaning cannot easily be analyzed from the words make up .In other words ,the words which make up the idioms as a whole form a new meaning and they are different from the meaning of every word ----that is what we say ,the idioms meaning as a whole .For example:

Hold one’s tongue ---保持沉默

Be on one’s toe ----保持警惕

Throw in the towel ----认输

Carry a torch for ----单相思

In Chinese idiom：

泥牛入海refers to no news

如雷贯耳refers that one is famous

洁白无瑕indicates that one‘heart is pure

In English idioms, once the idiom is changed or shifted, the original meaning will disappear. So is the Chinese idiom. 唇枪and 舌剑in 唇枪舌剑parallel，but we do not write舌剑唇枪，just because the meaning of the idioms is not added by each word .

The Chinese and English people create the idioms which are closely connected with their activities. Therefore, they have many associations with the environments and cultural background and religious belief, that is the national feature.

Some connect with the environment:

Break the ice and turn the tide.

Some connect with the religious belief :

Eat no fish

A lion in the way

As poor as a church mouse, and god disposes .

Some connect with the national feeling:

A lucky dog

A dark horse .

B. The Differences between English and Chinese Idioms

Chinese often use ox or ass to describe one as the stubborn person. However, in English idioms, English use the mule to express the same meaning (as stubborn as mule). If we translate the sentence as 他犟得像匹骡子，it is faithful to the literal meaning in English idiom, but it is not faithful to the Chinese expression. And there are many similar expressions of idioms. For instance:

Like a cat on hot bricks –像热锅上的蚂蚁

Bury one’s head in the sand –掩耳盗铃

No smoke has its day ----无风不起浪

Every dog has its day-----人人皆有得意时

The English and Chinese idioms express the different attitudes to life and

opinion to the matter. let’s take a simple and sure example. Dog is a loyal symbol to the English people. it also presents the friend, and it has a friendly feeling. Therefore, it is often used to describe people’s life in English .for example:

Lucky dog ---幸运儿

Love me，love my dog---爱屋及乌

Top dog ---重要的人

However, dog in the Chinese culture and tradition, is used to express the person who is looked down upon. It describes the evil person, and bad thing. For example :狗仗人势，狼心狗肺etc.

China is a very old agricultural country, and the farmer is occupied with the most part in the population. So many idioms are created by the farmers. For example: 对牛弹琴---cast Pearls before swine

安乐窝--- a bed of roses

众人拾柴火焰高---a rolling stone gathers no moss

However, English is an island country, which is surrounded by the sea, so there are many idioms about the sea. For instance:

Hoist the sail when the wind is fair.

The great fish eat up the small one.

There exist many idioms which were formed by the history allusions in the English and Chinese expression. These idioms have profound meaning ,though they are the simple structure. So we can not easily understand them In the literal meaning. Take 卧薪尝胆for example. Each of history allusion has much history information, and it is a vivid history story. In the English allusion, there are also many. In the holy bible, there are more than 700 pieces and William Shakespeare ‘works are full of allusions. And some people and event themselves becomes allusions.

C. The Ways of Translation.

The translation of idioms is one of the most difficult part in the translation. The translator is not only faithful to the meaning of idiom itself, but also keeps the vivid

metaphor and associative meaning and the effect of rhetoric and the national features in order to reach the effect of faithfulness and expressiveness and el egance. Let’s elaborate the differences of translation in English and Chinese idioms through the examples.

The literal translation makes the original text and translated text equal in the form and content and function, and also it delivers the national culture. It is one main and effective means of translation. It is easy to convey the original meaning and does not result from the misunderstanding when we use the literal translation. In Chinese and English, these exist many idioms which are similar in form and meaning because there are similarities in the natural environment, and social development and activities. So in different languages, there are many similar conceptions and vocabularies and the habits of expression. For example:

Out of sight ,out of mind –眼不见，心不烦

God helps those who help themselves ---自助者天助之

Failure is the mother of success ----失败是成功之母

New-born calves make little of tigers –出生牛犊不怕虎

There are many idioms in English

A gentleman’s agreement –-君子协定

To play the lute to the cow –-对牛弹琴

Walls have ears –--隔墙有耳

Strike while the iron is hot ---趁热打铁

A cat has nine lives ---猫有九条命

So the literal translation is very well when it can express the original meaning exactly, for it can keep the original text tone similar and also enrich the translated language.

There are differences between English and Chinese idioms in the structure of language and cultural background. If some idioms use the literal translation ,they will be hard for the reader to understand or makes the translated text far-fetched. For this kind of idioms, we need the free translation to express the figural meaning exactly. For example:

To hold a candle to the devil ----为虎作伥

Neither fish nor flesh---不伦不类

To put the cart before the horse ---本末倒置

Nothing venture, nothing gain---不如虎穴，焉得虎子

Black and blue ---鼻青眼肿

By leaps and bounds ---突飞猛进

Love me ,love my dog---爱屋及乌

Every dog has its day---人人都有得意时

Free translation is not easy to master. So let’s analyze it specifically.

