与动物相关的谚语及其文化内涵

与动物相关的谚语及其文化内涵篇一

毕业论文：英汉动物谚语的对比研究

A Comparative Study of English and

Chinese Animal

Proverbs

I. Introduction

In Longman Modern English Dictionary, proverb is “a brief familiar maxim of folk wisdom, usually compressed in form, often involving a bold image and frequently a jingle that catches the memory.” A proverb, which succinctly sums up human experience and observation of the world, states a general truth and gives advice or warning. A proverb, often involving a bold image, musical rhythm and compressed form, can bring vividness to the readers and so they are easy to remember and spread. Proverbs are summing up of folk wisdom, they are usually pithy, and have universal appeals. People love to pick up proverbs when they try to reason things out and the proper use of proverbs can make their views more convincing. Proverbs are the crystal of the national wisdom. They are an important part of a national language and they appropriately reflect the relation between culture and language. They have been connected closely with the national characteristics ever since their coming into being and in their development. It is generally acknowledged that different peoples have great differences in their cultures. But since different peoples live on the same earth with roughly similar needs and some of them have even experienced similar social development stage, their experiences, emotional reflection and observation of the world are in many aspects similar. This shows that different peoples may have cultural generality besides cultural difference. Proverbs, as the cream of a language, inevitably carry the imprint of cultural difference and generality. The difference and generality respectively lead to the dissimilarities and similarities between English and Chinese animal proverbs and making a comparative study of them is of great significance.

II. Animals Proverbs with Identical Meanings

Some animal proverbs in English and Chinese are identical in meaning. The proverbs in this category are limited in number. They are the result of either coincidence or translation loans from one language to another. These proverbs are not hindered by national boundaries or culture barriers, instead they have take on universal significance. The following are some examples.

1. English: An ass is known by his ears. / Chinese: 见耳识驴，听话知愚。

2. English: It is a sad house where the hen crows louder than the cock.

Chinese: 牝鸡司晨，家之不详。

Many factors have contributed to the emergence of fully corresponding pairs in English and Chinese proverbs.

Firstly, although different nations live in varied natural environments and diversified geographic conditions, they still share quite a lot in common. They have more or less the same species of animals. And the common ground of human cultures is larger than the individual feature of each culture. Although, people’s concrete ways of life are varied in different places, the fundamental ways of living and thinking are the same for the whole human race.

Secondly, owing to culture exchange, translation loans are borrowed from each other, which are not limited to the root ideas but sometimes include the “clothing of the idea”. As a result, some proverbs with identical animal image come into existence in different language, for instance, “He who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount” and “骑虎难下”.

III. Animal Images with Different Meanings in Proverbs

Some English and Chinese proverbs share the same images, and people take it for granted that they should have the same connotation, but actually, they contain different or even opposite meanings. For example, “It is a good horse that never stumbles.” and “好马不失蹄”.

In this example, the English proverb “It’s a good horse that never stumbles”, is easy to be translated into Chinese “好马不失蹄”. In fact, the English proverb means even a good horse will stumble, so the right translation should be “好马也有失蹄时”. In the following part, the reasons for misunderstandings and the different choice of animal images will be clarified.

A. Reasons for misunderstandings

Firstly, sometimes, the old use of grammar remains in the proverbs, and it may mislead our comprehension. The preservation of the old grammatical structure “it’s...that...” is similar to the modern structure in form, but opposite in meaning. The misunderstanding of the English proverb “It’s a good horse that never stumbles” as Chinese proverb “好马不失蹄” is due to this old grammatical structure.

Secondly, when people hold different views and attitudes to animals, and their different worldviews toward the same situations, the same animal images may have different or even opposite meanings in different culture, and proverbs containing the same animal images will possibly have different meanings. The seemingly corresponding English and Chinese proverbs may have different connotations. For example: “Dog eats dog” and “狗咬狗”. “Dog eats dog” is always regarded as “狗咬狗”. But actually “Dog eats dog” refers to the phenomenon that people hurt those of the same group, while “狗咬狗” means bad people fight with bad people, so the two proverbs mean differently.

