學點英文諺語 了解西方文化
1. Money makes the mare （ to ） go.
mare 是母馬或母驢，這裏說的是連驢馬都不得不屈從於金錢的誘惑。這是壹句很有意思的諺語，與中文裏?有錢能使鬼推磨?的俗語有異曲同工之妙。鬼推不推磨沒有人見證過，但金錢的誘惑力卻被壹次又壹次的驗證。為蠅頭小利而為惡者有之，為重金出賣朋友者有之。美國也正是以?重賞之下必有勇夫?為信條，以重金利誘，使?撲克牌人物?在伊拉克紛紛就擒。當人們為金錢而心旌搖曳之時，道德的約束力就顯得微不足道。所謂?君子愛財，取之有道?，人類的軟肋不是愛財，而是貪婪。? Money talks ?也是這個意思。
e.g. The terrible accident with so many victims was exposed to the whole nation at last. Apart from the shocks， people were puzzled： How come the accident was concealed for such a long time？ Money makes the mare go. Journalists had been bribed.
2. Never mention rope in the house of a man who has been hanged.
《阿 Q 正傳》中，阿 Q 的頭上有塊亮光光的癩瘡疤，於是他很忌諱人家說?癩?字，後來推而廣之?光?也諱，?亮?也諱，再後來連?燈?燭?都諱了。然而人們卻有意拿他取笑，等他走過來時故意說：?謔，亮起來了。?於是阿 Q 便滿疤通紅的發起怒來。阿 Q 近乎滑稽的忌諱也反映出了人們害怕難堪，不敢正視自身弱點的心理缺陷。
e.g. Remember not to mention the word father to Joe's face， Geoffrey. His Dad was just sentenced to life imprisonment a week ago. Never mention rope in the house of a man who has been hanged. It'll draw him back into embarrassment again.
3. Give a dog a bad name and hang him.
人言可畏，壹個人壹旦惡名在外，就很難再在社會上有立錐之地。在中國文化裏，?壹世英名毀於壹旦?無疑是壹件令人扼腕嘆息的憾事。古來以死以證清白者有之，不堪毀謗之辱而自赴黃泉者有之。西諺又說： He that has an ill name is half hanged. 可見?名節?壹詞無論在東方抑或西方的詞典中都占據著極其重要的位置。
e.g.
－ The prestige the minister used to enjoy no longer exists. He's become the target of criticisms ever since it was revealed that he had accepted bribes.
－ Absolutely， Bob. That?s all natural， though. Haven't you heard of the saying ? Give a dog a bad name and hang him ? ？ A bad name is not enough to ruin his entire life， but sufficient to put an end to his official career.
4. The dog returns to his vomit.
如果說? Old habits die hard ?可以作為壹種委婉的托詞來自嘲的話，那麽? The dog returns to his vomit ?就比上句激烈得多了。說起來有點惡心， vomit 是嘔吐物，俗話說?狗改不了吃屎?，話雖是粗俗了壹點，但道理都是千真萬確的。
e.g. A week after Pete was released on parole， he was caught smuggling again. The dog returns to its vomit. Pete is a perfect example of that proverb.
5. Constant dropping wears away a stone.
山石屹立在水邊，巋然聳峙，而流水就以千年來的溫柔，將它們洗濯得皺紋滿面。水最柔軟，竟然沒有壹定的形狀；而水又是最堅硬，能在千百年的水石廝磨中將石任意雕刻。牙齒比舌頭硬，而老者張開嘴，牙齒沒有了，舌頭還在。愚公移山?子子孫孫無窮匱也，而山不加增，何苦而不平？?在山的面前，人是如水壹般的溫柔，同時又如水壹般的堅硬。? Constant dropping wears away a stone. ?這句西諺竟然可以壹字不差的直譯為水滴石穿，體現了令人驚嘆的文化相通性。
e.g. At first， he sniffed at his wife?s idea. But as she pleaded time and again， he became more and more receptive. And why not？ Constant dropping wears away a stone.
6. Don?t count your chickens before they are hatched.
很多人都有這樣的失落：明明已經十拿九穩、勝利在望了，卻在最後壹刻功虧壹簣，將人拖入失望的深淵。未來充滿變數，自信是必要的，但是?蛋未孵前先數雞?就難免淪於自負了。? Hope for the best， prepare for the worst ?，凡事如能保持壹個良好的心態，就能最大程度上避免那種功虧壹簣的失落。
e.g. Harley is over-conceited. He even claimed to be the gold medalist days before the games. As it turned out， he had been counting chickens before they were hatched. He even failed to get the bronze， let alone the gold one.
7. Hasty climbers have sudden falls.
越是疾行的攀爬者越容易突然墜下。因為匆忙，步履就可能不穩，輕則前功盡棄，重則粉身碎骨。好望角好望不好過，好高騖遠者難免被腳下的壹塊石頭絆倒在地。欲速則不達。? Haste makes waste； More haste， less speed. ?說的也是這個道理。
e.g. It?s all very well for the government to institute reforms， especially in this war-ravaged country. The problem is their surprisingly fast pace. Hasty climbers have sudden falls. Unrealistic reformers will， one day， have a heavy price to pay.
8. A stitch in time saves nine.
及時修補，可以避免更大的損失。其中智慧，與?小洞不補，大洞吃苦?何其相似乃爾。另外值得壹提的是，在中國傳統文化中?九?表示多的意思，西方的?九?也有相似的意思，以上這句諺語就是很好的例子。例如還有? Nine tailors make a man ?（紳士要註意穿著的考究）和? Possession is nine points of the law ?（占有者在訴訟中十有九勝），體現出東西方文化在?九?這個神秘數字上不約而同的交匯。
e.g. A stitch in time saves nine. The cost will double or triple if we ignore the present loophole.
9. It never rains but it pours.
古人雲：福無雙至，禍不單行；人生不如意事常十之八九。西方人眼中也是如此，不僅下雨，還要下傾盆大雨。? but ?在這裏是古英語的用法，用來引出兩種相伴而生不可避免的情況，頗有點黑色幽默的意味。
e.g.
－ It never rains but it pours， especially when you?re without an umbrella. My car?s got a flat tire this morning， which had never happened before. When I got to work at long last， I was informed by the boss that my work has been forwarded to Johnson， whom I hated most in the whole company！
－ Oh， rotten luck！ But take it easy. That?s life！ 《高中英語語法-學點英文諺語 了解西方文化》由留學英語組我整理(www.liuxue86.com)