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Idiom is a unit of a language constituted by words. Usually being bigger than words in size and function, idiom universally exists in a great number in a language which has a long history. Both English and Chinese, which are widely used and rich in expressive devices with glory of culture, have a multiple of idioms. Knowledge of the cultural reasons behind English and Chinese idioms will be of great help to the English learners not only in understanding what idioms mean, but also in giving a successful treatment of cultural flavors in idiom translation. In this paper, a number of examples are cited to illustrate the cultural reasons behind idioms in both English and Chinese. It is supposed to help the readers to understand idioms and avoid the misunderstandings caused by misuse of idioms in cross-cultural communications.