B. Factors influencing the choice of animal images in proverbs

The languages have some universality, but more importantly, they have their own culturally specific features. The culturally specific features are closely related to their religion, special geography, literature and psychology.

1. Different religious beliefs{与动物相关的谚语及其文化内涵}.

Different nations usually believe in different religion. Thus proverbs of diverse nations surely express various religious beliefs. In the west, Britain and America are Christian countries with a long history. And Christian as the main belief of them has already taken roots in their lives for ages. Christians believe in the God. The God is the unique and supreme god, while people are born with a sin, and are the same and equal in the face of the God, so the common people respect and worship the God, but disregard the majesty. “A cat may look at a king” reflects this kind of thought.

Furthermore, there are some animals endowed with different religious meanings. In Christianity the serpent is the symbol of devil and Satan, while the lamb is the symbol of the God’s people and timidity, and the dragon is the symbol of evil and danger. Serpent enticed Eve to steal fruit of Tree of conscience and she then shared with Adam. In the end they two were kicked out of the Garden of Eden. So in English proverbs, snake has a meaning of cunning.

In China, Buddhism has been spread over one thousand years, and the Buddhist culture has been melt into the daily life of the Chinese for a long time. As a result, it is very common that quite a number of Chinese believe in Buddhism. Some Chinese proverbs are about Buddhism. There are proverbs about the strict social classes and roles. Here are some examples.

狗肉烧酒穿肠过，佛在心中留。(Buddha in heart, wine and meat will pass through intestines.)

狗咬吕洞宾，不识好人心。(Don’t snap and snarl at me when I’m trying to do my best for you.)

2. Different geographic conditions

Geographically England is located in the Western Hemisphere, while China lies in the Eastern Hemisphere, thus England and China have different climate. They form different living styles. England is an island country, so most Englishman make livings by fishery or navigation. Chinese formed their living style----farming and stock rising. Therefore, there are a great many different proverbs.

Firstly, there are some animal proverbs about the special climate in England. If the cock crows on going to bed, he’s sure to rise with a watery head. (公鸡傍晚叫，早晨有雨到。)

March comes in with adder heads, and goes out with peacock tails. (三月来如猛狮，去如羔羊。)

Furthermore, fishery and navigation are of great importance to English people and it is no wonder that plenty of English proverbs are on fishery or navigation, and a lot on fishes. But in China, the fish does not carry so many national meanings. The following are some English fish proverbs.

All is fish that comes to his net. (进网都是鱼。)

Fish begins to stink at the head. (鱼烂头先臭。)

3. Different literary backgrounds

Different nations have different literature, which makes up particular cultural backgrounds of proverbs. On the basis of this, a great many proverbs are often simple in structure but deep in meaning. In order to grasp and translate their deep meanings accurately, we must be clear about the literature. In Chinese there are a lot of animal proverbs originated from various classical works, such as: 二者不可兼得，舍鱼而取熊掌.

与动物相关的谚语及其文化内涵篇二

有关15种动物的英语谚语

有关15种动物的英语谚语

有关15种动物的英语谚语

1.Bird

(1) Kill two birds with one stone. 一箭双雕；一举两得。

(2) A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. 双鸟在林不如一鸟在手。 (3) Birds of a feather flock

together. 物以类聚，人以群分。

(4) It’s an ill bird that fouls own nest. 家丑不可外扬。

(5) Fine feathers make fine birds. 人要衣装，马要鞍。

(6) A bird is known by its note, and a man by his talk. 听音识鸟，闻言识人。

(7) Each bird loves to hear himself sing. 鸟儿都爱听自己唱。(自我欣赏)

(8) You cannot catch old birds with chaff.(粗糠). 用粗糠捉不住老鸟。(有经验的人难骗。)

