第九章 习语的翻译 习语(idioms)是一种广为流传并且具有特定意义的固定词组和短句。习语语言是文化的载体，习语又是语言的精华。 第九章 习语的翻译 习语(idioms)是一种广为流传并且具有特定意义的固定词组和短句。习语语言是文化的载体，习语又是语言的精华。 我们这里所说的汉语习语是指广义的习语（set expressions），包括：成语（idioms）、俗语（common sayings）、格言（maxims）、歇后语（allegorical sayings）、谚语（proverbs）、俚语（slang）等。 君子有成人之美。 A gentleman is always ready to help others attain their aims. 业精于勤，荒于嬉。 The scholar becomes proficient in learning through diligence but suffers from indolence. 行成于思，毁于随。 The way of life is attained through deliberate thought but ruined by casual negligence. 英雄气短，儿女情长。 Brief is the spirit of a hero, but love between man and woman is long( said of a man who turns from duty for the sake of love) 王婆卖瓜自卖自夸。 Wang Po sells melons----blows one’s own trumpet. 囧 embarrassed, awkward; 炒作 publicity stunt; 牛 awesome; 吃错药了 get up on the wrong side of bed 天下没有不散的宴席。 All good things must come to an end.

一般说来，汉语习语英译可以采用：直译法，意译法，套用法，直译兼意译，直译加注法，省略法等。 一、用直译法翻译下列句子中的习语； 二、用套用法翻译下列句子中的习语； 三、用意译法翻译下列句子中的习语； 四、用直译兼意译法翻译下列句子中的习语； 五、用直译加注法翻译下列句子中的习语； 六、用省略法翻译下列句子中的习语。

一、用直译法翻译下列句子中的习语 1、留得青山在不愁没柴烧。 So long as the green hills remain, there will never be a shortage of firewood. or While there is life, there is hope. 2、好事不出门，坏事传千里。 Good news never goes beyond the gate, while bad news spreads far and wide. 3、送君千里，终有一别。 Although you may escort a guest a thousand miles, yet must the parting come at last. 4、人固有一死，有的轻于鸿毛，有的重于泰山。 Everyone must die. But one’s death might be lighter than a goose feather or weightier than Mountain Tai.

他得知这个噩耗后，呆若木鸡。 On hearing this sad news, he was struck dumb as a wooden chicken. 人怕出名猪怕壮。 A man dreads fame as a pig dreads being fat. 巧妇难为无米之炊。 Even the cleverest housewife cannot cook a meal without rice. 临阵磨枪 Sharpen one’s spear only before going into battle 一寸光阴一寸金 An inch of time is an inch of gold. 谋事在人、成事在天。 Man proposes, heaven disposes.

二、用套用法翻译下列句子中的习语 1、甭担心，船到桥头自然直。 Don’t worry 二、用套用法翻译下列句子中的习语 1、甭担心，船到桥头自然直。 Don’t worry. You will cross the bridge when you come to it. 2、近朱者赤，近墨者黑。 He that lies down with dogs must rise with fleas. 3、那家合资企业由于经营不善，已经到了山穷水尽的地步。 Due to poor management, the joint venture is now at the end of its tether. 4、少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲。 An idle youth, a needy age. 5、一个和尚挑水喝，两个和尚抬水喝，三个和尚没水喝。 One boy is a boy, two boys half a boy, three boys no boy.

浑水摸鱼是他们的惯用伎俩。 Fishing in troubled waters is the trick frequently employed by them. 他见了账单，顿时面如土色。 At the sight of the bill, his face was as pale as ashes. 他不可信任，因为他巧舌如簧，招摇撞骗。 He is not to be trusted, for he has a glib tongue and tries every trick to mislead the public. 一叶知秋。 A straw shows which way the wind blows. 头头还没有批准他的计划，所以他决定去拍拍马屁。 The Chief hadn't accepted his plan yet, so he decided to go in and polish the apple a bit.

趁热打铁 Strike while the iron is hot. 熟能生巧。 Practice makes perfect 趁热打铁 Strike while the iron is hot. 熟能生巧。 Practice makes perfect. 事实胜于雄辩。 Facts speaks louder than words. 己所不欲、勿施于人。 Do as you would be done by.

