中西方文化差異之動(dòng)物篇講稿

1、關(guān)于中西方文化差異之動(dòng)物篇第1頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四 1.Different cultural backgrounds present the same or similar meanings of the same words about animals. 2. Words with different cultural loads may lead to different associations.3. The connotative meanings of a word may exist in one culture, but evaporate

2、in another 第2頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四 English people would say, “He is a fox.” Similarly, Chinese people can understand the meaning of the sentence “He is a fox.” in Chinese “他是一只狐貍?！?This example shows that in English “fox” can be used to describe somebody who is cunning and dishonest. This ex

3、ample indicates that different languages and cultures endow “fox the same meanings.第3頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四Wolf(狼) is a kind of greedy, savage and cruel beast, so in Chinese there exist such expressions:“狼心狗肺”,“豺狼當(dāng)?shù)馈?“如狼似虎”, “狼吞虎咽”, “狼狽為奸”, “狼子野心”. 第4頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四Similarly, th

4、e greedy, sinister險(xiǎn)惡的, dishonest character of wolf also displays vividly and incisively in western culture, e.g.:“a wolf in a sheeps clothing or a wolf in lambs skin ”; “wake a sleeping wolf”;“hold a wolf by the ears”;“keep the wolf from the door”. 披著羊皮的狼自找麻煩騎虎難下，進(jìn)退兩難勉強(qiáng)度日第5頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，

5、星期四“Ass(驢)” in English and Chinese has the same connotation and figurative meaning “foolish, stupid”. In Chinese the expression “笨驢” is used to indicate a fool or an idiot. In English, most of the set phrases, idioms and proverbs including the word “ass all imply the meaning of “foolish”, e.g. “ass

6、in grain (十足的大傻瓜)”;“an ass in a lions skin (from Aesops Fables, 冒充聰明人的傻瓜)”;“all asses wag搖動(dòng) their ears (諺語：驢子搖耳朵，傻瓜裝聰明)”; “asses bridge (笨人難過的橋)”;“act the ass (做糊涂事)”;“make an ass of oneself (做蠢事)”; “sell you ass (口語：不要這樣呆頭呆腦)”. 第6頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四 “dove” in Chinese and English shares th

7、e same meaning, and symbolizes for peace. We regard the dove as “peace dove”. In some grand celebrations, we often see the scene of taking the doves away, standing for cherished desire for peace world of all of us. 第7頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四The following are some other familiar examples: as fre

8、e as a bird (像鳥兒一樣自由); as ugly as a toad (像癩蛤蟆一樣丑); as busy as a bee (像蜜蜂一樣忙碌); as slow as a nail (像蝸牛一樣慢).第8頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四 This kind of terms with same or similar meanings show that in different cultures there does exist something in common, which reflects the commonness of different

9、 national cultures.第9頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四英漢語中對(duì)豬的形象和喻義也基本一致，豬給人的印象是臟而丑陋，令人討厭，其喻義是集“懶”、“饞”、“貪”和“笨”于一身。漢語中“豬玀”、“豬頭阿三”、“肥得像頭豬”、“懶得像頭豬”等粗俗的臟話都是以豬為形象的，在英語中，a pig意為a greedy, dirty or bad-mannered person(貪婪，骯臟或舉止粗魯之人)，因此常用以喻指貪婪，懶惰，骯臟的人。英語中有不少含有pig的習(xí)語短語，幾乎都含有明顯的貶義，如eat like a pig（喧鬧而貪婪地大吃大喝），make a

10、pig of oneself （大吃大喝，狼吞虎咽），pigs in clover（行為卑鄙或粗魯?shù)挠绣X人），buy a pig in a poke （未經(jīng)過目而買下的上當(dāng)之貨）。Next第10頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四1)Some animal words with commendatory(褒義) meaning in Chinese, but with derogatory（貶義）meaning in English 2)Some animal words with commendatory figurative meaning in English, b

11、ut with derogatory figurative meaning in Chinese3)Different animal association vehicles and similar figurative meanings 第11頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四“dragon (龍)” is completely opposite in Chinese and English. “Dragon ”is not a real animal but an imaginary one. In China, dragon is the symbol of th

12、e Chinese nation, especially in the ancient time, people worshiped dragon to beg for rain. And the Chinese feudal emperors were often referred to as sons of dragons (真龍?zhí)熳?, wearing clothes with designs of dragons (龍袍). And also the Chinese all call themselves descendents of the dragon（龍的傳人）and are v

13、ery proud of being the descendents of the dragon. 第12頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四However, in Western peoples minds, the dragon is some evil monster with a large tail with wings and claws, breathing out fire and smoke. It symbolizes evil.So if we want to say “望子成龍”in English，we cant say that “His pa

14、rents except him to be a dragon”, but we must explain it like that “His parents except him to become an outstanding personage” or “His parents except him to have a bright future” 。we cant say”亞洲四小龍”like that “four small dragons of Asia” but that “four small tigers of Asia”。第13頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)5

15、7分，星期四“Monkey (猴子)” has different meaning in Chinese and English languages. In Chinese, “monkey” is often likened to a smart and agile person, with commendatory sense. The Chinese people often jokingly call clever and cute children “l(fā)ittle monkey”. But, if you praise a western child “You are like a

