书城外语汉英英语谚语手册
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第19章 处 世 Life Skills (3)

贵人多忘事。

Great men are apt to have short memories.

Great wits have short memories.

贵人少语。

A dear ship stands long in the haven.

过河拆桥。忘恩负义。

As soon as you have drunk, you turn your back upon the spring.

过河莫拆桥。

Cast no dirt into the well that gives you water.

害人之心不可有,防人之心不可无。

Love your neighbor, yet pull not down your hedge.

含糊其辞是谎言的近亲。

Equivocation is first cousin to a lie.

好汉不吃眼前亏。

A wise man doesn’t fight against impossible odds.

好汉做事好汉当。

A man must take the consequence of his own deeds.

好合好散。

Merry meet, merry part.

好猫不叫。

A mewing cat never a good mouser.

好奇心是祸根。

Curiosity killed the cat.

好事多磨。

Good things take time.

好意不可强求。

Kindness comes of will.

和为贵。

Let there be no strife(争吵).

后悔无益。

It is no use / good crying over spilt milk.

There is no use crying over spilt milk.

No weeping for spilt milk.

Never grieve over spilt milk.

花言巧语是无用的。

Fair / Fine words butter no parsnips.

Fair words will not make the pot play.

坏事要忍,好事要等。

Be bear with evil and expect good.

黄鼠狼给鸡拜年,没安好心。

A fox should not be of the jury at a goose’s trial.

It is a blind / silly goose that comes to the fox’s sermon(布道).

It is an evil sign to see a fox lick a lamb.

They are to be feared even though they offer gifts.

When the fox preaches(讲道), then beware your geese.

谎言重复一千遍就是真理。

A lie begets(引起)a lie till they come to generations.

Give a lie twenty-four hours’ start, and you can never overtake it.

If you throw mud enough, some of it will stick.

Throw dirt enough and some will stick.

谎言难持久。

Lies melt like snow.

谎言巧装扮,总会被揭穿。

Though a lie be well dressed, it is ever overcome.

谎言似蕁麻,玩弄会刺手。

Falsehood(谎言)like a nettle(荨麻)stings those who meddle with(乱动)it.

谎言易被揭穿。

Liars have short wings.

谎言总是站不住脚的。

Lies have short legs.

会说不如会做。

Say well is good, but do well is better.

机遇偏爱谨慎的人。

Chance generally favors the prudent(审慎之人).

鸡蛋碰石头,自取灭亡。

He who throws ashes against the wind will get the ashes into his own eyes.

The fly flutters about the candle till at last it gets burned.

The fly hat plays too long in the candle singes its wings at last.

Whether the pitcher(大水罐)strikes the stone, or the stone the pitcher, it is bad for the pitcher.

鸡飞蛋打两头空。

Between two stools one falls / goes to the ground.

Between two stools you fall to the ground.

He that hunts two hares at once will catch neither.

He that hunts two hares loses both.

He that run after two hares will catch either.

He who pursues two hares catches neither.

He who follows two hares is sure to catch neither.

He who hunts two horses leaves one and loses the other.

If you run after two hares, you will catch neither.

Who hunts two hares, leave one and lose the other.

One falls to the ground, in trying to sit on two stools.

己所不欲,勿施于人。

Do as you would be done by.

Do not to others what you do not wish then to do to you.

Do unto others as you would be done by.

记住自己的错,就会忘记别人的过。

Forget others’ faults by remembering your own.

即使决心宽恕敌人,也绝不能相信敌人。

If we are bound to forgive an enemy, we are not bound to trust him.

即使无能为力,也要尽力而为。

We do as we can, since when we can’t do as we would.

既往不咎。

Let bygones be bygones.

Let the dead bury the dead.

兼听则明,偏信则暗。

He has good judgment who relies not wholly on his own.

Hear all parties.

One man’s story is no story, hear both sides.

将人心比己心。欲要他人待你好,你得先要待他人好。

Treat others just what you want them to do for you.

讲话要恰当,否则明智不语。

Speak fitly or be silent wisely.

见人之错易,见己之错难。

It is sometimes easier to see the faults of others than to detect our own.

姜还是老的辣。

An old dog barks not in vain.

An old dog bites sore.

讲话随心所欲,听到的就不中意。

He who says what he likes shall hear what he does not like.

讲话要清楚,讲前要斟酌。

Speak clearly if you speak at all, carve every word before you let it fall.

讲话要体面,就像调料不能少盐。

Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt.

交换并非抢夺。

Exchange is no robbery.

交换意见是照亮心头的明灯。

Change of words is the lighting of hearts.

狡猾的人不会两回上当。

A fox is not taken twice in the same snare.

狡兔三窟。

A crafty person has more than one hideout(藏身处).

It is a poor fox / mouse that has but one hole.

The mouse that has but one hole is quickly taken.

金玉其外,败絮其中。

A fair complexion covers seven defects.

A monkey remains a monkey, though dressed in silk.

All saint without, all devil within.

Fair without, and foul within.

Sodom(罪恶之地)apples outwardly fair, ashes at the core.

金玉良言不破费,却价值千金。

Good words cost nothing, but are worth much.

Good words are worth much and cost little.

谨慎强于懊悔。

Better be sure than sorry.

谨慎为安全之本。祸不入审家之门。

Caution is the parent of safety.

谨慎有百利而无一害。

Much caution does no harm.

谨小慎微者成不了大器。

He that fears every bush must never go a-birding.

He that forecasts all perils(危险), will never sail the sea.

He that is afraid of every bush will never prove a good huntsman.

He that is afraid of leaves must not go to the wood.

He that fears leaves, let him not go into the wood.

He who trembles to hear a leaf fall should keep out of the wood.

近水楼台先得月。

A baker’s wife may bite of a bun(小面包), a brewer’s wife may bite of a tun(大酒桶).

近之则不逊

Familiar breeds contempt.

进退维谷。进退两难。

A pond in front, and a stream behind.

I am caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.

禁果是诱人的。

Forbidden fruit is sweet.

精诚所至,金石为开。诚可移山。

Faith can / will move mountains.

Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

Love will find a way.

敬人者,人敬之。

As you salute, you will be saluted.

Men are respectable only as they respect others.

Respect a man, he will do the more / same.

He that respects not is not respected.

久留、勤访招人嫌。

Do not wear out your welcome.

Fish and guests smell at three days old.

The best fish smell when they are three days.

酒足饭饱好商量。

A full belly counsels well.

举手之劳能起大作用。

A little help does a great deal.

开玩笑要适可而止。

Drop the jest when it is most amusing.

Leave a jest when it pleases you best.

可以人云亦云,但必须独立思考。

Say as men say but think to yourself

渴望忠告但不接受忠告者,徒然也。

In vain he craves advice that will not follow it.

口齿伶俐,是件利器。

A good tongue is a good weapon.

口惠不是实惠。

Praise is not pudding.

口蜜腹剑。

A honey tongue, a heart of gall(胆汁).

A honeyed tongue with a heart of gall.

Mouth of honey, heart of gall.

Bees that have honey in their mouths have stings in the tails.

Many one says well that thinks ill.

宽容比指责或对抗更有效。以蜜捕蝇,比醋更灵。

Flies are easier caught with honey than vinegar.

More flies are caught with honey than vinegar.

宽以待人,严以律己。

Forgive others, but not yourself.

Forgive thyself nothing, others much.

来而不往难持久。来而不往非礼也。

Courtesy on one side only lasts not long.

来日方长。

A day to come shows longer than a year that’s gone.

来者不拒。

All is fish that comes to his net.

Everything is fish that comes to his net.

牢骚太盛防肠断。