浅谈英语谚语的来源、功能及其修辞(9)

4.3.3 Metonymy
（21）A light heart lives long.      
（22）A soft answer turned away wrath.
（23）An iron hand in a velvet glove. 
（24）A close mouth catches no flies. 
As we can see from the above examples, unlike simile, the comparison in metaphor is implied. It requires greater ability on the part of the reader to make out the hidden association or insight, so metaphor is generally more complicated and more involved than simile. The above proverbs enrich and strengthen the reader’s existing association and bringing about greater rhetorical effectiveness.[22]
4.4 Personification
4.4.1 Inanimate objects personalizing 
（25）Wall has ears.  
（26）Money makes the mare go.
（27）The pot calls the kettle black.
4.4.2 Animals personalizing
（28）The fox knew too much, that’s how he lost his tail.
（29）Nightingales will not sing in a cage.
（30）The tortoise wins the race while the hare is sleeping.
（31）Two sparrows on one ear of corn make an ill agreement.
4.4.3 Plants personalizing
（32）A great tree attracts the wind.
（33）A single flower does not make a spring. 
4.4.4 Abstract ideas personalizing
（34）Truth conquers all things.
（35）Opportunity seldom knocks twice.
（36）Virtue dwells not in the tongue but in the heart.
In the above proverbs, there are including three parts of personification. Using personification makes the proverbs more vivid and more attractive. It can impress the readers deeply.
4.5 Parallel
（37）In for a penny, in for a pound. 
（38）In youth the hours are golden, and in mature years they are silvern, and in old age they are leaden.
（39）The least said, the soonest mended. 
As we can from the above, parallel structure can create a good visual image and help readers move quickly from one idea to the next. Parallelism gives emphasis, charity and coherence of ideas, and it also gives the rhythm of the proverbs. It helps the readers to catch the idea of the speakers or writer easily and pleasantly.[23]
4.6 Synecdoche
（40）Two heads are better than one.
（41）Great minds think alike.
Here the words “head” and “mind” are both represent “a person”.
4.7 Hyperbole
（42）A thousand years cannot repair a moment's loss of honor.
（43）The world is but a little place, after all. 
（44）An unfortunate man would e drowned in a teacup.
Hyperbole is a commonly used a sign of great emotion as shown in the above examples. There is no intent to deceive the reader, instead, in the speaker’s mind he is truly describing his intense feeling at the time.
4.8 Pun
（45）Measure yourself by your own foot.
Here the word “foot” has two meanings: one means human’ heel, the other is dimensional unit. So the above proverb has two different meanings, which create a pun.
（46）Rue and thyme grow both in one garden.
Here the word “rue” has two different meanings: one is the name of king of flower, the other means regret. The word “thyme” and the word “time” have the same pronunciations. These two reasons make a pun.