Group Nine: 周哲云 王宇 杨海兰 戴丹萍

British and Chinese Idioms about Food

Outline

• Introduction• British Culture in Food Idioms• Chinese Culture in Food Idioms• Causes of the Differences betwe

en British and Chinese Food Idioms

• Conclusion

Introduction Idioms, namely the idiomatic

phrases, include proverbs, sayings, colloquialisms, allusions, slangs and enigmatic folk similes, etc.

They are the long-lasting practical production of human beings, reflecting abundant cultural heritages with apparent national and local characteristics.

They are closely related to national geographical environment, historical backgrounds, modes of production, economic life, customs and habits, religious belief, psychological states, concepts of value and many other aspects.

Bread is the staff of life( 民以食为天 ). Diet is a major issue of our daily life. Many idioms in different languages come from their local dietary culture. An increasing number of food phrases are developing into idioms which are used frequently. They have various forms of expression, which bring vigor and color to languages.

British Culture in Food Idioms

“You are what you eat.” This saying is often used by nutritionists to advocate better eating habits. But we can understand this sentence from another point of view: what we eat reflects our features and culture.

We focus on four kinds of food which play important parts in British culture.

•Tea•Milk

•Pudding •Bread

Tea

Tea is one of the traditional drinks in Britain. Dating back to the beginning of the 16th century, the Dutchmen introduced Chinese tea to Europeans. Tea was loved by the British people at first taste in spite of its high price. Here are some idioms about tea.

High tea ( 高茶 )

It is a formal kind of refreshments eaten at nightfall, similar to a light supper, including a hot dish and a pot of tea, which is especially popular in Northern England and Scotland. Comparatively, Low tea is a simple in the afternoon.

For all the tea in China 为了中国的全部茶叶 In the 16th century of Britain, tea produced in Chi

na was sold at an extremely high price. It was beyond evaluation for all the tea in China. However, this idiom is often used in negative sentences, with a meaning that (one would not do something) even if given all the tea in China, which implies (one won’t do something) at any rate.

Milk

In Great Britain, animal husbandry is well developed, and milk is of high quality. Every morning the milkman will deliver milk to the households. Cream pudding and milk tea are common dairy products. As a result, a list of milk idioms turns up.

• Come home with the milk 与牛奶一起回家 This is a crack joke in English. It analogize

s that someone stays out all night, and returns home when the milk is delivered.

• Suck in with one’s mother’s milk 比喻从小养成的 ( 性格品质 )

Pudding

In addition to bread, milk and egg, pudding is also fond of by British people. Pudding is a dessert made from flour, milk, eggs and fruits, and usually filled with meat.

To over-egg the puddings 　做事过分，画蛇添足 A proper proportion of water, eggs and flour are

necessary for making puddings. Too much egg (over-egg) will lead the flour less fermented, and puddings won’t be fluffy and elastic. This idiom expresses the idea that someone has done more than is necessary, or has added unnecessary details to make something seem better or worse than it really is.

Bread

Though crop farming doesn’t play an important role in British agriculture, the output of wheat is of a high level, which makes bread one of the staple foods in Britain. Bread is a common sight in their livelihood, especially indispensable in their breakfast.

• bread and butter refers to basic needs of life (like food, shelter, and clothing)

• the greatest thing since sliced bread means the most popular person or thing

• earn one’s bread 　赚钱糊口• take the bread out of one’s mouth 抢某人

饭碗

Food Idioms in Chinese Culture

Different from Britain, China’s staple food is rice and wheaten food. People developed diversified cooking methods. Foods such as rice, steamed bun, steamed twisted roll, noodle and dumplings are constantly eaten. Therefore, many idioms about rice and wheaten food emerged.

• For instance, “the rice is cooked”( 生米煮成熟饭 ) means “what’s done can’t be undone”.

• The phrase “even a clever housewife cannot cook a meal without rice( 巧妇难为无米之炊 )” has a similar meaning to the English idiom “you cannot make bricks without straw”.

• 不为五斗米折腰 Never yield to materialistic rewards.

• A conclusion can be drawn that rice and wheaten food in China is not second to bread in Britain.

• Geographical environment

• Religious belief

• Eating habits and customs

• Modes of production

• Historical backgrounds

Geographical Environment

Britain is an island country surrounded by the sea and ocean. The tortuous and long coast line and deepwater ports provide the development of navigation and fishing industries with favorable conditions. This geographical position makes fishing the major mode of production in Britain.

As a result, the British people eat much more fish than vegetables. All these factors promote the self-development of Britain and have a great impact on the formation of the English language, thus giving birth to the seafood idioms which are consequently used by British people.

