成语的英文（1）

笨鸟先飞A slow sparrow should make an early

不眠之夜white night

不遗余力spare no effort; go all out; do one"s best

不打不成交"No discord, no

拆东墙补西墙rob Peter to pay Paul

大开眼界open one"s eyes; broaden one"s horizon; be an eye-opener

国泰民安The country flourishes and people live in peace

功夫不负有心人Everything comes to him who

好了伤疤忘了疼once on shore, one prays no more

和气生财Harmony brings wealth

活到老，学到老One is never too old to

既往不咎let bygones be bygones

金无足赤,人无完人Gold can"t be pure and man can"t be

金玉满堂Treasures fill the home

脚踏实地be down-to-earth

脚踩两只船sit on the fence

老生常谈，陈词滥调cut and dried, cliché

礼尚往来Courtesy calls for

留得青山在，不怕没柴烧"Where there is life, there is "

马到成功achieve immediate victory; win instant success

名利双收gain in both fame and wealth

茅塞顿开be suddenly enlightened

弄巧成拙be too smart by half; Cunning outwits

拿手好戏masterpiece

赔了夫人又折兵throw good money after bad

抢得先机take the preemptive opportunities

强强联手win-win co-operation

瑞雪兆丰年A timely snow promises a good

人之初,性本善Man"s nature at birth is

人逢喜事精神爽Joy puts heart into a

人海战术huge-crowd strategy

世上无难事，只要肯攀登"Where there is a will, there is a "

世外桃源a fictitious land of peace away from the turmoil of the world;

死而后已until my heart stops beating

岁岁平安Peace all year round

塞翁失马，焉知非福Misfortune may be an actual

升级换代updating and upgrading (of products)

四十不惑Life begins at

水涨船高When the river rises, the boat floats

时不我待Time and tide wait for no

杀鸡用牛刀break a butterfly on the wheel

说曹操,曹操到Talk of the devil and he

实话实说speak the plain truth; call a spade a spade; tell it as it is

实践是检验真理的唯一标准Practice is the sole criterion for testing

糖衣炮弹sugar-coated bullets

天有不测风云Anything unexpected may a bolt from the blue

团结就是力量Unity is

歪风邪气unhealthy practices and evil phenomena

物以类聚，人以群分Birds of a feather flock

望子成龙hold high hopes for one"s child

屋漏又逢连阴雨Misfortunes never come When it rains it

文韬武略military expertise; military strategy

唯利是图draw water to one"s mill

无源之水,无本之木water without a source, and a tree wiithout roots

无中生有make/create something out of nothing

徇私枉法bend the law for the benefit of relatives or friends

新官上任三把火a new broom sweeps clean

蓄势而发accumulate strength for a take-off

心想事成May all your wish come true

先入为主First impressions are firmly

先下手为强catch the ball before the bound

像热锅上的蚂蚁like an ant on a hot pan

现身说法warn people by taking oneself as an example

息事宁人pour oil on troubled waters

喜忧参半mingled hope and fear

循序渐进step by step

鱼米之乡a land of milk and honey

有情人终成眷属"Jack shall have Jill, all shall be "

有钱能使鬼推磨Money makes the mare Money

有识之士people of vision

有勇无谋use brawn rather than brain

与时俱进advance with times

以人为本people oriented; people foremost

因材施教teach students according to their aptitude

欲速则不达Haste does not bring

优胜劣汰survival of the fittest

英雄所见略同Great minds think

冤家宜解不宜结Better make friends than make

一言既出，驷马难追A real man never goes back on his

招财进宝Money and treasures will be plentiful

债台高筑become debt-ridden

致命要害Achilles" heel

众矢之的target of public criticism

纸上谈兵be an armchair strategist

纸包不住火Truth will come to light sooner or
 

成语的英文（2）

东施效颦

Xi Shi, a famous beauty, had a pain in her bosom(胸部) , so she had a frown on her face when she went An ugly girl who lived nearby saw her and thought she looked very therefore when she went home, she also put her hands on her bosom and had a frown on her

When a rich man in the neighbourhood saw her, he shut his doors tightly and did not go When a poor man saw her, he took his wife and children and gave her a wide berth(保持安全距离) .

She only knew Xi Shi's frown looked beautiful but she did not know the reason for its

成语的英文（3）

万事俱备 只欠东风

China has been divided into three kingdoms historically: Wei in the north, Shu in the southwest and Wu in the

Once Cao Cao from Wei led a 200,000 strong army down to the south to wipe out the kingdoms of Wu and Therefore, Wu and Shu united to defend his Cao ordered his men to link up the boats by iron chains to form a bridge for the Cao's passing from the north bank of Yangtze River to the south The General Commander of the allied army was Zhou He analyzed the situation Then he got a good He decided to attack the enemy with So he began to prepare for the neting Suddenly he thought of the direction of He needed the east wind to blow strongly in order to acnetplish his However, the wind did not nete for Thus Zhou Yu was worried about At that time, he got a note from Zhuge Liang, the military adviser of the State of Shu, which reads:

"To fight Cao Cao

Fire will help you win

Everything is ready

Except the east wind"

Quickly he turned to Zhuge Liang for Zhuge told him not to worry and there would be an east wind in a couple of Two days later, the east wind helped Zhou acnetplish his At last, the allied army won the

Later, people use it to say "All is ready except what is crucial".

