汉语俗语英译20句

leowxc

1. 她动不动就骂她的孩子们，但孩子们都知道她是刀子嘴豆腐心。
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She always scolded her children, but they knew that she had a sharp tongue but a soft heart.

She always scolded her children, but they knew her bark was worse than her bite.

7 d3 P2 }; S6 H6 X; C8 H动不动: easily; frequently; at every turn
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( G# Z. _' n1 E6 {动不动就感冒：catch a cold easily
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7 i6 x% \5 E; t- e" {% |% }  `动不动就发脾气：be apt to lose one’s temper; often get into a temper
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0 L) f9 h8 N% i他动不动就训人：He is always lecturing people.

刀子嘴豆腐心：have a sharp tongue but a soft heart

2. 他是不到黄河不死心。
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He wouldn’t stop until he reached the Yellow River—to give up until his hope has gone.

' f7 K1 X: O+ U: c4 N不到黄河不死心: not stop until one reaches the Huanghe River—not stop until one reaches one’s goal;

$ Y* D; R* W' x4 ^5 rrefuse to give up until all hope is gone
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3. 十年树木，百年树人。

: h! Y6 w! B9 j" J  E6 e7 vIt takes ten years to grow trees, but a hundred to rear/cultivate people.

4. 他这一去如石沉大海，再无消息。

He left like a stone dropped into the sea and has never been heard of.

# I) t1 L. f5 P4 g石沉大海: like a stone dropped into the sea---disappear for ever; never to be seen or heard of again.
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8 {6 K; D9 S8 H) R0 a( ^( @* {5. 若要人不知，除非己莫为。
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# x. V2 y8 X0 ~  o' n0 sThe only way to stop people from knowing it is not to do it.
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8 s+ J% y! Z7 h' j* k; fThe only way to stop people from knowing it is to restrain from doing it.
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If you haven’t done it, other people wouldn’t know it.

) y1 ~+ S. E/ ]若要人不知，除非己莫为: If you don’t wish anyone to know what you’ve done, it is better not to have done it in the first place.

2 S  p; _; l6 A" a* q, \6. 他搜肠刮肚，也找不出合适的字眼表达这个意思。

3 l; c8 V9 |) M3 u0 T& b0 y6 m7 IHe racked his brains but couldn’t find words suitable for the idea.

7. 这完全是张冠李戴。
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7 }5 ?  q  a' O0 t( T% OThis is putting Mr. Zhang’s hat on Mr. Li’s head.
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0 a, }: y2 N/ W) m" U张冠李戴: Put Zhang’s hat on Li’s head--- attribute sth. to the wrong person or confuse one thing with another.

0 n/ B/ e# E* P/ x% A8. 味道真不错，果然是名不虚传。

It’d delicious, really lives up to its reputation.
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# q* g' e8 e8 s- M) @) c& L名不虚传: have a well-deserved reputation;
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deserve the reputation one enjoys;
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" {& `8 n' t& A' z1 O6 L7 zlive up to one’s reputation
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9. 父亲说，“事已至此，不必难过，好在天无绝人之路。”
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My father said, “Now that things have come to such a pass. It’s no use crying. Heaven always leaves one way out / Every cloud has a silver line.”

3 W& j; A" h: Z4 I9 \1 h/ d/ m天无绝人之路: Heaven never seals off all the exits—there is always a way out.

4 M4 M2 c# }4 `9 T# o; K$ w10. 他咯咯的笑着说，“这叫做画饼充饥”。

He giggled/chuckled and said, “This is called ‘ drawing a cake to satisfy one’s hunger’.”
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画饼充饥: draw cakes to allay hunger--- feed on illusions.

$ @% ^6 W5 ~) Y, J11. 汤姆也来上学，不过是三天打鱼，两天晒网。
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Tom was enrolled as a student, but he was like the fisherman who fishes for three days and suns his net for two.
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( o& T% K* w1 K三天打鱼，两天晒网: go fishing for three days and dry the nets for two--- work by fits and starts; lack perseverance.
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/ S. b& F7 H4 ?12. 天下没有不散的宴席。
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All good things must come to end.

8 T1 f) C& M% }; Q& rAll feasts must come to an end.
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天下没有不散的宴席: There never was a feast but the guests have to depart--- all good things must come to an end.

2 C8 a6 W: n, c8 D6 P/ P13. 有理走遍天下，无理寸步难行。
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  i3 W) T5 d, r; h% A% f- K" oWith justice on your side, you can go anywhere; without it, you can’t take a step / move an inch.
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! n- p: R& N% u) z, k9 f' ^扩展：天网恢恢，疏而不漏：Justice has long arms.

14. 江山易改，本性难移。
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A leopard can’t change its spots.
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3 H$ Y( q/ H  s2 \( T江山易改，本性难移: It’s easy to change rivers and mountains but hard to change a person’s nature.
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15. 吃一堑，长一智。
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: p+ c9 w- W' S$ B9 zA fall in/into the pit; a gain in your wit.
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& m% C# M# ]+ \16. “坐山观虎斗”，“借刀杀人”，“煽风点火”，“推倒油瓶儿不扶”，都是他们的本事。

Talk about “sitting on a hill to watch tigers fight”, “murdering with a borrowed sword”, “stirring up trouble”, and “not troubling to right the oil bottle that has been knocked over”---- they are all good hands at such tricks.
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: ?7 Z% v4 K$ E, }4 G) ?坐山观虎斗:Sit on top of the mountain to watch the tigers fight—watch in safety while others fight, then reap the spoils when both sides are exhausted.
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借刀杀人: kill somebody by another’s hand; make use of one person to get rid of another.

$ n: V% d# w  k& N0 P* S4 N! g煽风点火:fan the flames; inflame and agitate people; stir up trouble
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) {/ t, J; Q* [# n0 R6 v3 Y8 B17. 我在当时真的是哭笑不得。

9 o. M' d4 l9 b! ~4 NI felt at a loss to know that to do at that moment/time.
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哭笑不得: not know whether to laugh or to cry; find sth both funny and annoying
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18. 对于此事他胸有成竹。

- }1 c7 k3 \% @8 y& a: m! n- g9 `He has had a well-thought-out plan before doing it.

胸有成竹: have a well-thought-out plan, stratagem, etc

19. 中国经济取得巨大发展，中国人民终于扬眉吐气了。
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7 s; i1 n+ x5 O+ n2 iThe Chinese people feel proud and elated for the great economic development/growth in China.
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+ c9 |6 {; D( j7 I3 J, EThe Chinese people feel proud and elated for China’s great economic development/growth.
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, ~8 n4 Y; H7 I8 h. B% D扬眉吐气: feel proud and elated

" G9 Z( g/ Z8 D20. 他利用那些有权有势的朋友帮助他走后门，到政府行政部门任职。

$ e( b) F" Q1 K) K7 V( lHe used his influential friends to help him to get into the civil service by/through the back door.

billzhao

Great!

redrunner

Great!
billzhao 发表于 2009-5-23 11:26

上周日中午你去大统华了吗