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Abstract：Metaphor is a popular existing phenomenon which attracts more and more attention.Metaphor is not only a phenomenon for researching and more，it exists in human’s life widely，therefore，research on metaphor can also help have an understanding for human’s language，society，culture et al.Idiom is an inseparable unit，it is generated in human’s long period of work and life，we also can say，the development of idioms reflects the development of human being.In this article，I will have a brief introduction for idioms in metaphor from part of speech，from that，we can know many about language，culture，human et al，thus promoting our language learning.
Key words：Metaphor，Idioms，Classification，Part of Speech
1.Introduction
Metaphor is a popular existing phenomenon which has developed in a long period.It is defined as “something is described by stating another thing with which it can be compared”（Richards，Schmidt，Kendrick，& Kim，2005，p.259）in Longman dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics.It connects two corresponding concepts，one is a familiar concrete domain which is called “source domain” and the other is unfamiliar abstract domain “target domain”.“Metaphor is a structural mapping from source domain to target domain，that is，mapping familiar and concrete domain to unfamiliar and abstract domain so as to help understanding the latter one”（Wu，2008，p.157）.Such as “Time is money”，money is source domain while time is target domain.This metaphor maps concrete concept “money” to an abstract concept “time”，which can help us have a general idea to time due to it similarity.
Idiom is an inseparable unit “whose meaning cannot be worked out from its separate parts”（Richards et al，2005，p.316），therefore，it is also considered unreasonable，such as “to spit fire” means “to be angry”.The meaning of the word “anger” is understood through that of “fire”.However，semantic unity and structural stability are the two major characters of it，that is，there is also systematic and conceptual semantic foundation in many idioms.
Yan（2001）said “many idioms are metaphorical and it is just because of the metaphoricalness that the idioms become all the more vivid and expressive”（p.67）.Like the above example，ANGER IS FIRE is called metaphorical meaning.Metaphor in idioms are classified variously，in this article，we will have a discussion from part of speech.
II.Classification of Idioms
2.1 Idioms Verbal in Nature
Verbs are as central part in collocation to play the predicate in speech.It is classified as “‘be’ phrases”，phrasal verbs and verbal phrases.For example：in “be hoist with one’s own petard”，petard means “kind of bomb used in former times to break down doors，gates，wall，etc”（Zhang，1988，p.837）；the literal meaning of this idiom is “caught or injured by what one intended as a snare for others”（ibid，p.837）. In addition，verbal phrases are another kind of importance.The accessory words in these phrases like objects，adverbials and complements are rhetoric，that is the metaphorical role，such as “see red”.It is said the bull will become rage when seeing the red thing，so matador provocative bulls with red cloak.This idiom expresses the meaning about “lose control of oneself through anger，or indignation”（ibid，p.943）.
2.2 Idiom Nominal in Nature
Nouns are as central part in collocation to play the predicate in speech.This kind of phrase is rich in quantity and content，and many of them come from daily life，personal experience，books，culture et al.Furthermore，“this kind of phrase has developed metaphorical meaning during the period of generation，evolution and application，and fixed finally”（Li，2008）.
“Achilles’ heel” means fatal weakness，which originates from Greek epic Iliad.As a child，Achilles was soaked completely in water in Stygian by his mother but his heel，it became the only fatal weakness.Achilles was invincible in Trojan War，but he was killed when shot in heel by enemy’s poisoned arrow.Since then，this phrase has been used popularly with its metaphorical meaning.
It is known that bread and butter are typical daily food for Englishmen，therefore，there are many metaphorical idioms relating to them.Like “bread and butter” means practical，common and immature；and “know which side one’s bread is buttered on” means know who can help you and try to please him or know what is for your gain.Another example is the word “milk”.It is one of the most popular drinks in Britain so that there are also many metaphorical idioms in English relating to it.Like “come home with the milk” means play out the whole night；and “the milk is split” means something that can’t be retrieved.
2.3 Idioms Adjective in Nature
The major forms of adjective idioms are “a.+and+a.”，“a.+n.”，“as+a.+as+n.” and “compound adjectives”.Because of the rhetoric role of adjective so its metaphorical role are comparatively obvious in idioms，such as “high and mighty” means arrogant，“black and blue” means cover with bruises，“free and easy” means casual，“hit-and-run” means “a pedestrian or vehicle is hit by a vehicle which does not stop in a road accident”（Zhang，1988，p.543），“round-the-clock” means all day and all night et al.