(9) Birds in their little nests agree. 同巢之鸟心儿齐。

2. Cat

(1) A cat has nine lives.猫有九条命；吉人天相。

(2) Cats hide their claws. 知人知面不知心。

(3) All cats are grey in the dark.. 黑暗之中猫都是灰色的。(人未出名时看起来都差不多。)

(4) A gloved cat catches no mice. 戴手套的猫，老鼠抓不到。(不愿吃苦的人成不了大事业。)

(5) When the weasel and the cat make a marriage, it is a very ill presage. 黄鼠狼和猫结亲，不是好事情。)

(6) Who will bwll the cat? 谁去给猫系铃？(谁愿意为大家冒风险？)

(7) The cat shuts its eyes when stealing cream. 帽偷吃奶油的时候总是闭着眼睛。(掩耳盗铃)

(8) There are more ways of killing a cat than by choking it with butter. 杀猫的办法很多。(达到目的的途径很多。)

(9) Care kill a cat. 忧虑愁死猫。

3. Chicken

(1) Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched. 鸡蛋未孵出，先别数小鸡。(不要过早乐观。)

4. Crow

(1) A crow is never the whiter for washing herself often. 江山易改，本性难移。

5. Dog

(1) He who would hang his dog gives out first that it is mad. 欲加之罪，何患无词.

(2) A staff is quickly found to beat a dog with. 欲加之罪，何患无词.

(3) Love me, love my dog. 爱屋及乌.

(4) Too much pudding will choke a dog. 布丁太多噎死狗。

(5) Every dog has his day. 人人皆有得意时。

(6) Barking dogs don’t (seldom) bite. 爱叫的狗很少咬人。

(7) Let sleeping dogs lie. 勿惹事生非。

(8) Dead dogs bite not. 死狗不咬人。

(9) All are not thieves that dogs bark at. 狗见了叫的不一定都是贼。(不要以貌取人。)

(10) Every dog is a lion at home. 狗在家门口就成了狮子。

(11) Don’t be a dog (lying) in the manger. 莫学狗占马槽不吃草。(不要占着茅坑不拉屎。)

(12) Dog does not eat dog. 同类不相残。

(13) Scornful dogs will eat dirty puddings. 狗再傲慢也会吃脏布丁。

(14) A son never thinks his mother ugly,a

6. Frog

(1) The frog in the well knows nothing of the great ocean. 井底之蛙，不知大海。

7. Fox

(1) The fox may grow grey, but never good. 狐狸毛色可变灰，但是本性难移。

(2) The fox preys farthest from his hole. 狐狸捕食，远离洞府。(兔子不吃窝边草。)

(3) When the fox preaches, then take care of your geese. 每当狐狸说教，当心鹅群被盗。

(4) When the fox says he is a vegetarian, it’s time for the hen to look out. 狐狸说它吃素的时候，母鸡就得注意。

8. Fish

(1) The best fish swim near the bottom. 好鱼常在水底游。

(2) Never offer to teach fish to swim. 不要班门弄斧。

(3) Go to the sea, if you would fish well. 不入虎穴，焉得虎子。

(4) There’s as good fish in the sea as ever came out of it. 海里的好鱼多的是。

(5) It is a silly fish that is caught twice with the same bait. 智者不上两次档。

(6) If water is noisy, there are no fish in it. 咆哮的水中无鱼。(夸夸其谈者无真才实学。)。

9. Hare

(1) You cannot run with the hare and hunt with the hounds(猎狗). 不能既和野兔一起跑又和猎狗一起追。(人不应两面讨好。)

(2) The tortoise wins the race while the hare is sleeping. 兔子睡懒觉，乌龟跑赢了。

10. Horse

(1) You can take a horse to the water, but you can’t make him drink. 带马到河边容易，逼马饮水难。

(2) Don’t ride the high horse. 勿摆架子。

(3) A good horse cannot be of a bad colour. 好马不会毛色差。{与动物相关的谚语及其文化内涵}.

