(完整版)汉语成语英译

一、关于英汉成语这里所指的成语是广义的，凡是社会上常为人们所用的谚语和习语等皆为成语。

成语一般具有言简意赅、趣味隽永的特点。

准确熟练地运用成语可以增强表达能力，也可以看出一个人掌握使用某种语言的水平。

成语好比一面镜子，反映出一个民族的文化特点，因此也是该种语言与别种语言差异最大，最难翻译的部分之一。

现就几个方面说明英汉成语互译的特点。

（一）比喻上的不同中国人常用“雨后春笋”来形容事物的大量涌现。

英语则用“just like mushroom”来形容同样的意思。

试比较：Kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. 杀鸡取蛋。

Look for a needle in a haystack. 大海捞针Like a rat in a hole. 瓮中之鳖A good conscience is a soft pillow. 日间不做亏心事，夜半敲门心不惊。

（二）风俗习惯的不同⏹对于英国人来说，狗既可用来看门打猎，也可作人的伴侣宠物。

所以英国人对狗一般有好感，常用来比喻人的生活。

例如：Dog tired非常疲倦To dog one's steps跟某人走Top dog重要的人Lucky dog幸运儿As faithful as a dog像狗一样忠诚Love me, love my dog爱屋及乌Every dog has his day凡人皆有得意的日子⏹但是，在英语中，“dog”有时受外来的影响也含有贬义。

例如：a surly dog性情乖戾的人That/this dirty dog那个狗东西He is in the doghouse他名声扫地了He was a bit of a dog in his younger days. 他年轻时过着花天酒地的生活。

（三）历史背景的不同中国自古以来是以农业为主的国家，因此，成语中有很大一部分是农谚。

例如：斩草除根；解甲归田；拔苗助长；顺藤摸瓜；瓜熟蒂落；桃李满天下。

翻译：1.人无远虑，必有近忧【英译】He who gives no thought to the futhure is sure to be beset by worries at hand.2.善有善报恶有恶报。

【英译】Good will be rewarded with good, evil with evil.1.旁观者清。

【英译】The on-looker sees most of the game.2.岁月不待人。

【英译】Time and tide waits for no man.1.不入虎穴，焉得虎子。

【英译】Nothing venture, nothing have.2.公事公办。

【英译】Business is business.1.高处不胜寒。

【英译】He sits no sure that sits too high.2.磨刀不误砍柴功。

【英译】Sharpening your axe will not delay your job of cutting wood.1.巧妇难为无米之炊【英译】You can't make something out of nothing.2.智者千虑，必有一失【英译】No man is wise at all times.1.静以修身。

【英译】A light heart lives long.2.海纳百川。

【英译】All rivers run into sea.1.无风不起浪【英译】There is no smoke without fire.2.一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井绳【英译】Once bitten, twice shy.1.一意孤行【英译】That boy is always going his own way. He won't listen to his parents' advice.2.口蜜腹剑【英译】A honey tongue, a heart of gall.1.远亲不如近邻【英译】Distant kinsmen mean less than close neighbors. / A near neighbor is better than a distant cousin.2.一见钟情【英译】Fall in love at first sight.1.一言既出，驷马难追【英译】A word spoken is past recalling.2.物以类聚，人以群分【英译】Birds of a feather flock together.1.瑞雪兆丰年【英译】A snow year, a rich year.2.情人眼里出西施【英译】Beauty lies in the love's eyes.1.条条大路通罗马。

[英语学习]中国成语中英文对照idioms译员必须“后退”:汉语成语的英译死亡之后，士兵们在死亡之地，他们将活着.比路高一英尺，比魔法高一英尺。

最高的爬一英尺，魔鬼爬十英尺.高预防胜于治疗预防胜于治疗.新官上任三把火新扫帚扫净.塞翁失马不幸可能是因祸得福路遥知道马的力量已经增长了很长一段时间，人们会看到它。

