英语系毕业论文 中西谚语比较 21页

英汉谚语的比较与翻译摘要：谚语，一种简洁而为人熟悉的表达人们智慧的咸言,通常具有凝炼的形式,鲜明的形象和使人易于记忆的韵律。谚语是语言的精髓，它们是劳动人民智慧的结晶和经验的总结。它们丰富了中西文化。由于生活习惯、宗教信仰和历史传统等差异，英汉谚语反映着不同的民族风格和特色。本文探讨了英汉谚语的异同并把谚语视为理解英汉两个民族文化的窗口。由于不同的语言背景使英汉谚语互译时存在一定的困难，本文具体论述了直译、意译、直译和意译相结合的翻译方法，从而能够更准确的理解两族文化。关键词：英汉谚语；相似点；差异；翻译21 TheComparisonandTranslationofEnglishandChineseProverbsAbstract:Proverb,abrieffamiliarmaximoffolkwisdom,usuallycompressedinform,ofteninvolvingaboldimageandfrequentlyajinglethatcatchesthememory.Proverbsarethecreamofalanguage.Theyarethecrystallizationofthewisdomandthesummarizationoftheexperienceofworkingpeople.TheyhavecontributedalottotheenrichmentofChineseandEnglishculture.Owingtothedifferencesoflivingcustoms,religionsandtraditions,EnglishandChineseproverbsreflectdifferentstylesofnationalculture.ThispaperfocusesondiscussingthedifferencesbetweenChineseandEnglishintheuseofproverbsandregardproverbsasawindowofunderstandingtheChineseandEnglishculture.Duetothedifferentlinguisticbackgrounds,therearesomedifficultiesinthetranslationofEnglishandChineseproverbs.Thispaperspecificallydiscussesthetranslationmethod:literaltranslation,freetranslation,andthecombinationofliteraltranslationandfreetranslation,whichmakesitpossibletounderstandChineseandEnglishculturemoreaccurately.Keywords:EnglishandChineseproverbs;similarities;differences;translate21 AcknowledgementsFirstandforemost,myheartfulgratitudegoestomysupervisor,ProfessorLiChenfangwhoofferedmethemostvaluableadviceandspentmuchofherprecioustimeproofreadingandpolishingthedraftofthisthesis.Iwishtoacknowledgehersupportandguidancethroughoutthewritingofthethesis.Withoutherinstruction,thisthesiscouldnothavebeeninthepresentform.Aspecialwordofgratitudemustbesaidtomyfamilyandfriends.Inthewholeprocessofmystudyandtheworkonthisthesis,theyhaveatalltimesbeenasourceofencouragementandsupportforme.Itismostappropriate,therefore,thatthisthesisshouldbededicatedtothem.Iprofoundlythankthemforalwaysbeingthereforme.Myfinalandendlessthanksgotomyuniversity---DatongUniversity,whichprovidesmewithsuchacomfortableenvironmentinmywork.21 1.IntroductionProverbsoriginatedfromdailylife.WuZhankunsaidthatproverbsarethecrystalsofnationalwisdomandexperience.Theyhavethecharactersofvividnessandconciseness.Theyarefrequentlyusedorallyandhandeddownfromgenerationtogeneration,andusuallygivepeopleinformationandspeakthetruth.Intheearly17thcentury,theBritishministerRobertSouth(1634-1716)wroteinhisfirstbook:“Whataproverb?buttheexperienceandobservationofseveralages,gatheredandsummedupinoneexpression.”Francisbacon(1461-1626)oncesaid:Thegenius,witandspritofanationarediscoveredinitsproverbs.”