成语的英文（4）

相敬如宾

During the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), there was a high official in the State of He once saw a farmer working in the field and his wife bringing his lunch to him in a very respectful He showed great interest in the He took the farmer back to Jin with him, and said to the King of Jin, "Respect is a demonstration of If one is respectful, he must be We should educate our people with " But the King asked, "His father is guilty, is it wise to do so?" He replied, "Guan Zhong had been enemy to the Duke Huan of Qi, but the duke appointed Guan Zhong prime minister and finally acnetplished his Shun exiled Gun but promoted his son You just make use of his strong " At last, Duke Wen took his advice and put the farmer in an important

Later, this idiom means a couple treats each other with respect like

成语的英文（5）

入木三分

Wang Xi-zhi is one of the most famous calligraphers(书法家) during the Eastern Jin Dynasty of When he was very young, he practiced his art every day and never

Later he absorbed the strong points of all the other schools of calligraphy, and developed his own unique style of Because of his achievements, he has been honored as one of China's sages of One time, Wang Xi-zhi sketched in wood for an engraver to Then the engraver found the ink had penetrated one centimeter into the

"Ru Mu San Fen" is got from this story, which means the calligraphy is

Now it is often used to describe expressing sharp ideas or profound

成语的英文（6）

一技之长

Gong sun Long , is a famous scholar lived in the State of Zhao during the Warring States Period (475-221BC). He had kept a circle skilled people around He often said, "A wise man should welnete anyone with a "

One day, a man dressed in tattered(破烂的) and dirty clothes came to see him and said to him:" I have a special "

Gong asked: "What is it?"

"I have a loud voice and I'm good at "

Then Gong turned to his followers and asked," Who is good at shouting?" But none of them answered "Yes ". So the scholar took the man

Some days later, Gong and his followers went on a They came to a wide river and found the ferryboat was on the other side of the All of them had no Suddenly, Gong thought of the shouting expert and turned to him, "Can you have a try?" The man realized it was the chance to show his He shouted to the ferryman as loud as he could, "Hey, ferryman, nete here, we want to cross the " As his voice ended, the ferryman came to fetch Gong was very satisfied with the new

Later, people use it to describe anyone who has a special professional

成语的英文（7）

叶公好龙

In the Spring and Autumn Period, there lived in Chu a person named Chu Zhuliang, who addressed himself as "Lord Ye".

It's said that this Lord Ye was very fond of The walls had dragons painted on The beams, pillars, doors and the windows were all carved with As a result, his love for dragons was spread When the real dragon in heaven heard of this Lord Ye, he was deeply He decided to visit Lord Ye to thank

You might think Lord Ye was very happy to see a real But, actually, at very the sight of the creature, he was scared out of his wits and ran away as fast as he

From then on, people knew that Lord Ye only loved pictures or carvings which look like dragons, not the real

成语的英文（8）

望梅止渴

Among the outstanding figures of Chinese history, famous either for their intelligence or treachery(背叛,变节), Cao Cao is one of the

One hot day, he marched out his troops under a burning sun in a mountainous Bewilderingly(令人困惑地) he lost the The journey was long and the sun was After their fruitless and tiresome march, all voiced their great dissatisfaction with the leadership of Cao They bitterly complained of their great The antagonism(对抗) of the soldiers was growing fast and they were on the verge of staging a mutiny(兵变). The subordinate officers were helpless to cope with the

Cao Cao, however, in the nick of time cleverly and treacherously gave orders to his troops to march to the nearby plum trees for a rest and announced that soldiers would be allowed to eat the juicy sour(酸的) fruit as much as they

At the thought of the sour fruit the soldiers' complaint of great thirst as well as the antagonistic feeling were quickly

Based on the story the later generation formed the proverb "to quench one's thirst by looking up at plums", to illustrate a case where one takes comfort in believing that they have already attained that which was expected or

