A Comparative Analysis of Metaphors in English and Chinese Animal Words

【Abstract】The comparative analysis of metaphors has always been a heated issue in the field of contrastive study. This paper will make comparisons between English and Chinese animal metaphors by illustrating some typical examples. Then it will discuss the reasons which lead to misunderstanding， ending with some constructive suggestions and strategies to improve comprehension.

【Key words】animal metaphor； English and Chinese comparisons

I. Introduction

Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human's communication. It is both a carrier of culture and an indispensable part of culture. Metaphor， as one special phenomenon of language， embodies different culture meanings which enable our human world more colorful and wonderful.

However， nowadays many studies on animal metaphors are just limited to a brief list of some simple cultural phenomena from a cultural perspective or to a list of animals. This thesis aims to discuss some typical animal metaphors by making comparisons， and then analyze some factors which lead to misunderstanding and finally give some suggestions and strategies to improve the comprehension.

II. Typical Examples of Animal Metaphor in English and Chinese

A. Animal Words with the Same Meanings

Human give animals some figurative meaning in order to express their feelings. Animal words， as one part of human culture， record the process of human development. In the course of human history， the West and the East have created totally different culture backgrounds. People from different regions act and think in different ways， although they live in the same world. However， there is still something in common between different cultures. In terms of the living environment， human coming from different regions share the Mother Nature and create it， so it is these experiences that lead to some similar imagination. Therefore， some animal metaphors in Chinese and English also will convey the same meanings.

Pig：A In China， people usually say肥猪 to refer somebody is over obese. There is also a sentence conveying the same meaning in English“as fat as a pig”. Likewise， a pig also refers to someone who is greedy， selfish， dirty and lazy both in Chinese and English. For example， Chinese people say 豬狗不如， it means somebody is ill-behaved . To call a person 懒猪 refers that the person is extremely lazy. In English， if you call somebody a pig， you think g is very unpleasant， for example， because he has been greedy， rude or unkind. “He had been a pig of money”or “she made a pig of herself with the ice-cream”mean the person is too greedy about money or food. Obviously.

Mouse/Rat：

In terms of human actions like mouse， there is a phrase in English that is rat on. To Chinese people， they will use“过街老鼠”“抱头鼠窜”to describe someone's behavior. “ratted on”，“过街”（crossing the street）“窜”（fleeing） are actions of mouse/rat. Rats steal food， destroy crops and transmit plague. When “rat” is used as a verb， it means act like a rat to cheat， steal or bring troubles. “Rat on some one” means “making troubles to some one”or“betrays some one”.“形同鼠狐”（moving like rat and fox）.“鼠迹狐踪”（moving furtively like a rat and a fox），“过街老鼠”（mouse crossing the street） are different actions of mouse.

In the English language，“rat” is an insult and “to rat on someone” is to betray someone by denouncing to the authorities a crime or misdeed they committed. From the usage of mouse metaphor， we can see in both Chinese and English， mouse metaphor refers to those timid， weak and troublesome things or people. Their negative images have been impressed Chinese-speaking or English-speaking people.

B. Animal Words with Different Meanings

Dragon：We Chinese often consider ourselves “the descendants of the dragon” it is not unfamiliar to you that your parents hope that you may be the dragon， as Chinese say“望子成龙”. As a mythical creature， the dragon is deeply rooted in Chinese culture. Traditionally， dragons are considered to govern rainfall. They have the power to decide where and when the rain falls. In addition， the dragon is a symbol of imperial power. The emperors thought they were real dragon and the son of the heaven. So Chinese usually say “乘龍快婿” to refer a handsome and proud son-in-law.“龙凤呈祥”for good fortune.

More often than not， dragons in Western literature are presented as monsters against which the hero must battle. It is a common tale for a mediaeval knight to kill a dragon and save a princess and her country from its evil. Even the popular boy wizard Harry Potter has to battle a deadly dragon and get back a golden egg from its nest in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”. The western regard dragon as ruthless monster and evil which will bring fierceness bad fortune.

