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"He ate his words."千萬不要翻譯成“他食言了”。錯了!
20世紀40年代的《英漢四用詞典》曾把"to ate one's words"譯成“食言”,這是錯的,因為這個短語真正的含義是:
To take a statement back and say in a humble way that one was wrong.
承認錯誤並乖乖的收回所說的話。
而不是它字面的意思,如果要表達“食言”之意,應該說:to go back one's words或 to break one's words.
To eat one's words
To eat one's words =to swallow one's words
例句:
①The naughty boy boasted that he would throw me downstairs,but I made him swallow his words/eat his words.
這個頑童揚言要把我摔下樓,但我使他收回前言,俯首認錯。
②They said he’d never win another tournament, but a month later he forced them to eat their words as he won the US Open.
他們說他永遠不會再次獲得錦標賽的冠軍了,可是一個月之後,他迫使他們收回前言,俯首認錯,因為他獲得了美國公開賽冠軍。
eat their heads off
此外,短語"eat their heads off",也不能按照字面的意思翻譯成:“吃掉他們的頭”,因為它的真正含義是:“吃大量的食物”(eat a large amount of food),它專用以指動物吃食,特別是馬的吃食,現在也可以用來指人的吃食。哈哈哈,真是相聚十萬八千里呢!
例句:
There are two horses in the stable,eating their head off and doing no work.
馬廄裡的那兩匹馬,吃的多,不幹活。
eat one's heart out
"eat one's heart out"也不可譯成“吃掉一個人的心”,它的真正含義是“擔憂”,“急躁”(worry or fret[fret]),屬於口語體。
例句:
It's no use eating your heart out about things that can't be helped.
對於那些無法可想之事擔憂也沒有用。
It's no use doing sth.表示“做.....無用”
01.覆水難收
It's no use crying over split milk.
這就是我們常說的諺語, “覆水難收”但是不能翻譯成:It's no use crying over split water.
02.我喜歡這個小女孩
"The little girl is dear to me"不要翻譯成“這個小女孩對我很親熱。”如果要是此含義應說成:"The little girl is affectionate to me."
其實這句話要表達的是:“我喜歡這個小女孩”。dear是形容詞表被動的含義,相當於"beloved""lovable"。
例句:
①He is a man dear to all.
所有人都喜歡他。
②What a dear little child!
多麼招人喜愛的小孩啊!
③Freedom is dearer to him than life.
對他來說,自由比生命更寶貴。
④You are a dear.
你是個可愛的人。(此處做名詞,dear依舊有被動的含義。)
此外,名詞stranger 和形容詞strange的用法和dear頗為相似。
例句:
①He is a stranger to me.
我不認識他。(不可譯成“他不認識我”)
②His handwriting is strange to me.
他的字跡我不認識。(不可譯成“他的字跡不認得我”)
③He has a weakness for fish.
難道是魚對他來說是個弱點?魚過敏?那就錯了,應該是:他喜歡吃魚。
Weakness做名詞除了有“弱點”之外,還可以表達“愛好,寵愛的事物”。
例句:
①He had a weakness for fine cloths.
他很講究衣著。
②Ice cream is my weakness.
我很愛吃冰淇淋。
③John has a weakness for money.
約翰愛錢如命。
④Drinking is Tao Yuanming’s natural weakness,but,being poor,he cannot afford to buy wine.
陶淵明生性愛酒,但家貧不能常得。
"weakness"在做“愛好”講時,前面通常用"a",後面接"for"。我們現在知道了,當weakness表達fondness,special liking or desire.的時候,不能翻譯成“弱點”。
今天關於英語不可望文生義的一些常見表達你學會了嗎?
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