2. 历史典故

　　汉英两种语言中还有大量由历史典故形成的习语。这些习语结构简单，意义深远，往往是不能从单词字面意义去理解和翻译的。例如汉语中：

　　东施效颦：《庄子·天运》中故事。blind imitation with ludicrous effect/ play the ape/ look all the uglier by mimicking the beauty.

　　叶公好龙：professed love of what one actually fears/ like Lord Ye claimed to be found of dragons but was mortally afraid of them.

　　夜郎自大：ludicrous conceit of the king of Yelang-parochial arrogance

　　班门弄斧：display one’s slight skill before an expert.

　　名落孙山：fail in a competitive examination/ be flunked.

　　历史典故是最具民族特色的，汉语是这样，英语也是如此。典故通常是不能按照字面对译的，典故通常要采取意译或解释或加注释的办法来翻译。例如英语中的"John can be relied on. He eats no fish and plays the game.”中国读者看了，就不知所云。“eat no fish”是英语里的一个典故，是表示“忠诚”的意思。而“play the game”的意思是（比赛，游戏中）按规则做；正直诚实，光明正大。因此，上句可译成，“约翰为人可靠，他既忠诚又老实”。

　　3. 共性成语

　　一败涂地： meet one’s waterloo/ bite the ground/hunt grass/suffer a crushing defeat.

　　趁热打铁： strike while the iron is hot/Hold a wolf the iron is hot.

　　熟能生巧： Skill comes from practice/ Practice makes perfect.

　　挥金如土： spend money like water/squander money like dust.

　　破釜沉舟： burn one’s boats/burn one’s bridge /throw away the scabbard.

　　雪中送炭： to offer fuel in snowy weather./help in one’s hour of need.

　　一人得道，鸡犬升天： Even the dog swaggers when its master win favor.

　　瓜田李下： in a melon patch or a plum tree—in suspicious circumstances or surroundings/Neither adjust your shoe in a melon patch, nor your hat under a plum tree.