The customary part is displayed by the animal.

A dirty dog ---坏小孩

Paint the lily ---画蛇添足

As mute as a fish---噤若寒蝉

Wake a sleeping dog---打草惊蛇

China has vast territory and abundant resources and it is also an agricultural country. So there are a large part of idioms about the agriculture and dirt. For example:斩草除根，风调雨顺etc. England is an island country, which is surrounded by the sea. So there are many idioms about the sea and water .Such as : as weak as water, and to miss the boat.

There are many famous events and people use them briefly, which become idioms later. For instance: burn one’s boats, between Scylla and charyybdis. There is a sentence that he was in the seventh heaven last night .here we can not understand the phrase the seventh heaven as death ,but in great pleasure or in high spirits .In fact ,the seventh heaven is the place where god and angels live .it applies that people are very happy.

When the simple literal or free translation can not convey the original meaning exactly, we could use both the literal and free translation. For example: until all is over, ambition never dies ---不到黄河心不死。

When the idiom in the form and content of English and Chinese is similar, we could cite the meaning from each other. E,g

To fish in the troubled waters ---浑水摸鱼

To pour oil on fire ---火上浇油

A flash in the pan ---昙花一现

A friend in need is a friend indeed ----患难之交

Interpretation means that it expresses the original meaning and function through interpretation and supplement.

Some idioms can only make sense in the history background and allusion. For example: to carry coals to Newcastle –多此一举.Because Newcastle is the coal center of England .As to 叶公好龙, we can translate it literally that lord sheh’s love of dragons and then add the interpretation: lord sheh was so fond of dragons that he adorned his whole palace with drawing and carving of them. But when a real dragon heard of his infatuation and paid him a visit, he was frightened out of his wits.

There are also some points we need to consider in the process of translation.

Avoid using the similar idiom directly, and use the accepted form by both countries. For example: Armed to the teeth ----武装到牙齿

Pay attention to the subtle difference. For example, love is blind and 情人眼里出西施.The meaning of both is similar ,but the former means that one can not see his lover’s shortcomings, but the latter refers that the lover is beautiful.

Make sure the translator understand the idiom exactly .For instance ,handwriting on the wall refers to bad omen, not 墙上的书法。

Make sure the translated text terse and readable .E.g. 取之不尽用之不竭----inexhaustible

When the idiom is connected with the culture level, we should keep the idiom form and meaning intact. E .g . Talk of devil, he is sure to appear. We could not translate into 说曹操，曹操到but 说人人到，说鬼鬼到because 曹操is a very cultural word and there is no concept of 曹操in English, so we can not add it into the English .

In translation ,because different nation lives in the different natural and social environments, the idiom is used to express the form of something, or describe the feeling of some body in one language , when the place is changed ,the idioms will

also change and people will use the more familiar things as the metaphor .For example, in English idiom ,as red as rose (像玫瑰一样红)，in Chinese ,people prefer to use the as red as fire (火红), similar idioms also have many .

For instance

Every cook praises his own broth ---王婆卖瓜自卖自夸

As poor as the church mouth ---一盆如洗

As cool as cucumber ----泰然自若

Get on one’s high horse ----趾高气扬

When the idioms can be translated by literal translation, in order to keep the original text vivid, and make the translated text live, without the misunderstanding of the meaning, we should translate the idiom by literal translation. If the meaning is changed by the literal translation or the meaning is obscure, the free translation should be used. For example, the idioms below are very well when the literal translation is used.

Rolling stone gathers no moss ---滚石不生苔

To shed crocodile tears---掉鳄鱼的眼泪

Paper tiger ---纸老虎

The idioms below are very well when free translation is used .

A bird in hand is worth two in the bush---多得不如现得

Don’t count your chickens ---不要高兴太早

Two heads are better than one --- 三个臭皮匠赛过诸葛亮

To put all cards on table ---打开天窗说亮话

It s never too late to learn ----活到老学到老

To sit on pins and needles ----如坐针毡

Pay close attention to the change of composition and the connection with the meaning. It not only comes from the original meaning from the idioms, but also translates the subtle change in the idioms. For example

My cup of tea /my cup of wine---和我心意

Drag one’s feet/drag one’s heel ----故意拖延

Shake in one’s shoes /shiver in one’s shoes –不寒而栗-

Pour oil on the fire / add the fuel to the flame----火上浇油

IV. Conclusion

The idiom of English and Chinese is the different cultural fruit of the two different nations. Therefore, if we want to keep the cultural features of the original language as possible as we can in specific translation of idioms, and seek the common points while reserving the differences in cultural conversion, we need convey the original meaning exactly, and accord with the habits of expression in different culture .

Besides, if we want to translate the subtle differences of idioms between the different cultures, we should learn the English culture systematically, and get hold of English history and custom, and we also need to improve our Chinese self-cultivation so that we can translate the original text well in form and spirit.

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