书城外语汉英英语谚语手册
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第17章 处 世 Life Skills (1)

安分守己,没人找麻烦。

Sit your place, and none can make you rise.

八面玲珑,结果四处碰壁。

He who tries to please everybody pleases nobody.

班门弄斧。

Teach a dog to bark.

Teach / Tell your grandmother how to suck eggs.

班门弄斧。教家长制作牛奶羽衣甘蓝。

Learn your Goodman to make milk kale.

班门弄斧不容易。跛腿面前难装跛。

It is hard halting before a cripple.

帮忙拖延太久,会把别人的谢意带走。

Long tarrying takes all the thanks away.

榜样的力量是无穷的。一羊过沟百羊随。

If one sheep leap o’er the dyke(沟渠), all the rest will follow.

必须学会忍受。

You must grin and bear it.

别后留下念想,而不是厌恶。

Better go away longing than loathing.

别人不求教,切勿先劝告。

Never give advice unasked.

Give no advice unasked.

病、仇与债这三者,要消灭在萌芽时。

Disease, enemy, and debt – these three must be cut off as soon as they begin to grow.

不表态就是同意。

Silence gives / implies consent.

不可先入为主。不可凭最初的印象看人论事。

Judge not of men and things at first sight.

Don’t judge men or things at first sight.

不可因美貌而自负。

Don’t be vain because you are good looking.

不可以服饰取人。

A horse is neither better nor worse for his trappings.

A ragged coat may cover an honest man.

A royal heart is hidden under a tattered cloak.

Under a good cloak may be a bad man.

Under a ragged coat lies wisdom.

不可以貌取人。

A wooer should open his ears more than his eyes.

Appearances are often deceitful / deceptive(误解的).

Beauty is but skin-deep.

Choose a wife rather by you ear than your eye.

Don’t judge by appearance.

In appearance place no trust.

Judge not according to the appearance.

Never judge from appearances.

Never judge people by their appearances.

The habit / cowl / hood does not make the monk.

There is no trusting to appearance.

You cannot know wine by the barrel.

不可趾高气扬、盛气凌人。

Do not ride the high horse.

不能保持缄默的人,生活就不会轻松。

He who cannot hold his peace will never live at ease.

不能尽如人意,也应尽力而为。

They who cannot do as they would, must do as they can.

不能两面讨好。

One / You cannot run with the hare and hunt with the hounds.

You cannot have it both way.

不怕犯错,就怕不改。

Don’t be afraid of making mistakes, but it is harmful to let them remain uncorrected.

不轻易许诺的人最守信用。

He who is the most slow in making a promise is the most faithful in the performance of it

不善缄默者不善辞令。

He that knows not how to hold his tongue knows not how to talk.

不善交流者孤陋寡闻。

He that converses not knows nothing.

不善言谈者废话多。

He cannot speak well that cannot hold his tongue.

Many speak much who cannot speak well.

不速之客会受冷遇。

An unbidden guest knows not where to sit.

不想就说等于无的放矢。

Speak without thinking is shooting without aiming / talking aim..

不言则已,言必中听。

Be silent, or speak something worth hearing.

不要把话说绝。

Never is a long day / word.

不要把一切希望都寄托于不中用的人身上。

Lay not all the load on the lame horse.

不要班门弄斧。

Do not teach fish to swim.

Don’t teach your grandmother to suck eggs.

不要拆了东墙补西墙。

Do not rob Peter to pay Paul.

不要重提往日恩怨。

Do not rake up old grievances.

不要从表面看问题。

Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Don’t look upon the vessel, but upon that which it contains.

不要东施效颦。不要模仿比你强的人。

Do not ape your betters.

不要对牛弹琴。

Do not cast your pearls before swine.

Neither cast your pearls before swine.

不要对送来的礼物吹毛求疵。馈赠之马,勿看牙口。

Look not a gift horse in the mouth.

No man ought to look a gift horse .

不要多此一举。不要用蜡烛照太阳。

Light not a candle to the sun.

不要多管闲事。省口气吹你的汤。

Save your breath to cool your broth(汤).

