英语与汉语动物谚语对比 18页

摘要本论文以动物谚语为中心展开研究,通过搜集不同英汉谚语的资料，对谚语的定义及动物谚语重要地位进行了分析，对英汉动物谚语的比较研究有一定的现实意义和理论价值。本文首先简单介绍了文化背景以及本文研究的重要性，其次对英语动物谚语和汉语动物谚语进行了简单的概述；然后从不同的角度分别研究了中英文动物谚语的异同，并对造成这些区别的原因进行分析；最后得出一个结果，让大家都明白英汉动物谚语各自形成的的原因以及他们的精要之处。关键词：谚语对比动物 ABSTRACTThisresearchbasedonanimalproverbs,throughthecollectionofinformationondifferentEnglishandChineseproverbs,havingacomprehensiveanalysisaboutthedefinitionoftheproverbsandthepositionofanimalproverbs.TheremustbesomepracticalsignificanceandtheoreticalvaluewiththecomparisonsonEnglishandChineseproverbs.Inthispaper,itbrieflyreferstotheculturalbackground,aswellastheimportanceofthisstudy,followedwiththesummarizationoftheEnglishandChineseproverbsonanimals,thenstudythesimilaritiesanddifferencesfromdisparateanglesseparately,andanalysethereasonwhycausethesedifferences.Finallywegettheresult.InordertomakeusunderstandhowtheEnglishandChineseproverbsonanimalsareformed,aswellasoftheessence.Keywords：proverbs;comparison;animal Contents1.Introduction12.BriefintroductionofEnglishandChineseproverbsonanimals22.1BriefintroductionofEnglishproverbsonanimals22.2BriefintroductionofChineseproverbsonanimals33.ComparisonsbetweenEnglishandChineseproverbsonanimals43.1ThesimilaritiesbetweenEnglishandChineseanimalproverbs43.1.1Bythenatureofanimals53.1.2Bythecharacterofanimals63.1.3Bythelivingexperience63.2ThedifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseanimalproverbs73.2.1Thebackgroundofhistoricalculture83.2.2Thebeliefofreligion83.2.3Socialpsychology93.2.4Theinfluenceofliterature103.2.5Legendandfable113.2.6Thewayofthinking114.Conclusion13Acknowledgements14References15 1．IntroductionThesurgeofcultureisanindispensablepartofglobalization.Encounteringofthetideofforeignculture,mostofthepeoplefeelexhaustedandhelpless.Weholdthehopethatwecouldovercometheculturalobstaclestorealizethedreamofaharmoniousworldbycommunicatingandlearningfromeachother.Atthisverymoment,interculturalcommunicationworksasanimportantlube.Amongthecommunications,animalcultureisasmallbranch,however,itplaysanimportantrole.Ifanyonepayslessattentionorignoresit,hewillbedefinitelymisunderstood.Theproverbsaboutanimalsaretheessenceoftheanimalculture.Asweknowthat,“proverb”meansashortwell-knownsayingthatstatesageneraltruthorgivesadvice,forexample,“Ittakesatwotomakeaquarrel”.Proverbsaretheever-sparklingdiamondsofhumanbeings’wisdom.Proverbsaretheinducingandsublimingofhumanbeings’experience.Proverbsarethecreamofhumanbeings’language.Proverbsimplyprofoundphilosophy,whichcanhelppeoplelearnsomethingandunderstandsomethingbyavividimageorasubtlemetaphor,sothattheycouldleadahappierlife.Proverbsreflectthecharacters,thecultureandthehistoryofanation.Inthelongprocessofhumanbeings’history,animalskeepacloserelationshipwithus.Datingbacktotheprimitivestage,theycontributedforoursurvivals.Astimegoesby,theyareourloyalcompaniesandtheantitypesoftheworks.Peopleusuallyconveytheirthoughtorpintheirfeelingsonanimals.Thereisanabundantofproverbsonanimals,suchasthefollowings:InEnglish,wehavethesayings:It’sanillbirdthatfoulsownnestanditisapoormousethathasonlyonehole.InChinesewehavesomesimilarsayingslike:家丑不可外扬and狡兔三窟.Intheaboveexamples,weseethatwhenwereadtheEnglishones,itisveryhardtogetitsmeaninginChineseandwhenwereadthoseinChinese,itisnoeasytoimaginetheEnglishversion.Duetodifferenthistory,geography,religion,literature,socialpsychology,legends,fablesandsoon,theredoexistobstaclesinunderstandingeachother.So,ifwewanttomaketheprocessofcommunicationsmoother,itisnecessarytohaveacomparisonbetweenEnglishandChineseproverbsonanimals. 