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【Abstract】Idioms are special form of languages. And Idioms are set phrases and sentences habitually used in a certain language which are concise in form and comprehensive in meaning. In recent years， the study on the metaphor words about human body has attracted wide attention. Through the literature review， it found there is less research on human-body related parts. Therefore， this thesis study from the human-body idioms between English and Chinese. First of all， searching and reading existing related literature about comparative study on the human-body idioms by using literature resources in library and summarizing the relevant content. Secondly， selecting the English-Chinese dictionary to look up， collecting the word of human-body idioms between English and Chinese， and then arranging， analyzing and comparing some examples. In addition， finding out the similarities and differences on human-body idioms between English and Chinese languages， and analyzing the causes of the similarities and differences in different cultures. In this paper， through the comparative study of English and Chinese Human-body idioms can make learners to understand and use these idioms. After that， it can promote the communication and development of the two languages.
【Key words】human-body idioms； similarities； differences
1. Introduction
English and Chinese both are old languages in the world， a large number of idioms have accumulated in the long term development. Human-body is an essential part in idioms. Human-body idioms are occupied an important position both in English and Chinese. With the development of globalization in various aspects， the research field of English and Chinese Idioms are appearing the new look. As a significant part of English and Chinese Idioms， human-body idioms have become one of the study objects for Chinese and foreign scholars. The study of the Metaphor Phrase that take human-body as vehicle has aroused wide attention in recent years.
This thesis is based on cognitive linguistics， starts with the analysis of the features of human-body idioms in English and Chinese Then the thesis focuses on the similarities and differences on human-body idioms in English and Chinese， and including： three similarities and three differences of human-body idioms between English and Chinese. A comparative study on human-body idioms in English and Chinese will help English learners understand culture well. So it is necessary to summarize these similarities and differences on human-body idioms in English and Chinese to avoid using them in a wrong way. Finally， the thesis studies the causes of similarities and differences of human-body idioms between English and Chinese. As time goes by， there are more people to study human-body idioms between English and Chinese. At the same time， it will help more learners do well in communication. 2. Characteristics and Structures of Idioms Between English and Chinese
Idioms are prevalent in any language. Idioms are the carrier of culture， and also are the essence of language. On the one hand， most idioms， composed of few words， but contain a extremely and rich meaning. On the other hand， most idioms carry vivid images. So they are difficult for us to understand and use. However， idiom is a part of people’s daily life， and it plays an important role in the communication of culture. Proper application of English idioms can help learners to communicate and can promote the communication and development of the two languages. So a comparative study of idioms between Chinese and English has realistic meaning.
Oxford Advanced Learner’ Dictionary（6th edition） （2004） defines idioms as a language or grammar used by a particular person in a particular environment or time. It points out that English idioms include proverbs， common saying and slang. English idioms have three features： a single linguistic unit， structural institutionalization， and irreplaceability. Because of the different focuses， the results of the research are different. Some idioms focus on the integrity of the phrase structure， for example， we can’t turn “black and blue” （has bruises） into “blue and black” without original meaning； while some idioms focus on the special structure of idioms， for example， “apple of one’ eye” （the people is very important）， “one’s eye” cannot be changed into “the eye of someone. So there is a regularity： idioms can not be changed and the arrangement of words can hardly be changed. Any changes in words and collocations will destroy the idiom， or may make it become meaningless.
The form of Idioms is varied including idioms， mottoes， two-part allegorical sayings， proverbs， slang， jargon， etc. The mainly features are terseness in diction and simplicity in structuring. Idioms are settled phrases， and the words can not be change optionally. Especially， adjectives in Idioms are settled properly. For example， we can not change “唇亡齒寒” into “唇亡齿冷” or “唇亡牙寒”. Neither can we turn “目瞪口呆” into “目瞪嘴呆”， nor “就棍打腿” into “就棍打脚”. Though “腿” and “脚” are also the part of human body.
3. Comparative Study of Human-body Idioms Between English and Chinese
Every parts of human body are integral parts for human. At the same time， human is a subject of cultural exchange. Both in English and Chinese， we can use human-body idioms to metaphor many aspects of things. Although English and Chinese are two different languages， they are all used to describe the objective world， so there are similarities on human-body idioms in English and Chinese. 3.1 Similarities on the Human-body Idioms Between English and Chinese
With the close exchanges between countries and countries， culture also has a nice blend.
