In order to remove the cultural obstacles and make the intercultural communication carry out smoothly, the author plans to make a comparative analysis of Chinese and English plant idioms on the cultural level to see the differences between Chinese and English culture. This paper is principally based on the idioms containing plant words selected from several dictionaries and corpus.

II. Present Situation

Plants, as the creation of nature, have been human’s friends for thousands of years. The research about plants never stops. For many linguists, plant words (idioms) have always been the focus of studies.
Since the rise of comparative linguistic study between Chinese and English, a large number of scholars have carried out researches and studies on the plant word and plant idioms.
From the perspective of associated meanings, Yang Yuangang & Zhang Ande（2002: 74-80）classify plant words and idioms into three categories as: semantic overlapping, semantic dislocation and semantic gap, making a detailed comparison about their similarities and differences. Liao Guangrong (2002: 5-9) introduces the concept of cultural connotation, and lay emphasis on the cultural aspect of plant words and idioms. While he Shanfen (2002: 156-177)conducts the comparative research based on the metaphorical meanings behind the plant words and idioms. Besides, He Shanfen(2002: 156-177) compares the numbers, structures and derivative ability of these words and idioms, expanding the scope of comparative study about plant words and idioms. Furthermore, scholars represented by Yang Yuangang & Zhang Ande（2002: 74-80）Liao Guangrong (2002: 5-9) have explored the reasons that causes the differences between English and Chinese plant words. Different ranges of reasons are given, such as: different natural environments, different tropism of thoughts, traditional customs and so on. In English Chinese idioms and folk culture (2007), Yin Li et al discuss about the folk culture reflected in some Chinese and English plant idioms. In his book, Pan Wenguo (2010: 397-401) selects some cultural-loaded plants and make a general comparison about the cultural connotations of these plant words in Chinese and English 中英植物习语中的文化差异分析(2):http://www.751com.cn/yingyu/lunwen_8862.html