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1. Introduction

It is well recognized that language and culture are inseparable. On the one hand,

language plays a very important role in reflecting and expressing culture. A language

is an essential part of the culture of a people and through it the other parts of culture

are

expressed. So to

speak, without

language there would be no

culture

descending

from

ancient

times.

On

the

other

hand,

since

culture

is

defined

succinctly

as

“

the

totality

of

beliefs

and

practices

of

a

society

”

1

,

language

is

strongly

influenced

and

shaped

by

culture.

Changes

in

culture

often

give

rise

to

new

characteristics

of

language.

Both

English

and

Chinese

are

the

languages

in

the

world

enjoying

the

longest

history. During the long-term development, they have accumulated a large number of

idioms, including the idioms containing figures, which refer to the idioms containing

cardinal numbers and ordinal numbers. As an indispensable part of idioms, Chinese

and

English

idioms

containing

figures

are

closely

related

to

their

own

cultures,

conveying

different

cultural

features

and

messages

of

their

own

nations.

Usually,

idioms

containing

figures

reflect

their

cultural

background

knowledge

with

figure

connotations. As we all know, figures are typical of the culturally loaded words. Not

only do they belong to the digital realm, they are also used in idioms and phrases with

cultural connotations. The Chinese and English peoples may have the same or similar

concepts

for

figures,

but

because

of

their

cultural

diversities,

they

use

figures

in

different ways with connotative meanings.

In

the

21

st

century,

with

the

rapid

development

of

economic

globalization,

cultural communication and cooperation between nations become more frequent, the

research field of Chinese and English idioms correspondingly presents a new tendency.

The

idioms

containing

figures,

as

a

crucial

part

of

idioms,

have

become

the

main

object for Chinese and other nation

s’

scholars to study earnestly. However, since the

idioms

containing

figures

are

characterized

by

their

concise

expressions,

rich

and

vivid meanings, and are often culturally loaded, translators find it a great challenge to

1

Eugene A. Nida,

Language and Culture-Contexts in Translating

(Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language

Education Press, 2001), 78.

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translate

them

between

Chinese

and

English

for

every

figure

has

its

specific

connotations in different cultural backgrounds.

This thesis attempts to solve the problem of how to translate Chinese and English

idioms

containing

figures

appropriately.

It

consists

of

6

chapters.

Apart

from

Introduction

and

Conclusion,

it

contains

an

overview

of

idioms,

the

definition

of

idioms

containing

figures,

comparison

and

analysis

of

Chinese

and

English

idioms

containing

figures,

and

translation

strategies

of

Chinese

and

English

idioms

containing figures. Through an overview of idioms, the author makes clear some basic

concepts of idioms and also attaches importance to this subject research. Then in the

part

of

explaining

the

definition

of

idioms

containing

figures,

the

author

introduces

the

relationship

between

figures

and

idioms

containing

figures

and

also

gives

a

definition of idioms containing figures by researching and discussing the definitions

that

other

scholars

have

put

forward.

The

following

part

is

the

comparison

and

analysis

of

Chinese

and

English

idioms

containing

figures.

The

author

mainly

analyses

the

figures

’

connotative

meaning

both

in

Chinese

and

Western

cultures,

which

aims

to

find

out

the

cultural

differences

and

make

a

comparison

between

Chinese and English idioms containing figures.

The analysis and comparison will be helpful to explore the translation strategies

of Chinese and English idioms containing figures. Fortunately, the author figures out

some

strategies

as

the

theoretical

basis

of

problem

solving.

The

author

lists

some

strategies and applies them to the concrete terms according to their features. Finally,

by comparing the different translation strategies, the author presents his own view on

the

translation

of

Chinese

and

English

idioms

containing

figures

and

offers

some

advice

to

the

language

learners.

With

the

guidance

of

the

principle

of

“functional

equivalence,

textual

correspondence”,

and

the

author- and-reader-oriented

principle,

the translation of Chinese and English idioms containing figures will take on a new

appearance.