成语的英文（9）

成语的英文翻译方法

翻译需要克服语言和文化的双重障碍。就语言而言，最大的障碍莫过于原语中独特的结构形式；就文化而言，莫过于独特的民族特征。如果独特的语言形式又表现了民族性极强的思想内容，翻译应变得更难了。汉语中的四字结构，正是一种独特的语言结构形式，这种语言结构形式是我国人民在长期实践和认识过程中提炼出的语言结晶，不但结构工整紧凑，具有很强的表现力，令人读之悦目，听之悦耳，而且从结构形式上来看，在英语语言中一般找不到相应地的表达方式，从所表达的意义来看，又深深地植根于民族文化之中，具在极强的民族性。因而，在汉译英时如何将它们正确无误地翻译成英语，对我们中国学生来讲的确是一个很大的困难。

汉语的四字结构大多为成语，但也有一般性的四字表达方式。

成语

成语是汉语词汇中特有的一种长期沿习使用的固定短语，它们的来自于古代经典或著名著作，历史故事片和人们的口头流传，意思是精辟，往往隐含于字面意义这中，不是其构成成分意义的简单相加，具有意义的整体性。成语的结构紧密，一般不能任意变动词序，抽换或增减其中的成分，具有结构上的凝固性。其形式以四字格居多。也有少量三字格和多字格的形式。

汉语成语具有比喻丰富，形象生动的特点，给人一种生动传神，淋漓尽致的感觉。另外，汉语成语学有言简意赅，琅琅上口的特点，既简洁，又富有文采，是读者所喜闻乐见的表达方式。成语好比一面镜子，它反映出一个民族或一个文化的特点。1. 褒贬

同一词汇，在汉英两种语言中褒贬不一。例如“狗”字在汉语成语中通常含有贬义，而在英语中却不同。请看以下例子：

狐朋狗 友：比喻不正派的.朋友。a gang of scoundrels/a pack of rogues.例如：你也别过于相信那些狐朋狗 友。

狗急跳墙：把狗惹急了，能跳越高墙。比喻坏人穷途末路时不计后果，铤而走险。A cornered beast will do something desperate/A cornered beast will do something/just as a dog will leap over a wall in desperation. 例如：困兽犹斗，敌人在濒临灭亡的时候，会狗急跳墙的，我们要加倍提高警惕。

狼心狗肺：形容心肠狠毒，多就忘恩负义者而言。be as cruel as a wolf/cruel and unscrupulous/brutal and cold-blooded/completely without conscience/heartless and ungrateful/rapacious as a wolf and savage as a cur/the heart of a (wild)beast; wicked-hearted /with the heart of a wolf。例如：哪知这贼子恁般狼心狗肺，负义忘恩！

狗苟蝇营（蝇营狗苟）：像狗似的无耻，像苍蝇那样逐臭，比喻到处钻营，而手段卑劣。ingratiate oneself with someone to gain one’s ends.例如：到底狗苟蝇营，依然逃不了对明烛照。——《孽海花》

狗胆包天：斥责别人胆子太大，敢于胡作非为的人。 have monstrous audacity.例如：你狗胆包天！竟敢继续煽动大家。

望子成龙：盼望儿子成长为有出息，有作为的人。expect one’s son to be talent/hope one’s son will turn out a dragon.例如：他望子成龙心切。

而在英语习语中，“dog”一词常用来比喻人的行为，通常是没有贬义的。如：You are a lucky dog. (你是个幸运儿。) Every dog has his day. (凡人皆有行意日。) Old dog will not learn new tricks.(老人学不了新东西。)等等。

再如：“龙”字在汉语中是中国人的象征。它的英语对应词是“dragon”，而“dragon”的意思却是 a mythical monster traditionally represented as a gigantic reptile having a lion’s claws, the tail of a serpent, wings, and a scaly skin(龙是一种传说中的怪物，一般被描述成有狮爪，蛇尾，翅膀及带鳞的皮肤)；a fiercely vigilant or intractable person （严密警戒的人；相当警惕或难以驾驭的人）; something very formidable or dangerous (可怕的或危险的东西); any of various lizards, such as the Komodo dragon or the flying lizard(蜥蜴的一种，如巨蜥或飞蜥)。

2. 历史典故

汉英两种语言中还有大量由历史典故形成的习语。这些习语结构简单，意义深远，往往是不能从单词字面意义去理解和翻译的。例如汉语中：

东施效颦：《庄子·天运》中故事。blind imitation with ludicrous effect/ play the ape/ look all the uglier by mimicking the beauty.

叶公好龙：professed love of what one actually fears/ like Lord Ye claimed to be found of dragons but was mortally afraid of them.

夜郎自大：ludicrous conceit of the king of Yelang-parochial arrogance

班门弄斧：display one’s slight skill before an expert.

名落孙山：fail in a competitive examination/ be flunked.

历史典故是最具民族特色的，汉语是这样，英语也是如此。典故通常是不能按照字面对译的，典故通常要采取意译或解释或加注释的办法来翻译。例如英语中的"John can be relied on. He eats no fish and plays the game.”中国读者看了，就不知所云。“eat no fish”是英语里的一个典故，是表示“忠诚”的意思。而“play the game”的意思是（比赛，游戏中）按规则做；正直诚实，光明正大。因此，上句可译成，“约翰为人可靠，他既忠诚又老实”。

3. 共性成语

一败涂地： meet one’s waterloo/ bite the ground/hunt grass/suffer a crushing defeat.

