2.Metaphor

Compared with simile, Metaphor is used for different things and one of the feature is that there are no words (like, as) appeared. But they share the same function, which will replace rigid, abstract, profound and complicated things with vivid, specific, superficial and simple things.

All the world is a stage and all the men and women merely players. 【William Shakespeare】

整个世界是一个舞台，所有的男人和女人只不过是演员而已。

This is the sentence from Shakespeare’s As you like it. The metaphor is shown by the word of “is” and he compare the world with the stage and the human beings with the players.

More examples:

Time is money

时间就是金钱

Young people should try to bridge a speech between them and their parents to avoid gulf cause by time.

年轻人们应该设法建座桥，通过交谈来避免与父母之间的代沟。

Money is a bottomless hole, in which honor, conscience and truth may be drowned.

金钱是个无底洞, 荣誉、良心和真理都可以淹没其中。

For some other figures of speech, we should not follow the literal meaning and adjust the words according to the context.

drink like a fish

牛饮(we should not translate it into “鱼饮” according to the word of “fish”)

As cunning as a dead pig

如狐狸般狡猾(we should not treat it as “像死猪一样狡猾”)

3. Metonymy

Metonymy reflects two related objects or subordinate (one object belongs to the other), such as we will use White House (白宫) refers to the United States government and dove (鸽子) refers to the peace. More Metonymy sentences are as follows:

The kettle is boiling.

壶里的水开了

(Here the word “Kettle” refers to the water in the kettle, not itself)

Some books are to be tasted, others swallowed and some few to be chewed and digested (Francis Bacon)

书有可浅尝者，有可吞食者，少数则需咀嚼消化。

(The author compares reading to eating, iconic and profound)

Every life has its roses and thorns.

人生自有甘苦。

(Here roses symbolizes happiness, while thorns are misery in life. It means the life is filled with happiness and misery)

But you have not seen my Corots. They are in the music room. (Oscar Wilde)

可是你还没有看见我收藏的科罗特的风景画，它们挂在我的音乐室里。

[Corots (1796-1875), the renowned artist in France and be famous as landscape printing. In this sentence, we replace his name with his works. Apparently his works belong to him.] Also let us look at another similar sentence.

Young men are suggested to read Shakespeare.

年轻人应该读一读莎士比亚的作品

(Here the word “Shakespeare” refers to his works)