透过中西谚语的对比分析中西文化异同【毕业论文】 18页

（20__届）本科毕业设计英语透过中西谚语的对比分析中西文化异同TheSimilaritiesandDifferencesofCulturesInChineseandEnglishProverbs 摘要谚语是一个国家人民日常工作经验概括与总结，其内容精辟，寓意深邃，具有广泛的感染力，从中折射出一个国家的地理，历史，社会制度，生活哲理，社会观点和态度及其丰富的文化内涵。作为一种语言形式，谚语的独特魅力在于它是民族文化的精邃。既反映了一个民族文化的共性又反映了其个性：受该民族的价值观念，宗教信仰，审美习惯，历史文化，社会制度和社会意识形态的影响。这篇文章将通过对比中西方谚语的异同，来展示中西方文化的差异与相似点，已达到了解并掌握跨文化交际中需要注意的问题。关键词：谚语；文化内涵；文化相似点；文化差异。 AbstractProverbsissummarizedfrompeople’sdailyworkexperiences.Itsmeaninghavebroadappealandwhichreflectsacountry’sgeography,history,socialsystem,thelifephilosophyandsocialviewpoints.Asakindofformsoflanguage,theproverbnotonlyreflectsanation"scultureingeneralbutalsoreflectsitsindividualitybythenation"sconceptofvalue,religiousbeliefs,aesthetichabit,historicalculture,socialsystemandtheinfluenceofsocialideology.ThethesisdiscussthesimilaritiesanddifferencesofculturesinChineseandEnglishproverbstofindbetterwaysininterculturalcommunications.Keywords:proverb;similarities;differences. ContentsAbstractI1.Introduction12.DefinitionandDelimitationofProverbs12.1Englishproverbs12.1.1DefinitionsofEnglishProverbs12.1.2DelimitationsofEnglishProverbs22.2ChineseProverbs42.2.1ChineseYan-yuandSu-yu42.2.2DelimitationsofChineseProverbs53CulturesReflectedinChineseandEnglishProverbs53.1SimilaritiesReflectedinEnglishandChineseProverbs53.1.1UniversalandObjectiveNormsandTruth63.1.2ConceptsaboutMoney73.1.3SexualDiscrimination83.2DifferencesReflectedinEnglishandChineseProverbs93.2.1DifferentValues103.2.2DifferentReligions113.2.3DifferentAestheticHabit123.3.4DifferentHistoricalCultures134.Conclusion...13Bibliography14Acknowledgements..............................................................................................................……..15 1.IntroductionAsacomponentofculture,languagecanberegardedastheobviousobstacletointerculturalcommunication.Asthebasicbuildingblocksofcommunication,wordisoneofthesourcesthatcausemisunderstanding.However,asimplestudyofalanguageisfarfrombeingenoughtolearntheculturewell.Themeaningofawordistheproductofaparticularculturethatpassesonsharedandappropriatemeanings.Proverbsarethecrystalofnationalwisdomandexperience.Theyarefrequentlyusedorallyandhangeddownfromgenerationtogenerationandusuallygivepeopleinformation.Theyareshortsentencewithcommonstyle,concisestructure,andvividlanguage.Proverbsarethesummingupofpracticalexperiences.Theyaretheoralformsoflanguagethatgivepeopleadviceandwarning.Thisthesishastwomainparts:thefirstoneisthedefinitionsanddelimitationsofChineseandEnglishproverbs;andthesecondpartisthesimilaritiesanddifferencesofculturesbetweenwestandeastinproverbs.WewilldefinitetheproverbsinChineseandEnglishseparately.Andtherearethreesimilaritiesandfourdifferenceswhichwewilldiscuss.Wecanseethebetterwaysininterculturalcommunications.2.DefinitionandDelimitationofProverbsPeoplearequitefamiliarwithproverbsacrosstheworld.However,togiveacleardefinitiontoproverbsisnotaneasything.Manyscholarshaveputforwardthedefinitionsofproverbs,butwhatisandwhatisnotaproverbhasbeenarguedforlong.NowwewillseethedefinitionofChineseandEnglishproverbs.2.1Englishproverbs2.1.1DefinitionsofEnglishProverbsManyauthoritativeEnglishdictionarieshaveprovideddifferentdefinitionsofproverbs.Aproverbisdefinedas“Ashortwell-knowsayingthatstatesageneraltruthitgivesadvice”inOxfordAdvancedLearner’sDictionaryofCurrentEnglish(2002),AccordingtoLongmanModernEnglishDictionary(2007),aproverbisabrieffamiliarmaximoffolkwisdom,usuallycompressedinformofteninvolvingaboldimageandfrequentlyajinglethatcatchesthememory.TheRandomHouseWebster’sDictionary(1966)definesaproverbas“Ashortpopularsaying,usually,ofunknownandancientorigin,thatexpresseseffectivelysome