The similarities and differences between Chinese and Western culture in the meaning of animal words

The similarities and differences between Chinese and Western culture in the meaning of animal words 外国语学院英语国际贸易系 09级2班 李欣 Abstract: As we all know, animals are human being’s friends. In the long history of human being’s development, animals provide the ess ential basis for human being. So there exist many animal words in human’s language. As an objection, animals should be the same to every nation. But due to the different traditional culture in Chinese and Western, people get so many varying feeling about animal that animal words have diverse associative meaning. Therefore, there are always communicational obstacles when we communicate with foreigners. Thus, it is necessary to work out the cultural difference of animal words between Chinese and English. It not only can smooth our transcultural communication, but also can make the translation easier. This thesis summers up some cultural similarities and differences of animal words in translation. Key words: animal culture translation The similarities and differences between Chinese and Western culture in the meaning of animal words Same or similar cultural meaning of animal words in Chinese and English Different culture often has more or less common with others; no matter how enormous the distinctions are, just like eastern culture and western culture, which have great differences. Because from the structure of human’s body viewpoint, whoever it is, Chinese or Westerner, the organ which percepts objective world is the same——brain; otherwise, from the life circumstance viewpoint, both easterner and westerner live on the same planet, facing the roughly same environment. During the process of conquering and changing the nature, it is impossible to not form basic same life experiences. These experiences naturally make the language get almost identical associative meanings both in Chinese and English. Some almost identical associative meanings reflect in animal words. Same words, same meaning There are a few animal words in Chinese and English which have the same or similar associative meaning. For example, Dove makes people associate with “peace”. Swan means “nobleness” and “purity”. Cuckoo is regarded as “herald of spring”. Bee represents “busyness”. Some expression, As sly as a fox As stupid as an ass To parrot what others say As black as a crow A wolf in sheep’s clothing As free as a bird As slow as a nail Different words, same or similar meaning However, most animal words convey ideas that differ from the meaning of the other national language, which always confuses people during communication or translation, especially when two different animal words in Chinese and English have the same or similar meaning. Translators or speakers who are influenced by their own national culture easily misunderstand the figurative meaning of animal words. During the Chinese and English translation, we must make the sentence accord with idiomatic expression of target language. For instance, In Chinese & In English Chick flesh goose flesh Kill the chick that lay golden eggs kill the goose that lay golden eggs As stupid as a pig as stupid as a goose, as stupid as donkey A horse that harm the manada a black sheep Bring the wolf home s et a fox to keep one’s geese Slippery as a loach slippery as an eel A drowned chick a drowned rat As industrious as a bee as industrious as an ant As timid as a mouse as timid as a rabbit As talkative as a sparrow as talkative as a magpie Strong as a cow strong as a horse As brave as a tiger as brave as a lion A tiger in the way a lion in the way Different cultural meaning of animal words in Chinese and English Human being’s culture not only has common, but also has individuality. Because of different geography environment, different historical element, different regional effect, animal words in different language have its own individual and special cultural meaning. Same words, different meaning Sometimes, the same kind animal can have various meaning in Chinese and English, even totally reversal meaning. There are great distinction with the cultural meaning of the animal words below between Chinese and English. Phoenix in Chinese original legend is the king of all kinds of birds. There is an old saying “hundred birds pay religious homage to phoenix”. In origin, people believe that the phoenix showing up predicts the world is peaceful. So, later generations borrow the dragon to metaphorize emperor, the phoenix empress. The marriage of emperor and empress called “dragon and phoenix bringing auspiciousness”. However, in English phoenix is just a kind of bird in legend which lives in Arabian