Idioms are some fixed unique ways to express,which are formed in the process of the usage of the language.They are “not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements,or from the general grammatical rules of a language,and that is not a constituent of a larger expression of like characteristics” （http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Idiom）.
According to Ai Rulan(2007,P.1),English idioms stem from four kinds of sources:
a.English living environment
England has a different landform with China’s.The northwest part is mainly mountainous region.The east part shows diversity in this.As a result,the weather in England is very mild,which provides a comfortable cradle for the growth of grains,especially for wheat.Besides,milk,butter and cheese are common foods for English men,so there are many idioms related with these foods,such as “hard cheese”,which means bad luck.Some idioms even come from sports,such as “throw the towel”,which means admitting failure.
b.Religious culture
Religion is an important part of daily life that can not be ignored.The religion culture is born with the fast developing of religion.For example,the Bible,the church,the priest,and even festivals are all relevant to Christanity.A great deal of idioms originated from this kind of culture.For example,“cast pearls before the swine”,which comes from the Bible,the New Testament,means that giving priceless things to someone who will not precious them.
c.Greece fairy tails and fables
Greece fairy tails have undeniable influence on European countries.They have their own styles and positions in literature.Some idioms are from these stories.Take “Pandora’s box” as an example,Pandora is an angle,she takes a box with her,which is filled with all kinds of disasters.After she opened the box,all human beings suffered from it.This idiom means the source of disaster.Fables also provide many idioms,such as “crocodile tears”,which has the same meaning with the Chinese saying “a cat crying over a dead mouse”.
d.Animals and pets
People have a close relationship with animals.At first,human eat their meat for surviving,put their skin on for warm.Now some animals are kept in house to accompany lonely ones,and some are breed to supply human with everything of theirs.So there are also idioms like “as busy as a bee”.This is used to describe how busy someone is.
However,idioms are still in the way of developing.As the history goes on,there will be more and more new words join in.English will also get a developing and diversity.
我的论文写的就是这个.
