英漢諺語比較研究
時(shí)間:2022-10-25 08:33:00
導(dǎo)語:英漢諺語比較研究一文來源于網(wǎng)友上傳,不代表本站觀點(diǎn),若需要原創(chuàng)文章可咨詢客服老師,歡迎參考。
[Abstract]Proverbsarethecreamofalanguage.Theyreflecttherelationshipbetweenlanguageandculture.Humanbeings’commonsocialactivitiesareinmanyaspectssimilar,soEnglishandChineseproverbshavesimilarities.Becauseoftheculturaldifferences,EnglishandChineseproverbshavedifferencesintheirdetailedcontents.TheauthorcomparestheirsimilaritiesanddifferencesandalsoproposesthatEnglishandChineseproverbswillbreaktheboundaryandaccomplishinterfusion.EnglishandChineseproverbshavesimilaroriginandsimilarlinguisticcharacters.Theybothoriginatefromfolklife,mythology,literaryworksandfromotherlanguages.DifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseproverbsalsoexist.Thatisdifferentgeography;differenthistorycustoms;differentreligionsanddifferentvalueconcepts.
[KeyWords]proverbs;similarities;differences;interfusion
[摘要]諺語是語言的一個(gè)重要組成部分,是各國語言文學(xué)藝術(shù)寶庫中的一朵奇葩。諺語體現(xiàn)了語言與文化的關(guān)系。由于人類的普遍社會(huì)活動(dòng)和心理思維過程有許多共同之處,因此英漢諺語也存在著相同之處。但由于各國具體歷史文化背景的不同,所以英漢諺語又存在著差異。本文分析了英漢諺語的相同點(diǎn)與不同點(diǎn),并提出英漢諺語在跨文化交際中的滲透與融合。英漢諺語有著相同的起源和語言特點(diǎn)。都來自民間生活,神話傳說,文學(xué)作品和外來語。英漢諺語的語言具有簡煉和生動(dòng)形象的特點(diǎn)。但從具體內(nèi)容來看,英漢諺語表現(xiàn)了不同的地理、歷史、宗教和文化價(jià)值觀念。最后指出隨著世界文化的交流,諺語逐漸打破國家和民族的界限,英漢諺語在互相滲透與融合。
[關(guān)鍵詞]諺語;相同點(diǎn);不同點(diǎn);融合
1.Introduction
ThedefinitionofproverbbyOxfordAdvancedLearner’sEnglish-ChineseDictionaryis“shortwell-knownsayingthatstatesageneraltruthorgivesadvice.”(精練的俗語,或?yàn)槠毡榈览砘驗(yàn)閯裾]語)WuZhankunsaidthatproverbsarethecrystalofnationalwisdomandexperience.Theyarefrequentlyusedorallyandhandeddownfromgenerationtogenerationandusuallygivepeopleinformationandspeakthetruth.Theyareshortsentenceswithcommonstyle,concisestructure,andvividlanguage.[1]WangQinsaidthatproverbsarethesummingupofpracticalexperiences.Theyaretheoralformsoflanguagethatgivepeopleexperience,adviceorwarning.[2]ThegreatEnglishphilosopherFrancisBacononcesaid:“Thegenius,witandspiritofanationarediscoveredinitsproverbs.”
Fromthesedefinitions,wecanseecommoncharactersofproverbs.Proverbsarethecrystalofthenationalwisdomandexperience.Proverbsarecolloquial,sotheyareveryeasytoberememberedandhandeddown.Theyusuallygivepeopleadviceandwarning.
Proverbsarethecreamofalanguage.Languageandculturearetightlyinteractedwitheachother;eachinfluencingandshapingtheother.Languageispartofculture.TheChineselanguageispartofChinacultureandEnglishlanguageispartofEnglishculture.Languageisthecarrierandcontainerofculture.Humanknowledgeandexperiencearedescribedandstoredinlanguage.[3]Asapartoflanguage,proverbscloselyintegratedwiththesocietyandculture.Proverbsreflectmanyaspectsofthenationsuchasgeography,history,religiousfaithandvalues.