趁热打铁： strike while the iron is hot/Hold a wolf the iron is hot.

熟能生巧： Skill comes from practice/ Practice makes perfect.

挥金如土： spend money like water/squander money like dust.

破釜沉舟： burn one’s boats/burn one’s bridge /throw away the scabbard.

雪中送炭： to offer fuel in snowy weather./help in one’s hour of need.

一人得道，鸡犬升天： Even the dog swaggers when its master win favor.

瓜田李下： in a melon patch or a plum tree—in suspicious circumstances or surroundings/Neither adjust your shoe in a melon patch, nor your hat under a plum tree.

非成语

移步换景： a different view with every step/take a step and the scenery will chang

曲径通幽： a winding path leading to a secluded place

诗情画意： poetic lyricism and picturesque concept

金碧辉煌： in splendid colours

阡陌纵横，鸡犬相闻，风和日丽，鸟语花香的一片新天地： a new land with crisscrossed fields, bright sunshine, gentle breeze, cocks crowing, dogs barking, birds singing and flowers blooming

另外，在广告用语中，四字结构用得更多，例如：

典雅大方： elegant and graceful

香浓可口： aromatic character and agreeable taste

软硬适中： neither too hard nor too soft

大补无气： reinforce vital energy

畅销全球： sell well all over the world

花色繁多： a wide selection of colors and designs

用料上乘： selected material

甜而不腻： agreeable sweetness

安心益气： make one feel at ease and energetic

交货及时： timely delivery guaranteed

品种迭出： New varieties are introduced one after anther.

随意小酌： Light snakes are ready on request

老少良伴： Good companies for children as well as for adults.

旅游胜地： a tourist stand

经验独特： Experience is out copyright.

鲜花美人，倾诉衷肠： Flowers by beauty speak from the heart.

随意挑选，保君满意： choose once and choose well

体积虽小，颇具功效： compact impact

一夫当关，万夫莫开： One warrior deployed in the pass makes thousands of burglars loose heart.

三心二意，照样钓鱼: For all your double-mindedness, fishing goes on just the same.

（操作）简单： It’s simple.

用途广泛： It’s versatile.

（复印）迅速： It’s fast.

图文清晰： It’s intelligent.

功能齐全： It’s powerful.

名副其实： It’s everything a copier philosophy should be.

琳琅满目： a superb collection of beautiful things/wide choice.总之，不论是四字成语，还是非成语，应注意以下原则：

1. 形象性原则。

2. 简练性原则

3. 不可滥用字面意义直译法

4. 尽量少用意译法和直译法——注释法

成语的英文（10）

成语“休戚相关”的英文

休戚相关的`英文：

[Literal Meaning]

joy/sorrow/each other/related

to be related to each other by joys and sorrows

[解释]

休：欢乐；戚：悲伤。快乐和悲伤都相关。形容关系很密切。

[Explanation]

to be bound by a common cause

[例子]

四十年来，两个政党休戚相关，在国会里结成了同盟。

[Example]

For 40 years, the two parties were vitally interrelated and formed an ally in the congress.

参考例句：

Be bound together(in a common cause);a feeling of solidarity;be of close concern to each other

休戚相关They were bound by a common cause and went through thick and thin together.

他们休戚相关，患难与共。Our educational cause is bound up with the prosperity of our country.

我们的教育事业是和祖国的繁荣昌盛休戚相关的。 His future is closely bound up with that of the company be work for.

他的前途跟他所在公司的前途休戚相关。

成语的英文（11）

关于动物的英文成语

关于动物的英文成语有哪些？这些成语都是因为动物的特性而演化而来的。下面小编给大家带来关于动物的英文成语，欢迎大家阅读。

chicken

chicken feed 小额钱币。

They’re only paying chicken feed for a very demanding job.

chicken hearted/livered 怯懦的。

Don’t be chicken hearted, have a go!

chicken out 畏缩不前， He chickened out at last.

don’t count one’s chickens (before they hatched) 不要蛋未孵先数鸡。

Don’t count your chickens and buy that new outfit.

no (spring) chicken （尤指女子）年龄不小了。

She’s no chicken and shouldn’t be riding on the back of a motorbike.

tender as a chicken 不坚强的。

He’s as tender as a chicken and not up to hard manual work.

cow

milch cow 财源。

Too much people regard the Social Security as a milch cow.

scared cow 神圣不可侵犯的人、事。

The Public School system is often seen to be the scared cow of the upper classes.

till the cows come home 永远。

You can wait till the cows come home.

