Abstract: The idioms of different languages have their own characteristics. It mostly depends on the environment which is familiar to the natives. Whether in the past or at the present, many people treat animals as members of family. This kind of close relationship brings forth a great number of expressions related to animals in both English and Chinese. Animal idioms are vivid and vigorous. They not only enrich the forms of language, but also reflect diverse cultures. However due to the differences between oriental and occidental cultures, such as historical cultures, living environments, religious beliefs and customs and etc., the views between Chinese and English-speaking people on the same animal are different. What we should do is to explore the connotations of these animal idioms, in order to achieve a deeper understanding of cross cultural communication. To some extent, the connotations reflect the usage of the idioms in daily life. When we learn from the animal idioms, it’s not easy to translate them appropriately from the perspective of a foreign learner. A good strategy of translation is necessary and should be based on a comprehensive understanding of the cultural meaning of the source language. This thesis makes a comparative analysis of English and Chinese animal idioms from multiple perspectives.
Key words: animal idioms; culture connotation; usage; translation