2.BriefintroductionofEnglishandChineseproverbsonanimalsProverbisanationallanguageandculture,anditplaysanimportantpartofthem,whichisthemostethniccharacteristics,themostvividofthevocabularycomponent[6]2.Thecontentoftheproverbincludeawiderangeofsubjects,especiallyinthelargestnumberoftheanimalproverbs.Becausetheanimalsarecloselyrelatedtohumanlife,theyplayanirreplaceableroleinpeople’sdailylife,suchasclothing,food,shelterandtransportation,aswellasproducing.Manyanimalsgetalongwithpeopledayandnight,makingpeopleveryfamiliarwiththeirhabitsoflife,qualitiesandcharacters.Withtimeflying,peoplebegintoassociatethehabits,thequalityofanimalswithsomeofthephenomenainhumansociety,thoughsomesayingsseemtobenotscientificandreasonable.Proverbsappearintheoralformverycommonlyatfirst.Theyhaveahighfrequencyofusageandspreadcontinuouslywithmodifiedprocessing,sharingeachother,longcirculating,graduallybecomestereotypescalledproverb.Thisiswhytheyhavegrowntothemainstream.Therefore,thesameasothercivilverbalcreativity,notonlyeachproverbishardtoaffirmauthor,butalsodifficulttoidentifyonwhichdayoftheyearwhichisthatitisbirth.Inthedevelopmentof“Proverbsteams”,notonlythetotalnumberincreasing,butalsoitsmembersareoftenerratic.Somequietlydisappearedinhistory.Somehavebeenchanged,alotofthingshavetakenplace[1]2.2.1BriefintroductionofEnglishproverbsonanimalsEnglishproverbsarethecrystallizationofhumanwisdom,theyarethecolourfullanguageoftheformwhicharefullofwealth,aswellastheliterature,poetry,theyarealltheessenceoflanguage,havingavivid,obviouscharacterstothephilosophyoflanguageingeneral[2]12.Tosomeextent,EnglishproverbsreflectculturalcharactersoftheEnglishnation.Englishproverbsareoflongstanding.Theyarepassedonfromgenerationtogenerationinthereadableoralform,aswellasfromtheBible,fromShakespeare’sworksandfromAesop’sFables,therearealsomanyforeignproverbs.SomeproverbsareoriginatedfromtheBible.Suchas“Givenotthatwhichis holyuntothedog,neithercastyeyourpearlsbeforeswine,lesttheytramplethemundertheirfeet,andturnagainstandrendyou”fromsectionsix,chapterseven,TheGospelofMatthew[2]46.Thenposterityuse“castpearlsbeforeswine”todescribethesepeoplewhohavenoabilitytojudgethecostfultreasure.Someareformedbylocalcustomsandtheirhabits.Forexample,“notallbutterthatthecowyields”，“youcan’thaveyourcakeandeatittoo”（鱼和熊掌不可兼得），“youcan’tsellthecowandsupthemilk”isalsoexpressthesimilarmeaning.Allofthesearefromtheirexperiences.“Aproverbisashortsentencebasedonlongexperience”.MigueldeCervanteshasalreadysummedupbefore.Shakespeare’sworksareprobablythemostcolorfulliteratureoriginofproverbs.