既然他干得那么好，他干吗要整天自吹自擂呢？ If he's so successful, why does he have to keep blowing his own trumpet? 望着一片人山人海的听众，杨先生发表了一篇动人的演说。 Looking out upon the sea of faces, Mr. Yang delivered a touching speech. 他说他的老师很赞赏他的作文，但我要听他的老师亲口说。我看他是王婆卖瓜，自卖自夸。 He said that his teacher considered his essay brilliant, but I would rather hear it from his teacher's own mouth. Every potter praises his own pot. 我知道你在家时早饭吃粥和酱菜，可眼下你在欧洲，入乡随俗，你就喝咖啡吃卷饼吧。 I know you have porridge and pickles for breakfast at home. But since you are now in Europe, you will do as the Romans do and take coffee and rolls.

三、用意译法翻译下列句子中的习语 1、山中无老虎，猴子称霸王。 Among the blind, the one-eyed man is king. 2、对期货交易，我是擀面杖吹火——一窍不通。 I don’t know the first thing about futures. 3、塞翁失马，安知非福？ A loss may turn out to be a gain. 4、上梁不正下梁歪。 When those above behave unworthily, those below will do the same. 5、狗嘴吐不出象牙。 A filthy mouth cannot utter decent language. 6、今年高考他又名落孙山了。 This year he failed again in the entrance examinations for college students.

胸有成竹 have a well-thought-out plan before doing something 立竿见影 get instant results

青出于蓝而胜于蓝。 A pupil learns from and outdoes his teacher 青出于蓝而胜于蓝。 A pupil learns from and outdoes his teacher. 不到黄河心不死。 Not stop until one reaches one’s goal. 对别人的经验要消化吸收，东施效颦地机械模仿是毫无用处的。 Though we should assimilate and absorb other people’s experience, blind imitation would lead nowhere. 如果你到苏州来玩，我可以毛遂自荐给你当导游。 If you come to Suzhou on a tour, I’ll volunteer to be your guide. 他们已经陷入四面楚歌的困境。 They have been utterly isolated.

他当了30 多年的厂长，如今已是70 岁的人了，早该解甲归田了。 He has been the director of the factory for over 30 years. It is high time he retired now for he is already 70. 我已经好久没有回家了，此刻真是归心似箭。 I'm anxious to go back home as I've been away for a very long time. 这个问题盘根错节，恐怕短时间内难以解决。 This problem is complicated and difficult to deal with. I'm afraid we can't solve it immediately. 他这个人小手小脚的，不好相处。 He is ungenerous and hard to get along with. 这种地方鱼龙混杂，你要特别小心。 This is a place where good and bad people are mixed up, so you've got to be very careful.

四、用直译兼意译法翻译下列句子中的习语 1、司马昭之心，路人皆知。 Sima Zhao’s ill intent is known to all-the villain’s design is obvious. 2、井水不犯河水。 Well water and river water leave each other alone - stay out of things that don’t concern you. 3、各人自扫门前雪。 Each one sweeps the snow from his own front door-each one minds his own business. 4、秀才不出门，全知天下事。 Without going out of doors the scholar knows all the world’s affairs.

五、用直译加注法翻译下列句子中的习语 1、口蜜腹剑 honey in mouth, dagger in heart-an iron hand in a velvet glove 2、门可罗雀 You can catch sparrows on the doorstep-where visitors are few and far between 3、姜太公钓鱼，愿者上钩。 like the fish rising to Chiang Tai Gong’s hookless and baitless line-willingly to fall into the snare 4、东施效颦 Dong Shi, an ugly woman, knitting her eyebrows in imitation of the famous beauty Si Shi only to make herself uglier-blindly copying others and making oneself look foolish

扬眉吐气 to raise the eyebrows and let out a breath - to feel proud and elated 灯红酒绿 with red lights and green wine- dissipated and luxious 你这是班门弄斧 You are showing off your proficiency with an axe before Lu Ban, the master carpenter. 三个臭皮匠赛过诸葛亮。 The wit of three cobblers combined surpassed that of Zhuge Liang, the master mind.

六、用省略法翻译下列句子中的习语 1、精打细算 make every cent count carful calculation and strict budgeting (直译） 舞文弄墨 play on words 2、他决心洗心革面，脱胎换骨。 He is determined to turn over a new leaf. 3、在长期的革命历程中，各民主党派与中国共产党同呼吸共命运。 In the protracted process of the Chinese revolution, the various democratic parties shared a common fate with the Chinese Communist Party.

