《三國演義》中,衍生出許多大家經常使用的生活用語,象是“扶不起的阿斗”“說曹操,曹操就到”“三個臭皮匠勝過一個諸葛亮”等。你知道這些用語,在英文里也有相對應的慣用語嗎?
1 a babe in arms 扶不起的阿斗
解析:babe(注意!不是“baby”)在這里解釋為“天真,不諳世故而易受騙者”,如同“襁褓中的嬰兒”。
例:
The chairman's son is a babe in arms. He doesn't have the ability to be the CEO of the company.(董事長的兒子是個扶不起的阿斗,他沒有能力擔任公司的CEO。)
2 speak of the devil 說曹操,曹操就到
解析:中文歇后語單純指“提到某人,某人就出現(xiàn)在面前”,沒有負面意味;英文里雖用devil(魔鬼)一詞,但也是褒貶皆可用。
例:
I hadn't seen Michael for quite a long time. However, I was just talking about him and he appeared. Speak of the devil!(我好長一段時間沒見到邁克爾了,然而我才剛談到他,他就出現(xiàn)了。說曹操,曹操就到!)
3 two heads are better than one 三個臭皮匠勝過一個諸葛亮
解析:中文說“三個臭皮匠”,英文里只要“兩個頭”(two heads)即可!
例:
There's a saying, “Two heads are better than one.” You may consult others when making big decisions.(有句話說:“三個臭皮匠勝過一個諸葛亮。”當你做重大決定時,不妨咨詢他人。)