Dog：When dog is used as a metaphor， it is nearly always used by Chinese and English-speaking people in different ways. To the Western， dogs are the most faithful friends of human. Dogs will always playing a first aid assistant role when their masters in danger. In the daily life， dogs have been a part of people， some one raise them for company， for fun， for help. To sum up， in the western culture， people always describe dogs in positive way. There is a great deal of examples in English. “Love me， love my dog”； “every dog has its day”： “a good dog deserves a good bone”：“a lucky dog” “work like a dog”， est.

Chinese people also have the tradition of raising dogs， but they still have different attitudes toward dogs. Chinese people usually despise this animal and often use dogs to describe and very bad persons or things. For instance， 落水狗 （dog in the water -a bad person who is drown）狗拿耗子 多管闲事（a dog trying to catch a mice-poke one's nose into other people's business） .These typical examples can show that Chinese people usually use dogs to indicate unpleasant things， which really differ from western people.

C. Different Animal Words with the Same Meanings

“hu” and lion：Tiger in Chinese is usually symbols power and bravery， sometimes refer to ferocious features. Some words about tiger in Chinese can show you this： “虎背熊腰”（has thick powerful back and shoulders）虎將（someone with bravery） 虎视眈眈（glare like a tiger eyeing its prey）. In China， tigers are the king of animals， they represent power. While in Britain， lions are their king of animals. Richard I is famous for his brave courage and named “the British lion” and“the Lion-Heart”. In China， people will say 拦路虎and it is also described as “a lion in the way” in English. From this， we can see western people use lion to represent bravery while Chinese people use tiger.

“niu” and horse：Chinese people especially traditional peasant has strong affection toward “niu” because of its contribution to farm work. Chines also know o lot about the characteristics of “niu”. Chinese people found “niu” could be used as a kind of power resource for farm work which could help with the plow. Because of its diligence and hardworking， Chinese always use its image to describe industrious people in the idiom：“像老黄牛一样工作”（work like an old ox）. The corresponding expression in English is to “to work like a horse”or “to be a workhorse” since horse were commonly used in British farm work in early days.

III. The Reasons for Misunderstanding on Animal Metaphors in English and Chinese

Culture is a broad vision， which is a one more than one angle and multi-level concept. The difference and similarities of animal metaphor lie in different culture backgrounds.

Different regions may make far-reach influence on animal metaphor. Different geography will bring different ways of living. UK is a island country surrounded by oceans， so they are always live on fishing. Therefore， there are some animal metaphors about fish like “a big fish” “fish in the air” or “big sharks”. While China is a agricultural country which need to use “niu” to cultivate the earth， then you may see“老黄牛”“俯首甘为孺子牛”in Chinese. However， English people always use horse instead of “niu”， because horse is knights' weapon and the Royal Family's transportation means in ancient time. So they have such saying “as strong as a horse” to work like a horse.

IV. Ways and Strategies to Improve the Understanding of Animal Metaphor

A. Expanding the Scope of Knowledge about Western Culture and Chinese Culture

Different cultural backgrounds cause different understanding about language as well as thinking modes As a common people， we only have to acquire knowledge as much as possible so that we can avoid some misunderstanding as far as possible. So we need to read. Reading is always a useful way to expand our scope of knowledge.

B. Developing Interests about Animals in Daily Life

Developing interests about animals in daily life seems essential to learners. If you are concerned about animals， you will easily find there a lot of joys about them. Absolutely， you will be much more sympathetic and kind-hearted about animals. After all， their existence enriches human daily life and help us do work.

C. Enhancing Communication with Native Foreign People

Communication plays a very significant role because it satisfies our needs including physical， identity， practical and social needs. Communication controls our physical needs like through communication we build relationships. People who are isolated are less likely to stay longer.

V. Conclusion

Culture is the career of language， while language always reflects culture in various fields. With the development of human civilization， different animal words are embedded into different meaning in different culture. The comparative analysis of animal metaphors has been a very heated issue， which does not only make language more vivid but also enrich human cultural life. Because of different objective reasons， like different regional and literature backgrounds， some subjective reasons， like different blieves ，values and thinking modes， those factors have exerted different influences on animal metaphors. Therefore， during the study in the future， we need to pay much more attention to the differences of culture and avoid misunderstanding as far as possible.

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作者简介：陈蓓（1990.4.24-），女，汉族，贵州安顺人，毕业于贵州师范大学，硕士研究生，讲师，主要研究方向：英语语言学。