(1) Idioms rooted in fishing

• Hook one’s fish 如愿以偿，用诡计得到想要的东西，得奖

• Have other fish to fry 有其他鱼要煎——有其他事要做

• Catch fish with a silver hook 银钩钓鱼，意指钓不到鱼，花钱去买鱼，冒充是自己钓的

• Fish for 拐弯抹角地打听或谋取

(2) Some idioms about fish in English with special origins bear the unique cultural characteristics of English nation.

• neither fish, flesh, nor fowl 非驴非马 In the Middle Ages, fish are eaten by monk

s and priests, meat (flesh) are eaten by ordinary people, and fowl are eaten by the poor.

• “Make fish of one and flesh of another（一个当成鱼，一个当成肉——厚此薄彼）” is a similar one.

• Fish idioms in Chinese don’t appear as frequently as that in English, and the character “ 鱼 (fish)” has many connotative meanings.

• “a land of fish and rice ( 鱼米之乡 )” indicates a well-watered place where fish and rice are abundant.

• “every year has enough fish to eat( 年年有鱼 )” suggests more than sufficient every year.

• China has massive land, and it has been an agricultural nation since ancient time. We have flourishing crop farming, which produces rich food crops and vegetables.

• Meat products and aquatic products are far less than vegetables.

• Therefore, there are many idioms about vegetables in Chinese.

• 姜还是老的辣　 old ginger is hotter than new one---the veterans are abler than recruits

• 瓜田李下　 in a melon patch or under a plum tree—in suspicious circumstances or surroundings

• 雨后春笋　 (spring up like) bamboo shoots after a spring rain

• 王婆卖瓜 , 自卖自夸 every potter praises his own pot.

• 小菜一碟　 an easy job or task is relevant to a piece of cake

• 藕断丝连 the lotus root snaps but its fibers stay joined—(of lovers, etc.) still in contact though apparently separated

• 一个萝卜一个坑　 one radish, one hole—each has his own task, and nobody is dispensable

• 萝卜青菜，各有所爱 every man has his taste• 他的葫芦里卖的什么药？　 What has he got up

his sleeve?• 猪鼻子插葱――装象　 a pig is sticking scallions i

nto its nostrils to pretend to be an elephant

• Idioms about vegetables in English are less and limited to some regularly eaten food such as potato, onion and pumpkin.

• Couch potato: a person spends a lot of time sitting and watching television

• Full of beans: having a lot of energy• Ginger group: a group of people within

political party or an organization, who work to persuade other members to accept their policies or ideas

Religious Belief

• In Western countries, most people believe in Christianity, so there are some food idioms derived from religious belief.

• While most Chinese people believe in Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, etc. We can find food idioms in many related classical works.

“Red bean stew( 一碗红豆汤 )” comes from the Bible. Essau sells his birthright to Jacob who is his younger brother for some red-bean stew. Later, this idiom is used to indicate forgetting what is right at the sight of profit, or getting material benefits at a high cost.

An apple of Sodom/ a Dead Sea apple( 所多玛苹果 / 死海苹果 )

According to the Old Testament, Sodom is a city by ancient Dead Sea. Because the citizens there are wallowing in luxury and pleasure, and they are guilty of the most heinous crimes, God burn the city down. All the citizen’s crops and livestock are burnt to ashes. Legend has that by the Dead Sea grows a kind of apple with beautiful appearance, which will become ashes once it is picked. Afterwards, “an apple of Sodom/ a Dead Sea apple” is used to say something that is not worth its value, which is equivalent to the Chinese saying “fair without foul within( 金絮其外，败絮其中 )” or “to appear better than it is( 虚有其表 )”.

Milk and honey

“Milk and honey” denotes abundance and ease. This first occurred in the Bible where God promises his followers to have “a land flowing with milk and honey”, an image of the divine blessings available in the Promised Land. A land of milk and honey can be translated into the Chinese saying “ 鱼米之乡” .

• 鱼与熊掌，不可兼得　 You can’t have your cake and eat it too. (Mencius 《孟子》 )

• 缘木求鱼 climb trees to catch/look for fish——cannot get blood from a stone

which means doing things by the wrong method. Some other similar sayings are “milk the bull” or “seek roses in December”. (Mencius 《孟子》 )

Conclusion • British and Chinese idioms are gradually formed

and summarized during people’s practice and life. In the British and Chinese languages, idioms differ in their rhetorical devices, linguistic construction, ways of expression and so on, which is due to their geographical environment, eating habits, religious belief, and many other aspects. Most idioms are derived from historical events, the Bible, mythological stories, classical works of literature, and fables.

• The study of British and Chinese idioms about food gives us a further understanding of their meanings and implications as well as their cultural background for later and better use.

Thank you for your attention!