一次长途旅行考验一匹马的力量，一项长期的任务证明一个人的性格.沧海一粟沧海一粟岁月不等人时间不等人.经验是一个好老师。

经验是老师.小型汽车笔记:假装[常用短语]扭转局势vi.扭转局势创造是世界上的第一件事。

当某人倒下时，打他当一个人倒下时打他是有耳朵的。

墙有耳朵.开夜车开夜车.坦率真诚地说当他遇到问题时，他总是向他的配偶敞开心扉盗贼之间有荣誉。

狗不吃狗.一个好机会应该得到另一个一种仁慈是另一种仁慈的代价.损人利己注:配偶(示例)他从未提到过他的配偶他从未提到过他的妻子。

充实自己:自我充实、自我利益和智慧，都会有损失。

不骄傲地赢，优雅地输不以成功宣布，也不以失败区分。

智者没有困惑。

聪明人没有困惑哪里有烟，哪里就有火。

无风不起浪.(哪里有烟，就有火给百合花镀金百合利用这个麻烦来维持收支平衡。

和尚不能管理寺庙。

小型汽车笔记:荷马:n.荷马(希腊诗人)事实上，很难找到摆脱这种局面的方法。

古怪的两个头比一个.好混日子情人眼里出西施。

对某事物表现出特别的偏爱所有的女孩都喜欢凯文，但他只喜欢玛丽我们什么时候分开最好消除敌意，而不是收缩它.反对归反对，但没有办法，只好抛开不管眼不见，心不烦.舌尖上口误有时会给你带来麻烦小型汽车笔记:一只教堂老鼠:一个乞丐的口误:口误，口误，口误，口误非常恭顺的表情他总是对他的老板毕恭毕敬浅薄的人稍有成就就会忘记应该持有的态度。

早起的鸟儿有虫吃欲速则不达欲速则不达匆忙，低速.给狗起个坏名字，然后绞死它。

给一只狗起个坏名字，然后绞死它搅水捕鱼如果你没有足够的钱，你就得付钱。

对不起，但是我不知道该怎么办。

1.World is but alittle place, after all.天涯原咫尺，到处可逢君Explanation: it isused when a person meets someone he knows or is in someway connectedwith him in a place where he would never have expected to do so. Example: Who wouldhave thought I would bump into an old schoolmate on a trek up Mount Tai.The world is but a little place after all.2. When in Rome, do as the Romansdo.入乡随俗Explanation:conform to the manners and customs of those amongst whom you live.Example: I knowyou have egg and bacon for breakfast at home, but now you are on the Continentyou will do as the Romans do and take coffee and rolls.3. What you loseon the swings you get back on the roundabouts.失之东隅，收之桑榆Explanation: arough way of starting a law of average; if you have bad luck on one day youhavegood on another; if one venture results in loss try a fresh one---it maysucceed.Example: he mayalways possess merits which make up for everything; if he loses on the swings,he may win on the roundabouts.4.What are theodds so long as you are happy.知足者常乐Explanation: what doesanything else matter if a person is happy. Example: youcomplain so much, but you have a good family, parents, health, and money.What’s the odd so long as you’re happy.5．Entertain an angel unawares.有眼不识泰山Explanation: toreceive a great personage as a guest without knowing his merits.Example: in thecourse of evening someone informed her that she was entertaining an angelunawares, in the shape of a composer of the greatest promise6.every dog hashis day .是人皆有出头日Explanation:fortune comes to each in turnExample: they saythat every dog has his day; but mine seems a very long time coming.7.every potterpraises his own pot.王婆买瓜，自卖自夸Explanation:people are loath to refer to defects in their possessions or their familymembersExample: he saidthat his teacher considered his work brilliant, but I would rather hear it fromhisteacher’s own mouth. Every potter praises his own pot成语翻译(二)1．Pain past is pleasure.（过去的痛苦就是快乐。

意译法有些习语由于文化因素的影响，在翻译时无法保留原本语句的字面意义和形象意义，也无法找到同义的习语借用，这时可将原文的形象更换成读者所熟悉的另一个译文形象，从而转达出原文的语用目的，译出隐含意义。

例如汉语中的“落花流水”通常是指被打得大败，译成英文便是“to be shattered to pieces”；“乌烟瘴气”形容情形混乱不堪，则可用“chaos”一个词来表达；“望子成龙”在英译时不能译出其形象，那么翻译成英文时就应该用简短的语句来形容该词的含义：“to expect one's son to become an outstanding personage”；又如：“The dog that will fetch a bone will carry a bone.”在译成汉语时，其中的字面形象dog、bone都不能直译，只能舍弃它的字面意义和形象意义，译出隐含意义：“对你说别人坏话的人，也会说你的坏话”。

同类的例子还有“fight like cat and dog”，如果按字面意义直译成汉语，虽保留了原文形象，但不符合汉语的表达习惯，所以可以根据该习语在文中的意思进行意译，例如：“We still love each other very much ，but we fight like cats and dogs.”译文：“我们常吵吵闹闹，但仍很相爱。

”借用法由于人类在感情、对客观事物的感受及社会经历等方面不免存在相似之处，所以英汉习语中存在着少量相同或近似的习语，这些习语字面意义、形象意义相同或近似，隐含意义则完全相同。

也就是说，此类习语的字面意义和形象意义所传达出的文化信息是相同的，这样的习语则可以采用“借用法”进行互译。

如英语中的“Practice makes perfect.”与汉语中的“熟能生巧”、“Example is better than precept.”与“身教胜于言传”、“Easy come, easy go.”与“来得容易，去得快”、“Strike while the iron is hot.”与“趁热打铁”等句子词汇都可在英汉之间有所对应；同理，如汉语中的“隔墙有耳”一词，英语中则有“Walls have ears.”与之对应。