crocodile

crocodile tear 鳄鱼的眼泪。

I don’t know Nancy can shed crocodile tears about Philip’s accident.

crow

as the crow flies 沿直线。

We’re only five miles from the coast as the crow flies.

crow about/over 夸口。

I’m tired of hearing her crow about winning the cup.

crow’ feet 眼角皱纹。

She’s developed a double chin and crow’ feet.

dog

call off the dogs 停止追踪。

The police have decided to call off their dogs in their hunt for the missing diamonds.

die like a dog 悲惨地死去。

They died like dogs in the trenches.

dirty dog 行为卑鄙龌龊的人。

He isn’t s dirty dog.

dog days 大热天。

The summer are getting dog days always.

dog eat dog 黑吃黑。

You need a strong character to survive the dog eat dog of big business.

dog fight 混战。

It is a big advantage in a dog fight.

(in the) dog house 挨骂，丢脸。

I’ll be in the dog house when I get home late.

dog in the manager 占马槽之狗。

There’s no need to be dog in the manager and prevent from me to going.

dog’s body 勤杂工。

He wanted a general dog’s body to help out on the site.

dog’s breakfast/dinner 一团糟。

You’ve made a right dog’s dinner of painting that door.

dog’s chance 极微小的`机会。

It hasn’t a dog’s chance of winning.

dog tired 极度疲乏。

I’m dog tired.

don’t keep a dog and bark yourself 不要用了人还亲自操劳。

Don’t keep a dog and bark yourself—your secretary should do all that filing.

every dog has its day 凡人皆有得意日。

It just goes to show that every dog has its day.

gay dog 寻欢作乐的人。

Graham is a bit of a gay dog with the women.

give a dog a bad name 加人恶名。

No wonder they say give a dog a bad name.

go to the dog 垮台。

Our local pub has gone to the dogs.

hair of the dog (that bit you) 解宿醉的烈酒。

He go over to the pub and have a hair of the dog.

lead a dog’s life 过不安宁日子。

His wife lead him a dog’s life with her incessant nagging.

let sleeping dogs lie 不招惹麻烦。

I decided to let sleeping dogs lie and changed the subject.

let the dog see the rabbit 给参加者机会。

It’s Tony’s go. Let the dog see the rabbit.

lie doggo 隐藏。

The escaped prisoners lay doggo in a haystack.

like a dog with two tails 欣喜若狂。

The old lady was like a dog with two tails when her son came from America.

lucky dog 幸运儿。

Tom is a lucky dog.

shaggy dog story 杂乱、故做滑稽的故事。

He tolled a shaggy dog story about an actress.

sly dog 狡猾的家伙。

The sly dog never mentioned that he was dating a barmaid!

tail wagging the dog 主次颠倒。

It’s typical case of the tail wagging the dog.

throw somebody to the dogs 丢掉。

He want to throw them to the dogs.

top dog  优胜者。

He’s the top dog among formula one motor racing drivers.

treat somebody worse than a dog 待某人如狗。

Captain Bligh treated the crew like dogs.

underdog 处于劣势的一方。

He knew he was the underdog.

work like a dog 苦干（很少报酬）

I work like a dog all week.

you can’t teach a old new tricks 你不能使年老守旧的人接受新事物。

It’s seems you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

(to be continued)

dove

dove of peace 和平的象征。

At last there is a chance that the hawks of war will be replaced by doves of peace.

eagle

eagle eye 目光锐利。

He will be keeping an eagle eye on the party.

eel

slippery as an eel 琢磨不定的。

This fellow is as slippery as an eel.

egg

don’t put all one’s eggs in one basket 不把蛋放在一个篮子里。

That way you don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

egg-head 学问家， he is an egg head.

egg somebody on 鼓励（某人做某事）

The crowd egged him on to the finishing line.

good egg 好人,

Charles is a good egg.

have egg on one’s face 丢脸。

I do have egg on my face.

kill the goose that lays the golden egg 杀鸡取卵。

We mustn’t kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

sure as eggs is eggs 必定。

You can be as sure as eggs is eggs that it will nit rain within the hour.

tread on egg 如履薄冰。

The reporter treaded on eggs when he asked the terrorist leader.

elephant

memory like an elephant 极好的记忆力。

She must have a memory like an elephant.

pink elephant （吸毒、醉酒后的）幻觉。

I am seeing pink elephant after drinking.

rouge elephant 离群的凶猛野象。

He regards him as rouge elephant.

see the elephant 见世面。

white elephant 沉重的包袱，累赘的珍品。

The government spent rate payer’s money on a white elephant.

feather

be spitting feathers 非常愤怒，口渴。

Len was spitting feathers when he saw some vandal had done ton his new car .feather-bed  His mother has feather-bedded him.

feather-brained 溺爱。

They had some feather-brained scheme.