油头粉面 High-painted 我们要打破这些清规戒律。 We should break through all the prohibitions. 他心中闷闷不乐，回到房中，长吁短叹。 He went back to his room feeling so gloomy that he did nothing but sigh. 贪官污吏 corrupt officials 铜墙铁壁 a bastion of iron （an impregnable fortress） 面红耳赤 be red in the face; be flushed 手忙脚乱 In a frantic rush 生龙活虎 Bursting with energy

练习： 1、中国人有句老话：“不入虎穴，焉得虎子。”这句话对于人们的实践是真理，对于认识也是真理。 There is an old Chinese saying, “How can one catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger’s lair/den?” This saying holds true for one’s practice and also holds true for the theory of knowledge. 2、难怪他数学那么好，他父母都是数学教授。“龙生龙，凤生凤，老鼠生儿打地洞”嘛。 No wonder he is good at maths-his parents are professors of maths. “Like father, like son,” indeed. 3、“嫫母有所美，西施有所丑。”不知道满足的人，实在是自取灭亡呀。 There is beauty in the ugliest woman, and ugliness in the greatest beauty. Only those who can never be satisfied simply ruin themselves.

小结： 汉英翻译中，习语翻译是一个难点。一般而言，在不影响理解的时候，直译汉语习语比较好。直译会引起理解困难时，可以用注释的方法加以弥补。如果在译入语中有对应的习语，套用英语习语也好。当然，有时还可以采用解释的方法翻译汉语习语。

1、上有天堂下有苏杭。 2、百花齐放，百家争鸣。 3、此地无银三百两。 4、有缘千里来相会。 1、Just as there is paradise in heaven, there are Suzhou and Hangzhou on earth. 2、Let a hundred flowers bloom, a hundred schools o f thought contend. 3、A guilty person gives himself away by conspicuously protesting his innocence. 4、Separated as we are thousands of miles apart, we come together as if by predestination.

5、前人栽树后人乘凉。 6、有情人终成眷属。 7、冤家宜解不宜结。 8、皇天不负有心人。 9、沉鱼落雁之容，闭月羞花之貌。 5、One sows and another reaps. 6、Jack shall have Jill, all shall be well. 7、Better make friends than make enemies. 8、Heaven does not disappoint people who take pains./ Providence does not let down those who do their best./ Heaven helps those who help themselves. 9、Her beauty would put the flowers to shame.

吾意欲筑一土墙院子，门内多栽竹、树、花草，用碎砖铺曲径一条，以达二门。其内茅屋两间，一间坐客，一间作房，贮图书史籍、笔墨砚瓦、酒董茶具其中，为良朋好友、后生小子论文赋诗之所，其后住家，主屋三间，厨房二间，奴子屋一间，共八间，俱用草苫，如此足矣。 或曰，此等宅居甚适，只是恐盗贼，不知盗贼亦穷民耳。开门延入，商量分惠，有甚么便拿甚么去。若一无所有，便王献之青毡，亦可携取质百钱救急也。吾弟留心此地，为狂兄娱老之资，不知可能遂愿否？

I am thinking of building a house enclosed with earthen walls, in which plenty of bamboos, trees, and various flowers should be planted. There should be curved path paved with broken bricks leading to the porch. There are two spacious rooms behind the porch, one used as drawing-room and the other as study. Books and paintings, records and documents, writingbrushes and inksticks as well as inkstones, wine utensils and teasets are to be put in these two rooms. My intimate friends and young people may come here to discuss literature and make poems. Behind these there is the residence consisting of three bedrooms for the family, two rooms as kitchen, and one as servant quarters, so the total number of rooms in this house is eight under the same thatched roof. That will be quite enough for me.

Some one says that such a house is comfortable to live in, but the trouble is that thieves might easily break in, too. But he does not realize that thieves are but poor people. It they should come, I would open the door and invite them to step in, so as to talk over the distribution of my belongings. They may take whatever I have. In case there is nothing at all worth taking, I would give them the hereditary blue blanket as what Wang Shie-tze had possessed, which may pawn for a hundred cashes to meet their urgent need. You must know, that this place will serve me as the last resort to spend my peaceful latter years, but I wonder if I could be able to fulfill it or not.