传统的隐喻理论将隐喻看作是一种语言的变异体,一种用于修饰话语的修辞现象。然而隐喻不仅仅是一种修辞手段,它在本质上是人们用一种事物认识、理解、思考和表达另一事物的认知思维方式。语言是文化的载体,不同的民族有不同的思维和行为方式,不同的文化模式。思维和文化模式的不同,在隐喻的生成和理解上必然会产生一些差异。本文从认知的角度探讨了隐喻的本质及英汉隐喻的文化共性和差异。 Traditional metaphor theory regards metaphor as a linguistic variation, a rhetorical phenomenon used to modify discourse. However, metaphor is not only a rhetorical device, but it is essentially a cognitive way of thinking that people use one thing to understand, understand, think and express another. Language is the carrier of culture. Different peoples have different modes of thinking and behavior, different cultural models. Differences in modes of thinking and culture inevitably produce some differences in the generation and comprehension of metaphors. This article explores the essence of metaphor and the cultural commonality and differences between English and Chinese metaphors from a cognitive perspective.