EnglishandChinesebelongtotwodifferentlanguagesystems,havinggreatdifferencesintheircultures.Buthumanbeings’commonsocialactivitiesandemotionalreflectionandobservationoftheworldareinmanyaspectssimilar.SonotonlydifferencesbutalsomanysimilaritiesexistinEnglishandChineseproverbs.Withthecommunicationofworld,EnglishandChineseproverbsarepermeatingandinterfusingeachother.
2.SimilaritiesbetweenEnglishandChineseproverbs
ThesimilaritiesbetweenEnglishandChineseproverbsmainlylieintheiroriginsandlinguisticcharacters.
2.1Similarorigins
Proverbsareconcise,vividandcommonshortsentenceswhichbeusedandpassedonorally.Theyarethesummingupoftheexperienceintheproductionstruggleandthesociallifeandthecrystalofwisdom.[4]AnEnglishproverbitselftellsusthat“Proverbsarethedaughterofexperience.”FromthesewecanfindthatEnglishandChineseproverbsenjoythesimilarorigin:theybothoriginatefrompeople’sdailylifeandexperience.Specificallyspeaking,theybothcomefromfolklife,mythology,literaryworksandfromotherlanguages.
2.1.1Originatingfromfolklife
Proverbsarethesummaryofpeople’sdailylifeandexperience,andcloselyrelatedtothepracticeofpeople’slifeandwork,revealingauniversaltruthfromdetailssoastoenlightenpeople.Therearemanyproverbsoriginatedfromfolklife.Theyarecreatedbyworkingpeople,suchasfarmers,workmen,hunters,businessmen,army-menandsoon.Theyusefamiliartermsthatwereassociatedwiththeirownfields.E.g.:
Farmerscreatedthefollowingproverbs:
(1)Makehaywhilethesunshines.
(2)Aprilrainyforcorn,Mayforgrass.
(3)肥不過春雨,瘦不過秋霜。
(4)春天不忙,秋后無糧。
Workmencreatedthefollowingproverbs:
(5)Strikewhiletheironishot.
(6)Agoodanvildoesnotfearthehammer.
(7)木匠怕漆匠,漆匠怕光亮。
Hunterscreatedthefollowingproverbs:
(8)Hethatisafraidofeverybushwillneverproveagoodhuntsman.
(9)上山打虎心要狠,下海提龍心要齊。
Businessmencreatedthefollowingproverbs:
(10)Youpayyourmoneyandtakeyourchoice.
(11)貨有高低三等價(jià),客無遠(yuǎn)近一樣待。
Army-mencreatedthefollowingproverbs:
(12)Agoodgeneralmakegoodmen.
(13)養(yǎng)兵千日,用在一時(shí)。
Thesewerefirstusedbyalimitedgroupofpeopleinthesamefields.Becausetheyarephilosophicalcolloquialism,latertheygraduallygainedwideacceptanceandpartlybecamepartofthecommoncornoflanguageandarenowusedinmanyothersituations.
2.1.2Originatingfrommythology
Eachnationhasitsownmythology,fableandallusion.Chinesetraditionalculture,ancientGreekandRomancivilizationbequeathmanymythologiesandallusions.Theybecomeoneofthemajorsourcesofproverbs.ThestoriesandheroesinGreekMythology,TheFableofAesopandTheHomerleftalotofproverbs.E.g.:
(14)IfeartheGreeks,evenwhenbringinggifts.(Fromthewell-knownstoryoftheTrojanhorsebywhichtheGreekstookthecityofTroy.)
(15)YoucannotmakeaMercuryofeverydog.(FromRomanMythology.Itmeansthatnoteverymindwillanswerequallywelltobetrainedintoascholar).
(16)Thefoxsaidthegrapesweresour.(FromTheFablesofAesop.Itmeansthatonesaidsomethingisbadwhenonecannotgetit.)
