Proverbs and idioms are a key part of learning a language! Instead of saying directly what you mean, proverbs can help you paint a picture of it instead, and allow you to help the person you are talking to understand you better.
諺語(yǔ)和習(xí)語(yǔ)是學(xué)習(xí)一門語(yǔ)言的關(guān)鍵部分!諺語(yǔ)可以幫助你描繪一幅圖畫,而不是直接說(shuō)出你的意思,讓你幫助你說(shuō)話的人更好地理解你。
Common phrases can be used in the conversations you have with other people every day, in the TV shows and newspaper articles you watch and read, and even at work or in class. In order to fully understand a language, you must know all these phrases and sentences.
常見的短語(yǔ)可以用在你每天和別人的談話中,在你看和讀的電視節(jié)目和報(bào)紙文章中,甚至在工作或課堂上。為了完全理解一門語(yǔ)言,你必須知道所有這些短語(yǔ)和句子。
What better topic to paint a picture about than food? All of these proverbs have to do with food! Do not read this if you are hungry – it may only make you hungrier! Wait until you have eaten to go through this list.
還有什么比食物更好的話題來(lái)描繪呢?所有這些諺語(yǔ)都與食物有關(guān)!如果你餓了就不要讀這本書,它只會(huì)讓你更餓!等你吃完飯?jiān)倏催@個(gè)清單。
1. An apple a day keeps the doctor away!
一天一蘋果,醫(yī)生遠(yuǎn)離我!
Many proverbs do not mean what they literally say, but in some cases, this proverb is used this way.
許多諺語(yǔ)并不是字面上的意思,但在某些情況下,這句諺語(yǔ)是這樣使用的。
Especially for children who do not like to eat their fruits, parents can tell them “An apple a day keeps the doctor away!” to convince them that they will not have to see any doctor if they eat their fruits.
尤其是對(duì)于不喜歡吃水果的孩子,家長(zhǎng)可以告訴他們“一天一個(gè)蘋果,醫(yī)生遠(yuǎn)離你!”“讓他們相信,如果他們吃了水果,就不必去看醫(yī)生。
In other situations, the speaker may mean this generally – in that, if you eat healthy foods and take care of yourself, you will not have any health problems or have to visit the doctor.
在其他情況下,演講者通常會(huì)這么說(shuō)——如果你吃健康的食物并且照顧好自己,你就不會(huì)有任何健康問題或者必須去看醫(yī)生。
My sister only eats her fruits and vegetables if my mom reminds her that “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
我姐姐只吃水果和蔬菜,如果我媽媽提醒她“一天一個(gè)蘋果,醫(yī)生遠(yuǎn)離你!”。
If you ask your doctor for some advice on how to stay healthy, they might make a joke and tell you that “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
如果你向你的醫(yī)生請(qǐng)教如何保持健康,他們可能會(huì)開個(gè)玩笑,告訴你“一天一個(gè)蘋果可以讓醫(yī)生遠(yuǎn)離你”。
2. A hungry man is an angry man!
餓漢易怒!
While this proverb specifically talks about a man, this actually applies to all people – women and children included. When someone is hungry, whether they are grown or not, they are likely to be angry.
雖然這句諺語(yǔ)專門談到一個(gè)男人,但這實(shí)際上適用于所有人——包括婦女和兒童。當(dāng)有人餓的時(shí)候,不管他們是否長(zhǎng)大了,他們都可能會(huì)生氣。
When someone uses this proverb, they mean that someone who is hungry and has not had his needs met (whether it is specifically related to food or not) is more likely to be emotional.
當(dāng)有人使用這句諺語(yǔ)時(shí),他們的意思是饑餓的人,沒有滿足他的需要(無(wú)論是否與食物有關(guān))更有可能是情緒化的。
People are only in their right mind and can make complex decisions if they are full and have their needs met.
人們只有在正確的頭腦中,如果他們吃飽了,并且滿足了他們的需求,他們才能做出復(fù)雜的決定。
When you are trying to have a meeting right before lunch, you are likely to get some people who will not pay attention or will give you pushback for trying to force them into a meeting by saying, “A hungry man is an angry man!”
當(dāng)你想在午飯前開會(huì)時(shí),你很可能會(huì)讓一些人不注意你,或者因?yàn)槟阍噲D強(qiáng)迫他們開會(huì)而推倒你說(shuō):“饑餓的人是憤怒的人!“
When I was younger, I would never ask my mother whether I could go to my friend’s house if she had not yet eaten lunch or dinner, because I knew that she would always say no if she hadn’t eaten! A hungry man is an angry man!
在我小的時(shí)候,我從來(lái)不會(huì)問我媽媽,如果她還沒吃午飯或晚餐,我是否可以去我朋友的家,因?yàn)槲抑浪偸钦f(shuō)不,如果她沒有吃!饑餓的人是憤怒的人!
3. Eat to live but do not live to eat!
吃飯是為了活著,但活著不是為了吃飯。
Some people love eating so much that they make their entire existence about finding the most delicious food for them to have.