“Patienceperforceismedicineforamaddog”isfromShakespeare’sworksAntonyandCleopatra.Ittellsusthatthosewhocannotendureanythingwouldlosehistemperlikesamaddog.2.2BriefintroductionofChineseproverbsonanimalsChineseproverbsarerichandvaried,livelyandmeaningful,reflectingthewholenations’pursuingtheimportantanduniqueculturalvalues.Theyformintheproduction,classstruggleandvividscientificexperiment.Popularandsimple,conciseandbrilliant,especiallytheoralformadoptedtomakeproverbsbecomeanindispensablepartthemainstreamcultureofthenation.Chineseproverbsareoneofthemostancientcultureswhicharecreatedbythemassesofpeople.Theycanbetracedbacktotheinitialstageofhumandevelopment.Theyarealsotheyoungestofthecultureinpractice,becausetheyexistinpeople’sdailylivesandmostofthepeopleusuallyusethem.Allinall,proverbsarethebasisoftheentiresocio-culturalandhavestrongvitality,theyaretheresultofchoosingfromthecivilculture,transformationandrefining.Proverbsaretheheritageofculturaltraditionsfromgenerationtogeneration.Theyhavecontributedtothedevelopmentofthehumanculturaldiversity.Withmostofpeople’sefforts,proverbswillbespringflowers,beautifulandblooming. 3.ComparisonsbetweenEnglishandChineseproverbsonanimalsEnglishandChineseproverbsonanimalareoneformofthelanguageswhicharebasedonpeople’saccumulatedexperienceandlessonsfromtheirdailylives,studyingandworking.Theyarecreatedthroughsummarizingandgeneralizing.Theyareconcise,brilliantfigure,richrhythm,allofthesearecharacterizedbythevarietyofrhetoric.EnglishandChineselanguagesareallfamousfortheirrichproverbs,buttheybelongtotwodifferentculturalsystemsofeastandwest.GeographicalandculturaldifferencesmakeEnglishandChinese,thetwonationsofpeoplestofamiliaritywithavarietyofanimalsbedifferent,togetherwithEnglishandChinesecultureshavingtheirownuniquehistoricalcharacters,valuesystems,mythsandlegends,etc.,makingEnglishandChineseproverbsdistinctivenationalcharacters.CompareEnglishandChineseanimalproverbs,itisbeneficialtohaveamorecomprehensiveandprofoundunderstandingofChineseandEnglishcultureandcharacteristics.3.1ThesimilaritiesbetweenChineseandEnglishanimalproverbsAnimalsareourfriends.Therearevarietiesofanimalsinnature.Eachhasitsownnatureandlivinghabits.Asforthisreason,alargenumberofEnglishproverbsarefromthenatureandhabitsofanimals.Inlong-termclosecontactwithanimals,animalssometimesservicesforpeopledirectlywiththedevelopmentofscienceandtechnology,andtheprogressofsociety,orevenbecomepeople’spets.Sopeoplealreadyhaveadeep-rootedunderstandingtothenatureofanimals.BetweenChineseandwesternculture,mostofpeople’sattitudetoanimal’snatureandhabitsareconsistent.Inspiteofthesamenature,peopleusuallyhavesimilarlifeexperiencesandcommonfeelings.So“common”featuresofthelanguagehappentobealotofoverlapphenomenon,sodoChineseandEnglishproverbs.Peopleinpracticeandproductiveworkingtendtohaveacommonfeeling.AlotofbasicandsimilarimageofanimalsareinlanguageofEnglishandChinese,whichendowwiththeanimalsconnotationsofcommonculture.Forexample,“swan”standsfornoble,“tiger”standsforferocious,“deer”and“lamb”arerepresentativeoftameorkindetc.