By denying the traditional division between literal and figurative language, with metaphor as a kind of figurative language, this paper illustrates that the nature of metaphor is cognitive, and that metaphorical expressions are merely the surface linguistic manifestation of our metaphorical conceptual system.

National characteristics shown in the choice of vehicles in corresponding English and Chinese figurative idioms;

Therefore,this article argues the translation of English figurative idioms based on the contrastive study of English and Chinese.

Besides,the prevalence of conventional figurative expressions also calls for the probe in the degree of figurativity.

In linguistics,there are different interpretations as to how to understand figurative language,i.

Relevance in Translation of Idiomatic Analogy;