A Comparative Study on Some Animal words in Chinese and Western CulturesAbstractIn people’s daily life, animals are so closely related to the human activities that people often use the behaviors and characteristics of animals to describe the other things. There are a large number of animal metaphors in both English and Chinese languages, which derive from a conceptual metaphor called “Man is an animal”. Due to the cultural differences between Chinese and Western nations, so many animal words may not have the same meanings sometimes. But some of the meanings and the usage may be same or similar.This paper, by contrasting the metaphorical meanings of animal words in Chinese and Western nations, analyzes the different modes of thinking between two nations and exposes causes to those differences.KEY WORDS:animal words; metaphorical meaning; cultural difference1IntroductionMetaphor abounds in human languages, and it is not only a figure of speech but also a way of thinking. In metaphoric structure, two unrelated things being mentioned in the same breath. The reason lies in that human have a similar association of both things, which is used to explain and express people’s feelings about the thing referred to. In this way, people can get a visual, intuitive and specific understanding of terms.From the time immemorial, animal is closely linked to survival and development of mankind. In frequent contacts with animals, people get a keen perception of animals, including those distinctive images, striking characteristics and unique habits. Meanwhile, animal images are found to have something in common with human characteristics and social phenomenon. Thus, people create numerous animal metaphors which can enrich meaning and express more economically and forcefully. Animal metaphors are pervasive in everyday language and allow us to think and talk about abstract concepts. There are a large number of animal vocabularies in both Chinese and English, forexample:虎背熊腰(He has a large strong body),horse play (boisterous larkishness),the great dragon (Satan: the Devil in the Bible),flea market(fairground where goods are sold at discounted prices.Those metaphorical expressions in the characteristics and behaviors of animals successfully refer to attributes of people or other relevant terms. Meanwhile, they are of rich cultural connotations and distinctive national characteristics.However, due to the discrepancies on culture in Chinese and Western nations, people’s associations about animals and cultural significances vary largely. This paper attempted at an analysis of the animal metaphors contrast in both the Chinese and English languages from the perspective of cultural similarities and differences. At the same time, factors that lay a great emphasis on these characteristics are also analyzed in this paper.2Comparison of the figurative meanings of animal metaphors in English and Chinese2.1 Homogeneity of animal metaphor in English and ChineseAs all human beings live under the same sky, with the similar experience and social development, Chinese people and English people nearly have the same understanding of animals. Therefore, both languages enjoy a number of animal words having same or similar figurative meanings, which means many metaphors have the same tenor and same vehicle.Metaphorical meaning of wolf is basically same in Chinese and Western cultures, which means “cruel”“greedy”“crafty”. English would say “ a wolf in sheep’s' clothing”(Bible)（披着羊皮的狼）, Chinese people can also understand what the phrase refers to. This example shows “wolf”can describe a man looked meek but actually fierce and savage.There exist other expressions:“wolf down” (bolt down the food)“as cruel as a wolf”“Throw to the wolves.”(betray one’s friend)“Cry wolf” (tell a lie)“set the wolf keep the sheep”(bring in a trouble maker)Similarly, the crafty image of wolf also shows vividly in Chinese culture,such as:“狼心狗肺”(be brutal and cold-blooded)“狼吞虎咽”(wolf down)“如狼似虎”(be heartless and cruel)“狼狈为奸”(work in collusion with each other)“狼子野心”(wild ambition)Pig is often considered as ugly and dirty, whose figurative meaning is a combination of “laziness”“greed”“obese”and “foolishness”. In Chinese, the vulgar words mouthed off such as “猪头三”(swine) “肥得像猪”(fat as a pig) are both described with pigs.There are other expressions:猪狗不如（worse than pigs or dogs）猪朋狗友（Lazy and greedy friends.）猪八戒照镜子，里外不是人（Zhu Bajie looking at himself in a mirror/blamed everywhere）In English, pigs also convey the vicious meanings: a greedy, dirty or bad mannered person. Meanwhile, it can also be used to jeer at a fatty man, for example:pigs in clover（the vulgar rich man），pigs might fly(groundless utterances)give sb. a pig of his own sow(repay in kind)What can you expect from a pig but a grunt? (nothing nice comes from afilthy mouth)There are many other examples in this respect:as fast as a hare(动如脱兔)as busy as a bee(蜜蜂般忙碌)as proud as a peacock(孔雀般骄傲)as lovely as a little sheep(像小羊羔一样可爱)This homogeneity in language is beneficial to the culture exchange and intercommunication in both nations.2.2 Heterogeneity of animal metaphor in English and ChineseDue to the discrepancies on languages, cultures as well