（武世花，2003：49）Proverbsarethesoulofalanguage.Languageandculturearetightlyinteractedwitheachother,eachinfluencingandshapingtheother.Languageispartofacountry’sculture.Itisalsothecarrierandcontainerofculture.Humanknowledgeandexperiencearedescribedandstoredinlanguage.Asapartoflanguage,proverbsarecloselyintegratedwiththesocietyandculture.Theyreflectmanyaspectsofthenationsuchasgeography,history,religiousfaithandthoughts.EnglishandChinesebelongtotwodifferentlanguagesystems,havinggreatdifferencesintheircultures.Buthumanbeings’commonsocialactivitiesandemotionalreflectionandobservationoftheworldaresimilarinmanyaspects.SonotonlydifferencesbutalsomanysimilaritiesexistinEnglishandChineseproverbs.Inordertohavebetterunderstandingsofthecharacters,therearetwomajoraspectsforstudying:similaritiesanddifferences.Thecultureisalwaysadifficultfactorintheproverbtranslation.Soweshouldchooseaproperwaytotranslatethemandtrytodisplaytherealmeaningandtruestyleoftheoriginalproverbs.2.SimilaritiesbetweenEnglishandChineseproverbsThesimilaritiesbetweenEnglishandChineseproverbsmainlylieintheiroriginsandlinguisticcharacters.21 2.1SimilaroriginsProverbsareconcise,vividandcommonshortsentenceswhichbeusedandpassedonorally.Theyarethesummingupoftheexperienceintheproductionstruggleandthesociallife.AnEnglishproverbitselftellsusthat“Proverbsarethedaughterofexperience.”（王德春，杨素英，黄月圆，2003：8）.FromthesewecanfindthatEnglishandChineseproverbsenjoythesimilarorigin:Theybothoriginatedfrompeople’sdailylifeandexperience.Speciallyspeaking,theybothcomefromfolklife,mythology,literaryworksandfromotherlanguages.2.1.1OriginatingfromfolklifePeoplecreatedlanguageandalsocreatedproverbs.Anyonewhocreatedasentenceshouldbeusedandtransmittedbythemasses.Proverbsarethesummariesofpeople’sdailylifeandexperience.Theyarecloselyrelatedtothepracticeofpeople’slifeandwork,andalwaysrevealauniversaltruthfromdetailssoastoenlightenpeople.Therearemanyproverbsoriginatedfromfolklife.Theyarecreatedbyworkingpeople,suchasfarmers,workmen,hunters,businessmen,army-menandsoon.Theyusefamiliartermsthatwereassociatedwiththeirownfields.E.g.:Farmerscreatedthefollowingproverbs:(1)Asnowyear,arichyear.(2)Aprilrainyforcornmayforgrass.(3)芝麻是个怪，又怕雨来又怕晒。（王德春，杨素英，黄月圆，2003：138）(4)春天不忙，秋后无粮。Workmencreatedthefollowingproverbs:(1)Strikewhiletheironishot.(2)Suchcarpenters,suchchips.(3)木匠怕漆匠，漆匠怕光亮。Hunterscreatedthefollowingproverbs:(1)Hethatisafraidofeverybushwillneverproveagoodhuntsman.21 (1)Abirdinthehandisworthtwointhebush.（胡文仲，2000：18）(2)上山打虎心要狠，下海提龙心要齐。Businessmencreatedthefollowingproverbs:(1)Youpayyourmoneyandtakeyourchoice.(2)Allisnotgoldthatglitters.（胡文仲，2000：18）(3)货有高低三等价，客无远近一样待。Army-mencreatedthefollowingproverbs:(1)Agoodgeneralmakeagoodman.(2)养兵千日，用在一时。Thesewerefirstusedbyalimitedgroupofpeopleinthesamefields.Becausetheyarephilosophicalcolloquialism,latertheygraduallygainedwideacceptanceandpartlybecamepartofthecommoncornoflanguageandarenowusedinmanyothersituations.2.1.2OriginatingfrommythologyEachnationhasitsownmythology,fableandallusion.Chinesetraditionalculture,ancientGreekandRomancivilizationbequeathmanymythologiesandallusions.Theybecameoneofthemajorsourcesofproverbs.ThestoriesandheroesinGreekmythology,thefableofAesopandtheHomerleftalotofproverbs.E.g.:(1)AllroadsleadtoRoman.(2)IfeartheGreeks,evenwhenbringgifts.(Fromthewell-knownstoryoftheTrojanhorsebywhichtheGreekstookthecityofTroy)(3)YoucannotmakeMercuryofeverydog.