(4) A horse may stumble on four feet. 马有四条腿，亦有失蹄时。

(5) A running horse needs no spur. 奔马无需鞭策。

(6) Don’t put the cart before the horse. 不要将大车套在马前面。(处理问题应按先后次序，不要本末倒置。)

(7) The common horse is worst shod. 公用之马，掌子最差。

(8) Lock the barn door after the horse is stolen. 失马之后锁马厩。(亡羊补牢)

(9) Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. 馈赠之马，勿看牙口。

(10) Hair by hair you will pull out the horse’s tail. 一根一根拔，拔光马尾巴。(水滴石穿) 11 . Mouse

(1) It is a poor mouse that has only one hole. 狡兔三窟。{与动物相关的谚语及其文化内涵}.

(2) The mouse that has but one hole is quickly taken. 只有一个洞的老鼠，很快就被抓住。

(3) A speck of mouse dung will spoil a whole pot of porridge. 一粒老鼠屎，坏了一锅粥。

12. Sheep

(1) If one sheep leaps over the ditch, all the rest will follow. 榜样的力量是无穷的。

(2) A lazy sheep thinks its wool heavy. 懒羊嫌毛重。

(3) He that

13.Swallow

与动物相关的谚语及其文化内涵篇三

中英动物意象的文化内涵及翻译策略

中英动物意象的文化内涵及翻译策略

摘 要:翻译中保留原文的意象对译者来说是个难题。在使用语言的过程中,语言使用者会在脑中形成心象、观念或由此引发的意义或者联想。动物在人类生活中是不可或缺的,人类的语言中会时不时地涉及到动物名称,而这些动物名称并非实指动物本身而是被赋予了一定的文化内涵意义。但因中西方国家在历史、文化以及生活环境上的差异,部分动物名称被赋予的文化内含义也不尽相同。本文首先对英汉两种语言习语中的动物意象进行举例比较研究,内容涉及完全对应关系下的相同的动物意象和半对应关系下的相同的动物意象;半对应关系下的不同的动物意象;半对应关系下的空缺的动物意象。讨论了动物意象翻译的几种方法,最后得出如此结论对动物意象的正确翻译源自于对动物意象文化内涵之正确理解。

关键词:动物意象 比较 翻译 文化内涵

一、中英文动物意象的文化内涵比较{与动物相关的谚语及其文化内涵}.

中英文动物意象的文化内涵可以分为四类:相同的动物意象相同的文化内涵,相同的动物意象不同的文化内涵,不同的动物意象相同的文化内涵,中西文化中动物意象的缺失。

(一)中英文中有着相同文化内涵的相同动物意象

部分动物意象在中英文当中具有相同的文化内涵。动物名称都是对自然界客观存在(或曾经存在)的动物的指称。一般说来,动物与人的关系没有人与人的关系那么复杂。动物的形态、习性及其在人类日常生活中所起的作用大多没有什么显著的区别。各国在传统上对大多数动物或喜爱或讨厌或害怕的态度基本一致,这导致许多动物名称词在不同文化(包括中西文化)中具有相近的褒贬倾向。这种褒贬倾向往往在一些与某些与动物相关的成语、谚语和典故中表现得尤为明显。

马是一种具有力量与速度的动物,被人类所驯服。自古以来,人类的生活、生产、打仗、体育运动中都活跃着马的矫健的身影。马因此深受各国人民的喜爱。汉语里有许许多多含有褒义的有关马的成语,如 “一马当先”、“马到成功”、“万马奔腾”、“快马加鞭”、“马不停蹄”、“老马识途”等等。英语中也同样有不少带有褒义的有关马的谚语或习语,如“A good horse is never of an ill color”;“A good horse should be seldom spurred”;“as strong as a horse”等。狼在中西文化中都被看成是令人憎恶的动物,它象征着残忍、贪婪,使人联想起人类中的那些凶狠贪婪之辈。汉语中含有“狼”字的成语几乎都具有明显的贬义,如“狼心狗肺”、“狼子野心”、“狼狈为奸”,“狼狈不堪”等。英语中含有wolf的不少成语也同样是贬损词语,如“(as) greedy as a wolf”;“the big badwolf ”(令人恐怖的人或物);“set the wol f to keep the sheep”、“wol f in sheep’ s clothing ”等。

