Abstract: Idioms, as a special language pattern, are one of the peculiar and fixed expressing ways, which are formed during their using process. They have a long history and are established by the people through long social practice .And idioms are integrated and distinctive meaning words, which play an important role in their language and are also essence of national’s culture, reflecting each country’s customs. They carry cultural feature and cultural information of different nations, and they are closely related to their cultural traditions. Both English and Chinese nations have created a large number of idioms in their long-term manual training. However, as for their different cultures, the usage is also different. The cultural differences of English and Chinese idioms are the main root. Every country’s different geographical environment, different customs, different historical background form their cultural differences and also cause the large differences in expressing form and content of English and Chinese idioms. Only by understanding and grasping the different culture basis of every nation, can people be better understanding their different cultures.
Key words: English idioms; Chinese idioms; cultural differences
摘要：习语作为一种特殊的语言形式，是某一语言在使用过程中形成的独特的固定的表达方式。它们是相沿已久、约定俗成、具有完整而独特意义的词语，在其语言中占有重要的地位。习语是一个民族文化的精髓，反映各国的风俗习惯。它们承载着不同的民族文化特色和文化信息，它们与各自文化传统紧密相连、不可分割。英汉两个民族在长期的劳作中创作了大量的习语，但由于民族文化的不同，使用亦不同。英汉习语差异的主要根源在于文化。各国因地理环境、风俗习惯不同、历史背景不同形成其文化差异，所以也就造成了英汉习语在表达形式和内容上有很大的差异。只有在了解和掌握每个民族各不相同的文化基础上，才能更好理解各民族不同的文化。
关键词：英语习语；汉语习语；文化差异