(FromRomanmythology,itmeansthatnoteverymindwillanswerequallywelltobetrainedintoascholar.)(4)Thefoxsaidthegrapesweresour.(FromthefableofAesop,itmeansthatonesaidsomethingisbadwhenonecannotgetit.)(5)WithoutCeresandBacchus,Venusgrowscold.Chineseculturecantrancebacktoancienttimes.Thereweremanynatural21 phenomenathatourancestorscannotexplain.Theycreatedthemythologyandfabletoexplainthephenomenon.Therefore,manyChineseproverbscomefrommythologyandfables.E.g.:(1)八仙过海，各显神通。(2)过着牛郎与织女的生活。(3)亡羊补牢，犹未为晚。（郭荣义，1986：538）2.1.3OriginatingfromliteraryworksInthelonghistory,eitherChineseorBritishliteraryworkshavetheirowncharacters.Anation’sliterarylanguagesareitslanguage’sgem.Theypromotethedevelopmentoflanguage.Thegreatwritersleftmanybrilliantsentences,plotandhero’snamesinliteraryworks.Shakespeare,FrancisBacon,JohnMiltonandsoon.TheyhavemadedistinctivecontributionstothedevelopmentofEnglishliterature.TheirworkswereacceptedandpassedonbyEnglishpeoplefromgenerationtogeneration.ManysentencesbecametheEnglishproverbs.(1)“Thebiterissometimesbit”isfromShakespeare’sHamlet.Ittellspeoplethatthosewhodobadthingstootherswillbringthemselvestrouble.（张传彪，2005：183）(2)“Allisnotgoldthatglitters.”isfromShakespeare’stheMerchantofVenice.Itmeansthatthosewhohaveagoodappearancearenotnecessarilyprofoundorlearned.Someotherwriters,philosopher’swordsalsobecomeproverbs.E.g.:(3)“Readingmakesafullman,conferenceareadyman,andwritinganexactman.”isfromadistinguishedEnglishphilosopherandwriterBacon’sOnReading.Ittellspeoplethatreading,conferenceandwritingcanmakeapersonlearned,sharpandprecise.(4)“Thechildhoodshowstheman.”isfromMelton’sParadiseRegained.ManyChineseproverbsarefromclassicChineseliteraryworks.Thefourgreat21 works:ThePilgrimagetotheWest.TheThreeKingdoms.ADreamofRedMansionandtheMarshRebellionarethemostpopularclassicsinChina.Suchas:(1)温故而知新。(Bystudyingtheoldonelearnssomethingnew)----《论语》(SelectedReading)(2)三个臭皮匠顶个诸葛亮。(ThreecobblerswiththeirwitscombinedequalZhugeLiangthemaster---thewisdomofthemassesexceedsthatofthewisestindividual.)----《三国演义》(TheThreeKingdoms)(3)三十六计，走为上计。(Ofthethirty-sixstratagems,thebestisrunningaway.)---《水浒传》（TheMarshRebellion）(4)谋事在人，成事在天。(Manproposes,Goddisposes.)---《红楼梦》(TheDreamofRedMansions)(5)说曹操，曹操到。(Talkofthedevilandheissuretoappear)---《三国演义》(TheThreeKingdoms)Literature,asamirrorofsociallife,isanothersourceofproverbs.Manysentencesintheseliteraryworksarefullofwisdomandeasytoberemembered.Sopeoplelikethemandusethemagainandagain.Atlasttheybecameproverbsandarewidelyused.Wecansaythattheproverbsarethecreamoftheliteraryworks.FromabovewecanfindoutthatEnglishandChineseproverbshavesimilaroriginsfromfolklife,mythologyandliteraryworks.FromthesesimilaroriginswecanseethatEnglishandChinesepeoplehavesimilarsocialactivitiesandemotionalreflectionandobservationoftheworld.2.2SimilarlinguisticcharactersProverbsarecreatedbycommonpeopleandorallyhandeddownfromgenerationtogenerationagainandagain.Forthelongtermofsummingupandsocialpracticing.Proverbshaveveryspecialfeaturesintheirstructures:concise,condensedandcompact.BothEnglishandChineseproverbsareconciseandvivid.2.2.1Conciseness21 Thecleanestwaterisspring;themostrefinedwordsareproverbs.Proverbdictionisneatandsimple.Proverbsusethefewestwordstoexpressthecontents.MostofEnglishandChineseproverbsaresimplesentences.E.g.:(1)Easycomeeasygo.