汉语成语翻译的若干方法【摘要】汉语成语承载着中华五千年的文化特色和文化信总.而翻译并非只是两种语言之间的一种简单的对应转换过程，而是一种文化的交流和传递。因此，在汉语成语英译的具体操作过程中，首先要充分理解汉语成语的内在含义，灵活运用不同的翻译方法，对比英汉语言中习语（成语）的异同，进行适当的结构调整，将汉语成语所承载的文化特色和文化信息最大限度地传译给外国读者。帮助外国读者消除或减少语言及文化障碍就要求译者尽最大努力把汉语成语翻译成外国读者乐于接受的形式。与此同时要在英语中再现汉语文化，这是一个很大的桃战。把汉语成语翻译成英语，译者们掌握和熟悉两种语言以及其文化是非常重要的。他们必须从风俗和文化背景的角度，通过对汉语和英语语言学和文化差异的理解，尽量去把握成语的内在含义，从而使其观点与原文的精神相一致。本文简单介绍了汉语成语英译的几种方法。【关键词】汉语成语，英语习语，翻译，文化内涵，源语，目标语[Abstract]Chinese idioms bear five thousand years of Chinese cultural characteristic and thecultural messages.Translation is not only one kind of simple correspondence switching processbetween two languages,but is one kind of cultural exchange and transmission.Therefore,translating Chinese idioms into English is a concrete operating process.First,thetranslators must fully understand the intrinsic meaning of the Chinese idioms;second,they shouldutilize several different translation methods nimbly and contrasts the similarities and differencesbetween the English idioms and Chinese idioms;third,they should carry on the suitable structureadjustment and translate Chinese idioms which bear cultural characteristic and culturalinformation in maximum limit for the foreign readers.Helping the foreign readers eliminate andreduce language and cultural barrier requests the translator to work diligently to translate the formof Chinese idiom in the way that the foreign readers are glad to accept.At the same time,this is avery big challenge to reappear Chinese culture in English.To understand and translate Chinese idioms into English,it is very important for the translators tomaster and well acquaint themselves with the original language and the target language and theircultures.They should set out from the aspects of customs and cultural backgrounds and try tograsp the connotation of the original idiom by understanding linguistic and cultural differencesbetween English and Chinese so as to make his version alike the original text in spirit.This articleintroduced several methods on translation of Chinese idioms concisely[Key Words]Chinese idioms:English idioms:translation:culture connotation:original language:target language1.IntroductionAbout translation,the translation theoreticians have proposed many different viewpoints.In China,the most popular theory is Mr.Yanfu's“faithfulness,expressiveness and elegance(信，达，)"while in the western countries,the most popular one is "equivalent value,equivalent effectand function equivalence(等值，等效，功能对等)”.These viewpoints are mutually influenced andsupplemented.Although the translators have different emphasis points,they all advocate that thetranslation must express the connotation of the original text faithfully and the style of the originalwork should reappear in translation.“所谓忠实表达原文的意义，应指忠实表达原文的字面意义，形象意义，隐含意义三个方面。"[l]p65(So-called“expressing the indication of the originaltext faithfully",is to express the wording meaning,the image meaning and the implied meaning ofthe original text faithfully.)But not all expressions,words,even characters in the original textsimultaneously have these three kinds of meanings.Maybe some of them only have the wordingmeaning,but without the image meaning;some may have the wording meaning and the imagemeaning,but lack of the implied meaning.Any two languages are impossible to be all coordinatedcompletely.Therefore,it is impossible to completely reproduce the three kinds of meanings of theoriginal text.First,because the cultural differences produce the contradiction in the translationprocess,the wording meaning or the image meaning must obey the implied meaning.Second,theimage meaning of the original text cannot be found in the target language.Sometimes the imagesare the same but the implied meanings are actually different.In this situation,what the translatorsneed to consider first is the accurate expression of the implied meaning.The images of the originaltext should be changed into other images that the foreign readers are familiar with.2.Several methods of Chinese idiom translationThe existence of cultural differences brings certain difficulties to the cultural exchange.It is alsothe biggest barrier in the translation.When the translators translate one language to another,besides understanding the writing of these two languages thoroughly,the translators also have tounderstand the cultural differences between these two languages profoundly.n Chinese“Idioms'”means that“成语：人们长期以来习用的，简洁精辟的定型词组或短句。汉语的成语大多由四个字组成，一般都有出处。有些成语从字面上不难理解，如‘小题大做·，·后来居上等。有些成语必须知道来源或典故才能懂得意思，如朝三暮四，杯弓蛇影等。”[2]P 130(Since long ago the people have used habitually,concise and succinct words or short phrases.Most Chinese idioms are composed by four characters,generally all of which have the source.Themeanings of Some idioms are available from the word writing,such as::‘小题大做'and‘后来居上'；The meaning of some idioms should be got from its source or allusion.Such as朝三暮四and杯弓蛇影)On Chinese idiom translation,culture has a great influence on the translators'logical thinking and the glossary choice of the language.The semantics of idiom has the integrity.Usually we cannot get its significance from a singlecharacter.If many Chinese idioms were translated into English directly according to the wordingmeaning,although the foreign readers can understand the meaning of each character,they stillhave difficulties in understanding the overall significance of this idiom.2.1 MetaphraseMetaphrase is a method that the image and the forms of the original text are preserved,which canbe translated literally.The readers also can catch the implied meaning by the wording translation.Some Chinese idioms have similar images,which the foreign readers can associate to theequivalent English idioms.2.1.1 Literal TranslationIn idiom translation,there is a tendency to find English equivalent idioms,equivalent in referentialmeaning rather than in the images.The reason is that the target text must be idiomatically English.Therefore,literal translation of Chinese idioms is often considered non-idiomatic.As long as thetranslation conveys a vivid image and the referential meaning is not distorted,literal translationcan introduce Chinese culture to the world.Literal translation is a way by which the rhetoric,national and regional characteristics are kept in the target language.In this way the meaning andthe form of the source language are unchanged.Some Chinese idioms can be translated literally with the same vivid figurative result of theoriginal ones,which can make the foreign readers associate to the equivalent English idioms.For example:(1)对牛弹琴-To play the lute to a cow.The readers can associate it to the equivalent Englishidiom"to cast pearls before swine".(2)竭泽而渔一To drain a pond to catch all the fish(the equivalent idiom:To kill the goosethat lays the golden eggs.)(3)易如反掌-To be as easy as turning over one's hand (the equivalent one:As easy as fallingoff a log.)(4)口蜜腹剑一To be honey-.mouthed and dagger-hearted(the equivalent one:A Judas kiss)Though there are not equivalent English idioms,some Chinese idioms with the literal meaningscan also be translated literally with the accurate images.Such as:(⑤)井底之蛙一To be like a frog at the bottom of a well(6)史无前例To be without precedent in history(7)七嘴八舌With seven mouths and eight tongues2.1.2 ReplacementRegarding Chinese idioms translation,what many translation books discussed mainly was thereplacement technique.Sometimes,equivalent translations can be found,but mostly only similarones.Usually the replacement technique is necessary in the following situations.(i )Chinese idioms have same meanings and culture messages as those in the target language.There are many Chinese and English idioms,which have the same images as well as theexpression forms.(I)In Chinese,“浑水摸鱼”means“[释义]浑水：浑浊的水。指在浑浊的水中摸鱼。[用法]比喻趁混乱的时机捞取不正当的利益，也作混水摸鱼'。[3]P259 But the English idiom“to fish introubled water"means"take advantage of troubled or uncertain condition for personal profit".These two idioms are similar in both expression form and intrinsic meaning.The similar idioms are as follows: