The difference between animals in Eastern and Western proverbs

"Cats" and "rats" can be said to be a pair of "natural enemies" that are well-known to every household, and they are also very popular pets nowadays. The rat, in particular, ranks first among the twelve Chinese zodiac signs and is called "Mouse & Rat".

Therefore, "cat" and "rat" as metaphors play a very active role in Eastern and Western idioms and proverbs. These colorful expressions are often used to describe humans and animals. Their activities are endowed with the color of the historical documents and national psychological characteristics of their respective nations, which further expands the meaning and connotation of idioms, making the Chinese and English languages ??more colorful.

This year coincides with the Year of the Rat. Let’s talk about the different meanings and symbols of “cat” and “rat” in Chinese and Western cultures.

In Chinese, there are very few idioms, allusions or proverbs about "cat". However, there are numerous idioms about "rat" in Chinese, and most of them are derogatory. For example, "缋头 Rat-eye" (with the head of a buck and the eyes of a rat — repulsively ugly and sly-looking) is used to describe "a person with an ugly appearance and a cunning expression."

In English, there are too many idioms and allusions involving "cat" and "rat" that contain specific cultural backgrounds and have mixed emotions. For example, in English slang, cat means "a spiteful or unpleasant woman" (a cruel or disgusting woman); while mouse can refer to girl & woman (girl, woman), rat (bigger than mouse) ) can refer to freshman (college freshman) in American slang. Of course, cat can sometimes also contain neutral emotions, referring to fans of Jazz (jazz fans); while rat can also refer to varmint, snitch, traitor (nuisance, informer, traitor), etc.

Below, the author has collected some common related idioms, allusions and proverbs, and briefly introduced their origins and historical and cultural background, in order to help the majority of English learners understand Western culture, understand and apply English idioms , It is beneficial to improve language expression ability.

(1) "Cat" Discourse

1.Care killed a cat.

[Cultural Origin] The phrase comes from the comedy "Much Ado About Nothing" by the British playwright Shakespeare "(Much Ado About Nothing) Act 5, Scene 1. In order to avenge the death of his lover Beatrice's cousin, Benedick had to challenge his friend Claudio. When Claudio saw that Benedick was depressed and pale, he said to him: "Hey, take courage, my friend! Although sadness can hurt people, you are a good man and will drive it away. "(What! Courage, man! What though care killed a cat, thou hast mettle enough in thee to kill care) In the eyes of the British, cats are the most vital animals, but they will die due to sadness. It can be seen that" Sorrow can kill; worry can harm the body."

[Example]Don't be so worried about such meaningless things; care killed a cat, you know. Don't be so worried about such meaningless things; care killed a cat, you know.

2.A cat has nine lives.

[Cultural traceability] Exemplifies British customs. Among many animals, cats are known to be aloof because of their nimbleness, lightness, and ability to jump. Moreover, because of the thick and soft fleshy toes on the soles of their feet, they will not be harmed at all even if they fall from high places. They can even use some kind of Where drugs would kill most animals, cats can miraculously survive. In the old days, the British were superstitious about the tenacious vitality of cats, so there was a saying that cats have nine lives.

This proverb is also known as: A cat with nine lives. Later, this expression became a metonym for "a person full of vitality".

[Example]

①The baby fell from the roof of the house, but nothing went wrong with him. His parents called him a cat that has nine lives. It didn't break even after it fell. His parents said he was very lucky.

②One of the most striking differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat has only nine lives. One of the most striking differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat has only nine lives.

3.a cat's paw

[Cultural origin] comes from such an Aesop's fable. The story goes like this: A cunning and clever monkey wanted to eat chestnuts from the fire, but was afraid of burning himself, so he tricked the simple cat into taking chestnuts from the ashes of the fire, and promised to share them equally. As a result, the cat took out the chestnuts, but its claws were burned to pieces. When it turned around to eat some of the chestnuts, the chestnuts had already been eaten by the monkey. Therefore, this idiom is used to refer to "one who is someone else's tool" or "one who is being used by others". Exploiters and fools”.