commonplacetruthorusefulthought.”AccordingtoOxfordConciseDictionaryofLiteraryTerms(2001),aproverbis“ashortpopularsayingofunknownauthorship,expressingsomegeneraltruthorsuperstition”.Althoughtherearemanydifficultiestodefineproverbs,someexpertsinrelatedfieldhavebeentryingtogivetheirowndefinitionsofEnglishproverbs.GregoryTitelman(1996)definesproverbsinhisintroductiontoadictionarycalledRandomHouseDictionaryofPopularProverbsandSayingsas“thecollectivewisdomofallnations,ofallages,ofalltimes.”Aproverbtypicallyexpressesacommonplacethoughtinasuccinct,oftenmetaphoricalway.Aproverbmightbedefinedingeneraltermsasconcisestatementofapparenttruthsthathavecommoncurrency.AfteranalyzingthedefinitionsofproverbsgivenbyscholarshomeandabroadandsystematicallycomparingEnglishproverbswithproverbswithothercategoriesofEnglishidiomssuchassetphrases,sayingsandmaxims,ZengZili(1983)cameupwithatentativedefinitionofproverbs,“EnglishproverbsarethesummarizationofthelifeandstruggleexperienceofEnglish-speakingpeoplewithinstructiveandpersuasivefunction,suchasimpartingknowledge,providingadviceandwarning;andtheyareconciseandveryvividsentencesandutterances,whicharefixedinformandpatternandwidelypopularwithBritishandAmericanpeopleaswellasotherEnglishspeakingnations.”Thelengthydefinitionfullydemonstratesthetremendousdifficultyindefiningthefamiliarbutcomplicatedmatters.Regardingthetremendoustroubleanddifficultyindefiningthemostordinaryandeverydayphenomena,manyscholarswillhaveacleardefinitionaboutproverbs.Theproverbsaremoreandlessthesamelinguisticandculturalphenomenon,thoughtherearemanykindsofdefinitionsfromdifferentscholarsanddictionaries.Wecanstillputproverbapartfromotheridiomsbasedoncarefulcampration.2.1.2DelimitationsofEnglishProverbsAsweallknow,proverbsareakindofEnglishidioms.YuFuming(1999)classifiesEnglishidiomsinthreekind:idiomaticphrases,proverbsandslangexpressions.AccordingtoZhangYunpei(1994),Englishidiomsconsistofphraseidioms,clauseidiomsandsentencesidiomsincludingproverbsandhabitualexpressions.LuGuoqiang(1994)alsomaintainsthatEnglishproverbsbelongtoanindependentcategoryofEnglishidioms.Englishproverbspossessallthefeaturesuniquetoidiomscharacterizesby“semanticunityandstructuralstability”.Englishproverbsareonthesentencelevel.InWuZhaofang’sview(1995),“Englishproverbsarespecialsentences,whicharefixedinform.”WhileZengziliheldtheviewthattheformandthecontentarethemajordifferencesbetweenEnglishproverbsandsetphrases, phrases,proverbsareindependentsentenceswhilesetphrasesarenotcompleteandcanonlyserveasconstitutingelementsofsentences.Englishproverbsoftencontaintruth,wisdom,counselorwarning.Thefollowingsentencescanbejustifiablydefinedasproverbsbecausetheycontainsomefolkwisdomorgeneraltruth,expresssomerulesofconductandquiteoftenconveysomeadviceorcounsel.Theyhavephilosophicdepthorinstructivefunction,andtheymakesthemdifferentfromtypicalconversationalexpressions.Thereismeasureinallthings.Letbygonesbebygones.Wherethereislife,thereishope.Prosperitydiscoversvice;adversity,virtue.Thecourseoftrueloveneverdidrunsmooth.AsXuTianchi(2000)putsthatEnglishproverbstouchalmostallaspectsofpeople’slifeandtherolethatproverbsplayintheeducationofpeopleisuniqueandcanhardlybereplacedbyothermeansofeducation.Therefore,wecancometotheconclusionthatEnglishproverbsdocontainphilosophicdepthandinstructivepower,andatthesametime,wecanhaveabetterunderstandingofthetraditionalvalue,conceptandattitudeoftheEnglishpeopletowardsallaspectsintheirdailylife.Atthesametime,Englishproverbsmustobtainpopularityamongpeople.Theyareusedindailyspeechorotherkindsofmedia.Thedefinitionswehavelistedhaveshownthattheyarewell-known.Proverbsarethecrystalofthecollectivewisdomoftheworkingpeople.However,nomatterwhenweopenanycollectionofproverbs,wewillfindmanyfamousquotations,maxims,aphorismsandpoeticlines,whichhavestrongliteraryflavors,areincluded.Forsure,proverbshavesomeotherfeaturesaswell.Wecannotbesurethatthefeaturesdiscussedabovearecomplete.Butthemajorfundamentalfeaturesputforwardherecanhelptoclarifysomemisunderstandingsintheresearchofproverbs.2.2ChineseProverbsChineseproverbsarewidelyusedbyordinarypeopleliketheircounterpartinEnglish.Aproverboftenshouldnotonlybeplainandpopular,butalsoterseandimplicit.WewilldiscusshowwedefineproverbsinChinesenextpart. 2.2.1ChineseYan-yuandSu-yuTherearethreetypesofChineseproverbsonthesentencelevel:yan-yu(proverb),su-yu(commonsayings)andxie-hou-yu(Two-partallegoricalsayings).Amongthethreetypes,xie-hou-yumaybelinguisticallyChinesespecificthatitcanbeeasilydividedfromtheothertwocategoriesofChinesesentenceidioms.Butwhetheryan-yuandsu-yubelongtothesamecategoryornothavelongbeenthefocusofattentionofscholarsinthefield.Foraverylongtime,scholars’viewsarevariedandtheyseldomagreewitheachother.Butitisgenerallyacknowledgedthatyan-yuandsu-yubelongtothesamecategoryofChineseidiomsandtheyarepopularsayings,originatedfromandcirculatedamongtheordinarypeopleandusuallycontainsometruth,wisdom,counselorwarning.WenDuanzheng(1985)alsoheldtheviewthatinthebroadsenseyan-yuandsu-yuareactuallyoneconcept.Hesaidthatyan-yuisactuallysu-yuwiththepurposetoimpartknowledge.WangYingchuanmaintainsthatbothofthetwoarecreated,polishedandenrichedbythecommonpeople.Theyreflectwisdomandknowledgeofthecommonpeople.Theyarevivid,forcefulandhavepleasantsoundeffect.However,manyotherscholarsthinktherearedifferencesbetweenyan-yuandsu-yu.CaoCongsun（1981）heldtheviewthattheonlystrikingdifferenceisthatsomeyan-yuarecloselybelongsu-yu.Besidesthis,yan-yuandsu-yuarejustthesamecategoryofidiomaticexpressionsinChinese.XuZongcai（1994）analyzedthatthatsu-yuusuallyconsistofonlyoneclausewhileyan-yuareoftencomposedoftworhymedclauseswithparallelismasadominantfeature.Howeverdifferentviewsandopinionsthescholarshave,yan-yuandsu-yuenjoythefollowingcommonground.First,thoughtheremaybesomeothersources,mostofyan-yuandsu-yuareoffolkorigin.Theyarespreadcolloquiallybypeople.Second,theyareidiomaticexpressionsinthesentencelevel.Third,mostofthemconveywisdom,counselorwarming.Fourth,theyobtainwidepopularityamongthecommonpeopleandtheyareboththeconsequenceofcollectivewisdomovergenerations.Itisworthymentioningthatthedelimitationofyan-yuandsu-yuisnotclear-cutevenintheirnarrowsense.Someofthemmaysuperpose.Thisisthereasonwecaneasilyfindmanysentenceidiomsfrequentlyappearingbothinthedictionariesofyan-yuandinthoseofsu-yualthoughtheircompilersclaimtocollectonlyyan-yuandsu-yu.Fromtheabovediscussion,wecanmakeaconclusionthatChineseproverbsincludeyan-yuandsu-yu. 