An Exploration Of Cross-cultural Dialogue Through Comparison Of Chinese And English Idioms

Cross-cultural exchange has a long history. Either civil or military, intentional or by chance, such exchange occurs continuously. Cross-cultural dialogue is a relatively new term, born with the push of globalization. The process of dialogue is, for each culture, a clear expression and a critical evaluation. The goal of dialogue is to understand each other, to lsive together peacefully in this world and to foment the evolution of civil ization.Cross-cultural dialogue through idioms is the thesis created by the author. It is to use idioms as the medium of cross-cultural dialogue. As of now, no similar research seems to have been published. Idioms, as the perfect combination of language and culture, exist in all cultures and represent wisdom of the ages and cultural values. They can expose the core of a culture and can be a natural medium of exploring the essence of a culture, and of understanding the similarities or differences between cultures.As a research area, Cross-cultural dialogue through idioms has its theoretical foundation and research space. Because of the nature of work, personal interests, and solid bilingual skills, the author chose Chinese idioms as the primary research material and English translation as the basis for comparisons on philosophical, moral, cultural value and life in China and in the west. It is a difficult task but is worth the time.China has become more and more aware of the world around it, and the world is more eager than ever to know more about China. As the number of people learning Chinese grows at a fast pace, it is only natural that the field of teaching Chinese as a foreign language becomes one of the dialogue channels. The author, through this research, also contributes to the teaching methods of using idioms in class to promote cross-cultural dialogue.This research covers the following main areas:The theoretical foundation of cross-cultural dialogueComparision of English idioms and Chinese idioms, their structure and contentsHow idioms express the core values of culturesTeaching Chinese as a foreign language is an effective channel of cross-cultural dialogueThe author hopes to see more people appreciate idioms, respect and appreciate all cultures and create a colorful world through cross-cultural dialogues.