Chineseculturecantracebacktoancienttimes.Thereweremanynaturalphenomenonsandourancestorcan’texplainthesephenomenons.Theycreatedthemythologyandfabletoexplainthephenomenon.SomanyChineseproverbscomefrommythologyandfable.E.g.:
(17)八仙過海,各顯神通。(from《八仙過?!罚?/p>
(18)過著牛郎織女的生活。(fromafolklegend)
2.1.3Originatingfromliteraryworks
ManyEnglishandChineseproverbscomefromliteraryworks.Anation’sliterarylanguagesareitslanguage’sginger.Theypromotethedevelopmentoflanguage.Someofbrilliantsentences,plotandhero’snameinliteraryworksbecomeproverbs.[5]
Therearemanygreatwritersinwesternsociety,suchasShakespeare,FrancisBacon,JohnMiltonandsoon.TheyhadmadedistinctivecontributionstothedevelopmentofEnglishliterature.TheirworkswereacceptedandpassedonbyEnglishpeoplefromgenerationtogeneration.ManysentencesbecometheEnglishproverbs.
Shakespeare’sworksarethemostcolorfulliteratureoriginofproverbs.ManyEnglishproverbsarefromtheworksofShakespeare.E.g.:
(19)“Thebiterissometimesbit.”isfromShakespeare’sHamlet.Ittellspeoplethatthosewhodobadthingstootherswillbringthemselvestrouble.
(20)“Allisnotgoldthatglitters.”isfromShakespeare’sTheMerchantsofVenice.Itmeansthatthosewhohaveagoodappearancearenotnecessarilyprofoundorlearned.
Someotherwriters,philosophers’wordsalsobecomeproverbs.E.g.:(21)“Readingmakesafullman,conferenceareadyman,andwritinganexactman”isfromadistinguishedEnglishphilosopherandwriterBacon’sOnReading.Ittellspeoplethatreading,conferenceandwritingcanmakeapersonlearned,sharpandprecise.And(22)“Thechildhoodshowstheman”isfromMilton’sParadiseRegained.
ManyChineseproverbsarefromclassicChineseliteraryworks.Thefourgreatworks:ThePilgrimagetotheWest,TheThreeKingdoms,ADreamofRedMansionsandTheMarshRebellionarethemostpopularclassicsinChina.Suchas:
(23)溫故而知新。(Bystudyingtheoldonelearnssomethingnew)---《論語》(SelectedReading)
(24)三個(gè)臭皮匠頂個(gè)諸葛亮。(ThreecobblerswiththeirwitscombinedequalZhugeLiangthemaster---thewisdomofthemassesexceedsthatofthewisestindividual.)---《三國演義》(TheThreeKingdoms)
(25)三十六計(jì),走為上計(jì)。(Ofthethirty-sixstratagems,thebestisrunningaway.)---《水滸傳》(TheMarshRebellion)
(26)謀事在人,成事在天。(Manproposes;Goddisposes.)---《紅樓夢》(ADreamofRedMansions)
(27)說曹操,曹操到。(Talkofthedevilandheissuretoappear.)---《三國演義》(TheThreeKingdoms)
Literature,asamirrorofsociallife,isanothersourceofproverbs.Manysentencesintheseliteraryworksarefullofwisdomandeasytoberemembered,sopeoplelikethemandusethemagainandagain.Atlast,theybecometheproverbsandarewidelyused.Wecansaythatproverbsarethecreamoftheliteraryworks.
2.1.4Originatingfromotherlanguages
Withthecommunicationofworld,nation’sboundaryisbeingbroken.Moreandmorelanguagescontactedwitheachother.Becauseofthegeographyandhistory,Englishwasinfluencedandimpactedbyotherlanguagesinitsdevelopmentprocess.SoEnglishhaveabsorbedagreatnumberofexpressionsofothernation’sculture.Sodoproverbs.ManyEnglishproverbsarefromLatin,Greek,FrenchandChinese.Asthereasonofhistory,mostoftheseloanedproverbsweretransferredintoEnglishandsomemaintaintheoriginallanguages.
ManyEnglishproverbsoriginatefromLatin.E.g.:
(28)Artislong,lifeisshort.
(29)Thewishisfathertothethought.
SomeLatinproverbsaretransferredintoEnglish.ForexampleEnglishpeoplehavegot(30)“Soonripe,soonrotten”from“Citomaturumcitoputridum”.
ManyEnglishproverbscomefromFrench.Forexample,Englishpeoplehavegot(31)“Whenthefoxpreaches,takecareoffyourgeese”from“Quandlerenardsemetaprecher,gardeauxpoules”.
