书城外语汉英英语谚语手册
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第16章 方 法 Methods (4)

Silence is learnt by many misfortunes of life.

许多事情同时干,一件事情也难成。

Who undertakes many things at once, seldom does anything well.

循序渐进。

Creep before you walk.

First creep and then go.

Learn to creep before you leap.

Learn to walk before you run.

Learn to say before you sing.

You must learn to creep before you go.

言不在多,而在于分量。

Deliver not your words by number but by weight.

言语比棍棒更有说服力。

People are conbinced by words than by blows.

言者无意,听者有心。

A casual remark sounds significant to a suspicious listener.

要达到目的最稳妥的办法,就是降低要求。

The surest way to gain our ends is to moderate our desires.

要生气时,先数一百。

When angry, count a hundred.

要想多做事情,最简单的办法是一次只做一件事。

The shortest way to do many things is to do only on thing at a time.

要想明白事理,须作长期学徒。

There needs a long apprenticeship(学徒期)to understand the mystery of the world’s trade.

要想你全说的,不要说你全想的。

Think all you speak, but speak not all you think.

要想事情做得好,就得每天起得早。

Who makes everything right must rise early.

要学会巧干。

Cross the stream where it is shallowest.

要学会去做应该做但不愿意做的事情。

He that does what he will does not what he ought.

夜长梦多。

After a delay comes a let.

一不做,二不休。不干则已,要干就干到底。

In for a penny, in for a pound.

Over shoes, over boots.

一不做,二不休。(据英国旧法律偷羊者处以绞刑)

As good / well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb.

One / You may as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb.

一次能做完的绝不分两次做。

Never make tow bites at a cherry.

一环薄弱,全链不强。

A chain is no stronger than its weakest lining.

一箭双雕。一举两得。

He fells two dogs with one stone.

Kill two birds with one stone.

一口不能吃个胖子。

An oak is not felled at one stroke.

一劳永逸。

The resolved mind has no cares.

一物既失,计较无益。

For a lost thing care nothing.

一心不能二用。

A man cannot both ring the bell and walk in the procession(队伍).

A man / You can not spin(旋转)and reel(卷轴)at the same time.

A man cannot whistle and drink at the same time.

Be a whole man to one thing at a time.

Do not attend to two things at a time.

Don’t think to hunt two hares with one dog.

No man can do two things at once.

一张一弛。

Alternate alertness with leisure and work with rest.

以最好的方法处理事务。

Take something by the best handle.

因材施教。因地制宜。

To cut the coat according to the cloth.

You cannt put the same shoe on every foot.

音乐是医治心灵创伤的灵丹妙药。

Music is the medicine of the breaking heart.

用具使用比得到难。

Gear is easier gained than guided.

用人不当。

Set a cow to catch a hare.

由此及彼。权衡得失。

Take one thing with another.

有备无患。

Good watch prevents misfortune.

Have two strings to your bow.

Lay things by, they may come to use.

Providing is preventing.

Readiness is all.

Store is no sore.

又快又好难办到。

Good and quickly seldom meet.

又要马儿好,又要马儿不吃草。鱼翅和熊掌不可兼得。

All cats love fish but fear to wet their paws.

One cannot eat one’s cake and have it.

Eat one’s cake and have it.

No man can both sup and blow at once.

The cat wanted fish but dared not wet her feet in the stream.

You cannot eat your cake and have your cake.

You cannot sell the cow and sup the milk.

You can’t sell the cow and have the milk too.

与其迷路,不如问路。

Better ask than go astray.

Better to ask the way than to go astray.

与其轻诺不履行,不如当场拒绝。

Better deny at once than promise long.

与其求人,不如求己。

Better rely on yourself than look to others for help.

与其惹恼傻子,不如使他高高兴兴。

It is better to please a fool than to anger him.

与其说不到点儿上,不如不说。

Better say nothing than nothing to the purpose.

Silence is better than unmeaning words.

羽毛未丰不要飞。

Don’t fly till your wings are feathered.

预先警告,提前准备。

To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

欲断今日事,须知往日情。

Things present are judged by things past.

欲进先退。

One must draw back in order to leap better.

遇事多问,到处通顺。

He that has a tongue in his head may find his way anywhere.

遇事找行家。

He works best who knows his trade.

缘木求鱼。到榆树上摘梨。

You ask an elm tree for pears.

远水解不了近渴。

Far water does not put out near fire.

Water afar quenches not fire.

While the grass grows the horse / steed starves.

越忙越要沉着。

Dress slowly when you are in a hurry.

越怕越危险。

He that always fears danger always feels it.

早起三光,晚起三慌。

He who does not rise early never does a good day’s work.

早睡早起,使人健康、富有和聪明。

Early to bed and early to rise make a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

责备使人无精打采,表扬使人精神振作。

Lacking breeds laziness, praise breeds pith.

找借口总比没借口好。

A bad excuse is better than none at all.

找借口不如没借口。

A bad excuse is worse than no excuse.

正人先正己。

Command your man and do it yourself.

He is not fit to command / govern others that cannot command / govern himself.

He that would govern others, first should be the master of himself.

He who laughs at crooked men should need walk very straight.

He who scrubs every pig he sees will not long be cleaned himself.

Know your own faults before blaming others for theirs.

One must be a servant before one can be a master.

People who live in glass houses have no right to throw stones.

People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

Physician, heal yourself.

Sweep before your own door.

They / People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

知道的不都说,看到的不都评论,这样生活就宁静。

Tell not all you know, nor judge of all you see, if you would live in peace.

知道何时该说话,就知道何时该缄默。

He that knows when to speak, knows too when to be silent.

只要尽其所能,自然水到渠成。

Do what you ought, and come what can.

只要肯等待,一切都会来。

Everything comes to him who waits.

众人合作,就要齐心协力。众人打砧,就得合拍。

When many strike on an anvil, they must strike by measure.

咒骂无济于事。咒骂不解决问题。

If you swear you will catch no fish.

注意小错才能避免大错。

The way to avoid great faults is to beware of small ones.

最简短的回答就是“干”。

The shortest answer is doing the thing.

最近的路往往是最艰难的。

The nearest way is commonly the foulest.

作最坏的思想准备,才有可能有最好的结果。

It is good to fear the worst, the best will save itself.

Provide for the worst, the best will save itself.

做事不彻底绝不能算做好。

Things done by halves are never done right.

做事不急,履险如夷。

Who has no haste in his mountains to him seem valleys.

做事要有的放矢。

In shooting, aim your arrow at the target; in playing the violin, choose a tune that entertains your audience.