2.2.2DelimitationsofChineseProverbsOnthebaisoftheanalysisofyan-yuandsu-yu,andtheessentialfeaturesofEnglishproverbs,wecanassumethatthecounterpartofEnglishproverbsinChineseshouldincludebothyan-yuandsu-yu.WehavediscussedtheessentialfeaturesofEnglishproverbs:theyarepopularsayingsonthesentencelevel.Theyoftencarrytruth,counselorwarning,andareoftenfigurativeinlanguagewithpleasantsoundeffect.Bothyan-yuandsu-yumeettherequirements.Therefore,itisreasonabletosaythecounterpartofEnglishproverbsinChineseshouldincludeyan-yuandsu-yu.3CulturesReflectedinChineseandEnglishProverbsTherearesimilaritiesanddifferencesofculturesinChineseandEnglishproverbs.Nowwewillhaveadiscussionwhichhastwopartseperately.3.1SimilaritiesReflectedinEnglishandChineseProverbsTheexperiencesandobservationsfromhumanoftheworldareverysimilar.InspiteofthedissimilarculturalbackgroundsoftheChineseandtheEnglish-speakingpeoples,therearemanyproverbsreflectingsomesimilarcultures.Inthefollowings,wewillhaveadiscussionabouttheculturalsimilaritiesreflectedintheproverbsdinbothChinaandEnglishspeakingcountries.Butweshouldbearinmindthatthesimilaritiesherearebynomeansabsolutebecauseproverbsarethecrystallizationofpeople’swisdom,which,themselves,arecountradictoryinmeaningsometimes.3.1.1UniversalandObjectiveNormsandTruthTherethreesidestoexplain:a.Everythinghasitsopposites.Tounderstandit,onemustnotonlyunderstanditspresentformbutitsoppositeformaswell.Astheunityofoppositesisawayofunderstandingsomethingentirelyinsteadofjusttakingoneaspect,oronepartofacertainthing.Thisisthefundamentaldisciplineintheuniverse,whichhasbeenexplicatedbothinEnglishandChineseproverbsalready,makingtheproverbsglitteringwiththephilosophicthoughts.NowseethefollowingEnglishproverbsasexamplestoproveabove-mentionedsimilarities: Therearespotsevenonsun.Nogreatlossbutsomesmallprofit.Everybeanhasitsblack.Everyextremeisafault.Firesandwateraregoodservants,butbadmasters.Thewaterthatbearstheboatisthesamethatswallowsitup.Similarly,thereareChineseproverbsexpressingthethoughtofunityofopposite.Forexample:小洞不补，大洞吃苦。(Astitchintimesavesnine)失败是成功之母。（Failureisthemotherofsuccess）祸与福同门，利与害为邻。（Happinessandevilgotogether）尺有所短，寸有所长。（Everyonehastheirownshortcomingsandadvantages）b.Ontheearth,allthethingsareinterrelated,fromthenaturetohumansociety,frompeople’slifetothespirit.Everythingisconnectedwithoneanother.WecanfindsuchrelationsbothinEnglishandChineseproverbs.InEnglishproverbs,wecanfindproverbsthatcontainsimilarthoughts.Alittleleakwillsinkagreatship.ALargefireoftencomesfromasmallspark.Nopains,nogains.InChinese:凡事皆有因。（Everywhyhasawherefore）无风不起浪。（Nosmokewithoutfire;nowind,nowaves）上梁不正下梁歪。（Fishbeginstostinkatthehead;theupsidebeamisskew,thedownsideoneisskewtoo）种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆。（Sownothing,reapnothing）c.Therearesomeproverbsthatattachgreatimportancetotheactiveroleofexperienceandpracticeintheprocessoflearning.InEnglish,wehave:Experiencemustbebought,Theproofofthepuddingisintheeating.Thereisnothingsohardbutitbecomeseasybypractice.Experienceisthemotherofknowledge.InChinese,wehave:临渊羡鱼，不如退而结网。（Doingisbetterthanthinking;itisbettertopreparethenetthanwatchthefishalongtheriver）要知山下路，需问过来人。(Experienceisveryimportant;ifyouwanttoknowabout thepathunderthehill,youmustaskthewalkerwhohaspassed)一生不出门，终究是小人。