汉语俗语英译20句

leowxc

1. 她动不动就骂她的孩子们，但孩子们都知道她是刀子嘴豆腐心。

% s7 n" p4 n# b9 FShe always scolded her children, but they knew that she had a sharp tongue but a soft heart.

She always scolded her children, but they knew her bark was worse than her bite.

动不动: easily; frequently; at every turn
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* g0 W1 G2 n, M! L+ @( d动不动就感冒：catch a cold easily

动不动就发脾气：be apt to lose one’s temper; often get into a temper

他动不动就训人：He is always lecturing people.

& [  Q/ p/ k5 s. A: c& j刀子嘴豆腐心：have a sharp tongue but a soft heart

2. 他是不到黄河不死心。

, I* W0 }! t/ n& s+ ^He wouldn’t stop until he reached the Yellow River—to give up until his hope has gone.

不到黄河不死心: not stop until one reaches the Huanghe River—not stop until one reaches one’s goal;

refuse to give up until all hope is gone
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2 O" f2 A' O* j3. 十年树木，百年树人。
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It takes ten years to grow trees, but a hundred to rear/cultivate people.

4. 他这一去如石沉大海，再无消息。
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  v0 M- @+ H/ B+ h, ]# ~He left like a stone dropped into the sea and has never been heard of.

石沉大海: like a stone dropped into the sea---disappear for ever; never to be seen or heard of again.
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; \" q! N4 r+ \/ Y4 u5. 若要人不知，除非己莫为。

The only way to stop people from knowing it is not to do it.

: o# L% a0 e) X& xThe only way to stop people from knowing it is to restrain from doing it.

If you haven’t done it, other people wouldn’t know it.

$ T" }8 b6 u; ^- a6 T! V若要人不知，除非己莫为: If you don’t wish anyone to know what you’ve done, it is better not to have done it in the first place.
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6. 他搜肠刮肚，也找不出合适的字眼表达这个意思。
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He racked his brains but couldn’t find words suitable for the idea.

7. 这完全是张冠李戴。

; {6 u$ V" n* MThis is putting Mr. Zhang’s hat on Mr. Li’s head.

3 A$ w8 ]8 N5 s: m& ^6 R- d张冠李戴: Put Zhang’s hat on Li’s head--- attribute sth. to the wrong person or confuse one thing with another.

8. 味道真不错，果然是名不虚传。
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It’d delicious, really lives up to its reputation.

名不虚传: have a well-deserved reputation;
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deserve the reputation one enjoys;
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live up to one’s reputation

9. 父亲说，“事已至此，不必难过，好在天无绝人之路。”

My father said, “Now that things have come to such a pass. It’s no use crying. Heaven always leaves one way out / Every cloud has a silver line.”

# {# _. m  [, B3 Q天无绝人之路: Heaven never seals off all the exits—there is always a way out.
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5 B; j, l0 ?/ G4 X6 O$ Q10. 他咯咯的笑着说，“这叫做画饼充饥”。

He giggled/chuckled and said, “This is called ‘ drawing a cake to satisfy one’s hunger’.”
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! U" o; s# ]0 a/ l6 q8 W8 H画饼充饥: draw cakes to allay hunger--- feed on illusions.
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9 K  Q# w6 v! j11. 汤姆也来上学，不过是三天打鱼，两天晒网。

Tom was enrolled as a student, but he was like the fisherman who fishes for three days and suns his net for two.

) M9 j  @* e5 u# ]三天打鱼，两天晒网: go fishing for three days and dry the nets for two--- work by fits and starts; lack perseverance.

8 _; |' g' J5 s7 l" `12. 天下没有不散的宴席。
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All good things must come to end.
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All feasts must come to an end.

天下没有不散的宴席: There never was a feast but the guests have to depart--- all good things must come to an end.
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% V3 s- W  q1 u13. 有理走遍天下，无理寸步难行。
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8 v5 T: |9 k1 x/ cWith justice on your side, you can go anywhere; without it, you can’t take a step / move an inch.
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* T+ E. C, K5 \) T5 b扩展：天网恢恢，疏而不漏：Justice has long arms.
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14. 江山易改，本性难移。

A leopard can’t change its spots.
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江山易改，本性难移: It’s easy to change rivers and mountains but hard to change a person’s nature.

15. 吃一堑，长一智。

A fall in/into the pit; a gain in your wit.
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16. “坐山观虎斗”，“借刀杀人”，“煽风点火”，“推倒油瓶儿不扶”，都是他们的本事。
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Talk about “sitting on a hill to watch tigers fight”, “murdering with a borrowed sword”, “stirring up trouble”, and “not troubling to right the oil bottle that has been knocked over”---- they are all good hands at such tricks.

+ G4 Z) J2 n& n! F8 h坐山观虎斗:Sit on top of the mountain to watch the tigers fight—watch in safety while others fight, then reap the spoils when both sides are exhausted.
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借刀杀人: kill somebody by another’s hand; make use of one person to get rid of another.

1 H* J, k/ t  N" q6 }  w" l煽风点火:fan the flames; inflame and agitate people; stir up trouble

17. 我在当时真的是哭笑不得。
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/ Z  Q- J4 e8 lI felt at a loss to know that to do at that moment/time.

哭笑不得: not know whether to laugh or to cry; find sth both funny and annoying

18. 对于此事他胸有成竹。
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He has had a well-thought-out plan before doing it.

胸有成竹: have a well-thought-out plan, stratagem, etc
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19. 中国经济取得巨大发展，中国人民终于扬眉吐气了。
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The Chinese people feel proud and elated for the great economic development/growth in China.
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The Chinese people feel proud and elated for China’s great economic development/growth.

扬眉吐气: feel proud and elated
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20. 他利用那些有权有势的朋友帮助他走后门，到政府行政部门任职。
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He used his influential friends to help him to get into the civil service by/through the back door.

billzhao

Great!

redrunner

Great!
billzhao 发表于 2009-5-23 11:26

: u6 a  P3 a: s3 m3 g  b上周日中午你去大统华了吗