VOA慢速英語：詞匯掌故：不要對禮物挑三揀四

'Don't Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth'

詞匯掌故：不要對禮物挑三揀四

Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.

這里是美國之音慢速英語詞匯掌故節(jié)目。

On this show, we explore the origins and usage of common expressions in American English. Sometimes we tie the show to an event or special time of the year. This show could be tied to any time of the year that features a holiday.

在本節(jié)目中，我們會探討美式英語中常用表達的來源和用法。有時候我們會把它跟一年中的某個事件或特殊時刻聯(lián)系起來。這個節(jié)目能夠和一年中任何節(jié)日聯(lián)系起來。

Holidays are a wonderful time of the year! They are a time when people slow down and take a break from their daily lives.

節(jié)日是一年中最美好的時光。這是人們放慢腳步、從日常生活中解脫出來小憩片刻的時候。

While holidays are celebrated in different ways, many have something in common -- gift-giving!

雖然節(jié)日有著不同的慶祝方式，但是都有一個共同點，那就是贈送禮物。

And who doesn't like to get a present. Covered in pretty paper, maybe tied with a bow or ribbon, a wrapped gift is a surprise. It could be anything!

誰會不喜歡收到禮物呢?用精美的紙張包好，也許再用蝴蝶結(jié)或絲帶綁好，包好的禮物就是個驚喜。里面可能裝的是任何東西。

"Oh, you really shouldn't have!" is a common response when someone hands you a gift. We say this even when we are thinking to ourselves, "Yay! I got a present!"

“哦，你太客氣了!”這是有人送給你禮物時你會做出的常見回應(yīng)，即使當時我們想的是：“耶!我收到禮物了!”

Sometimes the gift is perfect.

有時候禮物很完美。

"It's just what I have always wanted!" you might say.

你可能會說，“這正是我一直想要的。”

Sometimes it's not.

有時候就不是這樣。

We have all been there. You happily tear open a gift, wondering what is inside. But then you see it and you are ... disappointed. But you must not show it. And you absolutely must not criticize the gift and make comments about why you don't like it.

我們都經(jīng)歷過這種事。你高興地打開一件禮物，想要知道里面是什么。然后你看到后非常失望。但是你不能把這種情緒表現(xiàn)出來。而且你絕對不能批評這件禮物，并說出你為什么不喜歡它。

In other words, don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

換句話說，不要對禮物挑三揀四。

This idiom is really old.

這句習語真的非常古老。

Way back in 1546, a man named John Heywood supposedly used this phrase in some Middle English text. ("No man ought to looke a geuen hors in the mouth.")

早在1546年，一位名為約翰·海伍德(John Heywood)的男子在一些中世紀英語文章中用到了這句話。

However, some word experts say the idiom is much older than that. However old it is, people must have used it when gifting a horse was a common thing.

然而，一些詞匯專家表示，這句習語比這還要更加古老。不管有多古老，人們肯定是在把送馬當常事時使用這個習語。

To understand this idiom, we must understand a bit about horse's teeth. They grow over time. So, checking the length of the teeth is a way of knowing the horse's age. Although I have never given or received a horse, I'm guessing a young horse makes a better gift than an old one.

為了理解這句習語，我們必須了解一下馬的牙齒，它們隨著年紀增長而生長。所以，檢查牙齒長度是了解馬的年齡的一種辦法。雖然我從沒送過也沒收到過馬，但我猜小馬比老馬更適合當禮物。

However, checking the horse's mouth would be a sign of mistrust towards the gift giver. This would be bad manners. And it might make the giver feel embarrassed or even angry!

然而，檢查馬的嘴巴對送禮者是一種不信任的表現(xiàn)，這太不禮貌了，會讓送禮者感到尷尬甚至生氣。

The polite thing to do is simply to say "thank you" and accept the gift horse graciously.

有禮貌的做法就只要說出“謝謝你”并且優(yōu)雅地接受這件禮物。

These days, horses are not common gifts. But we commonly use this idiom.

現(xiàn)如今，馬不再是一種常見的禮物，但是我們經(jīng)常會用到這句習語。

Today "don't (or never) look a gift horse in the mouth" means don't find fault with something that has been received as a gift or favor. Don't be ungrateful when you receive a present, even if it's not exactly what you wanted. If you complain about a gift someone has given you or a favor someone has done for you, you could be accused of looking a gift horse in the mouth.

今天，“不要對禮物挑三揀四”意思是不要對收到的禮物或恩惠挑毛病。收到禮物時別不領(lǐng)情，即使它不是你想要的。如果你抱怨別人送給你的禮物或是對你的恩惠，你可能會被指責“對禮物挑三揀四。”

Besides gifts, you can use this idiom for other things, such as a favor.

除了禮物，你也可以使用這個習語表達其它東西，例如某種恩惠。

Let's say you ask a friend to help cook a dish for a party you are throwing for a group of senior citizens in your neighborhood.

假設(shè)在你給附近老人舉辦的一場聚會上，你邀請一位朋友幫忙做一點飯菜。

She comes to the dinner, smiling from ear to ear, and hands you the dish she has cooked. It is very burnt and it smells ... odd. But you don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. You thank her for her dish and the time she took to make it. Then you put it on the table ... in the back ... where people hopefully won't see it.

她笑得合不攏嘴地來到晚宴上，然后把做好的飯菜遞給你。飯菜燒焦了味道很難聞。但是你不想對禮物挑三揀四，你感謝她帶來的飯菜以及為此付出的時間。然后你把它放在桌子上，但是放在人們可能會看不到的桌子后面。

So, next time you get a gift that is less than perfect, remember that it is not nice to look a gift horse in the mouth. After all, it's the thought that counts. This means that it's the thought of gift-giving and not the gift itself that is important.

所以，下次當你收到不那么完美的禮物，請記住，對禮物挑三揀四不好。畢竟，心意最重要，意思是送禮的心意比禮物本身更重要。

And don't worry. If you get something as a gift that you really don't like, you can always pass it along to someone else who may actually like it.

別擔心，如果你收到確實不喜歡的禮物，你可以隨時把它轉(zhuǎn)送給其他可能真正喜歡它的人。

In other words, you can always re-gift it!

換句話說，你可以隨時把它轉(zhuǎn)送出去。

And that's the end of this Word and Their Stories!

以上就是本期詞匯掌故節(jié)目的全部內(nèi)容。

I'm Anna Matteo.

安娜·馬特奧報道。