此外还有猪(pig),猪所受待遇可谓最糟,人们总是一边吃猪肉(pork),一边又对

与动物相关的谚语及其文化内涵篇四

浅谈动物名称在中西方文化中的内涵差异及翻译

浅谈动物名称在中西方文化中的内涵差异及翻译

摘要：翻译作为一种跨文化交际活动,旨在如实地把一种语言中的信息传递到另一种语言中，在翻译过程中词语的内涵意义显得尤为重要。如何处理动物词语的翻译及其内涵意义，对译、归化翻译和异化翻译都是必要的翻译对策。

动物在人类生活当中是不可或缺的, 人类的语言都会涉及到动物名称, 中文和英文当然也不例外。随着人类社会的发展，动物名开始慢慢地被赋予了从未有过的文化内涵。但是由于中西方国家在历史、文化以及生活环境上的差异，部分动物名称被赋予的内在含义也不尽相同。例如，有些动物在中文被赋予了褒义，但在英文中却是贬义的，反之亦然。由于动物名经常会在不同语言的谚语和习语中出现，如果翻译得不够到位，目标语言就不能准确贴切的传递源语言的信息。因此对中英文当中出现的具有文化内涵的动物名进行归类， 并探究相应的翻译对策是十分必要的。

1. 对中英文动物名内涵的比较

中英文动物名内涵可以分为三类：具有相同的文化内涵，有部分相同的文化内涵和完全不同的文化内涵。

1.1 中英文中相同内涵的动物名称

部分动物名在中英文当中具有相同的内涵。 例如， 1

驴(donkey)：驴在中文和英文中都被认为是不讨人喜爱的动物。在英文中如果要说某人愚蠢或固执就会说“ he is an absolute donkey”。中文相同的表达方法是“他倔得像头驴，蠢驴”。

狐狸(fox)：在中文和英文的寓言故事中狐狸的形象总是奸诈狡猾的。在中文中经常提到“一只狡猾的狐狸”，在英文中会说“ a cunning fox”。

鹦鹉(parrot)：中西方国家的人都认为鹦鹉能够代表那些只会模仿别人而没有自己见解的人。因此英文中的短语“talk like a parrot”对应于中文的“鹦鹉学舌”。

当然， 在纷繁复杂的语言中还有很多动物在中英文中具有相同的内涵。例如， 百灵(lark)可以指代高兴的人。 绵羊(sheep)指代胆小怯懦的人。猴子(monkey) 指代淘气的人。蛇(snake)指代圆滑且对其他人构成威胁的人。

以上所述的动物在中英文中具有相同的含义，其原因大致可以分为两个：第一， 中西方人们的生活环境存在着相似之处。人们通过在实际生活当中的观察，总结了相似的动物天性，从而自然而然的对这些动物赋予了对应的含义。例如在上文中提到的狐狸 (fox)、 蛇(snake) 、驴( donkey)等等。第二，随着中西方国家的交流日益增加，文化方面的相互渗透，就逐渐接纳了对方的观点。比如，英文里“to bury one’s head in the sand”(把头埋在沙堆里), 这种表达 2

方法是因为在西方文化中，人们经常把鸵鸟和那些不敢面对现实的人联系在一起。 随着中西方交流的增加， 东方人也接受了这种观点, 也学会了用鸵鸟做文章, 产生了“采取鸵鸟政策”这一表达方法。

