【文章內(nèi)容簡介】 stern people value individualism very much, so the numbers of the pound words whose prefix is “self “are more than 100 in the English dictionaries, for example, selfcontrol, selfrespect, self–confidence, selfreliance, selfesteem, self–dependence. The Americans want to be “a selfmade man” or “a selfmade woman.” It is obvious that “individualism” plays a prominent role in American life. Thinking modes expressed in the English and Chinese idiomsAs a result of the distinct thinking modes, people differ in collocations and apperceive orientation. We can discover the kinds of perceptions to the objective world of the two nationalities in the studying of the pound modes of English and Chinese idioms. the angle of rationalismAccording to the rationalism, Chinese rationalism is inclined to be direct and concrete while that of the western is abstract analysis. Discrepancies of the thinking mode are embodied in the patterns of language performance. On the one hand, concept of words and phrases is transformed between theory and practice: that is to say, English language uses abstract notion to show a certain specific thing or phenomenon, while Chinese language transforms abstract notion into a concrete thing. For example, “ As you sow, you will reap” 種瓜得瓜，種豆得豆, “fit the appetite to the dishes” 看菜吃飯. On the other hand, there are differences in the assortments of word order. Chinese said “救死扶傷” , but the western people state “Heal the wounded, rescue the dying”（扶傷救死）. the angle of the pragmatism Many English and Chinese idioms can evidently show the philosophy of a life motto at opposite poles. The philosophy of pragmatism dominates many Westerners as in all is “fair in love and war” “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” The westerns always say “I will try” or “if I cannot succeed this time, I will try again.” Chinese people can’t accept these notions。 even think it is awful and unsportsmanlike. They have formed the philosophy of “君子固窮” “君子喻于義,小人喻于利” “不為福禍,不為福先” “命中無有,不可強求” “安分守己” “知足常樂” “明哲保身” Influences caused by cultural differences on English and Chinese idiomsEvery nation has its culture. Idiom is the mirror of the culture of a nation. “A nation’s cultural psychological and aesthetic perspectives and values are surely reflected in its idioms. The national cultural features of a language refer to not only the connotations of ‘culture’ but also the extension of the concept of ‘culture’ –the nation’s history, geographical condition, economy, social system, religion and customs which are reflected and recorded in its language. ” (楊賢玉, 2001:70) In order to have a better understanding of English and Chinese idioms, we should make a further study of the influences caused by cultural difference on English and Chinese idiom. We have difficulty understanding an idiom which is more or less connected with a certain region, custom, religion or historical event of which we know nothing. So we might take idioms as a mirror, which best reflect the special features of culture. Different living environments Many idioms originated from different living environments. Naturally two kinds of national characteristics are manifest. The English and Chinese have different environments. Traditionally speaking, England is a nomadic nation whose lives have largely been dependent on livestock husbandry. So the knowledge of wools is popular in their daily lives. There are a great number of idioms related to wools. “ Tarred with the same brush ” (一路貨色). “Much cry and little wool” (雷聲大, 雨點小). “Go for wool and e home shorn”（偷雞不成蝕把米）. “Much wool on the back” （很有錢）. From the above four idioms, we can learn of the intimate relationship between English people and wools.Britain is an island country. In Britain, no places are more than 110 miles away from sea. Therefore many idioms are connected with their sea experience. The following are the many examples. “There is as good a fish in the sea as ever e out of it” （有了大海，還怕沒魚）. “Be taken aback” （大吃一驚）. “The good seaman is known in bad weather” （要識好手，須憑壞天氣）. “A small leak will sink a great ship” （大船還怕釘眼漏）. “ All hands to the pumps” （情況危急，要全力以赴）. However, China, since time immemorial, was chiefly a farming country and the overwhelming majority of the people lived in the rural areas, and depended on farming. It is true that a lot of idioms derived from farmers. These idioms which were accumulated from their productive labor by the Chinese peasant generation after generation are the crystallization of a rich experience in agricultural production,. “種瓜得瓜，種豆得豆” (As a man sows, so shall he reap). “秋后的螞蚌蹦跳不了幾天” (At the end of autumn, a grasshopper39。s jumping days are numbered—imminent failure). “一年之計在于春，一日之計在于晨” (The whole year39。s work depends on good planning in spring, and the whole day39。s work depends on good planning in the early morning). These idioms present the life and the viewpoints of Chinese farmers. Different living customs Idioms e from people’s life and reflect people’s life. Living custom has a great influence on the system of idiomatic expressions. Every idiom is characterized by the different social customs. “ 蘿卜白菜，各有所愛” （ Different people have different tastes, some like radish and some like cabbage）is used to explain people’s preference to certain objects and ideas. The expression is vivid for Chinese people because “radish” and “cabbage” are mon food in China. People use it to represent the different tastes or viewpoints. However, the same images are unlikely to have the same expressive effects in the minds of English. In expressing the same meaning, they may use two different images “apple” and “onion”. English people would say, “Different people have different opinions, some like apples and some like onions.” “Apples” or “onions” are two mon things in the dairy life and the two things describe people’s different opinions. One more example is “ Unkissed, unkind”(不接吻，不友善). The prove