The complaint against the irritable person is that they are getting worked up over “nothing”. But symbols offer a way of seeing how a detail can stand for something much bigger and more serious. The groceries placed on the wrong table are not upsetting at all in themselves. But symbolically they mean your partner doesn’t care about domestic order; they muddle things up; they are messy. Or the question about one’s day is experienced as a symbol of interrogation, a lack of privacy and a humiliation (because one’s days rarely go well enough).

The complaint against the irritable person is that they are getting worked up over “nothing”. complaint (about/against)： a reason for not being satisfied; a statement that sb makes saying that they are not satisfied 不满的原因；抱怨；埋怨；投诉；控告 E.g. I believe you have a complaint against one of our nurses. 我认为你对我们的一位护士有怨言。 work sb/yourself up (into sth): to make sb/yourself reach a state of great excitement, anger, etc.使激动，使发怒 E.g. Don’t work yourself up into a state about it. It isn’t worth it. 别为此大动肝火。这不值得。 What are you so worked up about?什么事使得你这么激动？ nothing: 2.something that is not at all important or interesting 无关紧要的东西；毫无趣味的事 E.g. “What’s that in your pocket?” “Oh, nothing.” “你口袋里装的是什么” “哦，没什么重要的。” 对易怒之人的抱怨是，他们总是为一些“不算事情”/“无关紧要”的事情生气/发怒/大动肝火。 易怒之人之所以被人抱怨是因为，他们总是为一些“不算事情”/“无关紧要”的事情大动肝火。

But symbols offer a way of seeing how a detail can stand for something (much bigger and more serious) the groceries the question symbol: a person, an object, an event, etc. that represents a more general quality or situation 象征; 象征物 detail: a small individual fact or item; a less important fact or item细微之处；琐事 但是，象征物/（探究）有其象征意义/寓意的这些事情，为(我们)弄清楚一件细微的琐事是如何代表/反映更大、更重要的事情提供了一条途径。

The groceries (placed on the wrong table) are not upsetting at all in themselves. groceries: food and other goods sold by a grocer or at a supermarket 食品杂货 upsetting: making you feel unhappy, anxious or annoyed 令人不快（或忧虑、苦恼） 放在错误的桌子上/没放对桌子的食品杂货本身完全不会令人不快。 食品杂货放错了桌子/没放对桌子，这件事情本身完全不会令人不快。

But symbolically they mean your partner doesn’t care about domestic order; they muddle things up; they are messy. symbolic: adj. containing symbols, or being used as a symbol 使用象征的；作为象征的；象征性的 E.g. He shook his fist in a symbolic gesture of defiance. 他晃晃拳头，表示不服。 a symbolically significant gesture 有象征意义的姿态。 muddle sth (up): to put things in the wrong order or mix them up E.g. Don’t do that---you are muddling my papers. 别动---你会弄乱我的文件的。 Their letters were all muddled up together in a drawer. 他们的信都乱七八糟地放在一个抽屉里。 messy: 1. dirty and/or untidy 肮脏的；凌乱的；不整洁 2. making sb/sth dirty and/or untidy使脏乱的；使不整洁的 E.g. It was a messy job. 这是项很脏的工作。 但是它们象征着你的伴侣不关心家里的秩序/家里是否井井有条; 他们把东西弄得乱七八糟/杂乱无章;他们自己又不整洁/不修边幅。

Or the question( about one’s day) is experienced as a symbol of interrogation, a lack of privacy and a humiliation (because one’s days rarely go well enough). experience: 2. To have and be aware of a particular emotion or physical feeling 感受；体会；体验 e.g To experience pain/pleasure/unhappiness 感受痛苦/愉快/不幸 I experienced a moment of panic as I boarded the plane. 我上飞机时曾一度感到恐慌。 humiliate: to make sb feel ashamed or stupid and lose the respect of other people E.g. She suffered the humiliation of being criticized in public. 她当众受到指责，丢了面子。 又或者当被问到一天过得怎样时/问他们今天过得怎样/问另一半今天过得怎样，（这个问题）给他们的感觉像在审问（他们）/这个问题让他们觉得自己是在被审问，这让他们没了隐私，丢了面子（因为他们很少有一天过得很顺利/他们很少有过得很顺利的日子/因为鲜少有过得很顺利的一天 ）。

The solution is, ideally, to concentrate on what the bigger issue is The solution is, ideally, to concentrate on what the bigger issue is. Entire philosophies of life stir and collide beneath the surface of apparently petty squabbles. Irritations are the outward indications of stifled debates between competing conceptions of existence. It’s to the bigger themes（that） we need to try to get.

