| Proverbs are the creation of our language and Culture.As an important part of vocabulary,the invention,popularity and even elimination of proverbs are inextricably linked with the development of language.Proverbs are also the crystallization of wisdom created by a nation in a long-term labor life,upon which different lifestyles and national concepts might be reflected.The comparative analysis of Chinese and Brazilian Portuguese animal proverbs will be deemed useful assets to mutual understanding of China and Brazil,promote cultural exchanges between China and Brazil,and improve Over-seas Dissemination of Minority Culture in China.Firstly,based on a large collection of the three authoritative dictionaries of Xinhua Proverbs Dictionary,Dicionário Comparado dos Ditos Populares e Provérbios Brasileiros e Chineses and Portuguese-Chinese Dictionary,a database of animal proverbs was specifically built,with 673 Chinese animal proverbs(including341 main items and 332 variants),and 296 Brazilian Portuguese animal proverbs(including 158 main items and 138 variants).After the process,different classification criteria of Chinese and Brazilian Portuguese animal proverbs are further defined.Secondly,this paper reports on an extension of Chinese and Brazilian Portuguese animal proverbs from the perspectives of language and culture,mainly including syntactical types,semantic features,and metaphorical meanings of some common animals.As for the syntactical types,Chinese animal proverbs are featured by complex clauses of coordinate structures,while Brazilian Portuguese animal proverbs are mostly dominated by simple sentences.In addition,they are famous by frequently using many different figures of speech,such as metaphor,antithesis,etc.Finally,the comparison is carried out from the perspective of cultural connotation.The animals that appear most frequently in Chinese proverbs include horses,tigers,dogs,and cows,among which are all listed in the Chinese zodiac animals.Meanwhile,the most common animals in Brazilian Portuguese proverbs are those such as chickens,dogs,cats,and cows.However,the animal images in the two languages have both similarities as well as some distinct differences.The differences in animal images between Chinese and Portuguese proverbs are attributed to three main factors,including religions,historical circumstances,and geographical environment. |
