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fer to “blood relation” or “unity in thought”, but why and how? As to these questions, the readers have to refer to the Bible, an inspired as well as an inspiring book, which provides men and women with promises and punishments from God. It is cherished cultural heritage all through the history of the west but now its influence has spread to most of the civilized world, just as the spirit of Confucianism has penetrated into our Chinese spiritual life, the essence of Bible also influences how people in the west look at life. 2.2.3 Proverbs Proverb is often defined as the wisdom of many and the wit of one, stating commonly experienced or for the purpose of giving wise advice to others. Proverbs are the wisdom of people, so it is common people who have created a great number of proverbs that are terse, colloquial, vivid and charged with life through their practical work. Their varied proverbs are from all walks of life. Here are some typical ones reflective of common people’s lives as follows [3] p286: Sailors will say: (7) “In a calm sea every man is a pilot.”(在平静的海洋上,人人都是领航员) Carpenters will say: (8) “Such carpenters, such chips.”(什么木匠出什么活) Cobblers may say: (9) “The cobbler’s wife is the worst shod”. (鞋匠的老婆没鞋穿) 2.2.4 Slangs Slang expressions are dialectic, vulgar and colloquial language drawing numerous sources from the shoptalk of every profession: trade, sport, school, social group, etc. They draw on source from local people’s life experiences or their customs and are widely used in informal speech and writing such as drama, TV serials, movies, monologue in the novel but are rarely used in formal contexts. 3. Idioms, culture and translation 3.1 Idioms and culture Idioms are usually highly specialized in meaning and closely tied to distinctive cultural features and cultural attitude. It is believed that idioms are the most culturally-loaded element in any language’s vocabulary. As the kernel and cream of a language, idioms are usually closely with the historical backgrounds, economic life, geographical environment, customs and mental states of the native speakers. As a matter of fact, idioms have been accepted by people and handed down to the present day because of their universal value. As such, they can be regarded as the sinew of the language. Without idioms, language would lack color and become uninteresting. Let’s take proverb as an example. Proverbs are the daughters of daily experience. In nearly every culture, proverbs offer an important set of instructions for members to follow. And thanks to the endurance of these “words of wisdom”, each generation learns about what a culture deems significant. Below are some proverbs from the United States, each of which stresses an important American value: a value held by the dominant culture. (10) Strike while the iron is hot. In the United States, people who take quick action are valued. (11) God helps those who help themselves. This saying calls attention to the strong belief in America that people should show initiative. (12) The squeaky wheel gets the grease. In the United States, people are encouraged to “speak up” and make sure their views are heard. 3.2 Culture and translation Translation is the transfer of the meaning of a text which may be a word or a book from one language to another for a new readership. Since language is part of culture, translation of language cannot simply be the transfer of linguistic symbols. Over the recent 20-years, with