The solution is, ideally, to concentrate on what the bigger issue is. ideal: perfect, most suitable E.g. Ideally, I’d like to live in New York, but that’s not possible. 按理想来说，我希望住在纽约，但那是不可能的。 concentrate on: 集中；全神贯注 E.g. concentrate on one’s work. 全力以赴地工作 理想情况下，解决的办法是/理想的解决办法是，集中精力去弄清楚何为更重要的问题/更重要的事情是什么。

表面上看似是小口角，背后却是整个人生态度/人生观在摩擦在碰撞； /看似小吵小闹的背后是整个人生态度/人生观的摩擦与碰撞。 Entire philosophies of life stir and collide beneath the surface of apparently petty squabbles. philosophy: 3. a set of beliefs or an attitude to life that guides sb’s behavior人生哲学；生活的信条（或态度） e.g. Her philosophy of life is to take every opportunity that presents itself. 她的处世态度是，不放过任何呈现眼前的机会。 stir: 1. To move a liquid or substance around, using a spoon or sth similar, in order to mix it thoroughly 搅动；搅和；搅拌 E.g. Stir the paint before you use it. 使用前先把油漆搅一搅。 2. 使微动；移动；摇动；轰动；鼓动；惊动； 3. 活动；扰乱，胡闹；（消息）传布；流通；流行； petty: small and unimportant 小的；琐碎的；次要的 e.g. petty squabbles 小口角 squabble: v. To quarrel noisily about sth that is not very important (为琐事)争吵，发生口角 n. family squabbles家庭内部的争吵 表面上看似是小口角，背后却是整个人生态度/人生观在摩擦在碰撞； /看似小吵小闹的背后是整个人生态度/人生观的摩擦与碰撞。

恼怒是相互冲突的生活理念之间的对抗受抑制后的外在表现。 恼怒是相互冲突的生活理念在内心进行了有所抑制的对抗后的外在表现。 Irritations are the outward indications of stifled debates between competing conceptions of existence. indication: a remark or sign that shows that sth is happening or what sb is thinking or feeling 表明；标示；显示；象征 e.g. There are clear indications that the economy is improving. 有明显的迹象显示经济已开始好转。 existence: 1. the state or fact of being real or living 存在；实有 2. A way of living especially when this is difficult or boring (尤指艰难或无聊的)生活,生活方式 e.g. The family endured a miserable existence in a cramped and noisy apartment. 这家人在狭窄而嘈杂的公寓里过着凄惨的日子。 stifle: 1. 使窒息，使闷住 2. 抑制；扼杀；3. 受抑制；受扼杀；受制止 恼怒是相互冲突的生活理念之间的对抗受抑制后的外在表现。 恼怒是相互冲突的生活理念在内心进行了有所抑制的对抗后的外在表现。 相互冲突的生活理念之争令人窒息，外在表现即为恼怒。

It’s to the bigger themes（that） we need to try to get. get to: 1.到达；接触到：get to the essence of things 触及事物的本质 2. 开始；着手处理：Let’s get to work. 我们干起来把。 3. 对…产生影响：The song got to me. 这首歌触动了我。 正是这些更为重大的事情需要我们去设法弄清/理解。 我们需要设法弄清/理解的是正是这些更为重大的事情。

易怒之人被人抱怨的原因是，他们总是为一些“不算事情”/无关紧要的事情大动肝火。但是,象征物/（探究）有其象征意义/寓意的这些事情，为(我们)弄清楚一件细微的琐事是如何代表/反映更大、更重要的事情提供了一条途径。 食品杂货没放对桌子，这件事情本身完全不会令人不快。/没放对桌子的食品杂货本身完全不会令人不快。但是他们象征着你的另一半不关心家里是否井井有条/家里的秩序; 他们把东西弄得乱七八糟;自己又不修边幅。又或者当他们被问到今天过得怎样/问他们今天过得怎样，（这个问题）给他们的感觉像是在审问（他们），这让他们没了隐私，丢了面子（因为他们很少有一天过得很顺利/他们很少有过得很顺利的一天）。

理想情况下，解决的办法是/理想的办法是，集中精力去弄清楚更大的事情是什么。表面上看似是小口角，背后却是整个人生态度在摩擦在碰撞/看似小吵小闹的表面下是整个人生态度的摩擦与碰撞。恼怒是内心受压抑的相互冲突的生活理念之争的外部表现/相互冲突的生活理念之争令人窒息，外在表现即为恼怒。 。我们需要设法弄清/理解的是正是这些更大的事情。