【正文】 oon rotten‖ from ―Citomaturum cito putridum‖. Many English proverbs e from French. For example, English people have got(31) ―When the fox preaches, take care off your geese‖ from ―Quand le renard se met a precher, garde aux poules‖. English proverbs also e from foreign writers’ works. For example, (32)―Constant dripping wears away the stone.‖ is from Roman poet Ovid. Chinese people have also got some proverbs from other languages. Such as (33)―吃 不到葡萄說葡萄酸 ‖is from ―The grapes are sour.‖ (34)―誰笑到最后，誰笑得最好 ‖is from ―He who laughs last laughs best.‖ (35)―條條大路通羅馬 ‖is from ―All roads lead to Rome.‖ These have been accepted by Chinese people and bee Chinese proverbs. From above we can find out that English and Chinese proverbs have similar origins from folk life, mythology, literary works and from other languages. From these similar origins we can see that English and Chinese people have similar social activities and emotional reflection and observation of the world. Similar linguistic characters Proverbs are created by mon people and orally handed down from generation to generation again and again. English and Chinese proverbs are concise and vivid. Conciseness The cleanest water is spring。 (Man proposes。 (Three cobblers with their wits bined equal Zhuge Liang the masterthe wisdom of the masses exceeds that of the wisest individual.)《三國演義》 ( The Three Kingdoms) (25)三十六計 ,走為上計。（ from a folk legend） Originating from literary works Many English and Chinese proverbs e from literary works. A nation’s literary languages are its language’s ginger. They promote the development of language. Some of brilliant sentences, plot and hero’s name in literary works bee proverbs.[5] There are many great writers in western society, such as Shakespeare, Francis Bacon, John Milton and so on. They had made distinctive contributions to the development of English literature. Their works were accepted and passed on by English people from generation to generation. Many sentences bee the English proverbs. Shakespeare’s works are the most colorful literature origin of proverbs. Many English proverbs are from the works of Shakespeare. .: (19) ―The biter is sometimes bit.‖ is from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It tells people that those who do bad things to others will bring themselves trouble. (20)―All is not gold that glitters.‖ is from Shakespeare’s The Merchants of Venice. It means that those who have a good appearance are not necessarily profound or learned. Some other writers, philosophers’ words also bee proverbs. .: (21)―Reading makes a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man‖ is from a distinguished English philosopher and writer Bacon’s On Reading. It tells people that reading, conference and writing can make a person learned, sharp and precise. And(22) ―The childhood shows the man‖ is from Milton’s Paradise Regained. Many Chinese proverbs are from classic Chinese literary works. The four great works: The Pilgrimage to the West, The Three Kingdoms, A Dream of Red Mansions and The Marsh Rebellion are the most popular classics in China. Such as: (23)溫故而知新。 These were first used by a limited group of people in the same fields. Because they are philosophical colloquialism, later they gradually gained wide acceptance and partly became part of the mon corn of language and are now used in many other situations. Originating from mythology 英語 畢業(yè)論 文 iii Each nation has its own mythology, fable and allusion. Chinese traditional culture, ancient Greek and Roman civilization bequeath many mythologies and allusions. They bee one of the major sources of proverbs. The stories and heroes in Greek Mythology, The Fable of Aesop and The Homer left a lot of proverbs. .: (14) I fear the Greeks, even when bringing gifts. (From the wellknown story of the Trojan horse by which the Greeks took the city of Troy.) (15) You cannot make a Mercury of every dog. (From Roman Mythology. It means that not every mind will answer equally well to be trained into a scholar). (16) The fox said the grapes were sour. (From The Fables of Aesop. It means that one said something is bad when one cannot get it.) Chinese culture can trace back to ancient times. There were many natural phenomenons and our ancestor can’t explain these phenomenons. They created the mythology and fable to explain the phenomenon. So many Chinese proverbs e from mythology and fable. .: (17)八仙過海，各顯神通。 Businessmen created the following proverbs: (10) You pay your money and take your choice. (11)貨有高低三等價，客無遠近一樣待。 Workmen created the following proverbs: (5) Strike while the iron is hot. (6) A good anvil does not fear the hammer. (7)木匠怕漆匠，漆匠怕光亮。 each influencing and shaping the other. Language is part of culture. The Chinese language is part of China culture and English language is part of English culture. Language is the carrier and container of culture. Human knowledge and experience are described and stored in language.[3] As a part of language, proverbs closely integrated with the society and culture. Proverbs reflect many aspects of the nation such as 英語 畢業(yè)論 文 ii geography, history, religious faith and values. English and Chinese belong to two different language systems, having great differences in their cultures. But human beings’ mon social activities and emotional reflection and observation of the world are in many aspects similar. So not only differences but also many similarities exist in English and Chinese proverbs. With the munication of world, English and Chinese proverbs are permeating and interfusing each other. 2. Similarities between English and Chinese proverbs The similarities between English and Chinese proverbs mainly lie in their origins and linguistic characters.