Abstract:The concept of time is quite different under the different cultures, so the way to deal with time and use time is different between the Chinese people and Americans. Language is an important part of culture. One hand, language is influenced by culture. On the other hand, language reflects culture. Proverbs, as an important part of the language, provide possibility for analyzing different cultures. This paper is intended to analyze the different views of time between the Chinese people and Americans and the different concepts of time revealed by proverbs.

Key words： proverbs; concept of time of the Chinese people; concept of time of Americans

摘  要:不同的文化孕育出不同的时间观念，因而中国人和美国人支配和利用时间的方式也不同。语言是文化的重要组成部分，一方面，文化影响语言，另一方面，不同的语言又反映出不同的文化。谚语是语言的重要组成部分，它为分析不同的时间观念提供了可能。本文试图从谚语的角度出发，分析中国人和美国人不同的时间观念。

关键词：谚语; 中国人的时间观念; 美国人的时间观念