[5]9 3.1.1BythenatureofanimalsAlthoughthenativeEnglish-speakingcountriesandtheChinesehavetheirowndifferentanglestolookuponanimals,thebasicmeaningofthesameanimalsarethesameoratleastsimilar.Thenatureofanimalissomethingthatcannotbechanged.Forexample,sheepisregardedasatametemperanddocileanimal.Thetwonationsusetheword“sheep”tomeanthosewhosecharactersarethesamewiththeanimal.Inthetwonations,differentanimalsmaycarrythesimilarmoral,forthereissomethingalikeintheircharacters.Sincetheproverbsaretheaccumulatedessenceofhumanbeings’livingexperience,manyequivalentsonanimalproverbofthetwonationscomeout.Natureofanimalsissomethingthatisendowedwith,thusthesameanimalinEnglishandChinesemayhavesimilarmeaning.Foxisawildanimalofthedogfamily,withreddishbrownfur,apointedfaceandabushytail.Itiscunningandliable.Englishpeoplehavetheexpression“Whenthefoxsaysheisavegetarian,it’stimeforthehentolookout.(狐狸说它吃素的时候，母鸡就得注意)”[4]21Asweknow,afoxisameat-eatenanimal.Obviously,whenhesayshisisavegetarian,heistellingalie,likethefollowingexamples:“Thefoxmaygrowgrey,butnevergood.(狐狸毛色可变灰，但是本性难移)”[4]22and“Whenthefoxpreaches,thentakecareofyourgeese.(每当狐狸说教，当心鹅群被盗)”[8]149ThefoxalsogivethesameimpressiontoChinesepeople.Weknowthestoryoffoxandtiger:thecunningfoxcheatthepoortigerthatheisthekingoftheforestandwouldliketoproveitbywalkingaheadofthetiger.Astheresult,theotheranimalsintheforestrunassoonastheyseethetigerwalkingafterthefox.Finally,thefoxescapefrombeingeatenbythetiger.“狐假虎威”comesintobeinginChinese.Otherexampleslike:（1）不入虎穴焉得虎子Ifyoudon’tenteratiger’sden,youcan’tgethiscubs.[10]14（2）燕雀安知鸿鹄之志Swallowandsparrowscan’tunderstandtheambitionsofswans.[10]13Asweknow,tigerisveryferociousanddangerous,soitishardforsomeotheranimalsdoharmfultoitscubs.Thenpeopleusethisexpressiontodescribethatifdo notexperiencethewoods,youwillnotbeabletobesuccessful.Swallowandsparrow,theirambitionsaredifferentwithswan,becauseswancanflyhigher,whichstandsforsomeonehasloftyaspirations.3.1.2BythecharacterofanimalsSimilarcharacterbutdifferentanimalsconveysimilarthinginthetwocultures.Justlikethefollowingexamples:Thesimilarhuntinghabitoffoxandhare:itiswell-knownthathareisafast-runningmammalthatlivesinfields,likearabbitbutlarger,withlongearsandadividedupperlip.Itfeedsongrassandsomecrops.Generallyspeaking,itdigsholetomakeitshomewiththickgrassaround.Whenittakesfood,itnevereatsthegrassarounditshole.Theywouldnotexposethemselvestotheirenemiesbyeatingupthegrassaroundtheirholes.Foxhasthesimilarhabitinhunting.So,weget“Thefoxpreysfarthestfromhishole.”[7]37inEnglishand“兔子不吃窝边草”[8]47inChinese.Thetwopairsofnaturalenemy:catsandmiceandtigerandmonkey.Thepeacewillneverbefallbetweencatsandmice.Whencatsarearound,themicedarenotstealthings.Butwhencatsareout,itistheholidayofthemicefamily.Theywilldowhatevertheywantto.Whileintheforest,thesimilarsituationhappensbetweentiger,theforestking,andmonkey,thenaughtyguy.