feather-friend 鸟。

We mustn’t forget to put out food for our feathered friends in frosty weather.

feather in one’s cap 某人的卓越成就，荣誉标志。

He was the final feather in his cap after years of dedicated service to the community.

feather one’s nest 营私，肥己。

The Chairman is taking money out of the company to feather his own nest.

in fine feather 情绪极好，身体健康。

You’re in fine feather this morning.

make the feather fly 引起骚动，争斗。

That will make the feather fly!

show the white feather 显示懦弱。

The challenger showed the white feather.

smooth somebody (ruffled) feathers 冷静下来。

I smoothed her ruffled feathers.

you could have knocked me down with a feather 使我十分震惊。

You could have knocked me down with a feather when I knew this.

fish

big fish 大人物。

The boss shows some big fish around the factory.

big fish in a small pond 井底之蛙，小地方的要人。

He’s only a big fish in a small pond.

cold fish 冷冰冰的人。

Sue is a cold fish.

feed the fishes 葬身鱼腹。

If you fall overboard, you’ll end up feeding the fishes.

fish for compliments 寻找别人恭维。

The new girl is always fishing for compliments when she talks to the men.

fish in troubled waters 混水摸鱼。

He fishes in the troubled waters of marital strife.

fish out 捞出，把鱼捕尽。

She fished out a purse from her pocket.

have other fish to fry 另有它图。

I’ve got plenty of other fish to fry.

like a fish out of water 如鱼离水。

I feel like a fish out of water.

neither fish nor fowl 不伦不类。

This fellow is neither fish nor fowl.

(fine/pretty) kettle fish 一团糟。

You are going to be prosecuted for careless driving, that’s a fine kettle of fish.

queer fish 怪人。

John’s a queer fish, he nearly always wears odd socks.

small fish 小人物。

I’m only a small fish.

smell something fishy 可疑。

He said he was ill, but I smell something fishy.

there are plenty more fish in the sea 有水何患无鱼，碰到的人多得很。

My boyfriend and I have split up but I don’t care—there’s plenty more fish in the sea.

fowl

dress a fowl 把家禽去毛开膛。

Very few women today know how to dress a fowl.

fox

be foxed 使迷惑。

The crossword puzzle usually foxed me.

cunning as a fox 非常狡猾。

He’s as cunning as a fox and will try to take advantage of you.

old/sly fox 老奸巨滑。

You old fox, you talked her into selling the car for much less than it’s worth.

frog

frog in the throat 轻咽喉炎。

I’ve got frog in my throat this morning.

frog march 蛙式押送。

The landlord frog marched him out the door.

goat

act/play the goat 干蠢事。

Glen is always acting the goat.

get somebody’s goat 使某人恼怒。

His way gets my goat.

sort out/separate the sheep from the goat 区分合格与不合格者。

That should sort out the sheep from the goat.

goose

goose flesh/pimple 鸡皮疙瘩。

Merely the thought of holding a snake makes me come out in goose flesh.

kill the goose that lays the golden egg 杀鸡取卵。

We don’t want to kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

say “boo” to a goose 吓唬某人。

The boss wouldn’t say “boo” to a goose.

what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. 对别人怎样，对自己也怎样。

He is a man what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

(to be continued)

hare

hare-brained 愚蠢的，轻率的。

Whose hare-brained idea was it to padlock the fire exits?

mad as a March hare 非常疯狂。

He must be as mad as a March hare.

run with the hare and hunt with the hounds 两面讨好。

You can’t run with the hare and hunt with the hounds.

hen

hen-party 女人聚会。

She has invited all her girlfriends to a hen-party on Friday night.

hen-pecked 惧内的。

He’s hen-pecked from morning to night.

like a hen with one (only) chicken 大惊小怪的。

She’s like a hen with only one chicken.

mother hen （忙乱、小题大做的）女人。

She fusses over them like a mother hen.

horse talk horse 吹牛

ivory

ivory tower 象牙塔。

Academics in their ivory towers have no idea what it is like to earn one’s living.

kid

kid’s stuff 容易。

This crossword puzzle is kid’s stuff for him.

with kid gloves 非常柔顺的。

You have to learn to handle her with kid glove,

you’re kidding! 我不相信你！

lamb

go like a lamb (to the slaughter) 逆来顺受地干某事。

There goes Jones to the headmaster’s study like a lamb to the slaughter.

one might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb 明知要受处罚，索性干完坏事，彻底享受一番。

I  ‘ll have another drink, I might be hung for a sheep as a lamb.

mutton dressed up as lamb 作年轻妇女打扮的老年妇女。

In a better light I realized she was mutton dressed up as lamb.

leopard

a leopard never changes its spots. 本性难易。

lion

as brave as a lion 非常勇敢。

My young daughter is as brave as a lion and will tackle any of the boys.

