1、APA正文格式样例1. IntroductionIdioms are thought of as the core and essence of language and culture. Any language which has a long history is abundant in idioms. Many of the words often contain enough philosophical and incisive theories for people to study and they become an important part of modern Engli
2、sh (Zhang, 2009, p. 8). For example: “As a man sows, so he shall reap” can be translated into “种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆”, “To strike while the iron is hot” is translated as “趁热打铁”, “A long road tests a horses strength and a long task proves a mans heart” can be translated into “路遥知马力, 日久见人心”. Nowadays, with the pr
3、ospering of international communication, the activity of idiom translation has become especially frequent and important. However, idioms are strongly combined with specific culture, which often leads to great difficulty in translation. Thus, studying the relations between idioms and a few important
4、cultural aspects such as historical backgrounds, geographical conditions, social customs, religious beliefs, etc. will help us to understand the cultural elements in idioms. Since culture plays so important a role in intercultural communication, the cultural factors in different languages have been
5、attracting more and more attention of linguistic scholars. In order to make intercultural communication more successful, many scholars have become interested in the study of cultural similarities and differences encoded in different languages. The study of cultural factors in different languages is
6、of significance in intercultural communication as well as other disciplines such as linguistics, language acquisition, etc.This paper will expound the cultural differences between Chinese and English idioms and explore the role of culture plays in understanding of idioms. 2. The cultural backgrounds
7、 in idiomsIdioms as a special form of language carry a large amount of cultural information. They are the heritage of history and the product of cultural evolvement. Generally speaking, Idioms come from society, culture and history; they are included in everything and related to societys life and pl
8、ay an important role in culture. The definition of cultureCulture is a large and extremely complex concept. Some foreign scholars estimate that no less than 200 definitions for “culture” have already been cited in the academic field, some of which are concerned with the material products of the peop
9、le; others deal with those spiritual aspects shared by people living in certain communities; still others focus both on beliefs and practices of a society. He defines, “culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired
10、by man as a member of society” (Luo, 2005, p. 27). Chinese scholar Ke (2000, pp. 142-143) states in his article Cultural Pesuppositions and Misreading “that most anthropologists agree on the following features of culture: 1) Culture is socially acquired instead of biologically transmitted. 2) Cultur
11、e is shared among the members of a community instead of being unique to an individual. 3) Culture is symbolic. Symbolizing means assigning to entities and events meanings which are external to them and not able to be grasped by themselves alone. Language is the most typical symbolic system within cu
12、lture; 4) Culture is integrated. Each aspect of culture is tied in with the other aspects”. The definition of idiomIdioms are the crystallization of language. Without idioms, our language would become dull and dry, whereas an appropriate use of them in our speech and writing will add to the strength
13、 and vividness of our language. 以后内容已省略.The definition of idiom in The Oxford English Dictionary is that idiom is a form of expression, grammatical construction, phrase, etc, peculiar to a language; a peculiarity of phraseology approved by the usage of a language, and often having a signification ot
14、her than its grammatical or logical one (2004, p. 873 ).These definitions indicate that some English idioms are composed of several words (from two words to many words) and some are even made of a complete sentence. Therefore, English idioms, in a broad sense, may include idiomatic phrases, proverbi
15、al sayings, and some slang expressions (Yu & Guo, 1999, p. 170).括号中两个作者中间加& The relationship between idiom and culture 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
16、 carrier of culture, which in turn is the content of language. Idioms have their own cultural intention. Learning idioms without considering the cultural factors will be futile and even misunderstanding, since we can not get the exact information it conveys.以后内容已省略.间接引用格式如下：One researcher (Grayson,
17、as cited in Murzynski & Degelman, 1996, p. 135) identified four components of body language that were related to judgments of vulnerability. 在找不到作者原书无法进行直接引用时，可间接引用。如Grayson的原书找不到，但是Murzynski & Degelman在他们书中引用过，则可以在括号中标出（原作者，as cited in 后再写引用过原作者话的作者名字（即Murzynski & Degelman），年份，p. 页码）即可，在文章最后的参考文献中要
18、写你能找到书的学者名字，即Murzynski & Degelman。 3. The cultural differences between English and Chinese idiomsAs an essential part of the language and culture, idioms are characterized by their concise expressions, rich and vivid, involving geography, history, religious belief, living conventions and so on. From
19、 living surroundingsCulture is a complicated system of knowledge, beliefs and customs, etc. However, natural environment including geographical position, climate, and ecological condition is something that plays a contributory role in the formation of a culture. Idioms maintain close ties with peopl
20、es living surroundings and the culture where they are created. Geographical environmentIdioms are closely related to peoples labor and life, people in particular culture need words to name and explain objects in their culture(Zhang, 1997, p. 45). Britain is an island country. Its navigation was in t
21、he lead in history (Zhang, 1999, p. 67). On the other hand, Chinese people live in the Asian continent. Most people cant lead their lives without land. 以后内容已省略. ClimateClimate is another factor in the living surrounding. In Britain, “east wind” comes from the northern part of the European continent.