[Example] ①The stupid fellow never realized that he was a mere cat's paw in the hands of his enemy. This fool never realized that he was just a tool in the hands of the enemy.

②You have been used as a cat's paw by that woman; she only wanted you to help her get into local society. .

4.enough to make a cat speak

[Cultural origin] It comes from the novel "Nicholas Nickleby" by the British writer Charles Dickens. The novel satirized and criticized the cruel school system and strict and rigid teachers at that time. There is a sentence in the article: "Just by looking at the way she raises her head, even a cat can talk about French grammar." It means that the way the heroine raises her head is surprising, and this sentence comes from this. Nowadays, enough to make a cat speak is often used to describe something "different; surprising; very surprising".

[Example]The plot of the novel is enough to make a cat speak. The plot of this novel is surprisingly surprising.

5.grin like a Cheshire cat

[Cultural origin] Originated from the work "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by British writer Lewis Carroll Wonderland). Chapter 6 of the book contains the following content: Alice saw a laughing cat in the Duke's house, and asked the Duchess why the cat kept grinning inexplicably. The lady told her that it was a The term "Cheshire cat" came from this, and later generations used it to mean "grin".

[Example]I wish you'd stop grinning like a Cheshire cat and try to be serious.

6.no room to swing a cat

[Cultural origin] There are different opinions on the origin of this idiom. It is said that it originated from a sports game in ancient times. People put a live cat in a cloth or leather bag and hung it on a tree as an arrow target. The cat struggled in the bag and the bag shook. The archer needs to stand at a certain distance to shoot arrows. The second theory comes from the flogging that was popular in the British navy in the old days. This kind of whip is composed of 9 leather ropes and is known as the "nine-tailed cat". To hit someone with such a whip requires a certain amount of space. Regardless of the origin, no room to swing a cat "is an extremely small space; there is no room for movement."

[Example]At London I am pent up in frowzy lodgings, where there is no room to swing a cat. Turn around.

Attachment:

English proverbs related to “cats”:

①Cats hide their claws. Know people, know faces, but don’t know hearts.

②All cats are gray in the dark. All cats are gray in the dark. (People all look the same when they are not famous.)

③A gloved cat catches no mice. A gloved cat catches no mice. (People who are unwilling to endure hardship cannot achieve great things.)

④When the weasel and the cat make a marriage, it is a very ill presage. It is not a good thing for the weasel and the cat to get married.

⑤The cat shuts its eyes when stealing cream. The cat always closes its eyes when stealing cream. (hiding one's ears and stealing the bell)

⑥There are more ways of killing a cat than by choking it with butter. There are many ways of killing a cat. (There are many ways to achieve the goal.)

Regarding "The East and the West, the East includes many countries, and I think the most representative one here is the Chinese culture with a history of 5,000 years of civilization. , even Japanese culture, which is very far apart, is different from China, but as Asia as a whole, they are very different from the West.

This is their uniqueness. Compared with Eastern culture, it started relatively late, but there are differences within them, such as Southern Europe and Northern Europe, Western Europe and Eastern Europe, that is, the United Kingdom and Germany. However, the essential differences are undoubtedly the differences between Eastern and Western cultures. [The articles on this site are collected and compiled by the China Thesis Alliance, please indicate the source when reprinting]

Dragon and Phoenix In China, the dragon is the image of totem. After the development of totems was further sanctified, it formed Dragon, phoenix and other comprehensive totem images have the characteristics of various animals. In ancient Chinese legends, dragon is an animal that can make clouds and rain magically. Therefore, in my country, dragon and phoenix refer to people with outstanding talents, and dragon and tiger are metaphors for heroes and lofty ideals. "Dragon" is also widely used in idioms, such as "dragon flying and phoenix dancing, hidden dragon and crouching tiger", etc. The Han people have always called themselves "descendants of the dragon" and are proud of the "descendants of the dragon". In our country's legends, the phoenix is ??a kind of miraculous thing. The animal, together with the dragon, turtle, and unicorn, is called the Four Spirits. The phoenix also refers to a good woman in China, and also means peace and prosperity. In the old days, the phoenix was also a holy virtue, which meant that it was precious and rare, and was used as a metaphor for wealth. A person of holiness.

