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常见中文俗语、习语英译
发布时间 2011-5-4 关注次数 3373
1. 人山人海
有人直译为：People mountain, people sea.，老外很难理解。他们指“人多”时，通常只说：There is a large crowd of people.如果看到电影院门前大排长龙，也只说：There is (was) a long movie line.不过在诗词用语 (poetic expression) 里，老外也有使用：a (the) sea of faces，颇有咱们“人山人海”的味道。例如：Looking out upon the sea of faces, Mr. A delivered a touching speech.
2. 家家有本难念的经
Many families have skeletons in the closet.
Every family has its own source of shame.
3. 天下无不散的宴席
All good things come to an end.假如是指好友最后也有分别的一天，那么可以说：Eventually, all bosom friends will drift apart.
4. 平时不烧香，临时抱佛脚
Worship God every day; not just in times of adversity. (要每天敬拜神，不是只在困难时。)对学生也可以说：If you study hard every day, exams will not seem overwhelming. (如果你每天用功，考试就不会形成压力。)
5. 挂羊头，卖狗肉
He applied bait-and-switch tactics in business. (Bait-and- switch 当名词用) (也可不用连字号) This store uses bait and switch policy.或者简单的说： Let the buyer be aware! (让消费者提高警觉) ; 或 Say one thing and do another.
6. 一言既出，驷马难追
A word once let go cannot be recalled
7. 祸从口出，言多必失
Careless talk leads to trouble或The less said the better. 甚至也可以说：Shut the mouth and open the eyes
习语篇
1．“不妙”something is to pay
2．“眼中钉”a thorn in someone’s flesh
3．“馋得流口水”make someone’s mouth water
4．“胡说八道”shooting from the hip
5．“各奔东西”drift apart
6．“呕吐”shoot the cat
Shoot the cat 是一条俚语，意即vomit。表示"呕吐"的概念时，除了用shoot, 还可以用jerk,形成jerk the cat的说法。
7．“打嗝”make a belch
汉语口语中的“打嗝儿”可以用动词belch来表示，也可以用make a belch的形式。作为动词使用，belch有“猛烈喷射”、“阵阵冒出”以及“打嗝”等意
8．“久等”cool one’s heels
9．“各有利弊”cut both ways
10．“吃闭门羹”to a locked door,例如I went to see him yesterday, but unfortunately I was to a locked door.
11．“哪儿都找了”look high and low
有时人们会用search high and low来替代look high and low。在这种情况下，search后面一般跟宾语.