“Whenthecatsareaway,themicewillplay.”ThecorrespondingproverbinChineseis“山中无老虎，猴子称霸王”.3.1.3BythelivingexperiencePeopleofallthenationsdeveloptheircultures,basingontheirlivingexperiences.Peoplealsogropethetruthfromtheirexperiences.The“stubborn”leopardandthedog:Theexperienceofhumanbeingstellspeoplethatthenatureofsomethingishardtochangethananythingelse.Theleopardtriesitsbesttocamouflagewhenitpreys.Theirquarriescanfigureoutthemiftheypayattention,becausethespotsoftheleopardscanneverfade.InEnglish,theproverb“Theleopardcannotchangeitsspots”[3]12equalsto“狗改不了吃屎”.TheChineseversionismorenegativethantheEnglishone.Thewillinghorseandthehardworkingcow:Intheancienttimes,peopleinEnglish-speakingcountrymakehorseploughtheirfarmland.Horsewastheanimal workingonthefarm,rushingonthebattleandracingonthefield.Peoplereliedonthembadly.ChinesecultureissaidtobeoriginatedfromYellowRiver.Chinesepeoplemakecowploughthesoilandcarrythingswhilethehorseswerejustforbattleandriding.Basedontheabovereason,horseinEnglishequalstocowinChinese.Whentheyrefertosomeonewhoiscompetentandlaborious,theyuse“Alllayloadsonawillinghorse.（能者多劳）”[7]28.However,inChinese,thewillingcowistheobjecttobecomplimented:“初生牛犊不怕虎”3.2ThedifferencesbetweenChineseandEnglishanimalproverbsAlotofanimalproverbsaredescribedforthesameorsimilarculture,aculturalphenomenonofheadcoincidence,whichcalledculturaloverlap.However,thisanimal,afterall,onlyasmallnumberofthemare,butthemostisnocorrelation.Sothereexistsculturalslashorculturalgap.ForthedifferentofthespecificenvironmentChineseandEnglishlive,togetherwithecology,socialbackground,religionandculture,sopeoplecontacttoanimalsfromadifferentpointofviewandformauniqueperspectiveandunderstandingtotheanimals,whichmayleaddifferentconnotationsfromtheEnglishandChineseLanguageofanimals.Thisdifferencecanbedividedintotwocases.Oneisculturalgap,whichmeanssomewordsofanimalendowedwithcertainconnotationinonecountry,butnotincludedinanother.Take“松鹤延年”forexample,inChina,craneisthesymboloflongevity.Usuallytheyareassociatedwithpinetree,whichalsostandsforlongevity.Theyarebothgoodthemeinthepaintingfordonatingtowardoldpeopleasapresent.ButforEnglish-speakingcountriesthatwillnotbringthemanyassociation.Incontrast,therearemanyChineseanimalwordshavingnocorrelation,suchasostrich,beaver,catandsoon.Takecatforexample,"thecatshutsitseyeswhenstealingcream"justlike“掩耳盗铃”,“aglovedcatcatchesnomice”meansifyouwanttobesuccessful,youhavetopayenougheffort.InChinese,called“不愿吃苦的人难成大业”.“Cathidetheirclaws”,wecanunderstandthemeaningapparently.Becausecatdoesnotwantotherstoseeitssharpclaws,wecansearchaChineseexpression,“知人知面不知心”.ThesemeaningsofthecatareraretoseeinChina[10]18. 3.2.1ThebackgroundofhistoricalcultureInsomesense,culturerequiresustoadaptto,itcomeouttogetherwithouradaptingthemixedandvarietiesofenvironment.Itistheprocessofhumanadaptationtotheenvironmentinanunstructuredway.Differenttypesofanimalsaredistinguishedfromeachotherforthediscrepantsurroundings.Someanimalswhicharecloselyrelatedtohumanlivingswilloftenbegiventotherichculturalconnotations,butthereisnosymbolicsignificancebecauseofscarceofanimalsinthatregion,solivinglongerindifferentenvironmentalandecologicalatmosphere,therearemanysignificantdifferences.Chinaisaninlandcountry,sinceancienttimes,Chinahasthevastmajorityoftheagriculturalpopulation.Cattleplayanimportantrole,theyareusedtoploughorforvehicle.Astimegoesby,cattlearethoughttobelaborious,hardworking,veracity,andsoon.