The Relationship between Idioms and Culture

向俊杰

Abstract：For we Chinese students，English idioms are a stumbling block.It is very possible that they often not only feel at a loss in understanding conversations because of a key idiom but also misuse idioms.In this paper，I am going to make a study of the relationship between idioms and culture and throw some light on the learning of English idioms.

Introduction

The idiom is a kind of special speech form that is particular in meaning，grammatical structure and usage.

Idiomatic expressions are even difficult for native English speakers because their meanings cannot be determined through an analysis of their individual words.For instance，“to fall out” means “to quarrel”，but neither “fall” nor “out” has a sense of quarrel.Another example is “a feather in one's cap”，which means “an honor or a success，of which one can be proud”.The meaning of this idiom is a metaphorical one.Unlike literal language，it is impossible to explain the idiom from the literal meaning of the individual words.Thus，English idioms are difficult to understand and acquire，because they are a combination of two or more words，which function as a unit of meaning.

As we all know，language is closely related to culture and can be said as a part of culture.From a dynamic view，language and culture interact with each other and shape each other.Language is the carrier of culture which in turn is the content of language.We can dig out cultural features from language and explain language phenomena with culture.

Idioms as a special form of language exist in both of them and carry a large amount of cultural information such as history，geography，religion，custom，nationality psychology，thought pattern and etc，and therefore are closely related to culture.They are the heritage of history and product of cultural evolvement.Consequently，we can know much about culture through studying idioms and in turn get better understanding of idioms by learning the cultural background behind them.

1.Customs

Indian File：one after the other，singly.（The American Indians，when they go on an expedition，march one by one.The one behind carefully steps in the footprints of the one before，and the last man of the file is supposed to obliterate the footprints.Thus，neither the track nor the number of invaders can be traced.）

A feather in ones cap：an honor；something to be proud of.（The allusion is to the very general custom in Asia and among the American Indians of adding a feather to the headgear for every enemy slain.）

Nest egg：money laid by.（The allusion is to the custom of placing an egg in a hens nest to induce her to lay her eggs there.If a person has saved a little money，it serves as an inducement to him to increase his store.）

Bury ones head in the sand：refuse to take any notice of a difficulty；refuse to admit that something is a problem and hope that it will get better by itself.

2.Comparison and contrast between Chinese and English Idioms

Chinese and English fall into different language families.Chinese belongs to Chinese-Tibetan language family while English belongs to Indonesian family.The two languages also differ in terms of types.Chinese is classified as an isolated language while English an inflectional language.As a result，idioms carry both the human common feathers and one nations individualities at the same time.From the view of meaning and form，Chinese and English idioms may be generally categorized into the following four groups.

Both of the meaning and form are similar.For example，①Look before you leap.② Burn one's boat.③Strike while the iron is hot.④ An eye for an eye，a tooth for a tooth..

The meaning is similar while the form is dissimilar.For example，

①The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.這山望着那山高.② Nothing ventured，nothing gained.不入虎穴，焉得虎子.③ Thats a piece of cake.那是小菜一碟.④As poor as a church mouse.一贫如洗.

The meaning is dissimilar while the form is similar.For example，

①to fish in muddy water（英语：形容多管闲事，自讨没趣）（中文：浑水摸鱼）② to make one's hair stand on end（英语：令人毛骨悚然）（中文：令人发指）

Both of the meaning and form are dissimilar.For example，

①Modest dogs miss much meat.（英语：谦虚的狗没肉吃）（中文：满招损，歉受益）②An excess of modesty obstructs the tongue.（英语：谦虚过分束缚舌头）（中文：人贵有自知之明）

Conclusion

A great number of definitions have been given to culture.Therefore，idiom is a part of culture.As such，it cannot but serve and reflect cultural needs.

Today，the type of figurative language is highly used in the daily life in America.It is necessary for us to have such knowledge of how to comprehend.The ability to understand idioms is important to successful communication.Failure to grasp the meanings of idioms can impinge upon an individuals understanding of language in social，academic，and vocational settings.In order to communicate with each other fluently，the study of the relationship between the idiom and culture is significant and promising.

【Bibliography】

[1]Morris，William，，Morris，Mary，Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins，New York：Harper and Row，1962

[2]平洪，张国扬，《英语习语与英美文化》，北京：外语教学与研究出版社，2000