1.2 中英文中部分内涵相同的动物名称

在中英文中，有些动物的内涵仅仅是部分相同， 这类词汇在翻译中处理起来比较棘手。有时他们的含义在中英文中完全相同， 有时却刚好相反。狗 (dog) 就是个典型的例子。在西方文化中，狗不但是人类的宠物还是人类最好的伙伴, 所以在英文中和狗有关的词汇或习语有一部分具有褒义。例如， “Every dog has its day”。(凡人皆有得意时)；“ a top dog ”(有优势, 胜人一筹的人)；“a lucky dog” (走运的人)。但是，与狗相关的词汇或习语有时也有贬义, 例如, “a dog in the manger” ( 狗占马

槽)；”treat somebody like a dog” (视人命为草芥)；“and dog eat dog “(残酷争夺)。在东方文化中，很多时候， 狗经常与反面形象联系在一起。因此与狗相关的词汇或习语贬义占了很大一部分。譬如，狗腿子(lackey)；狗急跳墙(a cornered beast will do something desperate)； 狗嘴里吐不出象牙(a filthy mouth can not utter decent language)；狗仗人势(a dog counts on its master’s backing)等等。

3

1.3 中英文中内涵完全不同的动物名称。

1.3.1 同一动物名在中英文中不同的含义

由于中西方文化的差异，某些动物名在源语言中赋有褒义但可能在目标语言中却恰好是与之截然相反的贬义。例如， 龙 (dragon)、鱼(fish)、 熊 (bear)、猫头鹰(owl) 和山羊(goat)。

龙(dragon) 在中西方文化中其实都是想象出来的动物, 但是中西方人却对它有截然相反的理解。在东方文化中，“龙”是能够呼风唤雨的动物，中国人眼中的“龙”是吉祥、高贵、强健和威严的。所以“龙”经常用来指代中国封建社会中的帝王。自古以来，中国人认为自己是“龙的传人” (literally the descends of dragon)。中文里与龙有关的习语或成语不是表示吉祥的事情就是与皇室有密切的联系。例如，龙腾虎跃(a scene of bustling activity),龙飞凤舞(lively and vigorous),生龙活虎(strong and healthy), 真龙天子(the son of the heaven)等。但在西方文化中，龙则被刻画为一种凶猛的野兽，是邪恶的象征。在《圣经》中， 撒旦被称为“巨龙”(the great dragon),在英国的史诗“The Song of Beowulf”中, 里面的主人公就是因为除掉了邪恶的龙而成为了众人缅怀的英雄。因此在英文中与龙(dragon)相关的词大都是贬义的，可以经常用来形容蛮横的人 (尤指悍妇)或另人不悦的事物。

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5{与动物相关的谚语及其文化内涵}.

与动物相关的谚语及其文化内涵篇五

动物的形象与代表含义在中西文化中的差异

the differences of the animal symbols between western

countries and China

（动物的形象与代表含义在中西文化中的差异）

摘 要：动物常常被我们富裕了一定的象征意义,带着我们的主观感受。但是由于文化差异的存在,不同的民族对不同动物所象征的内涵和意义的是不同的，我们要从不同角度了解动物在中西方也就是汉语和英语中的象征意义，从而更好地了解各民族文化的差异,避免跨文化交际障碍。

关键词：动物形象the images animal stand for；谚语俗语saying；中西方文化the culture of China and the west；差异differences

一、 引言

动物在人类生活当中是不可或缺的, 人类的语言都会涉及到动物名称, 中文和英文当然也不例外。随着人类社会的发展，动物名开始慢慢地被赋予了从未有过的文化内涵。但是由于中西方国家在历史、文化以及生活环境上的差异，部分动物名称被赋予的内在含义也不尽相同。例如，有些动物在中文被赋予了褒义，但在英文中却是贬义的，反之亦然。而这种差异性可以很好地体现在语言中，动物经常会出现在不同语言的谚语和习语中出现。