(Experienceisveryimportant;ifyoustayhomealllife,youwillbeanignorantpeople)Aswediscussedabove,therearemanysimilaritiesofconceptsaboutsometruthfromdifferentcountries.Wesharetheworldtogether.Peoplefromallwalksoflifesumuptheirdailypracticesinformsofproverbs,andacomparativestudyofChineseandEnglishproverbsrevealshowpeoplefromthesecountriesfashiontheirlanguagesintothecondensedpresentformsfromdailyactivitiestheyareengagedin.3.1.2ConceptsaboutMoneyMoney,asakindofwealth,isveryimportantinthelivesbothinChineseandEnglishcountries.Moneyisindispensable,playanimportantroleinsocieties.TheEnglishproverbafullpursemakestheheartlight,andalightpurseisaheavycurse.ThisproverbexpresseshowimportantmoneyisinEnglishcountries.InChinese,thereisa有钱有粮心中不慌，无钱无粮愁断肚肠,whichgivesasamepositionofmoney.Moneyisnotonlyimportantforanindividual,butforacountryaswell.InEnglishproverbs,thereare“Moneyrulestheworld”and“Moneyispower”.InChinese,贫穷就要挨打.Listedbelowaresomeotherproverbsabouttheimportanceofmoney.Heismostlovedwhohasthemostbags.Amanwithoutmoneyisnotamanatall.Moneyisthewiseman’sreligion.钱袋轻，心事重。有了钱，万事圆。人为财死，鸟为食亡。钱能壮胆，钱能唬人。钱能通天，势能压人。Theaboveproverbsarerelatedtotheimportanceofmoney.3.1.3SexualDiscriminationWomen’shumblestatusleadstothediscriminationtowardthembothintheeastandwest.Manyproverbsareaboutsexdiscrimination.AmongthoseChineseandEnglishproverbsthathavebeencompiledandpublished,itisquitedifficulttofindsomeextollingwomen.Despitethelonggeographicaldistancebetweentheeastandthewestandtheimitationofthecultural exchangeoffolklanguage,itissurprisingthatbothChineseandEnglishproverbshavemuchincommonintheaspectofsexdiscrimination.AccordingtotheBible,womanisjustaribofaman.Wecanfindthatthepositionofwomenisrelatedtothebeginningoflifeinthewest.WhileinChina,Confuciusputforwardman’sphilosophy,thatwasthethreeObedienceandtheFourVirtues.InancientfeudalChina,thesespiritualfettersofwifelysubmissionandvirtueimposedonwomenweredeeplyrootedinsocialvaluesystemandweredeeplymarkedbywomendiscrimination.TherearemanyproverbsinbothchineseandEnglishshowingwomenareinferiortomaninsocialstatus.Suchas:女子无才便是德。(Awomanwillhavemoralitywhenshehasnotstudyed)女人三十三，太阳落西山。(Youthisveryimportanttowomen;awomanwhois33islikethesunset)嫁出去的女，泼出去的水。(agirlwhohasmarriedislikesplashedwater)养儿防老，养女赔钱。(Soncansupporttheparents,whilethedaughterlosemoney)夫贵妻荣，母凭子贵。(Women"sfatearerelatedtosonsandhusbands)Awoman,adogandawalnuttree,themoreyoubeatthem,thebettertheywillbe.Amanofstrawisworthofawomanofgold.Amanisamanthoughhehasbutahoseonhishead.Ifthehusbandbenotathome,thereisnobody.TheChineseandEnglishproverbslistedabovedisplaythatinsociety,womenaredisadvantaged.3.2DifferencesReflectedinEnglishandChineseProverbsAspartofculture,languageplaysanimportantroleintheculture.Proverbsareanimportantpartofthelanguageandcultureofasociety.Toalargeextent,proverbsareinfluencedbyculture,thustheyinevitablyreflectculture.Theyaredescribedasthecrystaloflanguageandthemirrorofculture.Forexample,peoplewholivealongseacoastsandwhoselivelihoodisdependentontheseawillhaveproverbsaboutsailing,aboutfishandfishing.Forexample,therearemanyproverbsaboutsailinginEnglishlanguage,Asmallleakwillsinkgreatship.Asmoothseanevermakesaskillfulmariner.Hoistyoursailwhenthewindisfair.Saltwaterandabsencewashawaylove.Letanother’sshipwreckbeyournavigationmark. WhileChinaisalargecountry,about70%to80%ofwhosepeopleareengagedinfarming,therefore,thereareasurprisingnumberoffarmingproverbsinChinese,forinstance,瓜熟蒂落，水到渠成。(Whenwaterflows,achannelisformed)种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆。(Sownothing,reapnothing)一份耕耘，一份收获。(Nopains,aharvest;sownothing,reapnothing)民以食为天。