学习英文谚语，了解西方文化(4)
|
(16) Every dog has its day. 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。 (又作All dogs have their days) e.g. 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. (17) If you lie down with dogs, you win get up with fIeas. 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。 e.g. Harry! How come you're back so late? Where have you been? 一Just to a friend's. 一 To a friend. Just for a glass of liquor, huh? You're going to be drowned in 1iquor. I'd say! If you lie down with dogs, you'll get up to End yourself with millions of fleas! (18) It is easy to find a stick to beat a dog- 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？ e.g. 一 Did you know that Jeff's been fired? -No. What for? -Jeff sometimes had ideas different from our boss's. -Yeah, but Jeff hasn't done anything wrong, has he? -Well, boss is boss. It is always easy to find a stick to beat a dog. (19) You can't teach old dogs new tricks. 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。 e.g. 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 Mow. 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 。 上面四条西方谚语都可以在汉语中找到相似的表达，但下面两条却然不同了。 Lightning never strikes the same place twice. “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。 e.g.-How were your exams? All over? -I really don't how. I did rather poorly last time. I hope I'll do better this time. －Come on, don't worry about it. You are sure to pass. As the saying goes, lightening never strike the same place twice. (20) One swallow does not make a summer. 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。 e.g.Hey, look! The scores are a1ready2:1!Liverpool is sure to win, I bet! -I don't think so. One swallow does not make a summer. Miracles always happen the last minute. |