In the West, the dragon and phoenix do not mean this at all. In the West, the dragon represents sin and evil, and the phoenix in the West means rebirth. In Western legends and myths, the dragon It is a huge lizard with wings, scales, and a long tail that can breathe fire from its mouth. In the Middle Ages, the dragon evolved into a symbol of evil, or Diablo (a famous Western computer game). The devil Diablo in the movie is a monster that looks like a dragon. In English, the association caused by dragon is completely different from the association caused by "dragon" in Chinese.

Never use dragons, phoenixes, etc. when expressing compliments to Westerners.

The Chinese nation is a nation that longs for stability and peace, so imagining dragons and phoenixes is a kind of gospel. From a cultural perspective, the West has been influenced by religion for a long time, but our country has been ruled by feudal ideas for a long time. Westerners believe in God, and going against God is a fault and a sin; while our people believe in God, Buddha, and pray that God can bring us good luck. God has sent the dragon as his representative to the world, which is a symbol of supremacy.

The conflict between Eastern and Western ways of thinking

Teacher Lu Qiutian, who has worked and lived in Europe for 26 years and is now the Chinese Ambassador to Germany, said that before a German and a Frenchman died, You ask the French, what is your greatest wish before you die? The Frenchman's reply was that I wanted to drink a glass of the best champagne. He also asked the Germans, what is your wish before you die? He said that if I still had the strength, I would like to give another report. This is the German who loves to give reports. I think this may be the difference in thinking, and this is only within the West. When it comes to the difference between the East and the West, I think it is even greater.

As for the characteristics of thinking styles, there are four main points: First 1. Extensive thinking. I once saw an article like this. An American wrote a letter to a Chinese. When the Chinese read the American’s letter, they became angry because the American put his own words at the beginning of the letter. Put the request at the front, get straight to the point, and only say some polite words later. In order to maintain a psychological balance, the Chinese read letters from Americans first and later. When Americans read letters from Chinese people, they start to get more and more confused. They don't know what the other party wants to explain. At the end of the letter, there are a few sentences that are the questions he wants to say. The first words are all polite words and so on. Americans also read letters from Chinese people upside down. This different way of writing reflects different ways of thinking.

Second, after the national way of thinking is formed, it has relative stability. A person, no matter he is an Eastern or Westerner, is relatively stable after forming a kind of thinking. A German, a Japanese, and a Chinese were taking a train from Frankfurt, Germany to Paris. The three people were sitting in a carriage. Suddenly a guest came up because the carriage has 4 seats. The guest brought a fish bowl and placed it on an empty seat. The Germans began to ask the person holding the fish bowl, "What?" Hey 槔啵?心男┨妦克?Stealing pu?Disgustingly, Pao Danxi came up in a hurry and placed it on the empty seat. The Germans began to ask the person holding the fish tank, 撃?窨嫠呶尶倿庥? This is what the Germans asked the guest. After listening to what the Germans said, the Japanese asked, 撉蛛修馕覬ren? 飧颇颐肖梐蕉综合综合濇 Waste芤? cough绻? 碉袁袁狠袁狠濳? After Yihuang Chang? ぃ繑 finished asking, it was the turn of the Chinese to ask, 朜庵中闶呛焐琐综合曰guqiao 逭舾?trade smashing 繑 This shows the characteristics of three different cultures and ways of thinking. In my humble opinion, this is also a reflection of different societies.

Third, the way of thinking is not static, but constantly evolving. This is also the case with the changes in the thinking of our younger generation. We are very different from the thinking of the 50s, 60s and 70s.

Fourth, the difference in thinking styles is sometimes felt, but it is difficult to explain clearly and it is not easy to feed back to the other party.