as customs, animal metaphors in different nations may not have the same meanings. The phenomenon can be divided into two parts:2.2.1 the same vehicle but different tenorsDifferent natural and social environment give rise to the different values, so maybe the same animal is endowed with opposite figurative meanings in both nations.Chinese people are quiet familiar with dragons, which occupy a prominent position in Chinese culture. It is the symbolization of right, nobility, honor, as well as success. Dragons are always regarded as the ancestors of Chinese nation that’s the reason why Chinese people also call themselves as the descendants of dragon. Nearly every words about dragon in Chinese has commendatory meanings, there are some phrases:生龙活虎: full of vigor and vitality望子成龙: hope one's children will have a bright future龙腾虎跃:a scene of bustling activity藏龙卧虎:undiscovered talentOn the contrary, dragon in west is described as an enormous monster with wings and the power to breathe out fire. Westerners think dragon is an ominous and dangerous creature, which is the symbol of evil and sin, for example, Satan is called “the old Dragon.”If people say: “He mother is areal dragon.” What the sentence means is that her mother is so strict with her. Definitely dragon in western culture is with derogatory meanings：She was are a real dragon (She is so angry and cruel)sow dragon’s teeth(sow the seeds of hatred)In order to conform to the expressions of westerners, “亚洲四小龙”istranslated into “four tigers in Asia.”Different from the dragon, dogs often have derogatory meanings in Chinese but commendatory meanings in English. In westerner’s minds, dogs are referred to an smart, honest and friendly fellow. They tend to describe a person with dogs:lucky dog(a lucky guy)dead dog(useless person)top dog(a winner)a gay dog(a happy person)an old dog (an aged man)a clever dog(smart kid)Similarly, many English idioms possess commendatory senses, as is shown in the following expression:Love me，love dog(loving one thing on account of another)To help a lame dog over a stile (give timely assistance)A good dog deserves a good bone (a good guy deserves the award)An old dog barks not in vain. (Aged man has experiences in doing things)While in the Chinese culture, most of dog expressions are of derogatory meanings. It can be used to name-calling as well as well portrait bad guys. There are some usages in Chinese:狐朋狗友(a gang of scoundries)狗仗人势(be a bully with the backing of a powerful person)丧家之犬(an outcast)、人模狗样(pretending to be what one is not)2.2.2 the same tenor but different vehiclesOn the other hand, some different animal word may have the same connotations in Chinese and English.Tiger in Chinese and lion in EnglishIn Chinese peopl e’s minds, tiger is the embodiment of wisdom and courage. For instance, a valiant general will be commended as “虎将”. And even today, there are still some Chinese parents in countryside tend to make the tiger head imitation cap for their children so as to make them safe and sound. While in western myths, lion is the equivalent of tiger in Chinese. It represents the royalty, courage and strength. For example:“lion heart”(quiet brave)“a great lion”(a famous person)“the British lion”(another name of Britain)Some cases that tiger is compared to lion:置身虎穴(to play oneself in the lion’s mouth)拦路虎(A lion in the way).虎头蛇尾(come in like a lion and go out like a lamb)Ox in Chinese and horse in EnglishFrom the ancient time, ox is appreciated by Chinese people for its hardworking and strength, while in west, the figure which is just the same as the ox is horse.The equivalent can be easily found in both cultures:as strong as a horse-力大如牛Horsepower-牛劲Horse opera-牛仔戏talk horse吹牛work like a willing horse-老黄牛Other expressions in this respect:shedding crocodile s' tears猫哭耗子(both means counterfeit sentiment)as timid as a rabbit胆小如鼠like a cat on hot bricks像热锅上的蚂蚁(vividly show the anxious time of people)let the cat out of the bag露马脚(expose themselves carelessly)break a butterfly on the wheel杀鸡用牛刀(make a great fuss over a trifle)3ConclusionAs a vast part of vocabularies, animal metaphors are rich in meanings and embody cultural characters in both Chinese and English. As we all know, animal words are derived from people’s daily life, so those expressions necessarily reflect the cultures and customs of both nations. They are not just animal images but essences of culture. Some of the animal expressions have the same senses in both languages. However, major or minor, the two nations viewed animals from different angles. Thus, it’s clear that animal metaphors are not always consistent to each other. Religious influences, fables, customs and living habits, these factors have been connected to be a combination of reasons why their figurative meanings differs largely. From the perspective of metaphorical cognition and cultural differences, people are bound to realize the charm of the languages. In the process of language learning, acquiring the animal metaphors is beneficial for English learners to perceive the cultures in both nations and make culture interchange efficient.Bibliography[1]GU Jian-min. 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