【正文】 idioms, and exploring effective principles and strategies of idiom translation. of Chinese and English Idioms Idioms, conventionalized multiword expression,exist as a subgroup of vocabulary. Refined and accepted by long usage，idioms have been described as the crystallization of language．Idioms，as the essence of language，are frequently used in literary works and our dai1y life。t be analyzed by ordinary regular word168。八九不離十，in terms of grammatical function，both an idiom and a word can serve as parts of a sentence, while an idiom can be used as an independent sentence and frequent1y quoted in different contexts. Definition of English idiom According to the latest Webster39。39。39。39。39。s Dictionarg idiom is 39。a group of words in a f1xed order that have a particular meaning that is different from the meaning of each word understood on its own39。39。39。39。39。idiom39。. From the above definition, we can see that the meaning of an idiom cannot be understood only by its individual words, but by a whole unit. Classifications of Chinese Idioms Idiom in Chinese, in the broad sense, can be roughly c1assifed into set phrases, mon sayings, proverbs, twopart allegorical sayings and vulgar expressions. Set phrases Set phrases, whose storehouse seems to be inexhaustible, play an important role in our mother tongue. Generally speaking, a Chinese set phrase is a 39。well estab1ished f1xed phrase or short sentence with terse sty1e and pithy meaning habitually used by peop1e for a long time39。 .Chinese set phrases are 39。phrases with 2 p1us 2 pattern with descriptive or informative fmction.39。 (Wen 2005: 290). From the above defnition，it is clear that four—character with twometer in poetry form is essential attribute of chinese set phrases，which distinguishes Chinese set phrases from other types of Chinese idioms，such as proverbs mon sayings or allegorical sayings．Chinese set phrases may possess three features:prehensiveness，c1assic and fusion。s resolve to wipe out a national phrase“胸有成竹”means to have bamboos in one39。s mild. Common sayings Chinese mon saying，widely used in the colloquial 1anguage．Most of themare created by working peop1e and reflect their 1ife experiences and wishes．Common sayings are Nonfourcharacter, noninformative expressions 1ike proverbs，an idiomatical unit which has descriptive function. The mon saying老油條referring to an old deepfried twisted dough sticks，is often used to describe a hardboiled slippery idiom‘‘不管三七二十一”which means to consider nothing at all，is one of the conventional cases. Proverbs Chinese proverb is a stock expression，too．Chinese proverb，widesρread among ordinary ρeople，is conclse，fixed phrase or sentence in which a profound truth is implied by simρle and informal appropriate use of proverbs will add to the variety and force of proverb“看菜吃飯，量體裁衣”,is to teach us to act according to circumstances． Two part allegorical sayings Twopart a11egorical saying is a special kind of idioms which is unique to Chinese without any counterpart in any other languages，which is posed of two parts with the first part like a riddle and the other part like an answer to theridd1e。s third New International Dictionary the defnition of 39。proverb39。 is 39。a brief epigrammatic saying that is a popular byword: an ofquoted pithy and ingeniously turned maxim。39。39。very informal words, phrases, etc39。39。 in trouble A bad trip: a disturbing or frightening experience, such as terrifying hallucinations, while under the inf1uence of drugs。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 rn