22、 It symbolizes “chilly” and “unpleasant”. So Englishmen hate it. However, Englishmen like “west wind”. It brings spring to Britain. The west wind blows from the Atlantic Ocean as warm as Chinese east wind and brings voluminous rain to this area. In a word, different living surroundings may produce d
23、ifferent idioms and different cultures. APA格式中3到5个作者的作品，引用格式如下： 第一次引用： According to educational psychologists, raising children is a responsibility of the entire community (Franklin, Childs, & Smith, 1995). 以后的引用，不用每个姓都写，只第一个就可To be successful, “communities must be willing to take this responsibilit
24、y” (Franklin et al., 1995, p. 135). From religious belief后几段已省略。本页只为说明论文的结构，故省略了其中很多段落。As a cultural phenomenon, religious beliefs produce an impact on peoples life and mind. Different religious beliefs have different reflections in different idioms. Most of westerners are Christians, who believe th
25、at the world is created by God. They think that God is omnipotent and sacred. 以后内容已省略.And many phrases and stories in the Holy Bible have also functional as important sources of English idioms.: (1) As they sow, so they reap. 种瓜得瓜, 种豆得豆. (Galatians 6)Paul wrote in his letter to Galatians that, “Do n
26、ot be deceived: God can not be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”(2) Judass kiss. 犹大之吻 ( Matthew 26)Judas, one of the Twelve, agrees to betray Jesus that the chief Priests counted out for him only thirty silver coins. (3) the salt of the earth 社会中坚 (Matthew 5)This idiom comes from the Bible. 以后内容已省略
27、. From custom Every nation has its own customs. One nations custom is formed through a long history and firmly rooted in peoples mind. Custom differences between English and Chinese are in many aspects. Due to that, a lot of idioms turn out with varied dress. Among English idioms, we often compare p
28、eoples action to the figure of dog such as “you are a lucky dog” (你是一个幸运儿), “every dog has his day” (凡人皆有得意日), “love me, love my dog” (爱屋及乌), “A good dog deserves a good bone.” (有功者受赏) and so on. Contrary to this, the dog is a kind of petty and low animal in Chinese. From value orientationFrom peopl
29、es working and living experience of one country, different values have been abstracted, accumulated and handed down from generation to generation. Because of different experience between countries, values originate from it also turns out to be largely varied and even totally opposite, which idioms a
30、re built on, therefore also differ greatly. Take praise for example. Praise is a means to get a harmonious interpersonal ship, and frequently used in communication. ModestyBritain as a developed capitalist country is covered with fierce social competition so that people in there emphasize individual
31、 behaviors, achievement, and value. Their value orientations appear to be in contrast with Chinese in this aspect. On the contrary, Chinese people often make self-negation to show modesty. Therefore, the Chinese have more modest language than English in the social activities. IndividualismBeing guid
32、ed and influenced by the spirit of competition, western people think highly of individualism. In the eyes of Westerners, individualism means a pursuit of freedom and diversity, there are differences of peoples behavior, speech, thinking, which are almost synonymous with individualism. 以后内容已省略.The social conditions of western developed countries leads many people to accept this kind of faith, “Every man for himself and god for us all” (人人为自己，上帝为大家), “God helps those who help themselves” (自助者天助), “Every man i