16、little monkey.”, he will be angry, thinking that you curse him. Because in English, “l(fā)ittle monkey,” means “a troublesome playful child”. And “monkey” is often likened to a person with a whole bag of tricks, e.g. “The man is as tricky as a monkey. (那人詭計(jì)多端，極為狡猾。)” Therefore, in English, expressions w

17、ith “monkey” have derogatory meanings, e.g. “monkey business (搗鬼，騙人的勾當(dāng))”; “monkey around (閑蕩，瞎弄)”;“monkey meat (美俚：劣等牛肉)”; “suck the monkey (英俚：酗酒)”. 第14頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四“petrel (海燕)”. In English the petrel is considered as an omen of disaster. The Longman Dictionary （朗文詞典）of English-Chi

18、nese offers us the explanations: “A stormy petrel is a person whose presence excites discontentment, quarrelling, etc. in a social group.” The reason for such a dislike is that they think petrel is the symbol for disaster. However, in China the word “petrel” is associated with braving hardship and a

19、dversity, advancing with perseverance and courage. The spirit is well reflected in the poem petrel written by Gorky（高爾基）, a famous Russian writer.第15頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四magpie (喜鵲)， To English people, if a magpie flies near a window, it is a symbol of bad luck. There are two explanations in

20、 The Oxford Advanced Learners （牛津高階）English-Chinese Dictionary: (a) person who collects or hoards things (愛收藏或貯藏東西的人), (b) person who chatters a lot (愛饒舌的人). All these explanations are figurative with derogatory meanings. On the contrary, a magpie is a symbol of good luck in China. If a magpie sings

21、 in a tree near houses, people would think some happy things would happen. So Chinese people often say that “Magpie sings, happy thing comes.”第16頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四“fish” has quite different meanings in English and Chinese. In English “fish” has derogatory meaning that refers to bad things

22、 and persons, e.g.: “a poor fish (可憐蟲)”; “a loose fish (生活放蕩的女人)”;“fish in the air (水中撈月)”. In Chinese the letter “魚” and “余” are homophones. Therefore, in the important festivals such as Spring Festival, Chinese people would like to use “fish” as an indispensable dish to symbolize “abundance”. 第17頁(yè)

23、，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四“elephant (象)”， In China, “elephant” is a mascot（吉祥的東西）. Many places in China are named for the letter “象” such as “象山” in Zhejiang province, “象州”, “象鼻山” in Guangxi province,“象河” in Tibet, etc. “Elephant” also symbolizes status. For example, in remote antiquity古代, the nob

24、le ladies wore clothes with designs of elephants (象服); The emperors rode on elephants. The “elephant” is doted溺愛 by Chinese people because of the Buddhist legends佛教傳說. It is said that the Buddhist patriarch創(chuàng)始人 was the reincarnation化身 of white elephant. 第18頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四On the contrary

25、, in English white elephant (白象) is likened to things that are useless and often expensive. The allusion is originated from a folk story that in Siam (now Thailand), the king would give a white elephant as a present to a subject that he did not like. The subject would have to spend all his money on

26、looking after the rare animal. Therefore, there exist such expressions in English, “elephantine (笨拙)”,“elephant humor (蹩腳的幽默)”,“elephant task (累贅的活兒)”. Next第19頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四“dog”. In the western, the dog is peoples best friend. Most of the “dog” expressions possess a commendatory sens

27、e or at least a neutral sense in English. such as “big dog (重要人物)”, “top dog (優(yōu)勝者)”, “l(fā)ucky dog (幸運(yùn)兒)”, etc. in English. “To help a lame dog over the stile階梯” means “to help someone in difficulty”. “To let sleeping dogs lie” means “to make no trouble” or “not to disturb people”. “Every dog has its d

28、ay,” means “every person will some day succeed or become fortunate.” 凡人皆有得意的意識(shí)時(shí)第20頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四But the word “dog” in most Chinese phrases is associated with some derogatory meanings, as is reflected in sayings like “狗膽包天、狗急跳墻、狗頭軍師、狗腿子、狗血噴頭、狼心狗肺、狗眼看人低、喪家之犬、狗嘴吐不出象牙”, etc.Even though mo

29、st Chinese now think the dog is mans faithful friend. However, in some cases the word “dog” may have derogatory sense in English, as is shown in the following examples: “yellow dog (卑鄙之人)”, “dirty dog (齷齪之人)”, “sly dog (陰險(xiǎn)之人)”,“dead dog (無用的人)”, and some vulgar languages :“son of bitch (狗雜種)”, “you

30、dog (狗東西)”, “that cur (小雜種狗)”, etc. 第21頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四“Owl (貓頭鷹)” is very popular with the western. The Greeks use “owl” to stand for Athens雅典, which is famous for its many owls. And its said that Athena, the woman patron saint was given an owl as her mark. It symbolizes wisdom, calmne

31、ss, gravity and steadiness. In dispute among birds and beats, it is the owl that they go to for advice, and we can see such idiom “as wise as an owl”. If we use “owlish” to describe somebody, we want to say he is clever or serious, e.g. “Patrick peered owlishly at us through his glasses. (帕特里克透過他的眼鏡

