典故是文学作品中语言的精华,是一个民族的历史和文化的浓缩。英语蕴藏的典故数量很多,它的典故的形成是以整个西方文化为基础,其中许多典故来源于《圣经》、希腊罗马神话、寓言童话、历史事件或故事、文学作品等。本文从英语典故的文化本原、词语形成的理据性进行分析,从而了解到它所包含的丰富的意义和生动的内容,并能恰当地运用典故来进行描述,增加了英文作品的内涵。 Allusions are the essence of language in literary works and are the enrichment of a nation’s history and culture. There are many allusions in English. Its allusions are based on the whole Western culture. Many allusions come from the Bible, Greek and Roman mythology, fables and fairy tales, historical events or stories, and literary works. This essay analyzes the cultural origin of English allusions and the motivation of the formation of words to understand the rich meaning and vivid content it contains and to make proper use of allusions to describe it and to increase the connotation of English works.