(2)Nopainsnogains.(3)Nothingcravenothinghave.(4)人勤地不懒。(5)人心齐泰山移。(6)满招损，谦受益。Proverbsaresimpleandshortsentences,sotheycanberememberedandhandeddownfromgenerationtogenerationeasily.2.2.2VividnessProverbsuserhetoricaldevicestoattractthereadersdeeply.ManyChineseandEnglishproverbsusethesamerhetoricaldevicessuchassimile,metaphor,repetitionandhyperbole,etc.Simileisusedveryfrequently.Itisafigureofspeech,inwhichamoreorlessfancifulorunrealisticcomparisonismade,using“like”or“as”.E.g.:(1)割麦如救火。(2)剩秧如剩草，缺秧如缺宝。(3)Agoodfriendisasthesuninwinter.(4)Ablackplumisassweetasawhite.Metaphorisafigureofspeech,whichconciselycomparestwothingsbysayingthatoneistheother.Itdoesnotliterallydenoteinordertoimplyaresemblance.E.g.:(1)Timeisfatheroftruth.(2)Failureisthemotherofsuccess.(3)一寸光阴一寸金。(4)谎言怕真理，黑暗怕光明。21 Repetitionisanotherrhetoricaldeviceusedtoexpressstrongfeelingsoremphasizesomemeanings.E.g.:(1)Harmset,harmget.(2)Manylords,manylaws.(3)哪个老虎不吃人，哪个地主不狠心。(1)种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆。Gorkysaidthat,“thetrueartisauthorizedtoexaggerate.”Hyperboleisanexaggerationusedtogiveemphasisandstrikethereadersdeeply.E.g.:(1)Athousandyearscannotrepairamoment’slossofhonor.(2)Itwasthelaststrawthatbrokethecamel’sback.(3)谷子栽得稀，不够喂小鸡。(2)坏事传千里。Theexaggerationisnotfalse.Itcomesfromthetruefeelingsandbasesonreality.Apartfromtheaboverhetoricaldevices,thereareotherdevices.Theyareantithesis,synecdoche,personification,etc.Theuseofrhetoricaldevicesmakesproverbsfresh,humorous,implicitandfullofwit.ThoughEnglishandChineseproverbsenjoythesimilarorigins,theyalsohavedifferencesintheirdetailedcontents.Wewilldiscusstheirdifferencesfromthefollowingaspects:differentwordexpressions,differenthistorycustoms,differentreligiousanddifferentthinkinghabits.2.DifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseproverbs.Languageisstronglyinfluencedandshapedbyculture.Languageisthemirrorofculture.Itcanrepresenteveryaspectofculture.Proverbisanimportantpartofanationallanguageandtheyreflecttherelationbetweencultureandlanguage.（田静，2005：82）.Differentnationshavedifferentculture.Generallyspeaking,themajordifferenceslieingeography,historycustoms,wordsexpressions,religionsand21 thinkinghabits.Asaresult,EnglishandChineseproverbsaredifferentinthedetailedcontents.3.1ReflectingdifferentwordsexpressionsBecausecultureshaveinfluencestolanguages.Sodifferentculturesinfluencethelanguagesdifferently.Proverbsarethemirrorofthenationalcharacteristics.Therefore,therearedifferencesinthoughtsandwordexpressionsreflectedintheproverbs.Sometimestheyareincontrast.(罗虹，2004：99).E.g.:(1)Thepotcallsthekettleblack.乌鸦笑猪黑。(2)Thereisnosmokewithoutfire.无风不起浪。(3)Theburntchilddreadsthefire.一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井绳。（吴友富，2001：248）(4)Asyoumakeyourbed,soyoumustlieonit.作茧自缚。