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发表于 2009-5-20 21:54
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5、学点西方谚语,了解西方文化5 v$ i* f* `. A4 z% L2 ~9 L
1)Man proposes, God disposes. . `! m$ R) Y! o
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这个说法最早见于14世纪,起初以 “If man proposes evil, God disposes of it.” 的形式出现, 意思是上帝会阻止想要为恶的人。这里的God, 既可以指上帝, 又可以指天意。 就像我们常说的“尽人事, 听天命”、“谋事在人,成事在天”一样, 尽力而为之后, 还要顺从自然的规律。 毕竟,人类是自然的一部分, 凡事皆不可强求, 与自然的和谐是人类的生存之本。 5 x6 N9 V% @3 d4 w% l
4 ` E L* H7 `# M Keg:
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, F5 Z5 Y" w2 H+ p& i5 T0 JA: Bob, how about tomorrow’s driving test?Sure to pass,huh?
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9 I1 `6 w1 g7 ?2 `1 Z2 FB: I don’t know. I’ve done enough, I’d say. Anyway, man proposes, God disposes. I am praying for good luck.
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: U: b. \# \/ R3 f2)It is a sin to steal a pin. 9 f1 z5 a/ A' V5 H% O2 t1 z+ [
4 a" U0 a- b7 c4 Q该句的字面意思是: 即使是偷一根针也是一种罪过。还记得那句古训吗?“勿以恶小而为之, 勿以善小而不为。”冀望之切,溢于言表。不要因为犯的是小错就可以听之任之。
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eg: Honesty is the best policy. Never covet what is not yours, for it is a sin to steal a pin.
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% {/ }" L( k( m( o" M5 J; `3)If you play with fire, you get burnt.
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正如西方谚语所说:Fire is a good servant but a bad master. o: K7 E) d; x, w8 y/ R# x* T" N
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火在人们的掌控之下时是人类股掌之上的可爱精灵:篝火给人温暖,烟花处处讨人欢心。可是一旦它的力量过大,就凌驾于人类之上,再不受人的掌握。权力亦是如此,当它逐渐膨胀不可收拾时,就成为一个暴戾的君王,统治人们的言行。所谓“玩火者必自慰”,铤而走险的盲目举动会招致无穷祸患。
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! }( T9 r% c" J# p; `7 v2 |$ {eg: The abuse of power has sent many people into jail, which shows that playing with fire could get you burnt. 9 i$ k$ A- K8 z6 Q
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4)Revenge is a dish that could be eaten cold. - f6 x% r6 U* M/ I. |5 g
y3 c1 g6 |- m- q0 [: ?; v很形象的一句谚语。所有的菜肴都必须趁热吃,唯独revenge是个例外。“君子报仇,十年未晚。” ) e6 w" Z2 Y- c7 K- Z( T
1 |, _/ w2 p2 X8 G% Feg: He has done serious wrong to his friends. You just wait and see. They will not let him go scot-free. Revenge is a dish that could be eaten cold.
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5)There is no smoke without fire. 6 P2 B, C8 T) O; B" z4 S
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无风不起浪,有水才行船。任何事情的发生都是有前兆的,“流言”的兴起有时也不完全是无中生有。虽然说是“坐得船头稳,不怕浪来颠”(相似的西谚是“Do right and fear no man。”),但风起于青萍之末,一只蝴蝶扇动翅膀就可能引起大洋彼岸的一场大风暴。做人、谋事,谨慎为佳。 5 y# Z, L4 u7 U* u" v; R
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eg: "No smoke without fire," said the detective. $ X" B/ O+ q% P% {3 t1 I; `+ Q
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"Smoke signals can be misread," countered Sloan.
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+ g8 N% ? K! e7 e1 U" I8 D7 x6)Every dog has its day.
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这里的day,是指opportunities, 即成功的机会;而dog 则泛指那些地位低下、似乎没有出息的人。“士别三日,当刮目相看”,落魄的人若发奋图强,总会有出头之日。
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(又作All dogs have their days。)
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eg: You must not look down upon him. Though poor and gloomy. he could turn out to be outstanding one day. As the saying goes, every dog has its day. % Y9 W: \% A2 n
3 Z% O4 V5 ~% I. I7)If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas.
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这是一句很经典的谚语,也就是我们中文里说的“近朱者赤,近墨者黑”。 在这条英文谚语中体现出来的只是“近墨者黑”的一面。虽然中文里还有成语“出污泥而不染”一说,但环境对于人的影响仍然不可小觑。
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e。g。 -Harry! How come you’re back so late? Where’ve you been?
