【文章內(nèi)容簡介】 rief and easy to remember and operate with mouths and ears. We wi1l get better idea of English proverbs fom the old saying 39。39。Carry coals to Newcastle.39。39。 which reveals the truth of unnecessary to do something by paring with a plain action of carrying coals to Newcastle, where coal is abundant. Slangs S1angs can be defined as ,39。very informal words, phrases, etc39。 They are monly used in speech, especially between people $om the same social group or who work togethe1 not considered suitable for formal contexts and ofen not used for long. 39。39。 (Oxford Advanced Learner EnglishChinese Dictionarg extended 4 edition, 2002).Slangs are natural products of verbal munication and very mon in a 1anguage. Slang expression is se1dom used in the forma1 contexts. People ofen use them in informal speech and writing. The paper here gives out some instances: Behind the eight ball (sports): in a difficult position。 in trouble A bad trip: a disturbing or frightening experience, such as terrifying hallucinations, while under the inf1uence of drugs。 hence, by colloquial extension, a bad experience in general. Similarities and differences in English and Chinese Idioms Since a contrastive study is going to be made between Enghsh and Chinese idioms，both of the similarities and differences between them should be analyzed. Similarities in Engish and Chinese Idioms First of all,we are going to discuss the similarities betwteen English and Chinese we read some idioms in Eng1ish and Chinese，we can find a surprising coincidence between them that some of them are extremely similar and ev identica1 in mcaning and form. This shows the fact that human beings are 1iving on the same earth，have experienced similar developmenta1 procedures in history so that they have similarties in their languages as we1l as their from different cultures are not isolated from each munication activities have never stopped. With the constant development of modem media， there are more frequent interculural munication activities between different cultures that provide people with a 1ot of opportunities to get in touch with each other39。s native English speakers and native Chinese speakers have different cu1tural backgrounds， their use of idioms in munication has something in mon∶For examp1e，the Chinese idiom“以眼還眼，以牙還牙”（eye for eye，tooth for tooth）was actually borrow from English；and the English saying paper tiger was aotually borrowed from the Chinese saying“紙老虎.”It is such similarities that provide a basis for mutual understanding，which in turn make idiom translation possib1e. Cultural Differences in English and Chinese Idioms Having studied the similarties between Engksh and Chinese idioms，it is time to study the differences between them. The different 1iving environments of the two peoρle are responsible for the different cultural values embodied in the idioms of the two languages. In order to do good translation，the translators shou1d have an eye on the use of the words in the idioms. Rooted in Geographical Conditions The different conditions in each country have played an imporant role in geographical determining national characteristics idioms. For example， the Chinese idiom“不到黃河心不死”（not stop until one reaches the Yellow Riverrefuse to give up until all hope is gone）is apparently related to the Yellow River，the second 1ongest river in China and the Cradle of Chinese civilization；the idiom“不到長城非好漢who does not reach the Great Wa11 is not a true hero is clearly re1ated to the Great Wall，one of the wellknown scenic spots in China. Differences Rooted in Social Customs Chinesespeaking peop1e and Englishspeaking people have different social customs. From Chinese and English idioms，we can see people’s different attitudes toward certain anima1s，such as the dog. In the West，dogs are panions oftheir masters．They hunt with their rnastersand they watch home for them。In English，there are idioms about dogs，such asa lucky dog（幸運兒），every dog has his day（凡人皆有得意時）andlove me，Iove my dog.（愛屋及烏）The above mentioned idioms about dogs have good meanings. But in China，dog is an image to be condemned．In Chinese，we say“狗仗人勢”（like a dog threatening ρeople on the strength of its master39。s power－to be a bully under the ρrotection of a powerfull person）and“狗嘴里吐不出象牙”（adog＇s mouth emits no ivory－a flthy mouth can＇t utter decent language）.All the above mentioned idioms in Chinese are derogatory. Differences Rooted in Religious Beliefs Re1igion has great influences upon the lives of belief in China is different from that in the Chinese idioms are re1ated to in the following is just a example：“做一天和尚撞一天鐘”go on tolling the be11 as long as one is a monk－take a passive attitude towards one39。s work. However，many people in the West believe in Christianity .Their images ofGodanddevilare often found in some English examp1e， as poor as the church mouse像教堂里的老鼠一樣窮 God helps those who he1ρ themselves天助自助者 From the abovementioned idioms both in English and Chinese，we can infer that God is powerful in Christianity and that Buddha is mighty in Buddhism。The Chinese ρeop1e adore the Buddha while the Westerners show their respect to God. Differences Rooted in Historical and Literary Allusions