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。

She always scolded her children, but they knew that she had a sharp tongue but a soft heart.
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/ A8 Y6 ^4 ^8 i( ?! U# N; R4 G# }She always scolded her children, but they knew her bark was worse than her bite.
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3 Z! D! u5 X1 M9 h  d6 g1 T; O% M动不动: easily; frequently; at every turn

* g/ f8 W9 }% f" P5 }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
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他动不动就训人：He is always lecturing people.
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5 o$ V. I$ U% i6 [! H; x刀子嘴豆腐心：have a sharp tongue but a soft heart

2. 他是不到黄河不死心。

1 ^" ?5 ^1 T9 f7 C; T3 K3 x: RHe wouldn’t stop until he reached the Yellow River—to give up until his hope has gone.
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不到黄河不死心: not stop until one reaches the Huanghe River—not stop until one reaches one’s goal;

3 g% N4 l6 O: ]: b9 E) Grefuse to give up until all hope is gone
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3. 十年树木，百年树人。

3 E$ s; v% d5 D/ fIt takes ten years to grow trees, but a hundred to rear/cultivate people.
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6 ?$ t- e9 T: C' Y4 z2 i4. 他这一去如石沉大海，再无消息。
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7 K  p  [8 [" {0 T- _1 R( UHe 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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5. 若要人不知，除非己莫为。

. D* i. C$ U9 VThe only way to stop people from knowing it is not to do it.

: }/ Z8 c! t" F9 z0 SThe only way to stop people from knowing it is to restrain from doing it.
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$ n0 d6 k  `/ l  V' ]& d8 _If you haven’t done it, other people wouldn’t know it.

$ I. y8 M& U) d4 s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.

* g+ ~4 B3 F3 E) {* n9 H, n6. 他搜肠刮肚，也找不出合适的字眼表达这个意思。

: R+ ^+ u9 E/ w% xHe racked his brains but couldn’t find words suitable for the idea.
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7. 这完全是张冠李戴。
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9 T# @+ J3 Q/ Y; T, KThis is putting Mr. Zhang’s hat on Mr. Li’s head.
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张冠李戴: Put Zhang’s hat on Li’s head--- attribute sth. to the wrong person or confuse one thing with another.
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8. 味道真不错，果然是名不虚传。

7 P  k: J# x* g. c% }: IIt’d delicious, really lives up to its reputation.
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名不虚传: have a well-deserved reputation;
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deserve the reputation one enjoys;
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. Y. o# \* \$ R8 e* n# Alive up to one’s reputation
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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.”

天无绝人之路: Heaven never seals off all the exits—there is always a way out.
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; y7 o* K/ c4 ^5 _9 [( w" W2 |10. 他咯咯的笑着说，“这叫做画饼充饥”。
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He giggled/chuckled and said, “This is called ‘ drawing a cake to satisfy one’s hunger’.”

' [" E0 o4 e  k2 y7 J1 c3 S画饼充饥: draw cakes to allay hunger--- feed on illusions.

11. 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.
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/ J+ w# \" o: i- S( {/ m. L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.
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1 ?# r" I$ ]' {: q' c7 V" t" J12. 天下没有不散的宴席。

8 k$ D0 T4 l# l% Y# @All good things must come to end.
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- ?# i! B, c% X; X$ ?! jAll feasts must come to an end.

; e9 h7 m2 q5 L* f8 |7 \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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13. 有理走遍天下，无理寸步难行。
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With justice on your side, you can go anywhere; without it, you can’t take a step / move an inch.

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。
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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.
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2 i$ P8 w+ `; v- c% A# F$ p9 z15. 吃一堑，长一智。
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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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( g7 ?4 \9 l4 {% E3 sTalk 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.

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.

借刀杀人: kill somebody by another’s hand; make use of one person to get rid of another.

0 N1 v- W' m! V. s( J煽风点火:fan the flames; inflame and agitate people; stir up trouble
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17. 我在当时真的是哭笑不得。

I felt at a loss to know that to do at that moment/time.
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哭笑不得: not know whether to laugh or to cry; find sth both funny and annoying
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18. 对于此事他胸有成竹。
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# N% t" f: R% v6 w$ X6 w, xHe has had a well-thought-out plan before doing it.
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胸有成竹: have a well-thought-out plan, stratagem, etc
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6 O% x9 P2 O# O8 A19. 中国经济取得巨大发展，中国人民终于扬眉吐气了。

. Y% f6 S1 L8 D4 X! C, Y% w7 pThe 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.

9 A6 q9 f# _% `$ O3 Y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!
/ a! }; F3 O2 H- jbillzhao 发表于 2009-5-23 11:26

上周日中午你去大统华了吗