3.1.1 Idioms of Expressing Emotions
Emotion is one of the most universal experience of human being. It is manifested in scared， happiness， anger， disgust and so on. There must be some kind of emotion between people and people， so there are interaction and influence of cognition and emotion. In English， to express different emotion， people will use some human-body idioms， such as：
（1）The sister cried her eyes out at the loss of her neckless.
（2）If this should happen， the speaker might feel down in the mouth.
And it is also very common in Chinese to use human-body idioms to refer to emotion， such as：
（3）他是我见过的最快乐的人，他总是眉开眼笑的。
（4）他想起刚才所发生的事情就不免心惊肉跳。
In these example， “cry one’s eyes out” and “down in the mouth” express people who is very depressed， and “眉开眼笑” means happiness， “心惊肉跳” means nervous. So it is similar that human-body idioms express emotions in English and Chinese.
3.1.2 Idioms of Expressing Advises
As the saying goes： there is always someone to learn from. It is necessary to hear some suggestions form your friends or parents when you do something and you will success with less work. There are some human-body idioms of expressing advises， which can make you easy to remember. In English， such as：
（5）Better be the head of an ass than the tail of a horse.
（6）You don’t have much time for tennis any more， but you should try to play enough to keep your hand in.
And in Chinese， people usually use proverbs to make some suggestions， such as：
（7）人活着要言而有信，宁可失足，不可失言啊。
（8）以勢服人口，以理服人心。
After researching， English idioms and Chinese idioms will suggest people insist on doing something or people should keep his promise. These suggestions have motivated.
3.1.3 Idioms of Describing an Action
Human-body idioms can not only express person’s emotions， but also reflect people’s actions. In English， such as：
（9）People have to lend him a helping hand， he is really down and out.
（10）In days to come he will walk hand in hand with us.
In Chinese， there are human-body idioms of the same purpose， such as：
（11）他是我的莫逆之交，今天他有难，我岂能袖手旁观。
（12）按照法律办事，不等于束手束脚。
Whether English or Chinese， there are related human-body idioms to express actions. Hands and feet are the two main organs that produce action， so they are not just nouns， but also action generators. 3.2 Differences in the Human-body Idioms Between English and Chinese
3.2.1 Different Human-body Idioms with Same Connotation
A story named Domocle’s sword wrote： the king put the sword over the courtier when he enjoy the dinner， in order to punish the courtier. After that， there is a idiom points that people who is in a dangerous or unsafe position， this is “to hang by hair”. Meanwhile， in Chinese， there is a similar idioms ，“一發千钧”. It means your hair wore thousand pounds things and express your are in extremely danger. Another example， in English， people use “tight-lipped” to describe someone has tight mouth and is not willing to tell others his own mind. In Chinese， “守口如瓶” have the same meaning.
3.2.2 Same Human-body Idioms with Different Connotation
Through the research， it is not surprise to find that the same human-body idioms have many different uses in language concerning its position， shape and so on. For example， “head” has three different meanings： head for person， head for life， head for talent. After considering some English idioms such as “ two head are better than one” ，“crowned head”，and “not harm a hair of someone’s head”. In these idioms “head” points to the whole body. An English idiom “heads will roll” means the head will be removed from the body. People cannot live without head， so in this example， the head is taken to mean “life”. For the third meaning， we take the idiom “to have a good head on one’s shoulders” as an example. It means people who have a gift for somethings.In English， there is a idiom “heads will roll”. In Chinese， it can translate into “丢饭碗”， “人头落地”， and “放肆舞动”.
4. Causes of Similarities and Differences of Human-body Idioms Between English and Chinese
Through the study of human-body idioms both in English and Chinese， we can observe， here are similarities and differences exist in human-body idioms in English and Chinese. And the causes of similarities and differences in human-body idioms in English and Chinese are also different. The following section will analyze the causes of similarities and differences in human-body idioms in English and Chinese.
4.1 Cause of Similarities
Similarities between the two languages can be attributed to the common human bodily experience. Human beings have similar physical and mental experiences although there are some differences in culture. People have the same emotions whatever happy or not. What’s more， in the English and Chinese language， human-body idioms can produce similarities is because of there are similar cognitive basis in two nations. With increasing globalization， communication become more and more closely. 4.2 Causes of Differences
The formation of idioms is closely related to the culture. Culture is a breeding ground for idioms （Luo Shiping， 2006）. On the contrary， idioms reflect culture of all aspects. At the same time， some scholars also study cultural background of English and Chinese idioms from other aspects which can divided into geographical environment， religion， literature， myths and fables， historical events and anecdotes， customs and habits.