2.4 Idioms Adverb in Nature
Adverbial idioms are expression of positional and spatial relationship between ontology and metaphor，and the meaning can extend from concrete to abstract.It is mainly classified as “n.+and+n.”，“prep.+n.” and “prep.+n.+and+n.”. The structure of the first form is similar as nominal idioms while having different grammatical function.Like “heart and soul”，the literal meaning is “heart” and “soul”，which are both the core of life；therefore，it means wholeheartedly.The similar idioms have “hammer and tongs” meaning go all out，“tooth and nail” meaning fiercely，“bag and baggage” meaning completely et al.In second form，a concrete action or feeling are conceptualized due to preposition’s role so that producing metaphor，such as “behind the scenes” means in private or in secret，“in a breeze” means easily and “with flying colors” means wonderfully and/or successfully.And the idioms of the third form express the implied metaphorical meaning figuratively.“between the devil and the deep blue sea” for example，expressing a situation in a dilemma；and “through thick and thin” expresses “under any kind of conditions，good or bad”（Zhang，1988，p.1202）.
III.Conclusion
“Metaphor is not only a linguistic phenomenon，more a cognitive phenomenon；and it is a traditional sense of Rhetoric no longer，but a way of thinking as well”（Li，2008）.As a common language form，“idioms are carrier of human mind”（ibid.）.“Like the relationship between language and thought，idioms in metaphor are inseparable from metaphor.People can not express themselves vividly and fully without idioms and can not think without metaphor”（ibid.）.Researching on idioms in metaphor offers us a broad space for cognition and application of idioms so as to promote the language thinking and communicative competence.
References：
Ungerer，F.，& Schmid，H.J.（2001）.An introduction to cognitive linguistics.Beijing：Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Richards，J.C.，Schmidt，R.，Kendrick，H.，& Kim，Y.（2005）.Longman dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics（3rd ed.）.Beijing：Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Yan，M.Y.（2001）.Social customs and metaphorical idioms compared between English and Chinese.Journal of Xinzhou Teachers University，17（3）.From http：//www.cnki.net
参考文献：
[1]李玲，（2008），论英语习语中的隐喻，From http：//www.hnshx.com/Article_Show.asp？ArticleID=3496
[2]王寅，（2007），认知语言学，上海：上海外语教育出版社
[3]吴莉，（2001），试论隐喻概念与英语习语的语义关联，山东师大外国语学院学报，3，From http：//www.cnki.net
[4]张芳杰，（1988），牛津现代高级英汉双解词典，北京：商务印书馆
Key words：Metaphor，Idioms，Classification，Part of Speech
1.Introduction
Metaphor is a popular existing phenomenon which has developed in a long period.It is defined as “something is described by stating another thing with which it can be compared”（Richards，Schmidt，Kendrick，& Kim，2005，p.259）in Longman dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics.It connects two corresponding concepts，one is a familiar concrete domain which is called “source domain” and the other is unfamiliar abstract domain “target domain”.“Metaphor is a structural mapping from source domain to target domain，that is，mapping familiar and concrete domain to unfamiliar and abstract domain so as to help understanding the latter one”（Wu，2008，p.157）.Such as “Time is money”，money is source domain while time is target domain.This metaphor maps concrete concept “money” to an abstract concept “time”，which can help us have a general idea to time due to it similarity.
Idiom is an inseparable unit “whose meaning cannot be worked out from its separate parts”（Richards et al，2005，p.316），therefore，it is also considered unreasonable，such as “to spit fire” means “to be angry”.The meaning of the word “anger” is understood through that of “fire”.However，semantic unity and structural stability are the two major characters of it，that is，there is also systematic and conceptual semantic foundation in many idioms.
Yan（2001）said “many idioms are metaphorical and it is just because of the metaphoricalness that the idioms become all the more vivid and expressive”（p.67）.Like the above example，ANGER IS FIRE is called metaphorical meaning.Metaphor in idioms are classified variously，in this article，we will have a discussion from part of speech.
II.Classification of Idioms
2.1 Idioms Verbal in Nature
Verbs are as central part in collocation to play the predicate in speech.It is classified as “‘be’ phrases”，phrasal verbs and verbal phrases.For example：in “be hoist with one’s own petard”，petard means “kind of bomb used in former times to break down doors，gates，wall，etc”（Zhang，1988，p.837）；the literal meaning of this idiom is “caught or injured by what one intended as a snare for others”（ibid，p.837）. In addition，verbal phrases are another kind of importance.The accessory words in these phrases like objects，adverbials and complements are rhetoric，that is the metaphorical role，such as “see red”.It is said the bull will become rage when seeing the red thing，so matador provocative bulls with red cloak.This idiom expresses the meaning about “lose control of oneself through anger，or indignation”（ibid，p.943）.