(1)Likeahenonahotgirdle.像热锅上的蚂蚁。Thoseproverbsareabitdifficultinunderstanding.BecauseinbothChineseandEnglishproverbstheyusecompletelydifferentwordstoexpressthemeaning.3.2ReflectingdifferentlivingcustomsThedifferencesbetweenChineseandEnglishlivingcustomsarereflectedinmanyaspects.Butthemosttypicalonemayshowontheattitudetoward“dog”.Inthewesternvalueconcepts,dogisthebestlovedpet.Itrepresentshonesty.（王秀芬，2006：42）.Thewesternersnevereatdogmeat.InEnglish,mostoftheproverbsthatrelatetodogsarepositive.E.g.:(1)Helpalamedogoverastile.(2)Youarealuckydog.21 (1)Lovemelovemydog.(2)Olddogwillnotlearnnewtricks.(3)Everydoghasitsday.InthetraditionalconceptsofChinesepeople.Dogsarehumbleanimals.MostChineseproverbshavenegativefactorsaboutdogs.E.g.:(1)狗咬吕洞宾，不识好人心。(2)狗眼看人低。(3)好狗不挡道。(4)狗嘴里吐不出象牙。(5)狗急跳墙。Althoughmanypeopleraisedogsastheirpetsinrecentyears,theirvaluesmayhavechangedalot.However,itsnegativeimagehasdeeplyrootedintheChineseculture.Chinesepeoplelikecat,theyusecattofiguregreedy,usuallymeansintimate.Butinthewestculture,peopleusuallyregardcatasevilheartwomen.Whenspeakofthe“owl”westernersregardowlaswisdom.E.g.“aswiseasanowl”(像猫头鹰一样聪明).However,Chinesepeoplehavedifferentconceptsaboutit.Theythinkthatwhenoneheardthesoundofowl,hewillhaveabadluck.Therewasaword:“夜猫子进宅”.Itmeanssomethingbadwillhappeninthehouse.Aboveall,weseethatindifferentculturespeoplemayhavecompletelydifferentideasaboutthesamething.3.3ReflectingdifferentthinkinghabitsBecauseofthedifferentculturebackgroundsandlivingcustoms.Thereshapedthedifferentthinkinghabits.Intherhetoricaldevices,Chineseandwestpeopleusuallyusedifferentimages:Inthewest,Helenwasregardedasbeauty,butinChina,XiShiisthesymbolofbeauty.Westernerspraisehorsesandwestwindintheirpoems,becausetheyadvocatethechallengebetweenhumanandnature.ButChinese21 peopleprefertopraiseConfucianismandeastwind.Theythinkhumanbeingsandnaturecanbecombinedtoawholeunit.Theseconceptsaredeeplyrootedinthosetwonations.Noonecanchangethemeasily.（金惠康，2004：421）When“asstrongasahorse”wastranslatedas“壮如牛”（金惠康，2004：421）.Itmaybeequalinmeaning.Inthehistoryofwestcountries,warbrokeoutfrequently.Andhorsesareveryimportant.Peoplecannotlivewithoutthem.TherewasaproverbinShakespeare’swork:“Ahorseforakingdom”.However,inChinesehistorytherewaslittleinvasionandpeopleleadahappylife.Cowswereregardedastheirworkingtools.InChinaandthewest,cowsandhorsesweretheirownimportantdailytools.Sowecannottranslate“asstrongasahorse”into“壮如马”.Differenthistorybackgroundsshapeddifferentthinkinghabits.E.g.:(1)Twoheadsarebetterthanone.三个臭皮匠，顶过诸葛亮。(2)Castpearlsbeforeswine.对牛弹琴。3.4ReflectingdifferentreligionsReligionisaveryimportantpartofculture.Differentreligionsreflectdifferentculturalcharacters,culturalbackgroundsandculturaltraditions.Religionisaculturalphenomenon.Proverbsarecloselyrelatedtotheculture,soproverbscanreflectthedifferentreligiousfaith.EnglishpeoplebelieveinChristianityanditisthemostinfluentialreligioninthewest.ManyEnglishproverbsreflectEnglishpeople’sreligiousfaithandmanyofthemareabout“God”“devil”“heaven”“church”“cross”and“hell”.E.g.:(1)Aspoorasthechurchmouse.