动物的象征意义在每个民族的日常用语中有丰富的体现。在语言的翻译过程中，有的可以直译，有的却需要用不同的动物代替，其实将常见的动物翻译分为三类来：一类是可以直译且意义相同，一类是可以直译但意义不同，还有一类是翻译的同屋就不同。而我要讲的重点侧重于后两者也就是中西方动物形象的差异。

二、中西方动物形象对比例证

想要了解具体的动物形象与其代表的含义在中西方的差异，我会从大量的俗语或语言习惯入手，因为这种差异性可以很好地体现在语言中，例如谚语和习语。

（一）狗

狗dog一词在英美文化中常作褒义词, 是人类最好的朋友。而这个观点在西方体现的淋漓尽致。英国人大都对狗有好感，视其为掌上明珠，呵护有加。由于西方人对狗的好感, 英语中有许多关于狗的习语， 除了少数受外来文化影响含有贬义外，大部分都是积极的意义。英语中关于狗的隐喻都是褒义的,如“work like a dog” 努力工作, “be top dog” 位居高职, “a lucky dog” 幸运的人, “love me，love my dog” 爱屋及乌。在英美文化中, 如果说某人是“old dog” , 是称赞他为行家。狗还常用来比喻人的生活，如“Help a lame dog over a stile”，它比喻助人渡过难关或救人于危难之中； “Every dog has his day”， 比喻人人都有得意的日子；“let sleeping dogs lie” 指不要招惹别人； “Give a dog a bad name and hang him.”则指一旦给人加个坏名声，他就永远洗不清。

但是这些思想在汉语里是不被接受的，尽管现在很多中国人都认为狗是人类忠诚的朋友，但传统的观念—对狗的鄙视和厌恶，依然左右着我们的语言方式，常常用它来形容和比喻坏人坏事，比如：狗急跳墙、狗仗人势、狐朋狗友、狼心狗肺、鸡鸣狗盗、丧家之犬、狗眼看人低、狗嘴里吐不出象牙等等。更别说拿“老狗” 比喻人，“狗东西”则是非常厉害的骂人语。在汉语中, 狗是贬义词, 如狗头军师、狗急跳墙、狗眼看人低、鸡鸣狗盗、狐朋狗友、狗拿耗子多管闲事、钻狗洞等等。

（二）龙

在西方神话传说中,dragon是一种巨大的蜥蜴,长着翅膀,身上有鳞,拖着一条长长的蛇尾,能够从嘴中喷火,是邪恶的象征。龙被认为是凶残肆虐的怪物,应予消灭。《圣经》中与上帝作对的魔鬼撒旦(Satan)就被称为the great dragon。 现代英语中用dragon喻人常包含贬义,如果把一个女人叫做dragon,意思是她很凶猛,令人讨厌。

但龙在我国历史上是一个图腾形象。在我国传说中,龙是一种能够兴云降雨的神异动物,它集蛇、鸟、马、鹿、鱼、鹰等八种动物于一身,因而它具有这八种动物的本领,能上天,能入地,能在路上走,能在水里游,能在空中飞。中国人都以龙为吉祥如意的象征,并以“龙的传人”而自豪。在我国几千年的历史中,龙有至高无上的地位,一直作为封建专制权力的象征。龙的勇猛和不屈精神也是中华民族所推崇的。正是对“龙”精神的不断发扬光大,形成了中华民族不屈不挠的抗争精神和崇尚正直的道德观念,从而构成民族特有的文化精神和道德规范。因此,

在汉语中有关龙的成语就特别多。例如:龙腾虎跃、生龙活虎、龙凤呈祥、望子成龙等许多褒扬之词。

（三）其他动物

狮子lion：“regal as a lion”意为狮王般；“majestic as a lion” 意为如狮王般高贵。理在中国人的头脑里， 狮子只是头猛兽， 并没有那么深刻的文化内涵。