Scald(烫伤)not your lips in another men’s pottage(浓汤).

不要工作时用嘴吵,而要用头脑。

Don’t make any noise while you work, but use your brain.

不要狗拿耗子,多管闲事。

Don’t /Never scald your lips in another man’s porridge(粥).

Scald not your lips in another man’s porridge.

Don’t have too many irons in the fire.

不要孤注一掷。

Venture not all in one bottom.

不要过早乐观。

Count not your chickens before they are hatched.

Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.

Never cackle till your egg is laid.

Never do / fry a fish till it’s caught.

Sell the bear’s skin before one has caught the bear.

不要过早下结论。

Don’t praise the day until evening.

不要好高骛远,免得自寻烦恼。莫从高处下斧子,免得碎屑掉眼中。

Hew not too high lest the chips fall in your eye.

不要衡量你付出的,而要衡量你得到的。

Weigh not what you give but what is given you.

不要计较旧怨。

Forgive and forget.

不要揭别人的伤疤。

Mention not a halter in the house of him that was hanged.

不要尽言所知,而要尽知所言。

Don’t speak all you know, but know all you speak.

不要老生常谈。

Do not take your harp to the party.

不要轻于启齿,莫做不速之客。

Speak when you’re spoken to, come when you’re called.

不要惹是生非。

Don’t wake a sleeping dog.

It is ill to waken sleeping dogs.

It is dangerous to wake a sleeping dog.

It is not good to wake a sleeping lion.

Let sleeping dogs lie.

Let a sleeping dog lie.

不要让贪婪的人作保管员。

Don’t trust a goat with the kitchen-garden, or a wolf with sheepfold(羊圈).

不要三心二意。

Let not your wits go wool-gathering(空想).

不要授人以柄。

Do not make a rod for your own back.

不要挑肥拣瘦。

Don’t quarrel with your bread and butter.

不要挑剔别人赠送的礼物。

Don’t / Never look a gift-horse in the mouth.

Look not a gift-horse in the mouth.

不要为尽所能、花尽所有、全信所闻、言尽所知。

Do not all you can; spend not all you have; believe not all you hear; and tell not all you know.

不要为未来担忧,也不要为过去悲泣。

Fear not the future; weep not for the past.

不要先入为主。

Men’s actions are not to be judged of at first sight.

不要想当然。不要以为别人的付出都是应该的。世上没有白吃的午餐。

Never take anything for granted.

不要向不如你幸运的人述说你的幸福。

Do not speak of your happiness to one less fortunate than yourself.

不要小题大做。

Do not make a mountain out of a molehill.

Make not mickle of little.

Never make a mountain of a molehill.

不要宣扬自己的善行。(圣经)

Let not your left hand know what your right hand does.

不要养虎遗患。

Do not keep a dog and bark yourself.

不要依赖靠不住的人。

Lean not on a reed.

不要以恶报恶、以骂对骂,恰恰相反,要为别人祝福。

Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing; but contrariwise(相反之)blessing.

不要以己度人。

Don’t measure other people’s corn by your own bushel.

不要议论他人,否则也会被他人议论。一报还一报。

Judge not, not ye shall not be judged.

不要异想天开。

Do not / Don’t let the mind dwell upon what you cannot obtain

不要自吹自擂。

Never sound the trumpet of your own praise.

不要自寻烦恼。

Don’t trouble trouble until trouble troubles you.

Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you.

不要总觉得自己对。

Do not seek to reform every one’s dial by your own watch.

不在于多说,而在于中肯。

It is one thing to speak much and another to speak pertinently(中肯地).

不在于她是什么,而在于她有什么。

It is not what is she, but what has she.

不自量力。贪多嚼不烂。

Bite off more than one can chew(嚼).

不自命聪明的人最聪明。

He is the wisest man who does not think himself so.

不自知者不智。

He is not wise hat is not wise for himself.

不知分寸者会遭惩罚。

He that forsakes(放弃)measure, measure forsakes him.

不知羞耻者无良知。

He has no shame has no conscience.

不知羞耻者就失去了所有的美德。

He who has lost shame is lost to all virtue.

不知羞耻者就是死人。