“冬牛不瘦，春耕不愁”，“耕牛有些不饱，十七、八年不老”[13]10,whicharegoodexamples.Otherwise,intractable,stupidcanalsousedtodescribecharacterofpeople.However,intheBritain,asnomadicnation,theyrideahorsetowork,forentertainmentandotherthings.Suchas“老牛不喝水，不能强按头”[13]11inChineseexpression,means“amanmayleadahorsetothewater,buthecan’tnotmakehimdrink”,“三人共条牛，剩下光骨头”[13]10means“thecommonhorseisworstshod”,“对牛弹琴，牛不入耳”[13]11areequalto“singpsalmstoadeadhorse”.Insomesense,themeaningofcattleinChinaissimilartothatofhorseinwesterncountries.Carriagetowedbyhorsesisgoodtraffic.Warhorseisanotherexample,becauseitjustlikebattleplaneinnowadays.3.2.2ThebeliefofreligionReligionisanimportantsourceoftheproverbs.EnglishandChinese,thetwonationsareofdifferentreligiousbeliefs,sothemetaphorofanimalsisdifferentbetweenEnglishandChineseproverbs.InChina,Buddhism,Taoismhavealonghistory,somanypeoplearebelieversof“Buddha”,Theybelievethat“God”,“神”controltheworldallaround,soalotofproverbsassociatedwithanimalsinChineselanguage.Suchas“虎想吃山神爷，猴想欺如来佛”，“吃狗肉，念三官经”，“黄鼬看鸡无好心，虎带佛珠假慈悲”.However,inmanyWesterncountries,especiallyinBritainandtheUnitedStates,peoplebelieveinChristianity,Christian culturehasalreadydeep-rootedinpeople’sideology.NearlynobodyneverbefamiliarwiththeBible.AlotofproverbsarejustevolvedfromtheBible.“godtemplesthewindtotheshornlamb”“天无绝人之路”,“godgiveseverybirditsfood,butdoesnotthrowitintothenest”“天赐食物于鸟，但不投之于巢”whichmeanswecan"tblameanybody,everythingweshouldgetbyourselves.Justlikethereisricewhichcanfeedus,butweshouldplantthemfirst.3.2.3SocialpsychologyPeople’sfeeling,thoughtcanbeformedbytheenvironment,emotion,especiallysocialpsychology.Differentaestheticsanddifferentpointofviewmaycausethesameanimalhavingdifferentculturalconnotations.Aestheticisself-reflection,self-recognition,ishisinsidespiritandactivitiesinthenature.Theimportanceofnaturalbeautyisnotbeauty-self,butthefeelingandcharacterofpeople.Thusanimals’beautyistoharmonizewithpeople’scharacter.BoththeChineseandtheEnglishusedtokeepdogs,buttheyhavedifferentperspectivestohowtokeepdogs.Soaestheticscreatedseemshardtobethesame.Chineseculturefocusonthenegativecharacteristicsofthedog,Chineseconsidersthedoglowliness.Suchasthesourceofmeatorusedforwatchdog.Mostproverbswith“dog”isderogatoryinChineseculture.Thenegativefigureof“dog”hasalreadydeeplycarvedintheChineseLanguage.“狗仗人势”,“人模狗样”，“捉鸡骂狗”，“狗嘴吐不出象牙”alltheproverbsexpressthedogischeeky,badfriends,etc.[12]12Otheractivitiesabout“dog”arealsousedtodescribebadguys.Suchas“狗急跳墙”，“好狗不挡道”[12]11.However,inwesternculture,dogswinpeople’strustfortheirloyalty,meetpeople’sdesiretofriendshipandtherequestofcallingingoodfaith,givingthemadequatepsychologicalpleasure.Theimageofadogispositive,sothewordsabout“dog”arealwaystakenalongacomplimentarysense,orneutral.Wecanseefrom“loveme,lovemydog”（爱屋及乌）,westernerstreatdogastheirfriends,orevenoneoftheirfamilies.“agooddogdeservesagoodbone”means“论功行赏”.Theyconsiderthedogunderstandingourpeople’smeaning.Seeingeyedogandshepherddogprove“dogistheirfaithfulfriends”tobetrue.Chinesealwaystreatswallowasamodelforthestudy,thesymbolofbeingnotafraidofdifficultiesandobstacles,butperseverant,hardworking,whocourageouslygoesforward.ButtheWesternersarenotdisposedtoswallow,therearesomesayingwaspublishedintheLongmanModernEnglishDictionary,itissaidthat“thepetrel, thesonofstorm”,foreshadowedthedisaster,disputes,actsofviolenceorthosewholaughatsomeone.Chineseusuallyareafraidtoseeingowlorlisteningitshooting,becauseofconnectionwithbadluckordoom.Theysawowlasominousbird.Onthecontrary,thewesternerthoughtowlisthesymbolofwisdom.Inthecartoonseries,owlisveryseriousandacceptedasajudge.