The differences between Eastern and Western cultures

First, it is the issue of the relationship between justice and benefit. Generally speaking, Westerners value profit over justice, while Easterners value justice over profit or consider both justice and profit. The awareness of Eastern people is that the word "righteousness" comes first. Guan Yu in ancient times was an out-and-out heroic hero. He was also highly praised by people at that time. I think this is also a cultural awareness caused by the multi-faceted thoughts in ancient times. The 5,000-year-old culture is also a reason that cannot be ignored for this heavy courtesy. Relatively speaking, the short-lived Western culture pays more attention to interests. This is also a manifestation of realism, from the war of aggression against China and all life in the West. Seeing their self-awareness, it can also be called a non-hypocritical and realistic style. Of course, this is only for the vast majority of people in the East. In Eastern life, such as Chinese, humility is a virtue, but Westerners don't know what to do about it. Westerners can sacrifice their own righteousness for profit most of the time.

Second, it is the issue of integrity and individuality. Easterners emphasize wholeness and comprehensiveness, while Westerners value individuality.

For example, Chinese medicine and Western medicine, Chinese medicine emphasizes the whole, but Western medicine is different. From an anatomical point of view, it pays attention to the parts of the whole. The difference between overall thinking and individual thinking is also reflected in interactions. For example, in many reports, a Chinese went to a Western home for dinner. When the host asked whether he wanted to eat Chinese food or Western food today, the guest said politely: "Whatever." It's up to the guest to do as he pleases." Westerners find it hard to understand this answer. They say they get a headache when they hear the word "卍姹铓" and they don't know how to do it. It's not easy to operate. Deep in our way of thinking, we believe that following guests is a sign of politeness and respect for the host, but Westerners don't see it this way. This is the difference. Looking at it the other way round, when a European comes to China and you ask him what he is doing today, he will definitely not say "casual" but will definitely state his wish clearly. Today we eat Western food, or just Chinese food, and Chinese people tend to express less personal wishes. When our delegation visits, the foreign party receives our delegation, and the other party asks, what do you want to drink? If the group leader says to drink tea, the following people may also say to drink tea. People are surprised that when I say tea, all the tea comes out.

Third, there is the issue of seeking common ground and seeking different thinking. We Chinese always emphasize "harmony is the most precious", "harmony between man and nature", etc., while the West pays attention to various new standards. When we thank each other for their reception, we often say something like this: Your country is beautiful, your people are friendly, your reception is considerate, etc. They think that after traveling thousands of miles from the east to the west, don't they have any different feelings? Why are they always like these three sentences? Later, when a delegation left, after three sentences, he said, I would like to make some suggestions now. These people immediately listened carefully and wanted to hear the delegation's suggestions before leaving. The first suggestion is that I hope your presentation materials can be translated into Chinese. The second point is, can you cook the beef a little more rotten? I can’t stand the bloodiness. The third point is that I hope you can understand something about Chinese history and culture. They felt particularly good listening to it and hearing different opinions. They said that if we can do it, we will definitely do it, and if we can't do it, we know what you like.

Fourth, there is the difference between Eastern and Western ways of expressing emotions. Yes, there are many differences between China and the West on many issues. I bet Westerners will not be able to understand "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai" when they watch it. The biggest problem here is the difference between Chinese and Western cultures, which has caused the Chinese to be delicate and reserved. There are two different ways of expression: the direct expression of love and the direct expression of Westerners. Westerners must have no imagination about the ladies of ancient China, not to mention all the restrictive ideas such as "men are superior to women" and ancient family laws in ancient China.

Fifth, there is often intentionality in our way of thinking. They are intuitive. For example, in some of our articles, we like to use hints in life, or use metaphors to describe the past and present. This kind of implicitness requires you to understand. The so-called silence here is better than the sound, which is different from the intuition of Westerners. For example, Mr. Qian Zhongshu's comparison of Western and Chinese cultures even talked about the advantages of Chinese poetry. Although it only has a few crosses, it expresses more artistic conception than long Western poems. But for Westerners, this is something very profound and difficult to understand.