32、嚴(yán)肅而機(jī)智地審視著我們。) ” 第22頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四But in Chinese, the meaning of the word “owl” is quite different. “Owl” is described as the devil, ill omen征兆 and evil. People are afraid of seeing an owl, especially seeing its entering the house, so there are proverbs which go like these:“夜貓子進(jìn)宅，無事不來”

33、;“夜貓子抖擻翅，大小有點(diǎn)事兒”. The mere sight of an owl or the sound of its hooting might cause people to draw back in fear. 第23頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四“bear”. To Chinese people “bear” means “cowardly and timid” or “stupid”, such as “笨熊”, “瞧那熊樣”, etc. However, in English, people use “bear” to refer to those

34、 persons having special ability, for instance, “He is a bear at music. (他是音樂天才。) Next第24頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四agriculture is the foundation of Chinas economic development, so the cattle (牛) play a great role in Chinese culture. There are so many expressions which use “cattle” as association .

35、However, in the Middle Ages, horse was not only the inseparable part of Knights lives, but also the animal kept and used by the imperial families. So English people give horse many good meanings .第25頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四as strong as a horse work like a horsetalk horseeat like a horse力大如牛 老黃牛

36、精神吹牛食量大如牛第26頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四In English, there are many figurative expressions using the word “horse” as association vehicles, e.g.“change horse (換馬)” is likened to “change groups or leaders (換班子或領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人)”; “from the horses mouth (第一手的)”etc.Similarly, Great Britain is an island country, so f

37、ishery is important. Therefore, there exists such figurative expression “to drink like a fish (牛飲)”. 第27頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四To Chinese people, “tiger” is referred to as the king of animals and stands for power, vigor and bravery. So there are many expressions with the letter “虎”:“英雄虎膽”,“龍爭(zhēng)虎

38、斗”,“藏龍臥虎”,“如虎添翼”, “虎將”, etc. But in English “tiger” symbolizes cruelty. The western regards “l(fā)ion” as the king of animals. We use “as bold as a lion” to describe a brave person. The lion enjoys high prestige. In addition, English people regard lion as the national emblem of Great Britain. “A literar

39、y lion” is referred to a famous person in the field of literature. 第28頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四 Different animal association with similar meanings can be also seen from such expressions:“as timid as a rabbit, chicken-hearted or pigeon-hearted (膽小如鼠)”;“l(fā)ike a cat on hot bricks (熱鍋上的螞蟻)”;“as stubb

40、orn as a mule (犟得像頭牛)”; “wet as a drowned rat (落湯雞)”;“goose flesh (雞皮疙瘩)”; etc.Other associations:add fuel to the flames 火上澆油a thunder of applause 雷鳴般的掌聲burn ones boat (破釜沉舟) 。第29頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四比喻“著急”, 漢語用“熱鍋上的螞蟻”, 英語卻用like a cat on hot bricks (熱磚上的貓)。比喻“頑固”, 英語用as stubborn as a mule (

41、頑固得像頭騾子) , 而漢語通常說“犟得象頭?！?。中文常用“貓哭老鼠”來形容虛偽和偽善, 英語中相似的表達(dá)法是shed crocodile tears (鱷魚的眼淚)。形容一個(gè)人很餓時(shí)漢語中會(huì)描述為“像餓狼一樣”，而在西方文化中會(huì)表示為“as a hungry as a bear”。形容人膽小怕事時(shí)，漢語用“膽小如鼠”來表示，而西方文化中則用兔子來表示膽小“as timid as a hare”。第30頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四Another：表示碎嘴的： Magpie(喜鵲) ， sparrow（麻雀）表示膽小的： Chicken(小雞), rabbit(兔子

42、), pigeon (鴿子)，mouse（鼠）。 第31頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四Conclusion:喻體相同、喻義不同,如: pull ones leg 不等于“拖后腿”,英語中的pull ones leg 是“開某人玩笑”(to make a fool of sb /to make fun of sb. ) 的意思,而漢語的“拖后腿”意為“成為別人或事物前進(jìn)的障礙”;喻義相同、喻體稍有差異,如: a rat in a bowl (甕中之鱉) kill two birds with one stone (一箭雙雕) ;喻義相同、喻體完全不同,如: cry u

43、p wine and sell vinegar (掛羊頭,賣狗肉) , fish in the air (水中撈月) 等等。Next第32頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四In Western culture, whether cuckoo (布谷鳥) issued by itself or its sound has no specific meaning, it is just a normal bird. While the Chinese believe that hearing the cuckoo calls, dreary feeling arises s

44、pontaneously. Legend has it that a man called du Yu（杜宇） Emperor of ancient China, he lost their territory because of the defeat, death was very sad. Since then, his soul on du Yus grave a bird cries until Crows blood and died. Therefore, cuckoo, also known as “杜鵑”. 第33頁(yè)，共39頁(yè)，2022年，5月20日，16點(diǎn)57分，星期四silkworm(蠶) , made in China, is famous for its silk. The “Silk Road” has long been known, Chinese culture has a long history of si