English Idioms VS Chinese Idioms

1. English Idioms VS Chinese Idioms

2. He was in the seventh heaven last night. Longman Dictionary of English Idioms: (not formal) in a state of great happiness or contentment 在宗教中，七重天是指上帝和天使居住的天国最高层。人能身居天国最高层，与上帝同在，自然是非常愉快的。 The children are in the seventh heaven with their new toys.

3. English Idioms EC Translation • Literal Translation Six of one and half a dozen of the other Burn the boat 破釜沉舟 空中楼阁 Castle in the air 晴天霹雳 A bolt from the blue 千钧一发 Hang by a hair Kill two birds with one stone

4. Literal Translation (Free Translation) 胡言乱语 家徒四壁 不伦不类 直言不讳 别有用心 Talk through one’s hat To be as poor as Job Neither fish nor fowl Call a spade a spade Have an axe to grind

5. Wrong Understanding Pull one’s leg Move heaven an earth Eat one’s word Dog-eat-dog 愚弄某人，开某人玩笑 想方设法，千方百计 承认自己说错了话 残酷争夺

6. Chinese Idioms CE Translation • Both literal translation and free translation can help readers to understand the original meaning easily.

7. 竭泽而渔 to drain a pond to catch all the fish =kill the goose that lays the golden eggs 打草惊蛇 To stir up the grass and alert the snake =wake up a sleep dog 玩火自焚 To get burnt by the fire kindled by oneself =fry in one’s own grease

8. 挥土如金 to spend money like dirt =spend money like water 守口如瓶 to keep one’s mouth closed like a bottle =keep a still tongue in one’s head 画蛇添足 to draw a snake and add feet to it =paint the lily

9. Mechanical Translation 无孔不入 to take advantage of every weakness to get into every hole 扬眉吐气 to feel proud and elated to raise the eyebrows and let out a breath 灯红酒绿 dissipated and luxurious with red lights and green wine

10. 开门见山 to come straight to the point to open the door and see the mountain 单枪匹马 to be single-handed in doing sth with a solitary spear and a single horse 海阔天空 to talk at random with a vast sea and a boundless sky

11. Culture Background 毛遂自荐 to volunteer one’s service 东施效颦 crude imitation with ludicrous effect 南柯一梦 a fond dream or illusory joy

12. 初出茅庐 at the beginning of one’s career 倾国倾城 to be exceedingly beautiful 悬梁刺股 to be extremely hard-working in one’s study

13. Conclusion • Literal Translation By adopting this approach, we can preserve in the version not only the original meaning and form, especially the original figure(s)of speech and figurative meaning, but also the national and local colors and features in the original. It will benefit the culture communication.

14. Liberal Translation If we cannot find the corresponding expressions in the Chinese language, so culture vacancies exist in the TL. If those sentences were translated literally or mechanically into Chinese, we Chinese readers would find them difficult to understand. The Chinese version would be unreadable, puzzling, and misleading.