The gray song

Empty and vague are connected to the specific.

This is what most Western readers think of as the characteristics of Chinese poetry. As Keats famously said: Music that can be heard is beautiful, but music that cannot be heard is even more beautiful. Questions are often used as answers, asking questions instead of answering them, leaving you with unlimited longing and imagination for what follows.

The educational differences caused

Two different cultures have created two different education systems. The extremely sharp contrast reflects the children in two different cultural backgrounds. Let’s talk about Western education first. From the system to the implementation of policies, it is almost complete. Groups of children are receiving high-level education very well. The only flaw is It is under this circumstance that some students develop many arrogant and extravagant habits, which also affects them to a certain extent. But the fact that I have to admit is that their educational environment is much better than that in China. Their main focus is to cultivate children's self-ability and quality. This is what I admire most. They have been training their own life skills since they were young. It is obvious in the international summer camp that their children are much stronger than ours. I think this also has certain environmental factors.

In comparison, China’s quality education is never perfect. In addition to environmental factors, I think the most important reason is that the Chinese cultural background is too deep and it is difficult to change this tradition.

In addition, China’s quality education overemphasizes the cultivation of test-taking abilities and often neglects the cultivation of abilities and the improvement of self-ability. This fundamentally results in the fact that Chinese students have a very high level in international competitions, but their lives are far inferior to those of others. . There are many students in China who are dissatisfied with education, which also reflects the two levels.

I think that two different education systems cannot explain which is better or worse. They are just the products of two cultures and social systems. They each have their own good and bad. We should learn from each other’s good aspects. , enabling education to develop well in different lands.

Reasons for cultural differences

Teacher Zhou said: "China is a land civilization, while the West is a maritime civilization." This makes sense. One is that the development paths of Eastern and Western societies are different. China’s long-term agricultural society and small-scale peasant economy have shaped the national psychology of our mainland culture. The characteristic of this psychology is to a large extent that it emphasizes a kind of local friendship and a kind of friendship with neighbors. Didn’t we say that there are four major happy events in life? A long drought brings sweet rain, meeting an old friend in a foreign land, the night of flowers and candles in the wedding room, and the time of inscription on the gold medal list. "Meeting an old friend in a foreign country" must be very indifferent in Western countries. If they meet a fellow countryman abroad, they will not be very excited. However, our overseas Chinese have many hometown associations outside, and Westerners generally do not have hometown associations. We often talk about the local area, and even talk about the soil and water supporting the people. These are closely related to our long-term agricultural society. There is also the idea of ??fallen leaves returning to their roots, which all contain a strong sense of emotion. This element of emotion is very weak in the West.

The other is that China is a multi-ethnic country with a history of five thousand years. The historical origin of Chinese traditional culture is based on Confucianism and includes various schools of thought. One of the characteristics of this traditional culture is its emphasis on overall qualitative thinking, which is very different from Western culture's emphasis on individual and partial empirical thinking. The West is primarily a Christian culture. The Confucian philosophical system emphasizes self-cultivation, family order, country governance, and world peace. First of all, self-cultivation is the first priority, that is, paying attention to moral culture; Western philosophical thought emphasizes analysis, which results in differences in focusing on overall thinking or individual thinking.

There are many differences and differences between Chinese and Western cultures, and many customs among them have also produced many jokes. However, the similarity among different cultures is that these are the development process of human culture. The differences between these cultures cannot be said to be superior or inferior. They are formed objectively. Their existence will inevitably lead to the continued development of human culture. In today's world, it is impossible for any nation or country to lose or get rid of its traditional culture. Therefore, external imposition or internal rebellion are not conducive to the development of the country and the progress of society.

Let us work together to safeguard the development of various cultures and maintain the stability of the country. Eastern and Western cultures can promote each other and learn from each other. In this way, I believe that the cultural history of mankind will go better. .