Abstract:Idioms, the crystallization of culture, are of distinct cultural characteristics and vivid cultural connotation. With significant differences between Chinese and western culture, Chinese idioms and English idioms are different from each other. However, idioms are frequently used in intercultural communication. To have a successful intercultural communication, the ability to understand idioms of other countries correctly is necessary. Acquiring the knowledge why the differences exist is a systematic and effective method to understand idioms better. 

The differences of idioms are caused by several reasons, such as history, customs and so on. This paper chooses one aspect of all the reasons—different cognitions of things—to examine the differences in details, aiming at removing the barriers which are set up by differences of English and Chinese idioms. Four kinds of things, animals, colors, numbers and food are particularized in the paper. Through the paper, we want people to know the differences of idioms in different cultures so that they can avoid misunderstandings in intercultural communications.

Key words: English and Chinese idioms, differences, cognitions, animals, colors

摘要:习语，作为文化的结晶，具有明显的文化特征，鲜明的文化内涵。由于中西文化具有明显差异，英汉习语之间也存在巨大差异。然而，习语在跨文化交际中十分常见。想要取得跨文化交际的成功，正确理解别国习语的能力必不可少。为更加系统的理解习语，了解造成习语之间差异的原因十分必要。历史原因，风俗习惯等都是造成这些差异的原因。本文选取其中一个方面---对事物认知不同---来具体分析这些差异，旨在帮助人们消除在跨文化交际中由于这些差异而产生的阻碍。本文具体分析了动物，颜色，数字和食物这四个方面的事物在英汉习语中的不同内涵。通过本文，人们可以了解到不同文化背景下习语所具有的差异，帮助他们在跨文化交际中取得成功。

关键词：英汉习语，差异，认知，动物，颜色