有些人太愛吃東西了,以至于他們?yōu)榱苏业阶蠲牢兜氖澄锒允称淞Α?/p>
They wake up thinking about what they want to have for breakfast, and then they spend as much time as possible figuring out which restaurants are the most delicious, and making sure that they go there and eat the best dishes.
他們醒來(lái)后會(huì)想早餐想吃什么,然后會(huì)花盡可能多的時(shí)間找出哪家餐館最好吃,并確保他們?nèi)ツ抢锍宰詈玫牟恕?/p>
This is great for most people who love eating, but this proverb warns against people who might take this a step too far.
這對(duì)大多數(shù)喜歡吃東西的人來(lái)說(shuō)是很好的,但是這句諺語(yǔ)警告人們不要走得太遠(yuǎn)。
Instead of finding some “greater purpose” for their lives, such as educating younger people or working for the poor, they think that their purpose is to eat as much as possible.
他們沒有為自己的生活找到一些“更大的目標(biāo)”,例如教育年輕人或?yàn)楦F人工作,而是認(rèn)為自己的目標(biāo)是盡可能多地吃飯。
If someone uses this proverb, it means that you should not put so much importance on eating. Instead, you should only eat enough to live, but you should not spend too much time thinking about food.如果有人用這句諺語(yǔ),那就意味著你不應(yīng)該把吃飯放在那么重要的位置。相反,你應(yīng)該只吃夠活,但你不應(yīng)該花太多時(shí)間思考食物。
Once someone is overweight, they should think about eating to live, but not living to eat.
一旦有人超重了,他們就應(yīng)該考慮吃飯是為了生存,而不是為了吃飯而活著。
My friend Ted absolutely has to find the best restaurants in every city that he travels to, so he ends up doing more research about food than research about places to stay or things to do. His wife always gets frustrated with him, saying that he should think about eating to live, but not living to eat.
我的朋友特德必須在他去的每一個(gè)城市都找到最好的餐館,所以他最終做的是關(guān)于食物的研究,而不是關(guān)于住的地方或事情的研究。他的妻子總是對(duì)他感到沮喪,說(shuō)他應(yīng)該考慮吃飯來(lái)生活,而不是活著來(lái)吃飯。
4. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket!
不要把一切希望寄托在一件事上
If you are in a position to invest in something, or you want to take a chance, it is tempting to believe everything you hear. However, you never really know what is good and what will work, so that is a dangerous thing to do.
如果你有能力投資某件事,或者你想冒險(xiǎn),那么相信你所聽到的一切是很有誘惑力的。然而,你永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)真正知道什么是好的,什么會(huì)起作用,所以這是一件危險(xiǎn)的事情。
In cases like these, this proverb is good to keep in mind. It means that you should not put all your money in one investment if you are talking about investing or stocks.
在這種情況下,這句諺語(yǔ)很好記住。這意味著,如果你在談?wù)撏顿Y或股票,你不應(yīng)該把所有的錢都投在一項(xiàng)投資上。
If you are talking about a job, the proverb means that you should not think that everything will be perfect with that single job. You should instead look for several ways to make money.
如果你在談?wù)撘环莨ぷ鳎V語(yǔ)的意思是,你不應(yīng)該認(rèn)為每件事都會(huì)完美的與單一的工作。相反,你應(yīng)該尋找?guī)追N賺錢的方法。
This proverb comes from the idea that, in older times, people would buy groceries and bring them home in a basket.
這句諺語(yǔ)來(lái)源于這樣一種觀念:在老年人,人們會(huì)買雜貨,然后把它們放在籃子里帶回家。
If you bought eggs, you should not put them all in the same basket, because if you accidentally drop the basket or bump into something, the basket could fall on the floor and all your eggs would break.
如果你買了雞蛋,你不應(yīng)該把它們都放在同一個(gè)籃子里,因?yàn)槿绻悴恍⌒牡舻交@子里或撞到什么東西,籃子會(huì)掉在地上,你所有的雞蛋都會(huì)碎。
Instead, you should be more conservative and put some eggs in multiple baskets, so that if one fails, you can still rely on the others to still be there.
相反,你應(yīng)該更加保守,把一些雞蛋放在多個(gè)籃子里,這樣,如果其中一個(gè)失敗了,你仍然可以依靠其他雞蛋繼續(xù)留在那里。
When my sister came to me for investment advice, she was thinking about putting all her money in her friend’s start up. However, I knew that that would be foolish, and told her to split her money in many different stocks. “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket!” I said. Luckily, she listened to me, because her friend went bankrupt two years later.當(dāng)我姐姐向我尋求投資建議時(shí),她正在考慮把所有的錢都投到她朋友的初創(chuàng)公司里。然而,我知道那是愚蠢的,告訴她把錢分給許多不同的股票。“不要把所有的雞蛋放在一個(gè)籃子里!“我說(shuō)。幸運(yùn)的是,她聽了我的話,因?yàn)樗呐笥褍赡旰笃飘a(chǎn)了。
Most people should think about getting a side job to bring in some income, because it is hard to know if or when you will be let go from your main job. If that happens, do not come back crying to me! I told you not to put all your eggs in one basket!