2. An Overview of Idiom

“

Idiom

is

a

group

of

words

established

by

usage

as

having

a

meaning

not

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deducible

from

those

of

the

individual

words

”

,

according

to

the

New

Oxford

Dictionary

of

English

.

As

part

of

culture,

idioms

play

an

important

role

in

the

development

of

language.

They

carry

cultural

feature

and

information

of

different

nations. Being characterized by their concise expressions and significant meanings, all

idioms

derive

from

their

historical

origins

with

distinct

national

features

and

are

closely related to geographical environment, historical background, religious beliefs,

social

customs

and

living

conventions.

So

translators

should

take

their

cultural

connotations and national characteristics into consideration when translating idioms.

2.1. The Historical Study of Idiom

Generally speaking, the study of idiom can be divided into three stages. As early

as

in

1925,

L.

P.

Smith

published

the

book

named

Words

and

Idioms

,

which

is

regarded

as

the

beginning

of

idioms

research.

In

this

book,

Smith

discussed

the

sources and structures of idioms, and pointed out the basic characteristics of idioms:

an

idiom

can

be

defined

as

a

group

of

words

with

a

meaning

of

its

own

that

is

different

from

the

meanings

of

each

separate

words

put

together.

He

wrote,

“The

meaning of an idiom is non-literal; many English idioms are used as

‘

expressions of

determination,

of

exasperation,

and

vituperation

’

,

which

contributes

to

vocabulary

studies as being a description of how the peculiar genius of English shows itself in its

idioms

”

1

.

Besides,

a

good

part

of

Smith

’

s

account

of

idioms

is

devoted

to

their

classification on the basis of their imagery. From the 1930s to 1950s, on the basis of

Structuralism

Theory,

C.

F.

Hockett

emphasized

the

importance

of

context

understanding

in

the

idioms

’

identification

and

interpretation,

and

explained

the

underlying structure and semantic features of idioms, which began to standardize the

definition

of

idioms

2

.

In

1960s,

influenced

by

the

Generative

Grammar

Theory

of

Chomsky,

the

study

of

idioms

reached

an

impasse,

but

never

stopped.

Not

until

B.

Fraser,

a

representative

linguists,

put

forward

the

Frozenness

Hierarchy

Theory,

in

which he admitted that idioms are in fixed expression did this tendency find its outlet,

1

2

Chitra Fernando,

Idioms and Idiomaticity

(Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2000), 20-22.

骆世平，

《英语习语研究》前言，骆世平

著（上海：上海外语教育出版社，

2005

）

，Ⅰ

-

Ⅱ。

- 3 -

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but B. Fraser thought there still exists transformational potential

1

. Thus, the study of

idioms came into public notice again. Since the 1980s, the study of idioms has entered

a new stage. Linguists begin to open up the functional approach of idioms in relations

environment, exploring the role that idioms play in communication activities, which

makes

the

study

of

idioms

more

practical.

Among

all

the

achievements,

the

most

prominent one belongs to C. Fernando

’

s, an Australian linguist, who wrote the book

named

Idioms and Idiomaticity

. In recent

years, a growing number of scholars have

begun to study the formation of idioms from the perspective of cultural backgrounds.

Nida

（

1993

）

ever wrote,

“

Culture knowledge has a far-reaching impact on the study of

idioms and their meanings. We will fail to understand the profound meaning of idioms

if we don

’

t take the cultural backgrounds seriously

”

2

. Therefore, we must focus on its

cultural connotations while learning a language.

2.2. The Structure and Features of Idiom

Idioms

are

of

special

language

forms.

They

have

a

single

semantic

unit,

structural

institutionalization

and

irreplaceability.

More

specifically

elaborated

by

McMordie

, “

Generally, the idiom cannot be changed

at will; any word in the idiom

can not be replaced by its synonyms, and little does the word order can be changed;

any change in the wording and collocation will destroy the idiom, or may make it no

sense

”

3

.

From

McMordie

’

s

point

of

view,

we

can

see

that

an

idiom

has

its

own

structural and semantic features.

Idioms

are

characterized

by

their

structural

stability.

