汉英两种语言及其文化如此有异，却往往还会发现一些如此近似甚至相同之处。但主要还是异，所谓同是很次要的。所以可说是小同大异，异中有同。兹略举k例以杀其同--- 

 

汉语说“找漏洞”（或“找碴子”），英语亦然——“pick holes”——”挑（即找)漏洞”，请看实例：

 

1.He was picking hols in their way of life.

—Ross Terrill；800, 000, 000, The Real China ,p. 109

 

2.Prosecutor Craig MurpKy also poked holes in Kersting's alibi after he was arrested and had plenty of time Tto make up a story.

—True Detectiue April 1980, p. 47

 

3. I owe a great deal to their picking holes in insufficiently closely knit arguments...

——Alec Nove： An Kconomic History of the U.S.

S.R.，a Pelican Book, reprinted 1975，p_ 8

 

汉语以"杏”比“眼”故有“杏眼”之说。英语亦有之，作“almond (-shaped)eye”(若为修饰成分则可作“almond-ed”），请看实例：

4.They show a tantalizing impishness, a mockery of glamour, and a drop-dead beauty that justifies the arrogance： batwing eye-brows slavic cheekbones, masses of brown hair, almond-shaped blue eyes that expertly count the house.

~- Time , May 1983, p. 48

 

汉语用"这”和“那”作为例示和概括，英语亦然（例5是“不准这,不准那”;例6则为“琼这、琼那:

5.Outsiders buy land and...put up fences and signs for No Trespassing, no this or that, and...

—National Geographic, March 1982, p. 343

 

6.My sister's husband talked and talked about 'joan' this and 'Joan' that, rambling along nervously oblivious.

 Christina Crawford： Mommie Dearearest, Granada 1981, p. 13

 

还有，不论本义转义都与汉语“填脚石”相通的英语词—— stepping stone； -

7.Henry wanted a post on the Harvard faculty only as a step- ping stone to better things.

—Charles Ashman： Kissinger, Nj 1972, p. 61 

 

诗人Robert Browning (1812 -1889)曾有如下的诗句：

8.The year's at the spring,

The day’s at the morn，

不妨说这正是“一年之计在于春，一日之计在干晨”的等值品呢。

 

最后还有一例，则非文字上的同,而是文化之同。小时候,遇下学回家，忽然不紧不慢地下起兩来的时候,甚至有时没下雨而由于好玩， 就与同窗三五人在各自手帕的四个角上打了四个结，做成了“手帕帽”戴在头上,结队而行。想不到英美也有同样的“手帕帽”请看：

9.To protect himself from dust, he sat next to his chauffeur, a white handkerchief knotted at four corners on his head.

—Life, june 1980，p. 24 

不过例中那位司机头上戴这种“手帕帽”与笔者小时候的动机目的都不同——不是出于好玩、而是防尘。