2.2 Idiom Nominal in Nature
Nouns are as central part in collocation to play the predicate in speech.This kind of phrase is rich in quantity and content，and many of them come from daily life，personal experience，books，culture et al.Furthermore，“this kind of phrase has developed metaphorical meaning during the period of generation，evolution and application，and fixed finally”（Li，2008）.
“Achilles’ heel” means fatal weakness，which originates from Greek epic Iliad.As a child，Achilles was soaked completely in water in Stygian by his mother but his heel，it became the only fatal weakness.Achilles was invincible in Trojan War，but he was killed when shot in heel by enemy’s poisoned arrow.Since then，this phrase has been used popularly with its metaphorical meaning.
It is known that bread and butter are typical daily food for Englishmen，therefore，there are many metaphorical idioms relating to them.Like “bread and butter” means practical，common and immature；and “know which side one’s bread is buttered on” means know who can help you and try to please him or know what is for your gain.Another example is the word “milk”.It is one of the most popular drinks in Britain so that there are also many metaphorical idioms in English relating to it.Like “come home with the milk” means play out the whole night；and “the milk is split” means something that can’t be retrieved.
2.3 Idioms Adjective in Nature
The major forms of adjective idioms are “a.+and+a.”，“a.+n.”，“as+a.+as+n.” and “compound adjectives”.Because of the rhetoric role of adjective so its metaphorical role are comparatively obvious in idioms，such as “high and mighty” means arrogant，“black and blue” means cover with bruises，“free and easy” means casual，“hit-and-run” means “a pedestrian or vehicle is hit by a vehicle which does not stop in a road accident”（Zhang，1988，p.543），“round-the-clock” means all day and all night et al.
2.4 Idioms Adverb in Nature
Adverbial idioms are expression of positional and spatial relationship between ontology and metaphor，and the meaning can extend from concrete to abstract.It is mainly classified as “n.+and+n.”，“prep.+n.” and “prep.+n.+and+n.”. The structure of the first form is similar as nominal idioms while having different grammatical function.Like “heart and soul”，the literal meaning is “heart” and “soul”，which are both the core of life；therefore，it means wholeheartedly.The similar idioms have “hammer and tongs” meaning go all out，“tooth and nail” meaning fiercely，“bag and baggage” meaning completely et al.In second form，a concrete action or feeling are conceptualized due to preposition’s role so that producing metaphor，such as “behind the scenes” means in private or in secret，“in a breeze” means easily and “with flying colors” means wonderfully and/or successfully.And the idioms of the third form express the implied metaphorical meaning figuratively.“between the devil and the deep blue sea” for example，expressing a situation in a dilemma；and “through thick and thin” expresses “under any kind of conditions，good or bad”（Zhang，1988，p.1202）.
III.Conclusion
“Metaphor is not only a linguistic phenomenon，more a cognitive phenomenon；and it is a traditional sense of Rhetoric no longer，but a way of thinking as well”（Li，2008）.As a common language form，“idioms are carrier of human mind”（ibid.）.“Like the relationship between language and thought，idioms in metaphor are inseparable from metaphor.People can not express themselves vividly and fully without idioms and can not think without metaphor”（ibid.）.Researching on idioms in metaphor offers us a broad space for cognition and application of idioms so as to promote the language thinking and communicative competence.
References：
Ungerer，F.，& Schmid，H.J.（2001）.An introduction to cognitive linguistics.Beijing：Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Richards，J.C.，Schmidt，R.，Kendrick，H.，& Kim，Y.（2005）.Longman dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics（3rd ed.）.Beijing：Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Yan，M.Y.（2001）.Social customs and metaphorical idioms compared between English and Chinese.Journal of Xinzhou Teachers University，17（3）.From http：//www.cnki.net
参考文献：
[1]李玲，（2008），论英语习语中的隐喻，From http：//www.hnshx.com/Article_Show.asp？ArticleID=3496
[2]王寅，（2007），认知语言学，上海：上海外语教育出版社
[3]吴莉，（2001），试论隐喻概念与英语习语的语义关联，山东师大外国语学院学报，3，From http：//www.cnki.net
[4]张芳杰，（1988），牛津现代高级英汉双解词典，北京：商务印书馆