书城外语汉英英语谚语手册
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第18章 处 世 Life Skills (2)

I regard that man as lost, who has lost his sense of shame.

不自爱者,焉能爱人?

He that is ill to himself will be good to nobody.

“差不多”掩盖谎言多又多。

Almost and very nigh(接近地)saves many a lie.

迟迟不帮助,就是没帮助。

Slow help is no help.

差之毫厘,失之千里。

A miss is as good as a mile.

谗言可畏。众口铄金。

Flint / Throw dirt enough and some of will stick.

If you flint dirt enough, some of it will stick.

If the ball does not stick to the wall, it will at least leave the mark.

长痛不如短痛。

Better a finger off as aye wagging.

Better a little loss than a long sorrow.

常客招人嫌。

A constant guest is never welcome.

嘲笑他人者常被人嘲笑。

Jeerers(嘲弄者)must be content to taste of their own broth.

车到山前必有路,船到桥头自然直。

A ship approaching the shoals(浅滩)can steer clear of them; a car stopped by the hills in

front can drive past them.

In the end, things will mend.

Come what may, heaven won’t fall.

沉默很少受伤害。

Silence does seldom harm

沉默意味着认错。

He who keeps silent admits his faults.

沉默也是一种回答。

No answer is also an answer.

沉默者城府深。静水深流。

Smooth / Still water runs deep.

Still waters have deep bottom.

撑死胆大的,饿死胆小的。

A bashful dog never fattens.

A modest dog seldom grows fat.

承认了错误等于改正了一半。

A fault confessed is half redressed.

吃亏是福。

A bad compromise(妥协)is better than a fair lawsuit(诉讼).

吃人家的嘴短,拿人家的手短。接受恩赐就等于出卖了自由。

To receive a favor is to sell your liberty.

吃里爬外不是好人。

It is no good hen that cackles in your house and lays in another’s.

吃小亏占大便宜。

A little bait catches a large fish.

Throw out a sprat to catch a mackerel(鲭鱼).

Use the little to get the big.

Venture a small fish to catch a great one.

You must lose a fly to catch a trout(鳟鱼).

迟到的忏悔无诚意。

Late repentance is seldom true.

叱责骄傲并非谦逊的标志。

It is not a sigh of humility to declaim against the pride.

侈谈自己的快乐,易招致悲哀。

He that talks much of his happiness summons grief.

仇人身上疵易见。

In an enemy spots are soon seen.

丑婆娘怕照镜子。

An ugly woman dreads the mirror.

臭味相投。

Like lips, like lettuce.

初生牛犊不怕虎。

It is a bold mouse that breeds / nestles in the cat’s ear.

除刺宜于萌芽时。

It is good to nip the briar in the bud.

处在困境中的人,不可轻举妄动。

He who lives in glass house should not throw stones.

吹毛求疵者,事事要挑剔。

A carper will cavil at anything.

从他人的伤害中吸取教训是有好处的。

It is good to beware by other men’s harm.

从容思考,心急坏事。

Take time for deliberation; haste spoils everything.

粗鲁的实话胜过美妙的谎言。

Better speak truth rudely than lie correctly.

粗心大意者定要付出代价;小心谨慎者决不会跌入陷阱。

It is the careless man that will suffer; never will the prudent(审慎的)man fall into a trap.

存心要害人,不愁没机会。

He that is disposed for mischief will never want an occasion.

错误往往是正确的先导,骄傲是跌跤的前奏。

Error is often the precursor of what is correct, but conceit is the prelude to a fall.

大人不记小人过。

Eagles catch no flies.

大人物喜怒无常。

Great men’s favors are uncertain.

大树底下好乘凉。

A good tree is a good shelter.

Great trees are good for nothing but shade.

大丈夫能屈能伸。

A man among men is he who knows when to eat humble pie and when to hold his head high.

待人如待己。

Do to others as you would be done by.

Expect to be treated as you would have treated others.

待人要一视同仁。

Give everyone his due.

待之愈久,盼之愈切。

Desires are nourished by delays.

胆大心细,事事如意。

Be bold but cautious in whatever you do, and you’ll attain your goal for sure.

当面怕你的人背后会恨你。

He that fears you present, will hate you absent.

