中国成语英语翻译大全.doc

1、中国成语英语翻译大全Where there is a will, there is a way. 有志者 .事竟成爱屋及乌 Love me, love my dog. 百闻不如一见 Seeing is believing. 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 笨鸟先飞 A slow sparrow should make an early start. 不眠之夜 white night 不以物喜，不以己悲 not

2、pleased by external gains, not saddened by personnal losses 不遗余力 spare no effort; go all out; do ones best 不打不成交“No discord, no concord. 拆东墙补西墙 rob Peter to pay Paul 辞旧迎新 bid farewell to the old and usher in the new; ring out the old year and ring in the new 大事化小，小事化了 try first to make their mistake

3、 sound less serious and then to reduce it to nothing at all 大开眼界 open ones eyes; broaden ones horizon; be an eye-opener 国泰民安 The country flourishes and people live in peace 过犹不及 going too far is as bad as not going far enough; beyond is as wrong as falling short; too much is as bad as too little 功夫不

4、负有心人 Everything comes to him who waits. 好了伤疤忘了疼 once on shore, one prays no more 好事不出门，恶事传千里 Good news never goes beyond the gate, while bad news spread far and wide. 和气生财 Harmony brings wealth 活到老，学到老 One is never too old to learn. 既往不咎let bygones be bygones 金无足赤, 人无完人 Gold cant be pure and man can

5、t be perfect. 金玉满堂 Treasures fill the home 脚踏实地 be down-to-earth 脚踩两只船 sit on the fence 君子之交淡如水 the friendship between gentlemen is as pure as crystal; a hedge between keeps friendship green 老生常谈，陈词滥调 cut and dried, clich 礼尚往来 Courtesy calls for reciprocity. 留得青山在，不怕没柴烧“Where there is life, there is

6、 hope.“ 马到成功achieve immediate victory; win instant success 名利双收 gain in both fame and wealth 茅塞顿开 be suddenly enlightened 没有规矩不成方圆 Nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards. 每逢佳节倍思亲 On festive occasions more than ever one thinks of ones dear ones far away. It is on the festival occasion

7、s when one misses his dear most. 谋事在人，成事在天“The planning lies with man, the outcome with Heaven. / Man proposes, God disposes. “ 弄巧成拙 be too smart by half; Cunning outwits itself. 拿手好戏 masterpiece 赔了夫人又折兵throw good money after bad 抛砖引玉 a modest spur to induce others to come forward with valuable cont

8、ributions; throw a sprat to catch a whale 破釜沉舟 cut off all means of retreat；burn ones own way of retreat and be determined to fight to the end 抢得先机 take the preemptive opportunities 巧妇难为无米之炊If you have no hand you cant make a fist./ One cant make bricks without straw. 千里之行始于足下 a thousand-li journey

9、begins with the first step-the highest eminence is to be gained step by step 前事不忘,后事之师 Past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future. 前人栽树, 后人乘凉 One generation plants the trees in whose shade another generation rests. One sows and another reaps. 前怕狼,后怕虎 fear the wolf in front and the

10、tiger behind/ hesitate in doing something 强龙难压地头蛇Even a dragon (from the outside) finds it hard to control a snake in its old haunt - Powerful outsiders can hardly afford to neglect local bullies. 强强联手 win-win co-operation 瑞雪兆丰年 A timely snow promises a good harvest. 人之初,性本善 Mans nature at birth is

11、good. 人逢喜事精神爽 Joy puts heart into a man. 人海战术 huge-crowd strategy 世上无难事，只要肯攀登“Where there is a will, there is a way. “ 世外桃源 a fictitious land of peace away from the turmoil of the world; 死而后已 until my heart stops beating 岁岁平安 Peace all year round 上有天堂，下有苏杭“Just as there is paradise in heaven, ther a