Englishproverbsalsocomefromforeignwriters’works.Forexample,(32)“Constantdrippingwearsawaythestone.”isfromRomanpoetOvid.
Chinesepeoplehavealsogotsomeproverbsfromotherlanguages.Suchas
(33)“吃不到葡萄說葡萄酸”isfrom“Thegrapesaresour.”
(34)“誰笑到最后,誰笑得最好”isfrom“Hewholaughslastlaughsbest.”
(35)“條條大路通羅馬”isfrom“AllroadsleadtoRome.”
ThesehavebeenacceptedbyChinesepeopleandbecomeChineseproverbs.
FromabovewecanfindoutthatEnglishandChineseproverbshavesimilaroriginsfromfolklife,mythology,literaryworksandfromotherlanguages.FromthesesimilaroriginswecanseethatEnglishandChinesepeoplehavesimilarsocialactivitiesandemotionalreflectionandobservationoftheworld.
2.2Similarlinguisticcharacters
Proverbsarecreatedbycommonpeopleandorallyhandeddownfromgenerationtogenerationagainandagain.EnglishandChineseproverbsareconciseandvivid.
2.2.1Conciseness
Thecleanestwaterisspring;themostrefinedwordsareproverbs.Proverbdictionisneatandsimple.Proverbsusethefewestwordstoexpressthecontents.Theyareconcise,condensedandcompact.MostofEnglishandChineseproverbsaresimplesentences.E.g.:
(36)Easycomeeasygo.
(37)Nopainsnogains.
(38)人勤地不懶。
(39)人心齊泰山移。
Proverbsaresimpleandshortsentences,sotheycanberememberedandhandeddownfromgenerationtogeneration.
2.2.2Vividness
Proverbsuserhetoricaldevicestoattractthereadersdeeply.ManyChineseandEnglishproverbsusethesamerhetoricaldevicessuchassimile,metaphor,repetitionandhyperbole,etc.
Simileisusedveryfrequently.Itisafigureofspeech,inwhichamoreorlessfancifulorunrealisticcomparisonismade,using“l(fā)ike”or“as”.[6]Herearesomeexamples:
(40)割麥如救火。
(41)剩秧如剩草,缺秧如缺寶。
(42)Agoodfriendisasthesuninwinter.
(43)Ablackplumisassweetasawhite.
Metaphorisafigureofspeech,whichconciselycomparestwothingsbysayingthatoneistheother.[7]Itdoesnotliterallydenoteinordertoimplyaresemblance.E.g.:
(44)Timeisfatheroftruth.
(45)Failureisthemotherofsuccess.
(46)一寸光陰一寸金。
(47)謊言怕真理,黑暗怕陽光。
Repetitionisanotherrhetoricaldeviceusedtoexpressstrongfeelingsoremphasizesomemeanings.E.g.:
(48)哪個(gè)老虎不吃人,哪個(gè)地主不狠心。
(49)Manylords,manylaws.
Gorkysaidthat,“Thetrueartisauthorizedtoexaggerate.”Hyperboleisanexaggerationusedtogiveemphasisandstrikethereadersdeeply.E.g.:
(50)Athousandyearscannotrepairamoment’slossofhonor.
(51)谷子栽得稀,不夠喂小雞。
Theexaggerationisnotfalse.Itcomesfromthetruefeelingsandbasesonreality.[8]
Apartfromtheaboverhetoricaldevices,thereareotherdevices.TheyareAntithesis,Synecdoche,Personification,etc.
Theuseofrhetoricaldevicesmakesproverbsfresh,humorous,implicitandfullofwit.
ThoughEnglishandChineseproverbsenjoythesimilarorigins,theyalsohavedifferencesintheirdetailedcontents.Wewilldiscusstheirdifferencesfromthefollowingaspects:differentgeography;differenthistorycustoms;differentreligionsanddifferentvalueconcepts.
3.DifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseproverbs
Languageisstronglyinfluencedandshapedbyculture.Languageisthemirrorofculture.Itcanrepresenteveryaspectofculture.[9]Proverbisanimportantpartofanationallanguageandtheyreflecttherelationbetweencultureandlanguage.Differentnationshavedifferentculture.Generallyspeaking,themajordifferenceslieingeography;historycustoms;religionsandvalueconcepts.Asaresult,EnglishandChineseproverbsaredifferentinthedetailedcontents.