(2)Godhelpsthosewhohelpthemselves.(3)Thedevilcancitescriptureforhispurpose.(4)Bettergotoheavenisbyweepingcross.21 TheproverbsaboveareapparentlyrelatedtoChristianity,becauseinthem“god”“devil”“heaven”“church”“church”“cross”and“hell”appearwhicharetheembodimentsofChristianity.Incontrast,BuddhismisthemostpopularreligioninChina.ManyproverbsareaboutBuddhism,suchas:(1)平时不烧香，临时抱佛脚。（邓炎昌，刘润青，2004：182）(2)跑得了和尚，跑不了庙。(3)泥菩萨过河，自身难保。(4)放下屠刀，立地成佛。Theseproverbsareabout佛，和尚，庙and菩萨.ThedoctrinesofBuddhistadmonishpeopletodogooddeedsandsotheycangototheheavenaftertheirdeath.TaoismcomesnexttoBuddhisminChina.ThereareproverbsaboutTaoism,suchas:(1)一人得道，鸡犬升天。(2)道高一尺，魔高一丈。EnglishandChinesepeoplehavedifferentfaith.DifferentreligionsleadtothedifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseproverbs.ChristianityisthemainreligioninEnglish-speakingcountries,somanyEnglishproverbsarerelatedto“God”whileChinesepeoplebelieveinBuddhismandTaoism,andmanyChineseproverbsareabout“佛”and“道”.3.5ReflectingdifferentgeographyandhistorycustomsAnation’sgeographicalenvironmentisaframeworkinwhichalanguageandculturehavebeendeveloping.Thegeographicalfeaturesofacountryareinevitablyreflectedinthenationallanguageingeneralandproverbsinparticular.EnglandisanislandcountryandlocatedinthewesternseasideofEurope.Englishpeoplelivebyseasideandtheirlifecannotdowithoutsailingandfishing.SomanyEnglishproverbsarerelatedtoseaandsailing.E.g.:(1)Thebestfishsmellwhentheyarethreedaysold.21 (1)Allatsea.(2)Beingonthesea,sail;beingontheland,settle.(3)Letanother’sshipwreckbeyournavigationmark.Chinaisanagriculturecountry.Everyfeudaldynastypaysmuchattentiontoagriculture.Agricultureisthefundamentalandcrucialtrade.SotherearemanyfarmingproverbsconstitutealargepartofChineseproverbs.TheyarethecrystalofagricultureexperiencesofChinesepeople;itcanbeseeninthefollowingexamples:(1)春雨贵如油。(2)种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆。(3)人勤地不懒。(4)瑞雪兆丰年。(5)一粒下地，万粒归仓。Fromabove,wecanseethatEnglishandChineseproverbsreflecttheirdifferentgeographicalconditions.Englandisanislandcountry;somanyEnglishproverbsareabout“sea”“fish”“ship”andsoon.WhilemanyChineseproverbsareaboutagriculture,suchas“豆”“雪”“仓”“地”etc.Eachnationhasitsownhistory.Sinceproverbsarehistoricalproducts.Theymayreflectsomeaspectsofthenationalhistory.EnglishproverbsarerelatedtothehistoryofEngland.E.g.:(1)Itishardtopleaseaknaveasaknight(AknightreferstoamangiventherankofknighthoodbytheBritishmonarch.TherearemanylegendsabouttheEnglishknightsintheancienttimes.)(2)Fromwhippingposttopillory.(Awhippingpostisaposttowhichapersonwastiedforapublicwhippingandapilloryisawoodenframeworkwiththreeholesintowhichtheheadandhandsofanoffenderwerelocked,exposinghimtopublicabuseandridicule.Chinahasalonghistory.Thereisthousandsofyear’sfeudalsocietyinChina.21 Peoplewerebondedbytherankofclass.Therulersexploitandbullythepeoplecruelly.TherearemanyChineseproverbsaboutfeudalandgenderdiscrimination.E.g.:(1)只许州官放火，不许百姓点灯。（包惠南，包昂，2004：207）(2)朱门酒肉臭，路有冻死骨。