4.2.1 The Factor of Historical Background
In contrast to the historical origin， China is an ancient civilization with five thousand years of history. A large number of idioms and the Chinese nation’s historical background or historical events are closely related （Liu Shufang， 2007）. Britain’s history is not long， but there are more than one thousand years. There are many reasons influence English idioms such as the conquest of Roman， the invasion of Scandinavia， the conquest of Normandy， the independence of the colonies in North America. Researching on cultural background of English idioms， not only can help to understand， but also can learn some cultures. It has a good command of English.
4.2.2 The Factor of Myth
In contact to the English and Chinese myth origin. China has a wealth of fairy tales and fable stories， many of which are summed up in the form of idioms to express a specific meaning . The myth of Greece and Rome is a gem of western culture， and it affects the development of the entire western culture. There are many natural English in the English language of Greece and Rome myth traces， many English Idioms from the myth of the story.
4.2.3 The Factor of Religion
In contact to the English and Chinese religion. Religion is an important part of human culture. Different religions are different forms of cultural expression， reflecting different cultural characteristics and different cultural backgrounds， reflecting the different cultural tradition. In Chinese， there are some words about Buddhism， such as “五體投地”， “借花献佛” and so on. In the meanwhile， many English idioms are related to Christianity， such as go to the church， means to attend religious service or get married. Because Western weddings are mostly held in churches.
5. Conclusion
Throughout the study of idioms， it is found that idiom is a kind of relatively stable language on structure and meaning and is a kind of concentrated expression which has different cultural characteristics and cultural information. This thesis makes a comparison， analysis and summary on the human-body idioms in English and Chinese， thus reveals human-body idioms between English and Chinese have generality and individuality. Undoubtedly， all of these researches about human-body idioms have provided a good help for people understanding and using idioms correctly. To sum up， it is worth doing further discussion on the subject. In the future， we need more research to understand the culture better.
参考文献：
[1]Fernando，C.Idioms and Idiomaticity[M].Oxford：Oxford University Press，1996.
[2]Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English （sixth edition）[M].2004.
[3]骆世平.英语习语研究[M].上海：上海外语教育出版社，2006.
[4]刘淑芳.英汉习语对比研究[J].牡丹江教育学院学报，2007 （04）：57-58.
【Key words】human-body idioms； similarities； differences
1. Introduction
English and Chinese both are old languages in the world， a large number of idioms have accumulated in the long term development. Human-body is an essential part in idioms. Human-body idioms are occupied an important position both in English and Chinese. With the development of globalization in various aspects， the research field of English and Chinese Idioms are appearing the new look. As a significant part of English and Chinese Idioms， human-body idioms have become one of the study objects for Chinese and foreign scholars. The study of the Metaphor Phrase that take human-body as vehicle has aroused wide attention in recent years.
This thesis is based on cognitive linguistics， starts with the analysis of the features of human-body idioms in English and Chinese Then the thesis focuses on the similarities and differences on human-body idioms in English and Chinese， and including： three similarities and three differences of human-body idioms between English and Chinese. A comparative study on human-body idioms in English and Chinese will help English learners understand culture well. So it is necessary to summarize these similarities and differences on human-body idioms in English and Chinese to avoid using them in a wrong way. Finally， the thesis studies the causes of similarities and differences of human-body idioms between English and Chinese. As time goes by， there are more people to study human-body idioms between English and Chinese. At the same time， it will help more learners do well in communication. 2. Characteristics and Structures of Idioms Between English and Chinese
Idioms are prevalent in any language. Idioms are the carrier of culture， and also are the essence of language. On the one hand， most idioms， composed of few words， but contain a extremely and rich meaning. On the other hand， most idioms carry vivid images. So they are difficult for us to understand and use. However， idiom is a part of people’s daily life， and it plays an important role in the communication of culture. Proper application of English idioms can help learners to communicate and can promote the communication and development of the two languages. So a comparative study of idioms between Chinese and English has realistic meaning.