An

idiom,

composed

of

a

group

of

words,

is

a

set

phrase.

The

structure

of

an

idiom

is

always

fixed,

and

the

words

in

it

can

not

be

departed

or

separated

at

will.

Because

of

its

structural

invariability,

an

idiom

allows

no

variation

in

form

under

normal

circumstances.

A

speaker or writer cannot normally do any of the following with an idiom: 1. change

the order of the words in it,

(e.g. *

‘

the

short

and the

long

of it

’

); 2. delete a word

from it (e.g. *

‘

spill beans

’

); 3. add a word to it (e.g. *

‘

the

very

long and short of it

’

; *

1

2

骆世平，Ⅰ

-

Ⅱ。

骆世平，

25

。

3

McMordie W.,

English Idioms and How to Use Them

(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1954), 6.

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‘

face

the

classical

music

’

);

4.

replace

a

word

with

another

(e.g.

*

‘

the

tall

and

the

short of it

’

; *

‘

bury

a

hatchet

’

); 5. change its grammatical structure (e.g. *

‘

the music

was fa ced

’

)

1

. All idioms are not grammatically regular

2

. Therefore, the idiom

“

face the

music

”

cannot

be

changed

into

“

the

music

was

faced

”

,

which

has

changed

its

grammatical structure.

Semantic

unity

is

another

feature

of

idioms.

The

meaning

of

an

idiom

is

a

complete and inseparable unit, which should be learned as a whole. That is to say, an

idiom can be defined as a group of words with a meaning of its own that is different

from

the

meanings

of

each

separate

words

put

together.

The

semantic

unity

of

an

idiom

derives

from

the

transferred

meaning,

which

refers

to

the

figurative

meaning

and associative meaning. Now that most figurative meaning and associative meaning

of an idiom are not transparent, and some even lose the initial meaning of the words, a

speaker or writer cannot get the meaning of an idiom just from the meaning of each

word in it

3

.

The

structural

stability

and

semantic

unity

are

the

most

important

features

of

idioms,

both

of

which

can

be

taken

as

idiomaticity.

This

is

the

basic

difference

between idioms and other words and phrases.

2.3. The Classification of Idioms

In

a

broad

sense,

idioms

include

colloquialisms,

proverbs,

allusions

and

slang

expressions, etc. According to different

group standards, idioms can be divided into

many

classifications.

And

each

classification

has

its

own

merits

and

demerits,

showing

some

of

its

characteristics

in

specific

aspects.

Generally,

the

methods

of

idioms

classification

can

be

divided

into

three

kinds:

classification

by

origins,

classification

by

structure

and

classification

by

function

4

.

Idioms

containing

figures

are just one kind of idioms, which are classified according to their structures.

3. The Study of Idioms Containing Figures

1

Mona Baker,

In Other Words: A Course Book on Translation

(Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research

Press, 2000), 63.

2

Chitra Fernando,

30.

3

彭庆华，

《英语习语研究：语用学视角》

（北京：社会科学文献出版社，

2007

）

，

32-33

。

4

< br>骆世平，

23-24

。

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Idioms

containing

figures

refer

to

those

idioms

have

cardinal

numbers

and

ordinal

numbers

in

them.

As

a

crucial

part

of

idioms,

they

have

become

the

main

object

for

Chinese

and

overseas

scholars

to

study

earnestly.

In

recent

decades,

an

increasing

number

of

scholars

have

begun

to

study

the

translation

of

idioms

containing figures, which presents a bright prospect for development of this field. Yet,

in order to learn idioms containing figures well, we should firstly focus on the figures

and explore what role they play in idioms.

3.1. Relationship between Figures and Idioms Containing Figures

Figures are often used as calculate symbols in the world. Every country has the

need for figures in its counting system. Figures are often used to represent the quantity

of things, express the sequence of actions and the scope of size. Rigorous, precise and

accurate, figures are widely used in the world of science. However, figures not only

belong

to

the

digital

realm,

they

are

also

used

in

idioms

and

phrases

with

cultural

connotations. Influenced by the factors of different nationalities, religions, history and

social

customs,

figures

have

special

associative

meaning

1

.

