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milar circumstances, it is difficult for the English readers to understand the implied meanings when some Chinese idioms are translated into English too literally. Consequently, the explanatory notes are necessary. For example, 膏粱子弟 the children from well-fed families (good-for-nothing sons and daughters of the idle rich) 高屋建瓴 pour water off a steep roof (operate from a strategically advantageous position) “Strictly speaking, the translation with explanation is not a good method in translating a piece of works. But in a dictionary of idiom, it is necessary to dig out the sources of some idioms. This is one of the differences between idioms translation in dictionary and in context.”[22] 5.2 Literal translation with association Because of the cultural differences between the Chinese-speaking and the English-speaking countries, although some Chinese idioms and English idioms have the basically similar connotations or metaphorical meaning, they have utterly different expressions. For these kinds of idioms, literal translation with association is better, i.e., the literal translation is easy for the readers to associate it with their familiar idioms. For example, Bad workmen often blame their tools. 拙匠常怪工具差。（association:不会撑船怪河弯。） He who laughs at crooked men should need walk very straight. 笑别人驼背的人得自己首先把身子挺直。（association:己不正不正人。） It’s a long lane that has no turning. 路必有弯，世上没有直路。（association:事必有弯；瓦片也有翻身日。） The literal translation with association enables the readers to understand the original meaning better and more thoroughly. It may after all be accepted as a good way to do the translation job. 5.3 Transformation of meanings Some English idioms and Chinese idioms have more or less equivalent meaning. The only difference between them lies just in their images and styles, and it only needs some slight transformation while in the process of translation, then it could express its original meaning entirely, at the same time, not violate the original idioms’ structures and habits. For example, “One swallow does not make a summer.”, the original meaning of the proverb is “only finding one swallow cannot show the coming of summer enough”. There is no completely equivalent proverb in Chinese. But in Chinese there are “一花不是春”and “一木不成林” whose meanings are similar to it, only the images and styles are slightly different. There are other examples: He’s not honest to you; he’s turning you around his finger. 他不是真诚对待你，只是玩弄你于股掌之间。 The idiom “turn / twist a person around a finger” is translated literally into “把某人玩弄于手指间”. It seems that it could be translated into “玩弄某人于股掌之间” reluctantly. But it should be noted that the implied meaning of the sentence is “to buy people’s support or to win somebody over by any means without sincere heart, while “玩弄某人于股掌之间” may have certain political colors. 琼自从丈夫死后，好几月都悲痛欲绝。 For months after her husband’s death, Joan simply ate her heart out. The Chinese idiom “悲痛欲绝”can be translated literally like the following: Someone is sad to death., which is not better than the quotation of English idiom “eat one’s heart out” which is more vivid to the readers. Though the original meaning has been slightly changed, the translation turns out to be more vivid and livelier, furthermore, the readers could have a better understanding. 5.4 Application of Chinese couplet The proverbs in Chinese are often seen in the forms of couplet. The first line of a couplet is about the image, and the second is about the meanin