3.1Reflectingdifferentgeography
Anation’sgeographicalenvironmentisaframeworkinwhichalanguageandculturehavebeendeveloping.Thegeographicalfeaturesofacountryareinevitablyreflectedinthenationallanguageingeneralandproverbsinparticular.[10]
EnglandisanislandcountryandlocatedinthewesternseasideofEurope.Englishpeoplelivebyseasideandtheirlifecannotdowithoutsailingandfishing.SomanyEnglishproverbsarerelatedtoseaandsailing.E.g.:
(52)Thebestfishsmellwhentheyarethreedaysold.
(53)Allatsea.
(54)Beingonthesea,sail;beingontheland,settle.
(55)Letanother’sshipwreckbeyournavigationmark.
Chinaisanagriculturecountry.Everyfeudaldynastypaysmuchattentiontoagriculture.Agricultureisthefundamentalandcrucialtrade.Sotherearemanyfarmingproverbsaboutagriculture.FarmingproverbsconstitutealargepartofChineseproverbs.TheyarethecrystalofagricultureexperiencesofChinesepeople.Itcanbeseeninthefollowingexamples:
(56)春雨貴如油。(Rainduringspringtimeispreciousasoil.)
(57)種瓜得瓜,種豆得豆。(Asapansows,soshallhereap.)
(58)人勤地不懶。(Ifmanisdiligent,soilisnotidle.)
(59)瑞雪兆豐年。(Asnowyear,arichyear.)
(60)一粒下地,萬粒歸倉。(Fromonegrainsownintotheearth,onethousandgrainswillspring.)
(61)前人種樹,后人乘涼。(Ancestorsplanttreeswhiledescendantsenjoythecoolunderthetreeshade—enjoyingthefruitsoflaborofone’sancestors.)
Fromabove,wecanseethatEnglishandChineseproverbsreflecttheirdifferentgeographicalconditions.Englandisanislandcountry,somanyEnglishproverbsareabout“sea”,“fish”,“ship”andsoon.WhilemanyChineseproverbsareaboutagriculture,suchas“豆”,“雪”,“倉”,“地”,etc.
3.2Reflectingdifferenthistorycustoms
Eachnationhasitsownhistory.Sinceproverbsarehistoricalproducts,theymayreflectsomeaspectsofthenationalhistory.
EnglishproverbsarerelatedtothehistoryofEngland.E.g.:(62)“Itisashardtopleaseaknaveasaknight.”AknightreferstoamangiventherankofknighthoodbytheBritishmonarch.TherearemanylegendsabouttheEnglishknights(e.g.:KingArthurandhisgreenknights)intheancienttimes;and(63)“Fromwhippingposttopillory.”Awhippingpostisaposttowhichapersonwastiedforapublicwhippingandapilloryisawoodenframeworkwiththreeholesintowhichtheheadandhandsofanoffenderwereloked,exposinghimtopublicabuseandridicule.[11]
Chinahasalonghistory.Thereisthousandsofyears’feudalsocietyinChina.Peoplewerebondedbytherankofclass.Therulersexploitandbullythepeoplecruelty.TherearemanyChineseproverbsaboutfeudalandgenderdiscrimination.E.g.:
(64)只許州官放火,不許百姓點(diǎn)燈。(Themagistratesarefreetoburndownhouses,whilethecommonpeopleareforbiddeneventolightlamps.–Thepowerfulcandowhattheywant,theweakarenotallowedtodoanything.)
(65)朱門酒肉臭,路有凍死骨。(Behindthereddoorsmeatandwinegotowastewhileoutontheroadsliethebonesofthefrozen.)
(66)嫁雞隨雞,嫁狗隨狗。(Marryacockandfollowthecock,marryadogandfollowthedog.—Followthemanyoumarry,behefowlorcur.)[12]
FromabovewecanseethatEnglishandChineseproverbsreflectthedifferenthistory.EnglishproverbsarerelatedtokingandknightwhileChineseproverbsreflecttheChinesepeople’sgrudgeandresistancetorulers.
