Idioms and proverbs
• • • • • 3 意译/解释 a far cry from 与…相差甚远 to face the music 勇亍承担后果 to spill the beans 不慎泄密 to cut corners 节约
Idioms and proverbs
• to hold one’s horses 别忙，耐心点，别沉不住 气 • in one’s element 在行，擅长 • on one’s toes 机灵 • straight from the shoulder 直截了当
• 一言既出，驷马难追 • Words, once uttered, cannot be retrieved by the fastest steed. • Even four horses cannot take back what one has said. • What is said cannot be unsaid.
Idioms and proverbs
• Content is happiness. 知足者常乐。 • Know your own faults before blaming others for theirs. • 欲责他人，应先 and proverbs
• • • • • • 沧海一滴 a drop in the ocean 实事求是 to seek truth from facts 一见如故 to feel like old friends at the first meeting 同甘共苦 to share each other’s joys and hardships
Idioms and proverbs
• • • • • • to beat the dog before the lion 杀鸡给猴看 Lock the door after the horse is stolen. 亡羊补牢 He who takes charge knows the responsibility. 不当家不知柴米贵。
Idioms and proverbs
• • • • • • to take something with a grain of salt 对某事半信半疑或不全信 to miss the boat 坐失良机 to burn the candle at both ends 过分耗费精力
Idioms and proverbs
Idioms and proverbs
• 打破沙锅问到底 • breaking an earthenware pot—interrogate thoroughly; to get to the bottom of the matter
Idioms and proverbs
• 卧薪尝胆 • to sleep on brushwood and taste gall—to undergo self-imposed hardships so as to strengthen one’s resolve to wipe out a national humility; to endure hardships to accomplish some ambition
Idioms and proverbs
• 一个和尚挑水吃, 两个和尚抬水吃, 三个和尚没水 吃 • one monk will carry two buckets of water for his own use; two monks will carry one for their joint use; three monks will carry none for anybody’s use----everybody’s business is nobody’s business
Idioms and proverbs
• • • • • • • 2 直译和转换相结吅 as blind as a bat 有眼无珠 as timid as a hare 胆小如鼠 on pins and needles 如坐针毡 as poor as a church mouse 一贫如洗 Poor by condition, rich by ambition. 人穷志不短。
Translation skills
• 注：有些涉及汉字形象或中国特有的器皿形状的 描写是很难直译的，只能进行意译。
Translation skills
• 1) 三个人品字式坐下，闲聊了一会儿。 • The three men sat facing each other and talking for a while.
Idioms and proverbs
• 不打不成交 • As in political, so in literary action, a man wins friends fro himself mostly by the passion of his prejudices.
Idioms and proverbs
Idioms and proverbs
• 八仙过海，各显神通。 • The Eight Immortals crossing the sea—each shows his/her special prowess( in the legend, they were described as fairies with different magic arts); like the Eight Immortals soaring the ocean, each of you should show your true worth.
Idioms and proverbs
• 三个臭皮匠, 顶个诸葛亮 • Three cobblers, with their wits combined, surpass Shuge Liang, the master mind----the wisdom of the masses exceeds that of the wisest individual
Idioms and proverbs
• 路遥知马力，日久见人心 • True friendship stands the test of time. • A man knows his companion in a long journey and a little inn. • Friendship is like two clocks keeping time.
• to pull wool over one’s eyes • 蒙蔽某人 • Half the world knows not how the other half lives. • 富人不知穷人苦，饱汉不知饿汉饥。
Idioms and proverbs
• 不到长城非好汉 • He who fails to reach the Great Wall is not a true hero; • not stop until one’s aim is obtained. • 不到黄河心不死 • not to stop until one reaches the Yellow River---refuse to give up until all hope is gone; not stop until one reaches one’s goal
Idioms and proverbs
• 千里送鹅毛，理轻情意重 • The gift itself may be light as a goose feather; but sent from afar, it conveys deep feeling • 海内存知己，天涯若比邻 • a bosom friend afar brings a distant land near
Idioms and proverbs
• 成语，谚语，典故，笑话的处理方法 : • 可根据具体情况，直译；直译和转换相结吅；意 译；或者是解释性翻译；请看下面各例子：
Idioms and proverbs
• • • • • 1. 直译 plain sailing 一帆风顺 in black and white 白纸黑字 flesh and blood 亲骨肉，亲人 Evil is rewarded with evil. 恶有恶报。
Idioms and proverbs
• 一个和尚挑水吃, 两个和尚抬水吃, 三个和尚没水 吃 • Two’s a company, three’s none. • Two is company, three is trumpery.
Idioms and proverbs
• 一个和尚挑水吃, 两个和尚抬水吃, 三个和尚没水 吃 • one boy is a boy, two boys half a boy, three boys no boy • too many cooks spoil the soup • two’s company, three’s a crowd
Idioms and proverbs
• 千里之行，始亍足下 • a thousand-li journey is started by taking the first step
Idioms and proverbs
• 路遥知马力，日久见人心 • As distance tests a horse’s strength, so time reveals a person’s heart. • As a long road test a horse’s strength, so a long task proves a person’s heart.
成语谚语巧妙翻 Idioms and proverbs
Idioms and proverbs
• 胸有成竹 • have an overall consideration of something before any action is taken • have a well-thought-out plan