Abstract and Key Words

Abstract: The culture is the product shared by all human society, and language is the symbol system that can be used to record culture. Proverbs, as an important part of culture, are the essence of national language, are highly concentrated and centralized. Proverbs present different cultures. This paper compares the British and Chinese proverbs in the aspects of the corresponding relations, origin, religious beliefs, living custom and geographical environment, etc. by giving numerous examples. Through comparison, this paper aims at revealing similarities and differences of different cultures reflected on the proverbs in the UK and China, thus help readers to understand the different cultures better and make their cross-cultural communication better and harmonious.

Key words: British Proverbs; Chinese Proverbs; Contrastive Study

摘要：文化是一切人类社会共享的产物，而语言则是记录文化的符号系统。谚语作为文化的一个重要组成部分，是一个民族语言和文化的高度浓缩和集中体现。谚语是语言瑰宝，可以反映出不同的文化。本文借助一些典型的例子，分析从英汉谚语的对应关系、起源、宗教信仰、生活风俗、地理环境等文化侧面入手，探讨英国谚语和中国谚语之间存在的共性与差异，皆在帮助读者能更好地理解英汉语言与文化，使跨文化交际更能趋于和谐。

关键字：英国谚语；中国谚语；比较研究

1. Introduction
Culture has wide and complicated context. It includes knowledge, belief, policy, art, law, ethics, customs, and abilities and habits formed by people as social members. Language is an important part of culture, and proverbs are the gems of language. As Francis Bacon once commented, “The genius, wit and spirit of a nation are discovered in its proverbs.” As early as the 17th century, an English patron named Robert South said, “What is a proverb, but the experience and observation of several ages, gathered and summed up in one expression.” Proverbs are the folk wisdom among the people and are the crystallization of people’s experience. In Holland, there is a saying, “Proverbs are the daughters of daily experience.” Proverbs are the essence of language, showing people’s wisdom. They are meaningful and thought-provoking. Their symmetrical structures are catchy and make proverbs easy to be spread.
In order to have a good command of English, we should be familiar with some English proverbs, which is an important part of English language. If we know more English proverbs, we can not only improve our English proficiency, but also know more about English countries. In other words, to know more about proverbs, we will be able to increase our knowledge and broaden our horizons. China is a country, which boasts of its long history, and proverbs have been playing an important role in our country, which reflect people’s experience and understanding of life. Through the contrast of English and Chinese proverbs, we will learn English better and know more about the culture, which will enable us to appropriately use proverbs in cross- cultural communication.