中国习语的英语表达方式

　　来看看查字典英语小编为同学们整理的中国习语的英语表达方式：

　　1、忠言逆耳，良药苦口

　　有人译成

　　Faithful words are contrary to the ears; good medicine tastes bitter to the mouth.

　　也有人反译为：

　　Bitter words are medicine; sweet words bring illness.

　　Good advice often jars on the ears; bitter pills have good effects.

　　这些说法，老外也会“一知半解，不如直接一点说成：

　　Honest advice may be distasteful to the recipient.

　　Honest advice is hard to accept.

　　Truth is a hard pill to swallow.

　　更简单的说就是：

　　Truth hurts.

　　2、口蜜腹剑，笑里藏刀

　　有人译为 His mouth is honey; his heart is a sword.

　　外国人听了会对这样的比喻摸不着头脑，如果要形容某人“口蜜腹剑，笑里藏刀，我们可以说 with honey on one's lip and murder in one's heart, 或者 honey-mouthed but dagger-hearted.也可以更直接的译成He is an evil man who has a mouth that praises and a hand that kills.

　　3、少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲

　　有人译成 If you neglect study when you are young, what may happen to your old age?

　　这句问句会把老外问得云里雾里，因为他们沒有“学而优则仕的思想，也不认为功课差，将来就会伤悲。他们劝告子女经常说的是Studying / working hard can lead you to a brighter / more promising future. (努力用功会带给你光明的前程。)

　　当然也可以对年轻人说：

　　Study hard when you are young. It will pay off when you get older. (年轻时好好努力，到老的时就会觉得学有所值。)

　　4、人不可貌相，海水不可斗量

　　有人译为：

　　A man can not be known by his look, nor can the ocean be measured by a dipper.

　　这样的译法只是直译，如果能够稍加修改，老外就能了解：

　　A man can not be judged by his appearance, nor can the water in the sea be measured by a bucket.

　　不过，老外通常的说法是这样的：

　　We can not judge a person by appearance only. 或 You can not judge a book by its cover.

　　(意思是：一本书的好坏取决于它的内容，而不是它的封面装帧的漂亮与否。)

　　5、一日为师，终身为父

　　有这样的译法：

　　He who teaches me for one day is my father for life.

　　If you are my teacher for even one day, you will be my teacher (mentor) all my life.

　　He who teaches me may be considered my father-figure for life.

　　这几种译法意思都是“老师即使对我只有一天的教诲，也会让我一生都受用不尽。外国人也有他们表达师生关系的谚语，如：

　　Teach others to fish and they will fish for a lifetime.(授人以鱼，不如授人以渔)

　　Give a man fish, he will have a meal; teach him to fish, he will have food all his life.

　　6、学如行舟，不进则退

　　如果直译成：

　　Learning is like rowing upstream; not to advance is to drop back.

　　老外听后，也许会感到一头雾水。这样修改一下，表达可以清晰一些：

　　Learning seems like rowing upstream(逆流); if one does not advance, one will fall back. Learning is like rowing against the current(激流), if one does not advance, one will retreat. 更直接的说法是：

　　If you don't make progress, you will fall behind.