In the group of idioms, which have similar meaning, many of them use the same images, while others use the different images to explain the same thing.
2.1The similarities between English idioms and Chinese idioms about the geography
In many of the Chinese and English idioms, they have the same meanings. Coincidently, many of them use the same images. It shows that the Chinese people and English people experience the similar conceptions. Meanwhile, some of them have the same meanings, but they use the different images to explain. From that, we could know that although the Chinese and English people have the same experience, they have the different cultures. So the idioms always use the different images.
2.1.1 The Chinese-English geography idioms that use the similar images
In the ancient China and England, the people may have the same experience, and coincidently use the same image to describe the same thing. It is very coincidental.
(1) Fish in trouble waters[4] and "浑水摸鱼"[5]
Meaning: to profit in a confused environment
e.g. Don’t fish in trouble waters; that does you no good.
(2) Pour /throw cold water on [6]and "泼冷水"
Meaning: to discourage
e.g. The board of director poured cold water on his new investment proposals in that region.
(3) Make waves[7] and "兴风作浪"[8]
Meaning: to make trouble
e.g. They lift it was not the time to make waves by staging a sit-in.
(4) Go with the stream[9] and "随波逐流"[10]
Meaning: do as others do
e.g. He listened to the same music and dressed the same way as his friends. He went with the stream, for he lacked confidence in making his own decision.
(5) Burn one’s boat/ bridges[11] and "破釜沉舟"[12]
Meaning: to do something that make it impossible to go back
e.g. Starting your own business has a lot of risk , so think twice before you burn your boat.
The idioms in this group reflect that the English idioms and Chinese idioms are nearly coincidental. People in different cultures experience the similar conceptions. The examples (1) to (4) are using the same images. The example (5),in Chinese we use “釜” and “舟” but, in English they just use “boat” or “bridge”. In both Chinese and English the boat, the cooking pot and the bridge are all very important to people lives.
2.1.2The Chinese-English geography idioms that use different images
While the ancient Chinese people and English people coincidently use the same image to explain the same thing. Most of the time, the Chinese and English people use the different images to explain the same thing.
(1) Be in /get in hot water [13] or In deep water[14] and "泥菩萨过江"
Meaning: to be in or get into trouble
e.g. She has got into hot water again for her inquisitive nature recently.
(2) A drop in the bucket/ocean[15] and "九牛一毛"
Meaning: a negligible or tiny quantity; something that make little difference
e.g. Ten cents means a lot of money to the beggar on the street, but is a drop in the ocean for most people.
百度搜索“70edu”或“70教育网”即可找到本站免费阅读全部范文。收藏本站方便下次阅读，70教育网，提供经典英语论文不同的地理特征对汉英习语影响(2)在线全文阅读。
