Abstract:

Idioms in English are simple but profound, various in form and catchy in expression. The paper first points out the definition of idioms and the characteristics of idioms, including the basic and common characteristics of idiom. Then it compares the differences of idioms between Chinese and English in four aspects: geographical conditions, religious beliefs, histories and customs. In this paper, numerous examples are given to demonstrate the differences between these two cultures. After comparison, this paper concludes that differences between Chinese and English idioms are fascinating and interesting. The translation of idioms from Chinese to English or English to Chinese is a tough and difficult job. This paper is aimed to give us a better understanding of cultural differences and to equip us with some basic knowledge of idiom. The author hopes that this paper can be helpful to translation and act as a better fulfillment of translator’s duty as ambassador of culture exchange.

Keywords:  cultural differences; religion; geography; history; custom

摘要：

谚语言简意赅，寓意深刻，形势多种多样，朗朗上口，有利于学生提高学习兴趣，提高素养，还有利于学生培养欣赏能力和表达能力。 这篇文章首先指出了习语的定义以及习语的特点，包括了习语最基本最常见的特点，然后这篇论文从四个方面讨论了东西方文化的差异，分别是地理条件，宗教信仰，人情风俗以及历史。在这篇论文中，大量的进行举例，用很多中西方的习语来证明文化差异。在比较之后，文章得出结论说中西文化在谚语方面的差异是令人着迷的，也是有趣的。对于谚语的翻译，不论是从中文到英文还是英文到中文，都是困难的工作。这篇文章意在让读者更好的了解中西方文化，也让我们了解一些关于谚语的最基本的知识，并希望能够对中西谚语翻译有一定的帮助。

关键词：文化差异；宗教 ；地理 ; 历史；习俗