(Foodistheparamountnecessityofthepeople)Theaboveexamplesarejustadropinthesea.Wecanalsoseethatincultureswhereoldpeoplearerespected,therewillbeproverbsaboutthewisdomoftheelders.Insocietieswherewomen’sstatusislow,therewillbeanumberofproverbsdemeaningthem.Proverbsprovideinterestinglittleglimpseorcluestoapeople"sgeography,history,socialorganization,socialviewsandattitudes.Humanexperiencesandobservationsoftheworldareinmanyrespectssimilarandthereare,forsure,manydifferencesaswell.Wewillhaveacomparisonofthetwonations’culturesreflectedinbothEnglishproverbsandChineseones.3.2.1DifferentValuesInvalues,BritishandAmericansvalueindividualism,advocatingpersonalrelativeinitiative.Don"tputyourfingerinthepiereflectstheAnglo-Americansocietypursuesindividualismphilosophy,itwarnspeoplenottomindotherpeople"sexternaldistractions,anddowelltohimselfisthebestpolicy.BritishandAmericanvaluesarealsoreflectedintheconceptoftimeonpunctuality,pursuitingefficiencyandoptimisticattitude.ProverbTimeisMoneyislikeChineseproverb一寸光阴一寸金,寸金难买寸光阴.Butitfocusesontellingpeopleshouldmakefulluseoflimitedtimeunceasinglytocreatemorematerialwealth,containingstrongeconomiccolourandreflectingtheconceptofwealthinfinitetheoryprogress.PunctualityisthepolitenessofkingsandPunctualityisthesoulofbusinessreflectspeople"sattentiontobepunctualinwesterncountriesadvocatedbyideas,althoughChineseproverbalsohasWastingtimeismurder,butgenerallyspeaking,theChineseconceptofpunctualityisrelativelyweaker.Bypersonalstandardvaluesinfluence,Anglo-Americansattachgreatimportancetopersonalprivacy,reasonage,income,religiousbeliefandprivateresidences.Traditionallyspeaking,Chineseprivacyconceptsisnotverystrong,therearenotsomanysecretoff-limited.Andasforindividualism,Chineseareadvocatingcollectivism(orcalledethicalstandard)values.ItistheChineseculturetowards-accuser.Duetotheeffect,Chineseproverbsplaysanverystrongethicalstandardcolourfulrole,anditisembodiedadvocatefortheinterpersonalhelpingandlovingeachotherandcooperationrelations,whichisproductionof2,000yearsChina"sfeudalsocietystructure.TheChineseproverbs一个篱笆三个桩，一个好汉三个帮and众人拾柴火焰高reflectakindoftypicalcollectivestrength.Ethical standardsarealsoreflectedinthecloserelationshipsuchadfamilyandfriendship.Peoplepaygreaterattentionstothethickaffectionandthereturnsoffriendship,emphasizingthekindnessandobligation.一日为师，终身为父embodiesChinesetraditionalteacher-studentrelationship.谁言寸草心，embodiesthereturntotheirparents.士为知己者死reflectedfriendscouragegreat-heartedandnaturallyformedresponsibilityconsciousness.CollectivismistypicalcultureofChina.3.2.2DifferentReligionsInreligionside,ChristianityisthemainreligiousfaithofAnglo-Americancountries,whichhasproducedmanyuniquefeaturesofreligiousculture.ProverbChristmascomesbutjustayearhasbecomecommon-sencewords.ChristmasisthebiggestfestivalinChristiancountries,andithasuniquereligiouscultureaccumulaterighteousness.Duringthefestival,peopleoftenusethisproverburgepeopletobearothernoisy,belly-worshiptoholdon,donotwanttoocareabout.ItAlsoletpeoplegrasptheopportunitytosendathingorhelpthepoors.InChina,itisnotlikethatinwest.InChristiancountries,perhapsbecauseofthepracticeinvogue,itsuniquereligionandreligiouscultureasaresult,itissopopular.Anotherexample,proverbsmerryinlent,andYou’lllivetorepentthestorycomefromareligiousholiday:duringtheholidayseasons,Christianeatvegetarian,theymakethisdayasasinoftheday.Peoplethinkthatlentwillgivepeoplebadluck.InEnglishproverbs,CROSSandGODareusedverycommonly.Forexample,inproverbsThecrossonhisbreastandthedevilinhisclothesisthatonbackofJesuswhenhewassuffering.Theproverbmeanspeoplewillbeartheburdenhardnessoflife.Inaddition,EnglishproverbusedGODtorefertothehumandominate.Forexample,GodsendscoldafterclothesandGodhelpsthosewhohelpthemselves,etc.ReligiouscultureinEnglishleftdeeptraces.TheBibleisaholybookoftheJewsandthewesternChristiancountriessuchasBritainandAmerica,anditcontainsarichreligiousandculturalcontent,andhasalonghistory,formingtheuniquecultureoftheBible.ManyofEnglishproverbscomefromtheBible.Forexample,EveryhearthasitsownacheisfromtheBible.AndtheproverbForbiddenfruitissweetcomesfromastorythatEvaatetheForbiddenFruitofGardenofEdenandangeredGod.Anotherexample,proverbWhenthesunrises,thediseasewillabatecomesfromanotherstorythatafterthedeathofAbrahamwhohadanecklacewhichcouldhealthediseasegivenbyGod,Godputthatintothesun.ProverbYoucannotserveGodandmammonmeansChristianscannotcovetmoney,becausedevoutisfarfromthemoney.TheaboveproverbshavebigrelationswithdoctrineofBible.Religionsinwesterncountrieshaveimportantposition.AlthoughChinahasBuddhismandTaoism, ConfucianismhastakengreateffectontheChineseculture.Confucianisminthefeudalsocietyplaysaleadingroleinthefeudalsociety.Still,therearemanyproverbsaboutreligion.,suchas一人得道，鸡犬升天、放下屠刀，立地成佛、平日不烧香，临时抱佛脚、八仙过海，各显神通andsoon.3.2.3DifferentAestheticHabitBecauseofthedifferencesofthedifferentnationalfeatures,therearemanyaesthetichabits.Onthebaseofit,theChineseandwesterncountrieshavedifferentvaluesofaesthetic.Especiallywhenpeopleusetheanimaltorefertodifferentkindsofpersons,therearemanydifferencesbetweentheChineseandEnglishcountries.Forexample,thewordDOG.Peopleofwesterncountrieslikedogsastheirpets,sotheyoftenusethewordtocalleachother.Forexample,Man’bestfriend.Everydoghasitsday.Barkingdogseldombite.Dogdoesnoteatdog.Youareluckydog.ButinChina,peopleoftenrelatethewordtosomethingbad.Peopleregarddogasaboringanimal.狗改不了吃屎。(Badmanisalwaysabadman;dogslikeeatshit)狗娘养的。(Sonofabitch)Whentreatingtheage,therearemanydifferencesbetweenwesternandChinesepeople.Inwest,peopleregardageasaprivacyquestion.Peoplealwaysdonotaskeachother’sage.ItisseeninsomeEnglishproverbs,suchasYoucannottelltheolddognewsticks.Theproverbshowsthesademotionofthepeoplefortheoldness.ButinChina,oldnessisoftenrelatedtothepersonswhohaveexperienceandarewise.Respectingtheoldpeopleisatraditionalmorality.WecanseeitintheChineseproverbs.老骥伏枥，志在千里。(Oldpeoplemaystillcherishhighaspirations;theoldhorsestillwantstorunquickly)姜还是老的辣。(Theolder,thewiser;theoldgingerismorespicy)ThedifferentmetaphorsbetweentheChineseandEnglishproverbsaresomehowrelatedtotheaesthetichabits.Allisfishthatcomestothenetand抓到篮子里便是菜;Tocryupwineandsellvinegarand挂羊头，卖狗肉;Loveme,lovemydogand爱屋及乌;Betterbetheheadofadogthanthetailofalionand宁为鸡口，不为牛后. 3.3.4DifferentHistoricalCulturesInbothChineseandEnglishproverbs,somewordsareoriginatedfromthehistoricalcultures.Therefore,knowingsomehistoryofonecountryisveryimportanttocorrectlygraspthemeaningsofproverbs.ThemeaningofTalkofthedevil,andheissuretoappearandPeakofangelsandyouwillhearthetheirwingsissomehowliketheChineseone说曹操，曹操到(曹操isahistoricalpersoninChina).ButtheformeronesarerelatedtothewesternreligioncultureandthelatteroneisoriginatedfromChinesehistory.Anotherexample,LoveisblindisliketheChineseproverb情人眼里出西施.TheformeroneisrelatedtotheLoveGodErosfromwesternculture.AndthelatteroneisoriginatedfromChineseculture.Thebreadneverfallsbutonitsbutteredsideislikethemeaningof人倒霉，吃豆腐也塞牙.Buttheyhaveshowedusdifferenthabitsandcustomsbetweenwestandeast.EnglishproverbDonotcarrycoalstoNewcastleislikethemeaningofChineseproverb要倒卖槟榔去广东.Althoughbothofthemmeandonotdosomethingyoudonothavetodo,thebackgroundsaredifferent.Newcastleisaplacewherecoalisproducedlargely,whileGuangdongproducesbetelnut.Inaddition,therearesimilarmeaningsbetweenEnglishandChineseproverbs,butonescomefromlifeandsourcesandtheotheronesareoriginatedfromhistoricalcultures.Sowecannotrelatethemdirectly.Andanotherexample,themeaningofproverbDon’tbeadoginthemangerissimilarwiththemeaningofChineseproverb占着茅坑不拉屎.TheformeroneisoriginatedfromAesop"sFables,whilethelatteronecomesfromdailylife.Chinaisastatewithlonghistoryoffeudalsociety,whentherearemanyChinesefeaturesfeudaleraofculturalproducts.Therefore,manyproverbsandthesocialbackgroundcloselyrelated.4.ConclusionAsthecreamofalanguageandthecrystalofnationalwisdomandexperience,proverbscarrygreatculturalinformation,appropriatelyreflecttherelationbetweencultureandlanguage,providinginterestingcluetoanation’sgeography,history,socialconventions,people’soutlook,religionandliterature.Tostudythecultureofanation,onecannotneglectthepowerfulimpactofitslanguage.Proverbsofanationaretheembodimentofpeople’swisdom.Theconcise,forcefulandmeaningfulproverbsarethekeytograspingandanation’culture.EnglishandChineseproverbsreflecttheirculturalsimilaritiesanddifferences.Theyarepermeatingandinterestingeachother.Acomparativestudyofthemcanhelpa languagelearnertolearnalanguageefficientlyandproficientlysolanguagelearningmaybecomeamucheasierjob.Meanwhile,withthedevelopmentoftheglobaleconomy,moreandmorepeopleofdifferentculturalbackgroundsneedtocommunicatewitheachother.Proverb,asthecreamoflanguages,mirrorcertainculturesandexpressideasofhumanexperiencesinanexplicitway,providingreaderswithplentifulinformationtoindicatehowpeoplearethinking,doingandcommunicating.Butjutbecausetheirparticularculturaltraits,theyplayaioninthewayofinterculturalcommunication.Inthisaspect,thecomparativestudyofbothEnglishandChineseproverbsofferssomeinsightsinthestudyofinterculturalcommunication.TheculturalsimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenChinaandthewesterncountrieslieinmanyaspectsofthesociety.Sothecomparativestudymustbeomnibearingandprofound.Anditmustbeputinacomprehensiveculturalbackground.Thisthesis,however,isconfinedtoonlysomeaspects.Soafurtherstudymustbecarriedouttoamoresatisfactoryextant.Proverbs,binganimportantpartofalanguageandculture,reallydeservesuchastudy.BibliographyGregory,Y.Titeman.RandomHouseDictionaryofPopularProverbsandandSayings[M].NewYork:RandomHouse,1996.MartinKuester.FramingTruths[M].TorontoLondonBuffalo:UniversityofTorontoPress.1992.PatriekHartwellandRobertH.Bentley.Open[M]toLanguage:AnewCollegeRhetoricOxford:OxfordUniversityPress.1982.XuTianchi.AnApproachtoEnglishProverbs[J].JournalofSichuanNormalUniversity(SocialScienceEdition)SupplementNo.1,(2000).YuFuming.AComparativeStudyofEnglishandChineseIdioms[M].Shanghai:ShanghaiJiaotongUniversityPress,1999.ZhangYunpei.AnIntriductiontoModernEnglishLexicology[M].Beijing:PerkingNormalUniversityPress,1987.陈望道，修辞学发凡[M]上海：复旦大学出版社,2008。靳瑞华，孟令新，广告语篇中仿拟修辞方式的运用.安徽文学,2009(11):313-314。李鑫华，英语修辞格详论[M]上海:上海外语教育出版社,2000。李桃梅，浅谈英语谚语中的仿拟及其在广告中的妙用[J]赤峰学院学报( 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