Desert for five or six hundred years and incinerates itself and then finish reliving. So in English phoenix means “relive” and “resurge”. There is an example sentence in Collins COBUILD English Language Dictionary “Religion, like a phoenix, has been resurrected from the ashes of the revolution.” Rabbit in Chinese culture means “abrupt”“quick”. In Chinese there is a saying “moving like a fleeing rabbit”. But in English rabbit represents “timid”, such as “as timid as a rabbit”. Mouse in Chinese is used to describe people who are cowardly. In Chinese there is a saying “as cowardly as mouse”. But in Western culture timid mouse means “quiet”, such as “as quiet as a mouse”. Dragon in Chinese culture symbolizes “right”“power”“auspiciousness”. Chinese pay sovereign respect to dragon. Dragon is viewed as the totem of Chinese nation. Chinese call themselves the generation of dragon. In contrast, dragon in western countries is enormously and terribly strange monster. It can spray fire through his mouth and it is violent and cruel. It means evil and wickedness. Western nations think dragon should be wiped out. So some Chinese idioms like “to expect one’s son to be a dragon” should be translate as “to expect one’s son to become an outstanding personage”. Meanwhile, in Chinese “four small dragons of Asia” should be “four small tigers of Asia”. Cat in Chinese culture is docile and cute. If translator translates the English sentence “she is a perfect cat” into Chinese as “she is very docile and cute”, he is gravely mistaken. Because cat in English is a pejorative when it is used to describe woman. It represents the woman who is mendacious, gabby, and vicious. The correct translation is “she is a totally gabby woman.” If a Chinese heard the saying “you are as wise as an owl”, he must be unpleasant. In Chinese, owl means “unfortunate””death”“boding”. In the other way round, owl in English always symbolizes “clever”“wisdom”. Peacock in Chinese is a mascot. That the peacock shows its tail is taken as good luck. On contrary, peacock sometimes has pejorative meaning. Webster’s Third New International Dictionary of the English Language explains “one making a proud or arrogant display of himself”. Collins COBUILD English Language Dictionary explains “if you describe someone, especially a man, as a peacock, you mean that they are rather proud of themselves and like wearing attractive clothes and look good, used showing disapproval”. Turtle in Chinese has two associative meaning. One represents life ban, the other represents husband whose wife has an affair. However, in western culture, it has no associative meaning. Fish in Chinese means “cash surplus of every year”“wealth”. In English, there are lots of expressions about fish phrase, such as, "drink like a fish”“as drunk as a fish”as mute as a fish”“cold fish”, etc. Chicken in Chinese means bitch. Chicken in English means timid coward. In the meanwhile, there are some animal words which have associative meaning in western culture, for example, “beaver means people who work harder”, and “duck means lovely person or thing.” Cock crows in the morning, which means “industry” in Chinese. But in western culture, cock might be connected with male genitalia. Once a kind of clock made in china has a brand “golden cock”. It is very popular in china. When it entered American market, it didn’t success. Almost no one bought it. Later, the businessman knew the reason of failure, and then changed the brand as “golden rooster”. Conclusion Language is the carrier of culture and loads some certain cultural meanings. It is easy to make cultural mistakes if we don’t profoundly know its cultural meanings. “Language is part of the culture, the meaning of any text, directly or indirectly, anti -Picture a corresponding culture, words meaning ultimately only to find its corresponding culture.”(Nida) the cultural meaning of animal words can reflect the cultural distinction between eastern and western. We should be aware of the existence of the distinction. Translator must get more particular knowledge of the plentiful cultural meanings while grasps the basic skills. As Chinese, we are normally more acquainted with our own national culture. Therefore, we should take more attention to western culture in order to make communication or translation more exact and smooth. Bibliography 1. Collins COBUILD English Language Dictionary Collins 1987 2. Webster’s Third New International Dictionary of the English Language (Unabridged) Merriam Company Publishers. 1961. 3. Eugene A Nida Language Culture and Translating Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 1993. 4. 沈安平,论社会文化与语言的联想意义,顾嘉祖,语言与文化,上海外语教学出版社,1990 :129 —146 5. 胡文仲主编,英美文化辞典,北京:外语教学与研究出版社,1995