Oxford Advanced Learner’ Dictionary（6th edition） （2004） defines idioms as a language or grammar used by a particular person in a particular environment or time. It points out that English idioms include proverbs， common saying and slang. English idioms have three features： a single linguistic unit， structural institutionalization， and irreplaceability. Because of the different focuses， the results of the research are different. Some idioms focus on the integrity of the phrase structure， for example， we can’t turn “black and blue” （has bruises） into “blue and black” without original meaning； while some idioms focus on the special structure of idioms， for example， “apple of one’ eye” （the people is very important）， “one’s eye” cannot be changed into “the eye of someone. So there is a regularity： idioms can not be changed and the arrangement of words can hardly be changed. Any changes in words and collocations will destroy the idiom， or may make it become meaningless.
The form of Idioms is varied including idioms， mottoes， two-part allegorical sayings， proverbs， slang， jargon， etc. The mainly features are terseness in diction and simplicity in structuring. Idioms are settled phrases， and the words can not be change optionally. Especially， adjectives in Idioms are settled properly. For example， we can not change “唇亡齒寒” into “唇亡齿冷” or “唇亡牙寒”. Neither can we turn “目瞪口呆” into “目瞪嘴呆”， nor “就棍打腿” into “就棍打脚”. Though “腿” and “脚” are also the part of human body.
3. Comparative Study of Human-body Idioms Between English and Chinese
Every parts of human body are integral parts for human. At the same time， human is a subject of cultural exchange. Both in English and Chinese， we can use human-body idioms to metaphor many aspects of things. Although English and Chinese are two different languages， they are all used to describe the objective world， so there are similarities on human-body idioms in English and Chinese. 3.1 Similarities on the Human-body Idioms Between English and Chinese
With the close exchanges between countries and countries， culture also has a nice blend.
3.1.1 Idioms of Expressing Emotions
Emotion is one of the most universal experience of human being. It is manifested in scared， happiness， anger， disgust and so on. There must be some kind of emotion between people and people， so there are interaction and influence of cognition and emotion. In English， to express different emotion， people will use some human-body idioms， such as：
（1）The sister cried her eyes out at the loss of her neckless.
（2）If this should happen， the speaker might feel down in the mouth.
And it is also very common in Chinese to use human-body idioms to refer to emotion， such as：
（3）他是我见过的最快乐的人，他总是眉开眼笑的。
（4）他想起刚才所发生的事情就不免心惊肉跳。
In these example， “cry one’s eyes out” and “down in the mouth” express people who is very depressed， and “眉开眼笑” means happiness， “心惊肉跳” means nervous. So it is similar that human-body idioms express emotions in English and Chinese.
3.1.2 Idioms of Expressing Advises
As the saying goes： there is always someone to learn from. It is necessary to hear some suggestions form your friends or parents when you do something and you will success with less work. There are some human-body idioms of expressing advises， which can make you easy to remember. In English， such as：
（5）Better be the head of an ass than the tail of a horse.
（6）You don’t have much time for tennis any more， but you should try to play enough to keep your hand in.
And in Chinese， people usually use proverbs to make some suggestions， such as：
（7）人活着要言而有信，宁可失足，不可失言啊。
（8）以勢服人口，以理服人心。
After researching， English idioms and Chinese idioms will suggest people insist on doing something or people should keep his promise. These suggestions have motivated.
3.1.3 Idioms of Describing an Action
Human-body idioms can not only express person’s emotions， but also reflect people’s actions. In English， such as：
（9）People have to lend him a helping hand， he is really down and out.
（10）In days to come he will walk hand in hand with us.
In Chinese， there are human-body idioms of the same purpose， such as：
（11）他是我的莫逆之交，今天他有难，我岂能袖手旁观。
（12）按照法律办事，不等于束手束脚。
Whether English or Chinese， there are related human-body idioms to express actions. Hands and feet are the two main organs that produce action， so they are not just nouns， but also action generators. 3.2 Differences in the Human-body Idioms Between English and Chinese
3.2.1 Different Human-body Idioms with Same Connotation
A story named Domocle’s sword wrote： the king put the sword over the courtier when he enjoy the dinner， in order to punish the courtier. After that， there is a idiom points that people who is in a dangerous or unsafe position， this is “to hang by hair”. Meanwhile， in Chinese， there is a similar idioms ，“一發千钧”. It means your hair wore thousand pounds things and express your are in extremely danger. Another example， in English， people use “tight-lipped” to describe someone has tight mouth and is not willing to tell others his own mind. In Chinese， “守口如瓶” have the same meaning.