凤凰Phoenix：在中国古代神话中, 凤凰是一种神奇的动物，人们认为凤凰是百鸟之首,喻意吉祥、美德、幸福, 尤其“ 凤立梧桐枝”表示大吉大利。但在英语中, 凤凰是神话中的一只鸟,将自己化为灰烬, 然后在灰烬中又诞生一只新的，意喻着复活。

三、从不同角度分析原因

（一）历史文化与宗教

宗教信仰是人类社会与客观世界交往的产物，是一种世界范围的现象，属于社会意识形态。人们通过对上帝、精灵、祖先或某些被认为与自己相关的圣物的极度相信和尊敬，将希望托付给某种虚幻的精神力量。这个时候又要拿上面提及的龙作为例证。

在中国古代，龙是神圣的，代表权力、威严和振奋，代表着整个中华民族。有文字记载：“鳞凤龟龙，谓之四灵”，而龙属四灵之最。因此，封建帝王常常自封为“真龙天子”，平民百姓自称是“龙的传人”。同时这造福万物的神兽也成了中华民族的吉祥物和精神象征。

但是在英语言文化中， 龙被视为有三到九个脑袋，并且从嘴里能喷出火的怪兽，代表罪恶或邪恶，具有浓厚的贬义色彩。因为《圣经》中，魔鬼撒旦就化成了一条大红龙，“the old Dragon”则是魔鬼的代名词。西方神话中也由此产生了许多英雄屠龙的故事： 阿波罗杀死一条叫皮松的巨龙；圣徒乔治用矛杀死一条龙，救出一位被献祭的公主；中世纪的传说中，尼伯龙根杀死巨龙法夫纳等等。所以，外国人是谈龙色变，也难怪当听到中国人讲“望子成龙”时，会十分惊讶和不解。

（二）社会习俗与审美

风俗习惯是一种社会现象，每个社会成员都生活在一定的社会风气和传统习惯的氛围之中。再拿前面提及的狮子做例证，狮子在西方被称为“百兽之王”，其形象勇敢、威武、强大、具有威严，英国的国徽上面和英国王室的纹章上有都狮子图像。而对于中国人来说，狮子并不为人们所熟悉， 因此很难产生相同的内涵联想。

审美价值取向其实也是社会影响的结果。孔雀是美丽的，但是英国人将骄傲狂妄、与人媲美的一面与孔雀联系在一起， 如“play the peacock”，“as proud as a peacock”。而孔雀在中国文化中是吉祥美丽的象征，在孔雀开屏一词中尤其可以体现人们对其美的描写。

（三）生活环境

特定的地理环境造就了特定的文化，特定的文化又产生特定的表达方式。英国四面环海，英国人早期的生活很大程度都依赖于海，并在与海的斗争中创造了“海的文化”，这一文化在英语习语中体现得淋漓尽致。例如，cool fish 表示冷漠的人，poor fish 表示可怜虫，drink like a fish 表示很会喝酒。他们把另有他事要做说成have other fish to fry，把默不作声比喻为as mute as a fish。当有人在恋爱中失意时，中国人可能用“天涯何处无芳草”来表示安慰，而英国人则会用there are plenty more fish in the sea海里有的是鱼。由此可见，鱼在很大程度上体现了人的特质。相反，中国除了东南部省份沿海外，其余版图都被大陆所包围，海文化也相对较弱，所以含有“鱼”的汉语习语也是比较少的。

四、总结与与感想

从上述的对比分析中可以看出，由于人类对一般事物的认识不同，东西方文化会对相同的动物形象产生不一样的联想。由于不同民族对客观世界多样化的认识态度、审美观念和习俗信仰，导致了动物的象征意义在中西文化中不同。语言

不是孤立存在的，它深深扎根于民族文化之中，并且折射出了文化的不同。通过对两种文化中动物象征意义的比较，我们更是深切地体会到了文化的魅力。