英汉成语谐趣

朱秀兰

在学习英语的过程中，你是否觉得英语里有一些成语和谚语与汉语里的成语和谚语颇为相似，读起来也倍感亲切呢?例如：

Strike while the iron is hot.趁热打铁。

All is fair in war.兵不厌诈。

Walls have ears.隔墙有耳。

Give him an inch and hell take a yard.得寸进尺。

Standers-by see more than gamesters.旁观者清，当局者迷。

One wrong move can lose the whole game.一着棋错，满盘皆输。

Do as you would be done by.已所不欲，勿施于人。

以上几则英语成语和我们的汉语成语简直就像锅里的两颗豌豆，一模一样：as like as two peas in a pot；而下面的这些英语成语，虽然与汉语不完全相同，却在喻事和用词上有着异曲同工之妙。希望大家读时不要笑掉脑袋：to laugh your head off——当然，在汉语里“被人笑掉大牙”是件很不好意思的事，而在英语中，“笑掉自己的脑袋”却是非常开心的。

a fence-sitter 骑墙派(坐在篱笆上的人)

to think ones head off 冥思苦想，挖空心思

the steak and the carrot 威胁和利诱(大棒加胡萝卜)

to be six of one and half the dozen of the other半斤八两

to wash ones hands off something不再参与某事了(洗手不干了)

to have a bone to pick with somebody给某人提意见；找茬儿(要挑某人一根骨头)/鸡蛋里面挑骨头

to twist the tail of a tiger拧老虎的尾巴(喻胆大或冒失)

to beat around the bush旁敲侧击/打草惊蛇

to be at sevens and eights/sixes and sevens乱七八糟；意见不一

the pot calling the kettle black五十步笑百步

with hearts linked in a common beat心有灵犀一点通

It takes two to make a quarrel.一个巴掌拍不响。(两个人才能吵起来。)

There is no smoke without fire.无风不起浪。

The cat shuts its eyes when stealing cream.掩耳盗铃。

Whats done cannot be undone.覆水难收。

One misfortune rides upon anothers back.祸不单行。

The house shows the owner.文如其人。(屋如其人。)

His barking is worse than his bite.刀子嘴豆腐心。

Big mouthfuls often choke.贪多嚼不烂。

The best horse needs breaking.玉不琢，不成器。(最好的马儿也得打。)

A good conscience is a soft pillow.不做亏心事，不怕鬼叫门。

Kiss the baby for the nurses sake.醉翁之意不在酒。

If Jacks in love， hes no judge of Jills beauty.情人眼里出西施。(心里爱着谁，谁就长得美。)

The mills of God grind slowly.天网恢恢，疏而不漏。

To go for wool and come back shorn.偷鸡不成，反蚀把米。

While the grass grows the horse starves.远水解不了近渴。(等到草长成，马早饿死了。)

It is a poor mouse that has only one hole.狡兔三窟。

Twos company，threes none.一个和尚有水喝，两个和尚抬水喝，三个和尚没水喝。