3.2.2 Same Human-body Idioms with Different Connotation
Through the research， it is not surprise to find that the same human-body idioms have many different uses in language concerning its position， shape and so on. For example， “head” has three different meanings： head for person， head for life， head for talent. After considering some English idioms such as “ two head are better than one” ，“crowned head”，and “not harm a hair of someone’s head”. In these idioms “head” points to the whole body. An English idiom “heads will roll” means the head will be removed from the body. People cannot live without head， so in this example， the head is taken to mean “life”. For the third meaning， we take the idiom “to have a good head on one’s shoulders” as an example. It means people who have a gift for somethings.In English， there is a idiom “heads will roll”. In Chinese， it can translate into “丢饭碗”， “人头落地”， and “放肆舞动”.
4. Causes of Similarities and Differences of Human-body Idioms Between English and Chinese
Through the study of human-body idioms both in English and Chinese， we can observe， here are similarities and differences exist in human-body idioms in English and Chinese. And the causes of similarities and differences in human-body idioms in English and Chinese are also different. The following section will analyze the causes of similarities and differences in human-body idioms in English and Chinese.
4.1 Cause of Similarities
Similarities between the two languages can be attributed to the common human bodily experience. Human beings have similar physical and mental experiences although there are some differences in culture. People have the same emotions whatever happy or not. What’s more， in the English and Chinese language， human-body idioms can produce similarities is because of there are similar cognitive basis in two nations. With increasing globalization， communication become more and more closely. 4.2 Causes of Differences
The formation of idioms is closely related to the culture. Culture is a breeding ground for idioms （Luo Shiping， 2006）. On the contrary， idioms reflect culture of all aspects. At the same time， some scholars also study cultural background of English and Chinese idioms from other aspects which can divided into geographical environment， religion， literature， myths and fables， historical events and anecdotes， customs and habits.
4.2.1 The Factor of Historical Background
In contrast to the historical origin， China is an ancient civilization with five thousand years of history. A large number of idioms and the Chinese nation’s historical background or historical events are closely related （Liu Shufang， 2007）. Britain’s history is not long， but there are more than one thousand years. There are many reasons influence English idioms such as the conquest of Roman， the invasion of Scandinavia， the conquest of Normandy， the independence of the colonies in North America. Researching on cultural background of English idioms， not only can help to understand， but also can learn some cultures. It has a good command of English.
4.2.2 The Factor of Myth
In contact to the English and Chinese myth origin. China has a wealth of fairy tales and fable stories， many of which are summed up in the form of idioms to express a specific meaning . The myth of Greece and Rome is a gem of western culture， and it affects the development of the entire western culture. There are many natural English in the English language of Greece and Rome myth traces， many English Idioms from the myth of the story.
4.2.3 The Factor of Religion
In contact to the English and Chinese religion. Religion is an important part of human culture. Different religions are different forms of cultural expression， reflecting different cultural characteristics and different cultural backgrounds， reflecting the different cultural tradition. In Chinese， there are some words about Buddhism， such as “五體投地”， “借花献佛” and so on. In the meanwhile， many English idioms are related to Christianity， such as go to the church， means to attend religious service or get married. Because Western weddings are mostly held in churches.
5. Conclusion
Throughout the study of idioms， it is found that idiom is a kind of relatively stable language on structure and meaning and is a kind of concentrated expression which has different cultural characteristics and cultural information. This thesis makes a comparison， analysis and summary on the human-body idioms in English and Chinese， thus reveals human-body idioms between English and Chinese have generality and individuality. Undoubtedly， all of these researches about human-body idioms have provided a good help for people understanding and using idioms correctly. To sum up， it is worth doing further discussion on the subject. In the future， we need more research to understand the culture better.
参考文献：
[1]Fernando，C.Idioms and Idiomaticity[M].Oxford：Oxford University Press，1996.
[2]Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English （sixth edition）[M].2004.
[3]骆世平.英语习语研究[M].上海：上海外语教育出版社，2006.
[4]刘淑芳.英汉习语对比研究[J].牡丹江教育学院学报，2007 （04）：57-58.