12、re Suzhou and Hangzhou on earth.“ 塞翁失马，焉知非福 Misfortune may be an actual blessing. 三十而立“A man should be independent at the age of thirty. At thirty, a man should be able to think for himself.“ 升级换代updating and upgrading (of products) 四十不惑 Life begins at forty. 谁言寸草心，报得三春晖“Such kindness of warm sun, c

13、ant be repaid by grass. “ 水涨船高 When the river rises, the boat floats high. 时不我待 Time and tide wait for no man. 杀鸡用牛刀 break a butterfly on the wheel 实事求是 seek truth from facts; be practical and realistic; be true to facts 说曹操,曹操到Talk of the devil and he comes. 实话实说 speak the plain truth; call a spade

14、 a spade; tell it as it is 实践是检验真理的唯一标准Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. 山不在高，有仙则名“No matter how high the mountain is, its name will spread far and wide if there is a fairy; “ 韬光养晦 hide ones capacities and bide ones time 糖衣炮弹 sugar-coated bullets 天有不测风云Anything unexpected may happen.

15、 a bolt from the blue 团结就是力量 Unity is strength. “跳进黄河洗不清”“eve if one jumped into the Yellow River, one can not wash oneself clean-theres nothing one can do to clear ones name “ 歪风邪气 unhealthy practices and evil phenomena 物以类聚，人以群分 Birds of a feather flock together. 往事如风 “The past has vanished (from

16、memory) like wind.; What in past, is past.“ 望子成龙 hold high hopes for ones child 屋漏又逢连阴雨 Misfortunes never come singly. When it rains it pours. 文韬武略 military expertise; military strategy 唯利是图 draw water to ones mill 无源之水,无本之木 water without a source, and a tree wiithout roots 无中生有 make/create somethin

17、g out of nothing 无风不起浪 There are no waves without wind. Theres no smoke without fire. 徇私枉法 bend the law for the benefit of relatives or friends 新官上任三把火 a new broom sweeps clean 虚心使人进步,骄傲使人落后 Modesty helps one go forward, whereas conceit makes one lag behind. 蓄势而发 accumulate strength for a take-off 心

18、想事成 May all your wish come true 心照不宣 have a tacit understanding; give tacit consent; tacit understanding 先入为主 First impressions are firmly entrenched. 先下手为强 catch the ball before the bound 像热锅上的蚂蚁 like an ant on a hot pan 现身说法 warn people by taking oneself as an example 息事宁人 pour oil on troubled wat

19、ers 喜忧参半 mingled hope and fear 循序渐进 step by step 一路平安，一路顺风 speed somebody on their way; speed the parting guest 严以律己, 宽以待人 be strict with oneself and lenient towards others 鱼米之乡 a land of milk and honey 有情人终成眷属“Jack shall have Jill, all shall be well.“ 有钱能使鬼推磨Money makes the mare go. Money talks. 有识

20、之士 people of vision 有勇无谋 use brawn rather than brain 有缘千里来相会Separated as we are thousands of miles apart, we come together as if by predestination. 与时俱进 advance with times 以人为本people oriented; people foremost 因材施教 teach students according to their aptitude 欲穷千里目，更上一层楼“to ascend another storey to see

21、 a thousand miles further; Ascend further, were you to look farther; Would eye embrace a thousand miles? Go up, one flight.“ 欲速则不达 Haste does not bring success. 优胜劣汰 survival of the fittest 英雄所见略同 Great minds think alike. 冤家宜解不宜结 Better make friends than make enemies. 冤假错案“cases in which people were

22、 unjustly, falsely or wrongly charged or sentenced; unjust, false or wrong cases“ 一言既出，驷马难追 A real man never goes back on his words. 招财进宝Money and treasures will be plentiful 债台高筑 become debt-ridden 致命要害 Achilles heel 众矢之的 target of public criticism 知己知彼,百战不殆 Know the enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat. 纸上谈兵 be an armchair strategist 纸包不住火 Truth will come to light sooner or later. 左右为难 between the devil and the deep blue sea; between the rock and the hard