漢語中習語大致指人們習慣使用的成語典故，引語，俗語，歇後語和諺語等的集合體; 英語中的習語大 致可以包括一些 proverbs,sayings, colloquial phrases, allusions，一些idioms和slangs。
通過對英漢習語對比學習，我們不僅能了解不同文化中語言的民族性特色，而且能從不同的設喻形象中獲 得樂趣，覺得這樣的學習不是苦差事，並且還能使記憶深刻，理解到位，使用地道，甚至對英漢互譯也有幫助 。
筆者本著趣味性和使用性的原則，試著從一個hay stack 中找出幾根 needle來，算管中窺豹吧，以下從四 個方面舉例說明。
一.英漢習語所用設喻相似而意義相近的
Great minds think alike.英雄所見略同;
Courtesy costs nothing.禮多人不怪;
Lovers" quarrels are soon mended.夫妻無隔夜仇;
The higher up, the greater the fall. 攀高跌重：
know something like the palm or back of one"s hand 了如指掌;
constant dropping wears the stone 滴水穿石;
fish in troubled water 混水摸魚;
Great oaks from little acorns grow. 合抱之木，生于毫末;
pour oil on the flame 火上加油;
Give somebody an inch and he"ll take an mile. 得寸進尺;
lie down on the job. 磨洋工;
Strike while the iron is hot. 趁熱打鐵;
Walls have ears. 隔牆有耳;
The tailor makes the man. 人靠衣服馬靠鞍;
a yes man 應聲蟲(跟屁蟲);
at one"s wit"s end 才窮智盡;
hang by a thread 千鈞一發;
plain sailing 一帆風順;
follow in sb"s footsteps 步人後塵;
bite off more than one can chew 貪多嚼不爛;
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. 心有餘而力不足;
wash one"s hands of 洗手不幹;
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 情人眼裏出西施;
run sb. to earth 鑽入地縫也要抓到某人;
skin deep 膚淺。
以上此類由于設喻形象相似，因而最容易掌握，我們平時學習中要註意積累。
二.英漢習語所用設喻形象各異，意義卻相近的
When a man is going downhill, everyone will give him apush. 牆倒眾人推;
silken tongue 巧舌如簧;
a flash in the pan 曇花一現;
don"t cry over spilt milk 生米已成熟飯;
put all one"s eggs in one basket. 孤註一擲;
hold a wolf by the ears 騎虎難下;
between the devil and the deep sea 進退維谷;
kick the bucket 翹辮子，蹬腿兒(死了);
The longest day must have an end. 世上沒有不散的宴席;
like a rat in the hole 瓮中捉鱉;
A good conscience is a soft pillow. 白天不做虧心事;半夜不怕鬼敲門;
birds of a feather 物以類聚，人以群分(一丘之貉);
You can"t judge a tree by its bark.人不可貌相，海水不可鬥量;
All is fish that comes to one"s net. 抓到籃裏便是菜;
cherish a snake in one"s bosom 養虎為患;
diamond cut diamond 棋逢對手，將遇良才，(或針尖對麥芒);
New brooms sweep clean.新官上任三把火;
It never rains but it pours. 禍不單行;
hit the nail on the head 一針見血;
apple of one"s eye 掌上明珠;
a lion in the way 攔路虎;
The pot calls the kettle black. 烏鴉笑豬黑(五十步笑一百步);
bury one"s head in the sand 掩耳盜鈴;
out of the frying pan into the fire 剛出虎穴，又入狼窩;
eat one"s cake and have it 又要馬兒跑，又要馬兒不吃草;
cast pearls before a swine 對牛彈琴;
put the cart before the horse 本末倒置;
a black sheep 害群之馬;
wet behind the ears 乳臭未幹;
rob Peter to pay Paul 挖肉補瘡;
penny wise and pound foolish 撿了芝麻，丟了西瓜;
have a card up one"s sleeve 胸有成竹;
sit on the fence 腳踩兩隻船(隨風倒);
cry wolf 烽火戲諸侯;
entertain an angel unawares 有眼不識泰山;
teach one"s grandmother how to suck eggs 班門弄斧(關公門前耍大刀);
You can"t make an omelet without breaking eggs. 巧婦難為無米之炊;
as bold as brass 臉如城牆厚;
use a sledge hammer to crack a nut 殺雞用牛刀(高射炮打蚊子);
throw in the towel 拱手認負;
bury the hatchet 握手言和;
Don"t cross the bridge till you come to it. 車到山前必有路，船到橋頭自然直;
live in a fool"s paradise 做黃梁美夢;
place all one"s cards on the table 開啟天窗說亮話;
play second fiddle 唱配角;
stab sb in the back 放冷箭;
a blessing in disguise 塞翁失馬，安知非福;
Don"t count the chicken before they"re hatched. 不要揭鍋太早。
以上此類收集較多是因為趣味性強。在對比學習的同時，我們不禁為不同文化中語言的民族特色而深深打 動。
三.英漢習語所用設喻形象相似而不可望文生義的
pull one"s leg，指開玩笑而不是拉後腿的意思;
child"s play，指簡單容易而不是視同兒戲的意思;
strange bedfellows，指萍水相逢而不是同床異夢的意思;
in the same boat，指處于困境而不是同舟共濟的意思;
to be "touch and go"指危險處境而不是一觸即發的意思;
Once bitten, twice shy， 指一回上當兩回乖(有積極含義)而不是一朝被蛇咬十年怕井繩(有消極的 含義)的意思;
throw a sprat to catch a whale， 指舍小利而求大利而不是拋磚引玉的意思;
one"s hair stands on end，指恐懼而不是怒發沖冠的意思。
此類屬于不可望文生義者，我們學習時要倍加註意。
四.英漢習語所用設喻形象相似而意義卻恰恰相反的
like a fish out of water，與如魚得水意義相反;
Many a good cow hath a bad calf，與虎父無犬子意義相反;
cry stinking fish，與王婆賣瓜意義相反; Hard words breakno bones，與惡語傷人六月寒意義相反 。
此類情形不多，不過在使用時我們可以“反其道而行之。”
結尾我們需要強調兩點。 一是上文列舉的英漢習語的對應並非“exactly the equivalent of each oth er”，所以我們需要根據上下文仔細揣摩，找出其細微差別，方能理解到位，使用起來才能避免詞不達意。二 是本文強調了英漢習語設喻形象對照，目的是讓學習者感興趣和易于記憶，閱讀英文原著時，也許我們更經常 見到的是這些英語習語的變體;翻譯時我們大都使用它們的比喻義，而不是一見面就直譯過來。