“Aswiseasanowl”isoftensaidamongpeople’sdailylives.3.2.4TheinfluenceofliteratureInEnglishandChineselanguages,therearealsoalargenumberofproverbsfromthehistorystories.Theseproverbshaveconciseconstructionandfar-reachingmeaning.Theycanreflecteachnationalcharacterindifferentculturesvividly.Aesop’sFablesisregardedasthefatherofwestfable.Themajorityofstoriesaboutanimalsusepersonification,theshortform,anappropriatemetaphor,avividimage.ItmustbeaprofoundimpactonEnglishorevenphilosophyandliteratureandartallaroundtheworld.“killnotthegoosethatlaysthegoldeneggs”，“杀鸡取卵，竭泽而渔”[14]13,itdescribethatafarmergetagoosethatcanlaidgoldeneggsbyaccident,soheisrelyingonthisgooseeverydaytothenextlife,butalongtimepassed,farmerbecomemoreandmoregreed,nolongersatisfiedwithagoldeneggoneday,hewantedtogetallthegoldeneggsatonce,sohekillsgoose.Asaresult,hegetnothing,what’sworse,helosttheonlygoosewhocanlaygoldeneggs.Thisstorytellsusweshouldconsiderthefuturebeforewedoanything.Longago,Crickethasbeentakenforentertainment.Theirchirrmakespeoplefeelthesituationofdesolate.TheyallappearwithoutexceptionintheliteratureoftheHan,suchas《九辩》：“独申且而不寐兮,哀蟋蜂之宵征”[10]17.TheEnglishthinkcricketwilltakealongwithpeace,comfortableandhappy,like“asmerryascricket”inthecricketonthestovewrittenbyCharlesDickens.Heshapesacutefigureofcricket,itsingsbesidethefiresidecomfortably.Inaddition,magpieisthoughttobeauspiciousomenbytheChinese,theEnglishoftentendtodescribegossipwomen.《华阳风俗录》inEasternJinDynasty,itisrecorded“鸟有杜鹃，声哀有血”whichcallfirthpeople’ssadness.Butwesternerstreatitascrasherbytheirlivinghabits.theythinkitwillbegoingtobreakupothers’family. 3.2.5LegendandfableAseveryoneknows,dragonissymbolofChineseculture.“鳞凤角龙，谓之四灵”in《礼记》[8]4。Thetopisdefinitelydragon,thisillusionofspiritualobjectswithmysterioussupernaturalforces,makingthepeoplepayhomagetotheemperor.Withthelonghistory,dragonbeginstobethemascotofChina,orevenstandsforthewholenation.“龙举云兴”isexplainthegoodmannerofempire.“龙楼凤阙”meansthepalaceforempire.Dragonisembodimentofbigmanandovermatch.“龙腾虎跃”，“不是强龙不过江”[14]126.Butinwesterncountries,dragonevolvedfromdrakoninGreece,whichmeans“tosee”,“tolookat”.AssaidinBrewer’sDictionaryofPhraseandFable,dragonishugecrocodilewithwingsandlongtail,whichistotallydifferentwiththefigureinChina.Asresult,itisoftenreferredwithsnake.Itisnearlyevil“dragon’steeth”usedtoberootofcombat.“TheoldDragon”isequaltodevil.Frequencyofusageofproverbsabout“tiger”isextremelygreat.ObviouslyitreflectsdifferentculturesbetweenEnglishandChineselanguages.TigerhasalwaysbeenregardedasChina’snationalanimal,itlooksrobust,powerful,itscharacteronhisforehead“王”justlike“King”[9]19,lovedandworshipbytheChinesepeople.ArcheologyshowsthatAsiaisthehomeoftiger,Chinaisthebirthplaceof“tigerculture”.