当面责人是英雄,背后中伤是懦夫。

He who blames one to his face I a hero, but he who backbites is a coward.

当心缄默之人,提防不吠之犬。

Beware of a man who never speaks, and of a dog who never barks.

得寸进尺。

If you agree to carry the calf, they’ll make you carry the cow.

Give an inch and take a mile.

Give him an inch and he’ll take an ell / a yard.

得意之时宜行好,因为得意多久难预料。

It is good to be good in your time, for you know not how long it will last.

德高望重者负担重。

Great honors are great burdens.

提防不吠之犬,当心平静之水。

Beware of a silent dog and still water.

抵赖错误就是重犯错误。

Denying a fault doubles it.

对付恶人最好的办法就是疏远他。

The best remedy against an ill man is much ground between.

对邻居来说,一个人不是上帝,就是魔鬼。

Man is a god or a devil to his neighbor.

对牛弹琴。瞎子点灯白费蜡。

A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse.

To a blind horse a nod is as good as a wink.

对小人,勿以礼相待。

Kiss a carle(粗人)and clap a carle and that’s the way to tine(消失)a carle.

多看、多听、多沉默,日子就好过。

See, listen, and be silent, and you will live in peace.

多看少说。

Keep your mouth shut and your eyes open.

多劳多得,不劳无获。

He who sows little reaps little.

多言吃苦头,缄默少惹祸。

Many have suffered for talking, none ever suffered for keeping silence.

多听少说。

Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.

Hear much, speak little.

Hear twice before you speak once.

It is better to play with the ears than the tongue.

Keep your mouth shut and your ears open.

Swift to hear, slow to speak.

恶语伤人。

A word is no arrow, but it can pierce the heart.

耳闻目睹也不可全信。

Believe not all what you see nor half what you hear.

犯错误不可怕,坚持错误最可怕。

Manlike is it to fall into sin, fiendlike(恶魔似的)is it to dwell therein.

犯错误是人的天性,但只有傻瓜才坚持错误。

It is the nature of every man to err, but only the fool preserves in the error.

防止跌跤比让人扶起强。

Keep from falling is better than helping up.

放任傻瓜就是害他。

Give a fool enough rope and he will hang himself.

肥水不流外人田。

Give your own fish-guts to your own sea-maws.

吠犬比睡狮好对付。爱说的人比不说话的人好对付。

A barking dog is better than a sleeping lion.

分担忧愁能减轻忧愁。

Grief divided is made lighter.

愤怒发急之时难纳忠言。

Anger and haste hinder(妨碍) good counsel.

愤怒起于愚蠢,终止于悔恨。

Anger begins with folly and ends with repentance.

风声鹤唳,草木皆兵。

He looks as the wood were full of thieves.

否认错误等于错上加错。

A fault once denied is twice committed.

Denying a fault doubles it.

服务所有人,费力不讨好。

Who serves everybody gets thanks from nobody.

高处不胜寒。枪打出头鸟。

Envy assails the noblest, the winds howl around the highest peak.

He sits not sure that sits too high.

High places have their precipices(悬崖).

隔墙有耳。

Even the wall has ears.

Fields have eyes and woods have ears.

Pitchers have ears.

Walls have ears.

Woods have ears and fields have eyes.

各人自扫门前雪,莫管他人瓦上霜。

Let every man skin(剥皮)his own skunk(臭鼬).

Look after number one.

Mind other men, but most yourself.

Paddle(划)your own canoe(独木舟)and don’t put your oar(桨)into my boat.

跟傻瓜开玩笑只有自讨苦吃。

Jest with(取笑)an ass and he will flag you in the face with his tail.

公正对待一切人,但不要信任一切人。

Be just to all, but trust not all.

公众人物需矜持。杯满盈,须持稳。

A full cup must be carried steadily.

When the cup is full, carry it even.

恭维是糖衣炮弹。

A flattering speech is honeyed poison.

狗把尾巴摇,爱的是面包。

Doges wag their tails not so much in love to you as your bread.

姑息养奸。

Pardon makes offenders.

观衣着可知其人。

You may know the horse by his harness(马具).

管住嘴,没坏处。吃少病少,说少祸少。

Eating little and speaking little can never do harm.

光脚的不怕穿鞋的。

He that has nothing is frightened at nothing.