3.3Reflectingdifferentreligions
Religionisaveryimportantpartofculture.Differentreligionsreflectdifferentculturalcharacters,differentculturalbackgroundsanddifferentculturaltraditions.Religionisaculturalphenomenon.Proverbsarecloselyrelatedtotheculture,soproverbscanreflectthedifferentreligiousfaith.[13]
EnglishpeoplebelieveinChristianityanditisthemostinfluentialreligioninthewest.ManyEnglishproverbsreflectEnglishpeople’sreligiousfaithandmanyofthemareabout“God”,“devil”,“heaven”,“church”,“cross”and“hell”.E.g.:
(67)Aspoorasthechurchmouse.
(68)Godhelpsthosewhohelpthemselves.
(69)ThedevilcanciteScriptureforhispurpose.
(70)Bettergotoheaveninragsthantohellinembroidering.
(71)ThewaytoheavenisbyWeepingCross.
TheproverbsaboveareapparentlyrelatedtoChristianity,becauseinthem“God”,“devil”,“heaven”,“church”,“cross”and“hell”appearwhicharetheembodimentsofChristianity.
Incontrast,BuddhismisthemostpopularreligioninChina.ManyproverbsareaboutBuddhismsuchas:
(72)平時(shí)不燒香,臨時(shí)抱佛腳。(Neverburningincensewhenalliswell,butclaspingBuddha’sfeetinanemergency.)
(73)跑得了和尚,跑不了廟。(Themonkmayrunaway,butthetemplecan’trunwithhim.—Afugitivemustbelongtosomeplacethatcanprovideclues.)
(74)泥菩薩過河,自身難保。(Likeaclayidolfordingariver--hardlyabletosaveone.)
(75)放下屠刀,立地成佛。(ThebutcherwholaysdownhisknifeatoncebecomesaBuddha.)
Theseproverbsareabout佛,和尚,廟and菩薩。ThedoctrinesofBuddhistadmonishpeopletodogooddeedsandsotheycangototheheavenaftertheirdeath.TaoismcomesnexttoBuddhisminChina.ThereareproverbsaboutTaoismsuchas
(76)一人得道,雞犬升天。
(77)道高一尺,魔高一丈,etc.
EnglishandChinesepeoplehavedifferentreligiousfaith.DifferentreligionsleadtothedifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseproverbs.ChristianityisthemainreligioninEnglish-speakingcountries,somanyEnglishproverbsarerelatedto“God”.WhileChinesepeoplebelievedinBuddhismandTaoism,somanyChineseproverbsareabout“佛”and“道”。
3.4Reflectingdifferentvalueconcepts
ThedifferencesbetweenChineseandwesternvalueconceptsmainlylieinindividualismandcollective.
Westernersbelievethateverymanisequal.Theyaspiretofreedomandequality.ManyEnglishproverbsshowAmerican’sadvocatingoffreedomandindividualism.E.g.:
(78)Godhelpsthosewhohelpthemselves.
(79)Hehelpslittlethathelpsnothimself.
Thesetwoproverbsillustratetheindividualrole.Thewords“themselves”and“himself”showthatindependenceplaysanimportantroleintheirlife.
(80)Everymanisthearchitectofhisownfortune.
(81)Ifyouwantathingwelldone,doityourself.
Thesetwoproverbsattachimportancetoindependenceandself-reliance.Self-relianceimpelspeopletocreateopportunities,seekcompetitionandbereadyforrisks.
(82)“Itisthesqueakywheelthatgetstheoil.”givesprominencetotheindividualism.
(83)“Everymanafterhisfashion.”laysstressonindividualdifferences.
Onthecontrary,Chinesepeopletakemodestyasvirtue.Theyrespecttheoldandtakegoodcareoftheyoung.Theircharacteristicsare“justiceandhumanity”,“modesty”and“l(fā)ove”.[14]Chinesepeoplepaymuchattentiontocollectivismandthinkhighlyoftheroleofgroups.Theylaystressonhelpeachotherandrelianceeachother.Theyalsopayattentiontotheharmonioushumanrelationshipandtheytrytosavetheotherside’sface.ManyChineseproverbsreflectthistrend.[15]E.g.:
(84)“孤樹結(jié)成林不怕風(fēng)吹,滴水集成海不怕日曬。”showsthestrengthofcollectiveorunion.