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-Just to a friend’s. 1 I; N, c. S4 V, T* T8 k7 K; p; |
; D) Y0 Y8 c* I7 `-To a friend’s? Just for a glass of liquor, huh? You’re going to be drowned in liquor, I’d say! If you lie down with dogs, you’ll get up to find yourself with millions of fleas! 3 _) J) ^ e& _( n2 o, p6 X
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8)It is easy to find a stick to beat a dog. ' F5 B; ^( C* p' h& C6 e' |9 e w
8 ?+ K* ?( W D* a人非圣贤,孰能无过。人们总会犯一些错误,也许做者无心但观者有意。有些小人,自己抱残守缺,不干实事,却挖空心思,找别人的缺点和麻烦。欲加之罪,何患无辞?
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$ F9 F# L. J. x( t! S2 Y Weg: -Did you know that Jeff’s been fired? ; ?$ ]" b2 ?2 P/ I+ o$ u1 }: i6 U
- I) C4 ]7 c5 q7 b9 E5 E-No. What for?
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0 K2 A% G3 n7 D0 w& n6 T-Jeff sometimes had ideas different from our boss’s. ! w( P! p0 R! L- V) q3 z" h3 n
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-Yeah, but Jeff hasn’t done anything wrong, has he? ! h" o$ p+ v3 K
# L* L5 W. c5 f1 t0 y-Well, boss is boss。 It is always easy to find a stick to beat a dog.
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, x7 Q1 {4 m5 M! B9)You can’t teach old dogs new tricks.
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这句谚语说的是:人老了思想容易僵化,对新生事物很难接受。
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) s" S0 h' q, N3 }eg: Don’t forget Wang is already 80. At his age, you can’t expect him to learn the tap dance. You can’t teach old dogs new tricks, you know. ( R7 k8 C7 z0 J6 o; {% x
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从以上的几则谚语我们可以观察到中西文化的一个有趣的区别。西方人经常用狗来比喻人,如,lucky dog(幸运儿),因为他们并不歧视狗。而在汉语中,有不少涉及狗的谚语和成语都是贬义的,如“狗改不了吃屎”、“挂羊头卖狗肉”、“狗仗人势”、“狗嘴里吐不出象牙”等。当然,英文中dog一词有时也带有贬义,但往往含义与中文不尽相同,我们使用时切忌望文生义。如,It is a dog’s life Chris is leading。 某位教授认为“a dog’s life”的意思是“悲惨的生活”,因而在一篇论及中英文化差别的文章中将其译成“过着牛马不如的生活”。其实“a dog’s life”指的是“争吵不休,过着不安宁的日子”。这类成语很多,如go to the dogs(每况愈下),dog-eat-dog(狗咬狗的,损人利己的),dog in the manger(占着茅坑不拉屎的人)。还有一些没有任何褒贬涵义的用法,如dog days(大热天),doggy bag(餐馆里的打包袋),据说,早先人们碍于面子,不愿明说要把剩菜带回家吃,佯称要带给狗吃,所以叫doggy bag. ( O$ Q( ]8 ^0 e: V
4 W$ {2 V* m4 W7 s; N1 D上面四条西方谚语都可以在汉语中找到相似的表达,但下面两条却全然不同了。
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10)Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
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3 e. B3 [( }6 n ?“闪电从不打同一个地方”,与我们说的“福无双至,祸不单行”恰恰相反,这也是差异的一个有趣的体现。
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2 H' K# R" Y$ D: Z3 @eg: -How were your exams? All over? ( q8 A8 L5 i* e. A. P8 B
# r. e' }7 u( r9 [) i3 z-I really don’t know. I did rather poorly last time. I hope I’ll do better this time. m1 M& H% t/ P5 J( @6 f
/ n) T( H# c4 J0 s( u8 H-Come on, don’t worry about it。 You are sure to pass。 As the saying goes, lightening never strikes the same place twice.
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11)One swallow does not make a summer.
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) [% j0 y+ L, l" c4 L- |swallow 是燕子。西谚说,一只燕子飞来不能代表夏天的来临。而中国成语却说, 一叶知秋。两种说法各有其智慧。“One swallow does not make a summer”强调的是要区别一般性与特殊性的辩证哲理; 而“一叶知秋”体现的则是从细微的端倪窥见总体趋势的睿智。
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% H' v5 ]$ v+ x, W$ X1 c1 seg: -Hey, look! The scores are already 2:1!Liverpool is sure to win, I bet! $ D6 t1 r: S# E3 K
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-I don’t think so. One swallow does not make a summer. Miracles always happen the last minute. |
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