beard the lion in his den 面对上司，权势。

I must beard the lion in his den and go and ask the boss for a day off next week.

lion-hunter 巴结权势，名人。

He is a typical lion-hunter.

lion’s share 其大作用，最大份额。

I found myself doing the lion’s share of the work.

put one’s head in the lion’s mouth 处于危险境地。

I’ll have to put my head in the lion’s mouth.

throw somebody to the lions （为保全自己）而使他人处于危险境地。

He warned me that if I make a mistake she’ll throw me to the lions.

twist the lion’s tail 触犯英国。

France seems to use many EEC meetings merely to twist the lion’s tail.

locust

swarm like locusts 贪婪地围着。

The children swarmed round like locusts.

mouse

the best laid schemes of mice and men 每人都有失算之时，/智者千虑，必有一失。

poor as a church mouse 清贫。

My parents were as poor as church mouse.

quiet as a mouse 非常宁静。

Tina is as quiet as a mouse, you hardly know she’s there.

mule

stubborn as a mule 非常顽固。

She’s as stubborn as a mule.

nest

foul one’s (own) nest 家丑外扬。

All he’s doing is fouling his own nest.

peacock

proud as a peacock 非常自豪。

Dad’s as a proud as a peacock of that shelf he put up.

pig

buy a pig in a poke 盲目购买。

You are buying a a pig in a poke.

live like a pig in clover 生活奢侈，舒适。

He has lived like a pig in clover ever since.

make a pig of oneself 狼吞虎咽地吃喝。

I couldn’t help marking a pig of myself.

make a pig’s ear of something 把某事办得很糟。

You’ve made a right pig’s ear of it.

pig(gy)-in the-middle （无意中）夹在敌对双方之间的人。

I find myself pig-in-the-middle.

pigs might fly 不可能发生的事。

He said he would pay me back the money he owns me next Monday—and pigs might fly!

pigeon

stool pigeon 密探。

The police couldn’t possibly have known I was there unless they were told by a stool pigeon.

not one’s pigeon 与某人不相干的事。

Don’t ask me to fill in the forms, That’s not my pigeon.

rabbit

breed like rabbits 大量繁衍。

Her family breed like rabbits!

pull/produce a rabbit out of the hat 意外发现难题解法。

rat

as wet as/like a drowned rat 浑身湿透。

The shower made me as wet as a drowned rat.

rat on some body 告发某人。

Tim saw us smoking and ratted on us to the teacher.

rat race 激烈竞争。

He have adjusted to the rat race already.

smell a rat 感到有可疑之处。

I smell a rat—I wonder what he wants.

sheep

black sheep (of the family) 害群之马。

She always has been the black sheep of the family.

snake

snake in the grass 隐患。

Some snake in the grass has told the manager that I was late for work this morning.

swallow

one swallow doesn’t make a summer 轻率推论必成大错。

We should remember that one swallow doesn’t make a summer.

swallow up 耗尽。

New clothes for the children seem to swallow up all her money.

swan

swan around 四处闲逛。

He swanned around the local food and wine.

turtle

turn turtle 底部朝天地翻转过来。

The deck turned turtle.

whale

wet one’s whistle 过得很愉快。

The children had a whale of a time playing in the sand pit.

wing

clip somebody’s wings 扼杀某人的雄心，使无计可施。

That will really clip his wings!

spread one’s wings 开始独立行事。

My daughter wants to spread her wings.

take somebody under one’s wing 关照某人。

The pupils took him under his wing.

turtle

turn turtle 底部朝天地翻转过来。

The deck turned turtle.

whale

wet one’s whistle 过得很愉快。

The children had a whale of a time playing in the sand pit.

wing

clip somebody’s wings 扼杀某人的雄心，使无计可施。

That will really clip his wings!

spread one’s wings 开始独立行事。

My daughter wants to spread her wings.

take somebody under one’s wing 关照某人。

The pupils took him under his wing.

wolf

throw somebody to the wolves 使某人处于危险境地。

They’ll throw him to the wolves.

cry wolf 在不需援助时求援。

Susan is always crying wolf.

keep the wolf from the door  免于饥饿。

I have a spare-time job which helps to keep the wolf from the door.

lone wolf 不喜与人往来的人。

He is a lone wolf.

wolf in sheep’s clothing 披着羊皮的狼。

He turn out a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

成语的英文（12）

最新英文生活成语例句

A discontented man knows not where to sit easy. 不满足者坐无宁时。

A disease known is half cured. 病情确诊断，治病好一半。

Admonish your friends in private, praise them in public. 在私底下要忠告你的朋友，在公开场合又表扬你的朋友。