(85)“四海之內(nèi)皆兄弟?!眗eflectstheimportanceofmutualhelpandreliance.
(86)“相互協(xié)助事好辦,各自揣私心事難成?!眑aysstressontheharmonioushumanrelationship.
(87)“忍一時(shí)風(fēng)平浪靜,退一步海闊天空。”suggeststhatpeopleshouldsavetheotherside’sface.
Thereareexceptionsthatareoppositetothemainstream.SomeEnglishproverbsalsoreflecttheimportanceofcollectivism.Forexample,(88)“makeyourselfnecessarytosomeone.”Chinesetraditionalvalueconcepthasbeengreatlyimpactedwiththeinputofindividualism.(89)“一個(gè)和尚挑水吃;兩個(gè)和尚抬水吃;三個(gè)和尚沒水吃”iscontrarytoChinesecollectivetendency.Inspiteoftheseexceptions,theirmainstreamsarenotchanged.
EnglishandChineseproverbshavemanysimilaritiesanddifferences.Withthecommunicationofworldculture,proverbswillbreaktheboundaryofstatesandnations,promotetheculturalconvergenceandachieveinterfusion.EnglishandChineseproverbsarepermeatingandinterfusingeachotherconstantly.
4.Permeationandinterfusion
Withtheprogressofscienceandtechnology,thedevelopmentofsocietyanddisseminationofinformation,thecommunicationandcooperationamongcountriesareexpanding.Thecontactamongstatesandnationsismoreandmorefrequent.Differentnationalculturesarepermeatingandinterfusing.Languageisthecarrierofculture.Culturalconvergenceisdirectlyreflectedintheintegrationoflanguage,atthesametimetheinterfusionandchangingoflanguagereflectandrecordtheevolutionofculturalconvergence.[16]Proverbisthecrystaloflanguage.Ithasnoexception.
ThecommunicationbetweenChineseandWesterncultureismoreandmorefrequent.Thesetwoculturesaffectandpermeatemutually.EnglishabsorbmanyChinesewords,andagreatnumberofEnglishwordsalsoenterintheChineseculture.Forexample:
(90)“以眼還眼,以牙還牙”isfrom“Aneyeforaneye,atoothforatooth.”
(91)“誰笑到最后,誰笑得最好”isfrom“Hewholaughslastlaughsbest.”
(92)“吃不到葡萄說葡萄酸”isfrom“Sourgrapes”andsoon.
(93)“Distantwatercannotquenchafirenearby”isfrom“遠(yuǎn)水解不了近火”
(94)“Don’tclimbatreetolookforfish.”isfrom“勿緣木求魚。”
(95)“Takeawayfuel,takeawayflame.”isfrom“揚(yáng)湯止沸,不如釜底抽薪?!?/p>
(96)“Thetruthbyincessantendeavors.”isfrom“愚者千慮,必有一得?!薄妒酚洝罚≧ecordsoftheHistorian)
(97)“Betterreturnhomeandmakeanetthanlongforfishbythewaterside.”isfrom“臨淵而捕魚,不如退而結(jié)網(wǎng)?!薄稘h書》(HistoryoftheHanDynasty)
FromaboveproverbswecanseethatmanyChineseproverbsbecomeEnglishproverbsandChinesepeoplealsoacceptalotofEnglishproverbs.EnglishandChineseproverbsarepermeatingandinterfusingeachotherconstantly.
5.Conclusion
Proverbsarethecreamofalanguage.Theyarecloselyrelatedtoanation’scultureandenjoygreatculturalvalues.Theyreflecttherelationbetweencultureandlanguage.Eachnationhasitsowngeography,history,religionandsocialattitude.Becauseoftheculturalgeneralitiesanddifferences,EnglishandChineseproverbshavetheirsimilaritiesanddifferences.Theyarepermeatingandinterfusingeachother.Soacomparativestudyofthemcanhelpustolearnalanguagewellandunderstandthetruemeaningofother’swordincross-culturecommunication.
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