Apart

from

the

fact

that

figures are regarded as basic tools used in math and scientific experiments, scholars

also

take

them

as

a

kind

of

culture

in

the

social

society,

human

communication,

literary

works,

customs

and

conventions.

For

example,

a

Chinese

copybook

for

children in old days read:

“

一二三四五，

金木水火 土。

天地分上下，

日月同今古。

”

Although

this

old

saying

was

composed

of

four

short

verses,

amounting

to

twenty

words

only,

it

typically

reflected

the

important

role

that

quantity

and

figures

had

played in the social life rather than in the mathematical field

2

. So to speak, with the

development of human society, figures are no longer just applied in the scientific and

mathematical field; they correspondingly well develop themselves too in languages.

Figures,

as

an

important

part

of

language

and

culture,

are

embodied

with

different connotations under different cultural backgrounds. Idioms containing figures

are

the

essence

of

language,

and

they

reflect

the

rich

cultural

deposits

and

human

intelligence. As the combination of idioms and figures, idioms containing figures have

1

2

刘明阁，

《跨文化交际中汉英语言文化比较研究》

< br>（开封：河南大学出版社，

2009

）

< br>，

245-246

。

吴慧颖，

《中国数文化》代序，吴慧颖

著（长沙：岳麓书社，

1995

）

，

2

。

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.

their

own

features.

Their

cultural

connotations

are

mostly

influenced

by

the

implications of figures. People from different cultures may have the same or similar

concepts

for

figures,

but

because

of

their

cultural

diversities,

different

peoples

may

attach different connotative meanings to the same figure. Thus, different nations may

have

a

different

understanding

of

the

idioms

containing

the

same

figure.

In

some

sense,

figures

play

a

role

of

cornerstone

in

idioms

containing

figures,

so

only

by

having a good knowledge of figure connotations can we know them well.

3.2. The Definition of Idioms Containing Figures

As

an

indispensable

part

of

idioms,

idioms

containing

figures

have

been

used

frequently both in the Chinese and English languages. People may run into them when

reading

articles,

listening

to

speeches,

writing

an

essay

or

translating

passages.

As

idioms

containing

figures

are

so

important,

it’s

necessary

for

us

to

have

an

idea

of

what idioms containing figures are.

First of all, let

’

s review the definitions that have been put forward by previous

scholars.

According

to

the

China

National

Knowledge

Infrastructure

(CNKI)

,

a

number of theses on both English and Chinese numerical idioms have been published.

There are many definitions of idioms containing figures: Numerical idioms are idioms

formed

with

cardinal

numbers,

ordinal

numbers

and

other

words

which

have

the

meaning

of

number.

There

are

set

phrases,

colloquialisms,

proverbs

and

slang

expressions in

English

numerical

idioms,

while there

are four- character set

phrases,

colloquialisms,

proverbs

and

slang

expressions

in

Chinese

numerical

idioms

1

.

Numerical idioms refer to those idiomatic phrases with numbers. They are not just the

simple expressions by numbers, and they possess the specific and profound roots and

heritage of their national culture as well. Numerical idioms are the central core and

cream

of

ethnic

culture,

and

the

embodiment

of

practice

of

language

2

.

English

numerical

idioms

are set

phrases

or phrases

composed of numeral

and other words.

They have been used frequently with their original meanings, extended meanings or

rhetorical

meanings,

which

makes

language

performance

more

rich,

vivid

and

1

2

安美华，

“英汉数字习语对比”

（延边大学 硕士学位论文，

2008

）

，Ⅱ。

池玫，

“英汉数字习语的文化心理差异与 渊源及其翻译”，《福建农林大学学报》

12,

（

2009

）

:109

。

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meaningful

1

.

Numerical

idioms

are

an

important

part

of

the

English

and

Chinese

languages because their concise form and vividness. Like any other kinds of idioms,

numerical idioms are usually important components of a sentence, through which the

syntactic function can be achieved

2

.

