[口語]“轉(zhuǎn)喜為憂”英語怎么表達？

我們先來學習一個習慣用語: laugh out of the other side of your mouth。讓我們看個例子來體會這個習慣用語是什么意思：

Bill thought he got a real bargain because the car was half the normal price. Now he's laughing out of the other side of his mouth. The police came to tell him the car was stolen. So he loses both the car and the money.

比爾用正常價錢的一半就買進了這輛車，他高興極了，以為自己占了大便宜。但是想不到警察來對他說這輛車是贓貨，這一來比爾既沒了車又丟了錢，真是哭笑不得。

可見laugh out of the other side of his mouth這個習慣用語是用來描繪這種樂極生悲的局面的。它的含義是意外打擊使人哭笑不得、轉(zhuǎn)喜為憂。另外一個習慣用語laugh on the other side of one's face也可表示同樣的意思。


剛才的習慣用語使人連想起一句老話: 別高興得太早。人們常規(guī)勸別人說: 得意莫忘形，失意別消沉。英語里有一句習慣用語有類似的含義，這個習慣用語是: have the last laugh。 Have the last laugh看來意思很明白，就是笑在最后，誰能在最后笑呢？當然是取得最終勝利的一方，所以have the last laugh說的是獲得最后勝利。我們來看個例子。

The boys thought they had tricked the girls by locking them in the kitchen. But the girls had the last laugh when the boys got hungry and realized they couldn't get into the kitchen for food.

男孩兒們把那些女孩鎖進了廚房就自以為計謀得逞了，但是實際上他們高興得太早了：他們餓了想吃東西的時候才想起他們進不去廚房了。

Have the last laugh這個習慣用語來自諺語: He laughs last who laughs best. 笑到最后的人才笑得最好。 Have the last laugh這個習慣用語言簡意賅，含意是取得最后勝利才是真正的勝利，所以大可不必為最初的勝利而得意。