With increasingly further cross-cultural communication and global development, how to correctly understand the connotation of animal idioms between the two languages becomes a primary step for further translation and communication。 Many idioms from foreign countries have been absorbed into the native language in order to persify the vocabulary。 For example, “the paper tiger” borrowed from “纸老虎” in Mao Zedong Anthology is now an English idiom as well。 At the same time, “黑马” from English idiom “black horse” also persifies Chinese vocabulary。 Therefore, more and more domestic and foreign scholars and researchers have developed an interest in animal idioms and concentrated on the comparative study between English and Chinese animal idioms。 It is very necessary for language learners to study Chinese and English animal idioms from the cultural point of view。 The study on idioms from the angle of culture between English and Chinese can not only improve a better and further understanding of respective cultures of English and Chinese, but also increase cross-cultural communication between the two countries, laying the foundation for the translation between English and Chinese animal idioms。文献综述

This paper aims to compare the Chinese and English animal idioms from the perspective of culture by analyzing a large number of animal idioms selected from idiom dictionaries。 No other kind of words tends to mirror the culture deeply and intensely, with the exception of animal idioms, as a specialized form of language。 As a result, it is necessary to understand relationships between culture and animal idioms。 In order to have a full understanding of the differences between Chinese and English animal idioms, this paper expounds the root of this phenomenon from different perspectives: values, cultural environments, historical allusions, religious beliefs and traditions and customs。 Idioms usually exist in one culture, so learning idioms well in a language will no doubt refer to knowledge of its culture。 It should be noticed that learning animal idioms has brought many difficulties to foreign language learners, mainly because they do not know the culture and history behind the idioms。 Therefore, failing to use idioms conform to the situations often occurs to them。 In order to improve their accurate understanding of animal idioms, this paper also offers some practical and important suggestions for learners to handle differences between Chinese and English animal idioms。