A dog will not howl if you beat him with a bone. 骨头打狗狗不叫。

Adversity is a good discipline. 苦难是磨练人的好机会。

Adversity leads to prosperity. 逆境迎向昌盛。

Adversity makes a man wise, not rich. 患难使人聪明，但不能致富。

Adversity makes strange bedfellows. 身处逆境不择友。

Adversity successfully overcome is the highest glory. 成功地克服困难是最大的'光荣。

A fair death honours the whole life. 死得光明，终身荣耀。

A fair face may hide a foul heart. 人不可貌相。

A faithful friend is hard to find. 益友难得。

A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit. 吃一堑，长一智。

After dinner sit a while, after supper walk a while. 午饭后要坐，晚饭后要走。

A father is a treasure, a brother is a comfort, but a friend is both. 父亲是财富，兄弟是安慰，朋友兼而有之。

A fault confessed is half redressed. 承认错误，等于改正一半。

Affairs that are done by due degrees are soon ended. 事情要安步就班地做，就会很快地做完。

A flow of words is no proof of wisdom. 口若悬河不能作为才智的证明。

A fool always comes short of his reckoning. 愚人常缺算计。

A fool always rushes to the fore. 傻瓜总爱强出头。

A fool and his money are soon parted. 笨蛋难聚财。

A fool attempting to be witty is an object of profoundest pity. 蠢人装聪明，实在最可怜。

A fool can ask more questions than seven wise men can answer. 一愚发问，七智结舌。

A fool may ask more questions in an hour than a wise man can answer in seven years. 愚者所问，智者难答。

A fool may give a wise man counsel. 愚者千虑，必有一得。

成语的英文（13）

成语成语《邯郸学步》的中英文版

Imitating Another without Success and Losing What Used to Be One'sOwn Ability

Tradition has it that more than 2,oooyears ago,there lived a young man in the Shouling area of the State of Yan.As his name is not known ,we just call him Shouling young man for convenience's sake.

self confident He was at a loss as to how to behave all the time.

His family members advised him to overcome this shortcoming,but he thought they were fond of poking their noses into his business and were unwilling to provide him with tuition fee.His relatives and neighbours sneered at him,saying that he would never be able to learn anything.Asthe days went by,he even began to doubt whether he should walk the way he did,for he felt more and more that his walking gestures were too clumsy and awkward.

One day,he met some people on the road who werechattingand laughing.One of themsaid that people in Handan walked most gracefully.And thatwas just what he was most concerned about,so he hurreed towards themand wanted to make further inquiries.To his surprise,when these people saw him,they stalked off laughing.

He could not picture to himself in what way their walking gestures were graceful,no matter how hard he racked his parents one day.He went to Handanwhich was far away to learn how to walk.

As soon as he arrived in Handan,he was dazzled to find that everything was novel.He learned from the children there how to walk,because he thought that the children's walking gestures were lively and pleasing to the eye.He learnd from the old people there how to walk,because he thought the old people's walking gestures were steady .He learnd from the women there how to walk,because he thought the women' swaying walking gestures were beautiful.That being the case with him ,in less than half a month he even forgot how to walk.As he had already used up his traveling expenses,he had to crawl back home.

Thisstory come from the article"Autumn Water"in The Works of Xhuang Zi(Zhuang Zi was a famous ancient Chinese philosopher of about 300B.c.).Later the set phrase"initating another without success and losing what used to be one's own ability"is used to refer to acts of copying others mechanisally in disregard of specififc conditions.

相传在两千年前，燕国寿陵地方有一位少年，不知道姓啥叫啥，就叫他寿陵少年吧！

这位寿陵少年不愁吃不愁穿，论长相也算得上中等人材，可他就是缺乏自信心，经常无缘无故地感到事事不如人，低人一等——衣服是人家的好，饭菜是人家的香，站相坐相也是人家高雅。他见什么学什么，学一样丢一样，虽然花样翻新，却始终不能做好一件事，不知道自己该是什么模样。

家里的人劝他改一改这个毛病，他以为是家里人管得太多。亲戚、邻居们，说他是狗熊掰棒子，他也根本听不进去。日久天长，他竟怀疑自己该不该这样走路，越看越觉得自己走路的姿势太笨，太丑了。

有一天，他在路上碰到几个人说说笑笑，只听得有人说邯郸人走路姿势那叫美。他一听，对上了心病，急忙走上前去，想打听个明白。不料想，那几个人看见他，一阵大笑之后扬长而去。

邯郸人走路的`姿势究竟怎样美呢？他怎么也想象不出来。这成了他的心病。终于有一天，他瞒着家人，跑到遥远的邯郸学走路去了。

一到邯郸，他感到处处新鲜，简直令人眼花缭乱。看到小孩走路，他觉得活泼、美，学；看见老人走路，他觉得稳重，学；看到妇女走路，摇摆多姿，学。就这样，不过半月光景，他连走路也不会了，路费也花光了，只好爬着回去了。