给猪涂口红 lipstick on a pig

2008年美国总统大选的时候，奥巴马的一句“你就算给猪涂上口红，它也还是只猪”曾经引起选民的广泛争议，同时，也让lipstick on a pig这个出现于上世纪二十年代的习惯用语重新回到人们的口中，一时间，lipstick on a pig成了美国人民很爱用的一个短语。

Have you ever tried to 'dress up' something unappealing in a vain attempt to make it look better? For instance, that tired old sofa is still looking tired, even though you've put a 'luxury throw' on it, and that ugly concrete yard is still a concrete yard, even though you've adorned it with a couple of pot plants. These attempts to make something unpleasant look more attractive which, despite our best efforts, are decidedly unsuccessful, are classic examples of lipstick on a pig.

你有没有曾经“精心装扮”一个看着很不入眼的事物想让它好看一点，结果发现所有努力都是徒劳？比如，就算你在那个破旧的沙发上铺了一个“奢华的布盖”，它看上去还是那么破旧；还有那个难看的水泥地小院子，并没有因为你倾心摆了几个盆栽就变得美丽宜人。所有这些倾尽力量想要把难看的事物变得更加美好，但结局注定失败的行为都是“给猪涂口红”的典型例证。

In fact the idea of vain attempts at converting something from ugly to attractive, as intended by use of lipstick on a pig, is similar to that of the famous old proverb “You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear”, which dates back to the mid-16th century.

其实，“给猪涂口红”跟16世纪中叶很有名的一句谚语“母猪的耳朵做不成丝绸钱包”表达的意思差不多，都比喻想要把丑陋的事物变美好而做的无用功。