习语成语翻译

画蛇添足

原文

楚有祠者，赐其舍人卮酒，舍人相谓曰：“数人饮之不足，一人饮之有余，请画地为蛇，先成者饮酒。”一人蛇先成，引酒且饮之，乃左手持卮，右手画蛇曰：“吾能为之足。”未成，一人之蛇成，夺其卮曰：‘蛇固无足，子安能为之足？’遂饮其酒。为蛇足者，终亡其酒。

译文

楚国有个搞祭祀活动的人，祭祀完了以后，拿出一壶酒赏给门人们喝。门客们互相商量说：“这壶酒大家都来喝则不足够，一个人喝则有剩余。我们各自在地上比赛画蛇，先画好的人就喝这壶酒。” 有一个人先把蛇画好了，他拿起酒壶正要喝，却左手拿着酒壶，右手继续画蛇，说：“我能够给它画脚。”没等他画完，另一个人已把蛇画成了，把壶抢过去说：“蛇本来是没有脚的，你怎么能给它画脚呢！”然后他便把壶中的酒喝了下去。为蛇画脚的人，最终失去了酒。

成语寓意编辑

以后人们根据这个故事引申出"画蛇添足"这句成语，比喻有的人自作聪明，常做多余的事，反而把事情办糟了。比喻节外生枝，多此一举，反而坏事。

英译版本

There was a man in the state of Chu who was engaged in sacrificial activities. After the sacrifice,

take out a pot of wine for the door people to drink.

When the door people saw that there was only one pot of wine, they agreed with each other,

"this pot of wine is not enough for several people to drink together; if one person drinks it, there

will be some surplus. We can draw snakes on the ground together. Whoever draws the snake first

汉英讲议-19

成语和习语的翻译

成语的翻译是汉译英中一门重要的课程，也是初学翻译者感到较困难的点。本章专就成语的翻译做一些讨论。

直译法：

1. 如履薄冰：as precarious as stepping on thin ice

9. 不要以卵击石 Don’t knock an egg against the stone.

2. 对牛弹琴 to play piano to a cow

6. “随大流”心理 the “follow-the-majority” mentality

4. 他对这件事睁一支眼闭一支眼。

He keeps a closed eye on it.

14. 这女孩子心直口快 This girl is very outspoken.

15. 我们都是直性子。 We’re all very straightforward.

19. 子在川上曰： “逝者如斯夫？”

The scholar sighed high up on the riverbank: “Does things just pass like the flowing of water as I have

seen here?”

22. 有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎？

Isn’t it a pleasant thing to have a friend coming from afar?

23. 我一直在为儿子上学的事来回奔波。

I have been running up and down for my son’s enrollment into the school

34. 不言自明 obvious without saying, it goes without saying that…

43. 摸着石头过河 to cross a river by feeling the stone

1.爱屋及乌 Love me, love my dog.

2.百闻不如一见 （眼见为实 ）Seeing is believing.

3.比上不足比下有余 worse off

than some, better off than many; to

fall short of the best, but be better

than the worst.

4.笨鸟先飞 A slow sparrow should

make an early start.

5.不眠之夜 white night

6.不以物喜不以己悲 not pleased

by external gains, not saddened by

personal losses

7.不遗余力 spare no effort; go all

out; do one's best

8.不打不成交 No discord, no

concord.

9.拆东墙补西墙 rob Peter to pay

Paul

10.辞旧迎新 bid farewell to the old

and usher in the new; ring out the

old year and ring in the new

11.大事化小小事化了 try first to make their mistake sound less

serious and then to reduce it to

nothing at all

12.大开眼界 open one's eyes;

broaden one's horizon; be an

eye-opener

13.国泰民安 The country

flourishes and people live in peace

14.过犹不及 going too far is as bad

as not going far enough; beyond is

英文习语和成语

A friend in need is a friend indeed.患难朋友才是真正的朋友。

Actions speak louder than words.事实胜于雄辩

All is not gold that glitters.闪光的不一定都是金子

An idle youth， a needy age.少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲

Bitter pills may have wholesome effects.良药苦口

Do wrong once and you"ll never hear the end of it.一失足成千古恨

Every cloud has a silver lining.守得云开见月明

Every man has his fault.人孰无过

First come， first served.捷足先登

Haste makes waste.欲速则不达

Honesty is the best policy.诚实至上

In fair weather prepare for foul.未雨绸缪

Knowledge is power.知识就是力量

Let bygones be bygone.既往不究

Look before you leap.三思而后行

Man proposes， God disposes.谋事在人，成事在天

Money talks.金钱万能

No gains without pains.吃得苦中苦方为人上人得寸进尺

Give a greed man an inch and he will take a foot. 一箭双雕

to kill two birds with one stone

趁热打铁

to strike while the iron is hot

火上加油

to pour oil on the flame