According to the above definitions of idioms containing figures, we can draw a

conclusion:

as

its

name

suggests,

an

idiom

containing

figures

is

an

idiom

having

cardinal

numbers,

ordinal

numbers

and

other

words

which

have

the

meaning

of

number

in

it.

It

is

just

one

kind

of

idioms,

reflecting

strong

cultural

characteristics

with

figure

connotations.

The

proverbs,

allusions,

slang

expressions,

especially

the

unique

four-character

idioms,

allegorical

sayings

and

antithetical

couplets

in

the

Chinese language, which are all concise and comprehensive, humorous and witty, are

good examples of idioms containing figures.

4.

Analysis

and

Comparison

of

the

Chinese

and

English

Idioms Containing Figures

Idioms are conventionalized or institutionalized expressions which are embedded

with

much

cultural

information

peculiar

to

the

languages

they

are

in.

Figures

may

carry different connotations in different languages. Therefore, as the combination of

idioms and figures, idioms containing figures are highly culturally loaded. We can say

that

much

more

cultural

information

is

included

in

such

idioms.

However,

since

Chinese

and

English

are

two

different

languages,

such

idioms

are

featured

with

different

cultural

connotations.

Thus,

we

may

firstly

analyze

the

implications

of

figures in different cultural backgrounds, and then compare such kind of idioms in the

two languages and find their similarities as well as their differences.

4.1. Cultural Connotations of Figures in Chinese

When

figures

are

used

in

languages,

they

have

an

informative

function.

They

carry

cultural

connotations

peculiar

to

the

languages

they

are

in.

As

Wu

Huiying

points

out,

“

Chinese

literature

has

countless

ties

to

the

figures;

the

large

and

1

2

徐畅贤，

“英语数词习语的特点”

，

《益阳师专学报》

3,

（

1999

）

：

111

。

胡小礼，

“英汉数字习 语的句法功能及其译法初探”《常州信息职业技术学院学报》

10,

（

2008

）：

53

。

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.

wonderful

use

of

figures

in

literature

has

become

the

distinctive

feature

of

certain

works< /p>

”

1

. Moreover, he regards figures as the miracle of the art garden. In Chinese, the

Arabic numbers are widely used. They serve for calculating as well as being a part of

language. Here, we mainly probe into the figures used in language and their cultural

connotations.

Cultural Connotations of Figures Related to Their Pronunciation

The Chinese language abounds with rich phonograms, among which figures can

be

the

fullest

and

the

most

vivid

representative.

That

the

Chinese

people

have

a

preference for a certain figure usually depends on its pronunciation. For example, the

figures

“

six

”

,

“

eight

”

,

“

nine

”

and

“

four

”

are closely related to their pronunciation in

the Chinese language and culture, and the Chinese people prefer the first three figures

to the last one. In the following the author of this paper will approach them in details.

The

figure

“

six

”

,

due

to

its

pronunciation

being

similar

to

that

of

the

character< /p>

“

禄

”

,

which

means

finance

and

salary,

is

considered

as

a

lucky

figure.

Therefore,

with

“

six

”

,

such

as

“

六六顺

”

in

Chinese,

everything

would

go

well

2

.

Besides,

“

溜

”

is a homonym for

“

six

”

for both of them are pronounced

liu

in Chinese.

“

溜

”

has

the

meaning

of

doing

things

smoothly,

without

a

hitch,

so

many

Chinese

people turn to

“

six

”

when they choose a date for joyous occasion or as a car or phone

number

3

. In some dialects,

“

six

”

is associated with the word

“

路

”

, such as 168,668-

一

路发

,

路路发

(One

way

money-making

to

make

money

all

the

way)

4

.

Although

the

figure

“

six

”

also has a derogatory sense, such as

六亲不认

(to refuse to have anything

to do with all relatives

and friends),

六神无主

(in a state of utter stupefaction), most

of

the

cultural

connotations

of

“

six

”

are

commendatory.

It

is

a

lucky

figure

in

the

Chinese people

’

s eyes.

Chinese

people

show