(3)嫁鸡随鸡，嫁狗随狗。FromtheabovewecanseethatEnglishandChineseproverbsreflectthedifferenthistory.EnglishproverbsarerelatedtokingandknightwhileChineseproverbsreflectpeople’sgrudgeandresistancetorulers.2.TranslationLanguageistheembodimentofculture.Tosomeextent,ChineseproverbsreflectChineseculturecharacteristicsandEnglishproverbsreflectEnglish-speakingcountries’characteristics.Therefore,itisnotenoughtopayattentiontotheirequivalenceonlyintranslatingproverbs.Nidaoncesaid:Allthetranslation,whetheritispoetryorprose,allrecipientsmustbeconcernedaboutthereaction;thereforetheultimategoaloftranslation,fromtheeffectsofitsaudience,anyevaluationoftranslationisthemostfundamentalfactors.Therefore,whentranslatinganEnglishproverbintoChinese;thetranslatorsshouldusemoreChineseexpressions,soastoshowtheoriginallanguagestyleandmeaningoftheEnglishproverbs.Astothetranslatestandard,therearemanytheoristsinandaboardputforwardmanydifferentviews.YanFuputforward“faithfulness”“expressiveness”“elegance”;ZhangPeijimaintain“faithfulness”“smoothness”（张培基，1979：82）andthencometoEugeneNida,afamousAmericantranslator,heputforward“functionalequivalence”and“dynamicequivalence”.Althoughtheseviewsemphasisdifferentaspects,thecentralmeaningistoshowtheoriginalmeaningfaithfullyandkeeptheoriginalstyle.Astothetranslatemethod,itisbetterforustouseliteraltranslationwhenwedo21 sometranslations.Ifliteraltranslationcannotexpressthefullmeaningandtherichcontents.Liberaltranslationmaybebetter.Throughthesemethodsthevividoriginalstylecanbeexpressedperfectlyandkeptcompletely.4.1LiteralTranslationsLiteraltranslationmeanstranslatingasentenceoriginally,keeptheoriginalmessageform,includingconstructionofsentence,meaningoftheoriginalwords,andmetaphoroftheoriginalandsoon.Translationwouldbefluentandeasytocomprehendbytargetlanguagereaders.WhentheEnglishandChineseproverbsarecompletelysimilarinmeaningandexpression.Literaltranslationwillbeused,andtherewillnomisunderstanding.E.g.:(1)Practicemakesperfect----.熟能生巧(2)Wallshaveears.----隔墙有耳(3)失败是成功之母。Failureisthemotherofsuccess.(4)谋事在人，成事在天。Manproposes,goddisposes.4.2LiberaltranslationSomeEnglishproverbsareinfluencedbycultureandhistorybackground.Soifweuseliteraltranslation,themeaningorstylemaybechangedanditisdifficulttounderstandtheoriginalproverbs.Therefore,liberaltranslationcanbeusedtoavoidthesephenomena.E.g.if“Achilles’heel”istranslatedinto“阿克勒斯的脚后跟.”Mostpeoplecannotunderstanditsmeaning.Butifitistranslatedin“唯一致命弱点.”Itcanbeacceptedbymostpeople.Suchexamplesare:(1)Infairweatherprepareforthefoul.“晴天要防阴天”isnotbetterthan“有备无患”or“居安思危”(2)Murderwillout.“谋杀终于败露”isnotbetterthan“纸包不住火”（申闫春，韩江红，张新民，1998：13）(3)此地无银三百两。Aguiltypersongiveshimselfawaybyconspicuouslyprotestinghisinnocence.Becausereadersdon’tknowthisstory.soitcannotbe21 translatedinto“no300tealsofsilverburiedhere”.（陈金诗，张刚，2005：41）(1)塞翁失马，安知非福？