【正文】 Dictionary (1996) defines an idiom as a phrase, construction, or expression that is recognized as a unit in the usage of a given language and either differs from the usual syntactic patterns or has a meaning that differs from the literal meaning of its parts taken together. Besides the above definitions given by the dictionaries， several scholars also give some definitions to idiom. For example, Fernando (2021:1) defines idioms as conventionalized multiword expressions, often but not always, nonliteral. Nida (1993:36) says that idioms are binations of words， the meaning of which cannot be determined from the meanings of the parts. Chinese scholar Wang Rongpei (2021:27) provides a definition as an idiom is a group of two or more words which are chosen together in order to produce a specific 湖南涉外經(jīng)濟學院本科生畢業(yè)論文（設計） 9 meaning or effect in speech or writing. Yu Fumin and Guo Shanlian (1999:915) think that English idioms are posed of idiomatic phrases (phrase logical collocations， phrase logical unities and phrase logical fusion), proverbs and slangs. Idioms in a broad sense may include: (l) set phrases。 (2) proverbs。 (3) sayings。 (4) epigrams。 (5) slang expressions。 (6) colloquialisms。 (7) quotations。 (8) twopart allegorical sayings, of which the first part always stated is descriptive, while the second part, sometimes unstated, carries the message (chiefly in Chinese) (Guo amp。 Li 2021:132). According to the various definitions mentioned above, an idiom is an expression whose meaning is not positional, that is, the meaning of an idiom does not follow from the meanings of the individual words of which it is posed. Take for example to kick the bucket, meaning to die. A speaker knowing the meaning of kick and bucket will still not be able to predict that this expression can be used with the meaning of to die. Besides，idioms are usually generalized and used by mon people. Therefore ， whether an expression is an English idiom or not can be judged by the following rules. Firstly, it must be wellestablished and accepted through mon practice. Secondly, an idiom cannot be interpreted only according to its literal meaning. Definition of Chinese Idiom As mentioned above, the English term idiom is often expressed as chengyu (成語 ) in Chinese. Similar to English idioms, chengyu are also word groups and phrases which are established through long usage and are accepted through practice. But in a narrow sense，Chinese chengyu only refer to those formally concise and structurally fixed set phrases (which often have restrictions on word number and thus more likely to display stronger literal style as pared with idioms in English). The following definitions of chengyu are given by some authoritative Chinese dictionaries. According to Modern Chinese Dictionary (1987:137)， chengyu refers to set phrases or short sentences which are concise and prehensive and which have been accepted by mon people through ages of use. Most of Chinese idiomatic expressions consist of four Chinese characters. (人們長期以來習用的，簡潔精辟的定型詞組或短句。漢語的成語大湖南涉外經(jīng)濟學院本科生畢業(yè)論文（設計） 10 多由四個字組成。 ) According to Cihai (1989:1864), the definition of chengyu is one kind of shuyu, set phrases which have been customarily used, mostly consisting of four characters. (熟語的一種。習用的固定詞組。在漢語中多數(shù)由四個字組成。 ) In Xinhua Chinese Dictionary (1982:103)， chengyu is defined as set phrases， which have the features of semantic unity and structural stability. They are usually used as a word or a semantic unit in a sentence, having strong expressive force, mostly posed of four characters. (固定詞組的一種。特點是意義完整，結構定型，是一種不可分割的統(tǒng)一 體。在句子中通常只作為一個詞來使用，有較強的表現(xiàn)力。漢語成語大多由四字組成。 ) In a broad sense, the Chinese equivalent for idiom is shuyu(熟語 ). According to Cihai (1989:1776)， shuyu refers to set phrases or sentences of a language, whose structure is often established and cannot be easily changed. They must be interpreted as a semantic unit. They include set phrases, proverbs, maxims， locutions and twopart allegorical sayings, etc. (熟語是語言中定型的詞組或句子，使用時一般不能任意改變其組織，且要以其整體來理解語義。包括成語、諺語、格言、慣用語、歇后語等。 ) According to Yu Fumin and Guo Shalian (1999:1823), Chinese idioms are posed of set phrases (成語 )， mon sayings (俗語 )， proverbs (諺語 )， twopart allegorical sayings (歇后語 ) and vulgar expressions (粗俗語 ).” Tang Xiangjin (2021:7) provides a definition as “idioms are posed of set phrases (成語 )， proverbs (諺語 )， slangs (俚語 )， mon sayings (俗語 )， figurative phrases (比喻性短語 ) etc. which do not only have integrated meanings and fixed structures as well as particular grammar， but also have abundant cultures. In the present thesis, both of the two terms: English idioms and Chinese idioms are used in a broad way, that is, English and Chinese idioms under discussion in this thesis may cover all the possible subdivisions mentioned above. 湖南涉外經(jīng)濟學院本科生畢業(yè)論文（設計） 11 Chapter 3 Characteristics of English and Chinese Idioms Idioms are the crystallization of the development of language and the core and essence of the language. They have been used for a long time, and they are conventional. Therefore, they have different characteristics from general language form. In this chapter we discuss some characteristics of English and Chinese idioms in general. Characteristic of Nationality Idioms are created by the mass in the workforce, and closely related to people39。s living environment. Therefore, idioms are closely related to a national geographic environment, historical background, economic life, customs, religious belief, and so on. Idioms, like a mirror, can clearly reflect a nation39。s culture. Idioms, generally using proper parables, can cause association, but this is decided by the reality environment of a nation and life experience. People all over the world live on one earth。 some experiences and consciousness are similar. For example, beca