“tigerculture”hasrichandvariedcontents,reflectingtheChinesepeople’saesthetictaste,values,ethicsandmoralconnotation.Theproverbsabout“生龙活虎”，“藏龙卧虎”，“将门虎子”[9]14，theyareallpraisedtopeoplewhohavegoodmentaloutlook,nationalcharacterandsoon.ThereisnosuchrichmeaningintheEnglishnations.Lionisthekingofwoodintheiropinion.TherearesomelionsinflagsofEnglandclubswhichstandsforroyalty,bravery.“Thekingandpope,thelionandthewolf”cantellthepositionofclass.“国王与教皇，狮子与豺狼”[11]7.“Itisnotgoodtowakeasleepinglion”means“睡狮莫惊”cantellthelionisferocious.3.2.6ThewayofthinkingSometimestheanimalwordsallhavetheirownseparatelymeaningintwocultures,buttheconnotationsaretotallydifferent,orevenopposite.AssomeanimalwordshaveconnotationsofcomplimentaryorneutralinChineseculture,butwesterns mayhaveanegativeassociation.“bat”,toChinesepeople,itmaymeansgoodluck,healthorasymbolofhappiness,soinancientofChina,alotofpicturesordesignspaintedwithbatsanddeer,because“batdeer”readas“Fulu”,“福禄”[13]24,symbolizinggoodluck,happiness,highpositionandrichness.Withoutagoodimpression，westernersoftenassociateitwithbadcharacters.“asblindasabat”isthesamemeaningwith“有眼无珠”,“crazyasabat”means“疯疯癫癫”，and“havebatsinthebelfry”seemstobe“异想天开”[10]17.4．ConclusionProverbs,asanimportantpartofculture,isanobjectivereflectionofthe language,EnglishandChineselanguagesreflectthetwodifferentcultures.Thusthedifferenceofusageofanimalwordsintheanalogyissignificant,butwiththeirownculture.Theculturalinformationloadedthroughanimalproverbscanbeseenclearly.TheynotonlyresponsetothesimilaritiesanddifferencesofthespecificmanifestationsbothinEnglishandChinese,butalsoreflectuniqueethniccultureandculturalbackground.Therefore,morecommunicationandattentionshouldbepaidtothetransmissionofculture.Onlybycontinuouslydevelopingandstrengtheningculturalcompetence,ourlevelofunderstandingwillbeimproved.Wecancombineculturalcompetenceandlanguageability,andwecanconveyaccurateinformationoflanguageandculture,carryouteffectivecross-culturalcommunication.TheabovediscussionofstudyandresearchandtherelationshipbetweenthemisbynomeanscomprehensivebutitcanserveourpurposetoimproveELT(EnglishLanguageTeaching)practiceasapointofdepartment.Theideaof“promotingdynamicinterplaybetweenstudyandresearch”isonetheauthorhascherishedforalongtimeandletthein-serviceteachersofEnglishsharewhentheycometorefreshthemselvesintheirfurthereducationprogrammes.Thepurposeofthispaperistodemystifytheloftyterm“research”andhelpourfollowingteachersofEnglishtointegratetheirstudyandteachingwithresearch. AcknowledgementsMyinitialthanksgotomysupervisorWangJinsheng,whopatientlysupervisedmydissertationandwasattimesverywillingtooffermeilluminatingadviceorsuggestions.Withouthishelp,Icouldnothavefinishedthisdissertation.Iamalsoindebtedtootherteachersandmyclassmateswhohavenotonlyofferedmetheirwarmencouragementsbutalsosharedwithmetheirideasandbooks.TheyareWangKewei,ZhuLubin,ZhaoYu,andmanyothers.Mygreatestpersonaldebtistomygrandparentsandparents,whohavecultivatedasoulofsensitivity,hospitality,andhonestyoutofme,andofferedaharborofhappinessandsweetnessforme.Theremainingweaknessandpossibleerrorsofthedissertationareentirelymyown. 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