大多數(shù)人應(yīng)該考慮找一份兼職工作來(lái)賺取一些收入,因?yàn)楹茈y知道你是否或何時(shí)會(huì)從你的主要工作中解脫出來(lái)。如果那樣的話,不要回來(lái)哭我!我告訴過(guò)你不要把所有的雞蛋放在一個(gè)籃子里!
5. It’s no use crying over spilt milk!
覆水難收
When you see a child who has spilled something – such as their milk – you will likely see them crying about it as well. The classic image of a crying child is one that has the ice cream part of his ice cream cone on the ground.
當(dāng)你看到一個(gè)孩子灑了一些東西,比如他們的牛奶,你可能會(huì)看到他們也在哭?摁[的孩子的典型形象是把冰淇淋的一部分放在地上。
When you are a child, crying like this is okay, because you do not understand much. However, when you are an adult, this is much less acceptable.
當(dāng)你還是個(gè)孩子的時(shí)候,像這樣哭是可以的,因?yàn)槟悴惶靼住H欢,?dāng)你是一個(gè)成年人,這是不可接受的。
This proverb tells people not to cry over spilt milk – or not to cry (or wallow in sorrow, or stay on another negative emotion) over something that has already happened.
這句諺語(yǔ)告訴人們不要為灑下的牛奶哭泣,也不要為已經(jīng)發(fā)生的事情哭泣(或沉浸在悲傷中,或停留在另一種消極情緒中)。
Since there is no way to change the past, what has happened, has happened. Instead, you should move on and try to fix the problem, or just forget it.
既然沒有辦法改變過(guò)去,發(fā)生了什么,發(fā)生了什么。相反,你應(yīng)該繼續(xù)努力解決這個(gè)問題,或者干脆忘掉它。
The company wants us to try to fix all the problems that we have had with our new product, but I honestly think that it’s no use crying over spilt milk! We should just move on and work on our next product.
公司希望我們?cè)O(shè)法解決新產(chǎn)品出現(xiàn)的所有問題,但我真誠(chéng)地認(rèn)為,為灑出來(lái)的牛奶哭泣是沒有用的!我們應(yīng)該繼續(xù)做下一個(gè)產(chǎn)品。
I know Jim feels that he will never love again after the girl he was going to propose to broke up with him. But, as I keep telling him, it’s no use crying over spilt milk! We love and we learn.
我知道吉姆覺得在他打算和他分手的那個(gè)女孩之后,他再也不會(huì)愛她了。但是,正如我一直告訴他的,為灑出來(lái)的牛奶哭泣是沒有用的!我們愛學(xué)習(xí)。
6. One man’s meat is another man’s poison!
蘿卜青菜,各有所愛!
Someone that loves to eat meat could bring their friend to their favorite steak or BBQ restaurant – only to remember that their friend is vegetarian! Even if they look at the same dish, they will have very different perspectives on what it is.
喜歡吃肉的人可以帶他們的朋友去他們最喜歡的牛排或燒烤餐廳,但要記住他們的朋友是素食者!即使他們看的是同一道菜,他們對(duì)它的看法也會(huì)大相徑庭。
One might think that the steak looks absolutely delicious and cannot wait to try it. However, the other may be utterly repulsed by it! In other words, what they think about that dish depends entirely on their personal situation.
人們可能會(huì)認(rèn)為牛排看起來(lái)絕對(duì)美味,迫不及待地想嘗嘗。然而,另一個(gè)可能會(huì)被它完全擊退!換句話說(shuō),他們對(duì)那道菜的看法完全取決于他們的個(gè)人情況。
Likewise, this proverb means that something that is delicious meat in one man’s eyes will be like poison in the other man’s eyes.
同樣,這句諺語(yǔ)的意思是,一個(gè)人眼中的美味佳肴,另一個(gè)人眼中的毒藥。
Ken was shocked to hear that there are people who do not like to drink bubble tea! However, he probably should have expected that because one man’s meat is another man’s poison.
聽說(shuō)有人不喜歡喝泡茶,肯大為震驚!然而,他也許應(yīng)該預(yù)料到,因?yàn)橐粋(gè)人的肉是另一個(gè)人的毒藥。
When my father announced to our family that we would be taking a two week vacation to Japan, I was completely ecstatic and excited to go. However, my brothers looked like they could not care less about it – and might even prefer to stay home! I guess one man’s meat really is another man’s poison.
當(dāng)我父親向我們?nèi)倚家ト毡径燃賰芍軙r(shí),我欣喜若狂,很興奮要去。然而,我的兄弟們似乎對(duì)此毫不在意,甚至寧愿呆在家里!我想真是蘿卜青菜,各有所愛。
(來(lái)源:滬江英語(yǔ))