parison and Translation of Idioms Category of English Idioms.docx

Unit 15
Comparison and Translation of Idioms Category of English Idioms
Set phrases 成语 Proverbs 谚语 Sayings 格言Colloquialisms 俗语Allusions 典故Slangs 俚语Enigmatic folk similes 歇后语
Culture specific: depend very much upon a specific social or ecological setting.
Finding satisfactory equivalents for idioms is one of the most difficult aspects of translating.
In many cases idioms can only be satisfactorily rendered by non-idioms in a target language
Note: east wind & west wind have absolute different connotations in Chinese and English culture
Ode to the West Wind – Shelly
When the wind is in the east, it’s good for neither man nor beast.
东风吹,寒风到,对人对畜都不好。(东风在英国象征寒冷,令人不愉快)When the wind is in the west, the weather is at the ,气候最宜人
Influence of Custom on English Idioms
Idioms concerning horse
work like a horse辛辛苦苦地干活
beat a dead horse徒劳无益
as strong as horse非常强壮/强壮如牛
bet on the wrong horse支持错了对象
come off one’s high horse 放下架子
that is a horse of another color那完全是另外一码事
Note: horse is often treated as mon animal in English without mendatory sense in Chinese: 老马识途(an old horse knows the way),老骥伏枥(an old hero still cherishes high aspirations)
Idioms concerning dog
top dog最重要的人物 a lucky dog幸运儿 a jolly dog快活的人 rain cats and dogs下滂沱大雨 He is in the doghouse他名声扫地 lead a dog’s life过着悲惨的生活 Love me, love my dog爱屋及乌 Every dog has its Let a sleeping dog
Barking dogs do not bite会叫的狗不咬人
Note: dog is highly valued in English culture. However, Influenced by foreign culture, sometimes dog is often used in derogatory sense.
Compare some Chinese idioms
狗腿子/走狗lackey狗崽子son of bitch狗胆包天monstrous audacity狗急跳墙A concerned beast will do sth ,多管闲事Poke your nose into other people’s affairs.
狗嘴吐不出象牙A filthy mouth can’t utter decent language.
Note: dog is often endowed with derogatory sense in Chinese
Influence of Religion on English Idioms
Chinese:
做一天和尚撞一天钟
Song long as I remain a bonze, I go to toll the bell.
跑得了和尚跑不了庙
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