Dangerisnextneighbortosecurity,or“alossmayturnouttobeagain”.Butwecannottranslateitinto“whentheoldmanonthefrontierlosthismare,whocouldhaveguesseditwasablessingindisguise?”4.3EquivalenttranslationProverbsarethesummingupofsocialpracticeandnaturalphenomenon.PeopleinEnglish-speakingcountriesandChinesepeoplehavemanysimilaritiesintheirvalueconceptsandsocialactivities.Therefore,therearealsosimilaritiesintheirproverbs.SomeEnglishproverbsaredifferentwithChineseproverbsinthecontentsbuttheyaresimilarinmeaning.Theymayusethesimilarrhetoricaldevicesorimagetodescribethesametheoryortruth.FromthiswecanusetheequalChineseproverbstotranslateEnglishproverbs.Ontheonehand,thetranslationmaybesmoother.Ontheotherhand,itiseasierforreaderstounderstandandaccept.E.g.:(1)Diamondcutdiamond-----棋逢对手。(2)Twocanplaythegame-----孤掌难鸣。.(3)浑水摸鱼。-----Tofishintroubledwaters(4)有其父必有其子。----Likefatherlikeson.4.4ThecombinationofliteralandliberaltranslationIntranslatingtheChineseandEnglishproverbs,pureliteraltranslationcannotexpressthefullmeaningoftheoriginalworks.Andpureliberaltranslationcannotgivereadersaclearcontentoftheproverbs.Somemayleadtomisunderstandingthecombinationofliteralandliberaltranslationcanmakeupthesedisadvantages.E.g.:(1)Cutyourcoataccordingtoyourcloth.量布裁衣，量入为出。(2)Evenhomersometimesnods.荷马也有瞌睡时；智者千虑，必有一失。(3)IfIhavelostthering.yetthefingersarestillthere.21 留得青山在，不怕没柴烧。(1)Setathieftocatchathief.以贼捉贼，以毒攻毒。Proverbshavestrongcolloquialcharacters.Theyneedlongtimeconsiderationwhentranslating.Soboththeapparentstructureanddeepmeaningofproverbsareveryimportant.Besides,therightunderstandingofproverbsalsoplaysanimportantroleintranslation.Itincludestheunderstandingofculture,value,faithandlivingenvironment.ThesewillleadtoabetterconceptaboutEnglishandChinesecombination.Usingdifferenttranslatemethodsindifferentproverbs,sothattheproverbscanbeshownoutinarefinedandperfectway.2.ConclusionProverbsarethenationaltreasure.Theyarecloselyrelatedtoanation’scultureandenjoygreatculturalvalues.Theyreflecttherelationbetweencultureandlanguage.Eachnationhasitsowngeography,history,religionandsocialattitude.Becauseoftheculturalgeneralitiesanddifferences,EnglishandChineseproverbshavetheirsimilaritiesanddifferences;theyarepermeatingandinterfusingeachother.Soacomparativestudyofthemcanhelpustolearnalanguagewellandunderstandthetruemeaningofother’swordincross-culturecommunication.Faithfulnessandsmoothnessareveryimportantintheproverbtranslation.Keepingtheoriginalstyleistheaimoftranslation.Usedifferenttranslatemethodstodealwithdifferentproverbs.Andexpressthecompleteandfullcontentstothereaders.21 AcknowledgesIamgratefulinthefirstplacetomysupervisor,professorWangXiaomei,whospentmuchtimeinexaminingthepaperfrombeginningtoendandprovidehercommentsandsuggestionswhicharealwaysthoughtful,considerate,andhelpful.herscientificapproachismylifelonggoaltobeachieved.Iamalsogratefultothosewhosupportmeandletmesharetheiractivitiesanddiscussions.Ihavelearnedmuchfromthem.InthedetailedselectionsandobservationsImadenewprogress.I’dliketorecordheremyappreciationofYunchengUniversity,whichprovidesmewithsuchacomfortableenvironmentinmywork.ZhangJunxiuEnglishDepartmentYunchengUniversityMay27th21 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