1、Chinese Idioms and Their Stories Chinese Idioms and Their Stories Chinese Idioms and Their StoriesThe general Chinese view of chengyu (literally “established speech” ) is that it expresses the essence of the language , adding to it beauty and color by virtue of its richness and originality. But the
2、expression chengyu may not have an exact equivalent in other languages. What exactly is chengyu, how can it be defined? To this question most users of Chinese have no definite answer, nor are they keen to seek it , so long as its lack does not hinder their use of the language. Since we are dealing w
3、ith the translation of Chinese into English , it is reasonable to look first at the English word idiom, which in almost all cases is expressed as chengyu in Chinese, just as chengyu is translated into English as idiom. Is there a difference between the two , or are they exactly equivalent and interc
4、hangeable in every case? According to several popular English dictionaries, the definitions for the word “idiom” are given as follows: Webster-1.a.the language proper or peculiar to a people or to a district, community or class b. the syntactical, grammatical or structural form peculiar to a languag
5、e 2. an expression established in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either in grammatical construction or in having ameaning that cannot be derived as a whole from the conjoined meanings of its elements 3. a style or form of artistic, expression (as in painting, writing, composing )
6、 that is characteristic especially of an individual, aperiod or movement, or a medium or instrument Oxford-1. language of a people or country 2. specific character of this 3. form of expression peculiar to a language or person, peculiarity of phraseology approved by usage though having meaning not d
7、eductible from those of the separate words 4. characteristic mode of expression in music, art, etc. Chambers-1/ an expression with a meaning that connot be guessed from the meanings of the individual words 2. the expressions of a language in general-the English idiom 3. an individual style in music,
8、 etc. Longman-1. the language peculiar to a people , country, class , community or , more rarely, an individual 2. the structure of the usual patterns of expression of a language 3. a construction, expression etc. having a meaning different from the literal one or not according to the usual patterns
9、 of the language 4. a writer s characteristic use of words; a characteristic style in music , art , etc .The 1980 edition of Britannica Book of English Usage gives only one , namely,”An idiom is a phrase which is an established and correct part of a particular language but which makes little sense.
10、If taken literally.: The 1979 edition of Longman Dictionary of Idioms states that : “An idiom is a fixed group of words with a special different meaning from the meanings of the separate words.” It is , therefore, clear that the word “idiom” in current usage chiefly refers to “ a set phrase” . This
11、predominant feature in the English language, of course, can also be found in Chinese chengyu, but it forms only one of the latter s many features. Its definition in Chinese is much more complicated. Some people say that it means shuyu(idiom,idiomatic phrase), suyu (common saying, folk adage) and yan
12、yu(proverb, saying , adage, saw); others think that it should include yuyan( fable, allegory, parable), diangu(allusion, literary quotation) and still others claim that it includes xiyu(idiom), mingyan (well-known saying, celebrated dictum, famous remark),geyan( maxim, motto, aphorism), xiehouyu(the
13、 second part of a two-part allegorical saying that actually carries the message, though sometimes unstated), liyu(slang), fangyan (dialect) , etc. Some prople even assert that it should not exclude shuyu( technical terms ) and biaoyu and kouhao(slogan, poster, watchword). Furthermore, there is the q
14、uestion of national characteristics. Somethink that those expressions which originated from alien culture should not be considered Chinese chengyu.Those who are opposed to this view argue that such expressions have become so commonly used that they can be regarded as part of Chinese chengyu. In view
15、 of the complexities and controversies involved, it may be necessary to consult the three popular and authoritative lexicographical works so far available here :Cihai, Ciyuan and Xiandai Hanyu Cidian . Cihai counts chengyu as “ a kind of shuyu; set phreases or word groups that are of customary usage
16、 . The formation of chengyu is of great variety and the origins of various chengyu are also diversified. Some of them can be understood from the surface meanings of the words they are composed of ; others can be undersood only if their origins are known. ” Ciyuan puts chengyu as “old sayings of common usage and those phrases or clauses which are set in form to express a complete idea.” Xiandai Hanyu Cidian defines chengyu as “set phrases or clauses that people
