丟臉=lose face?那些年撞臉的中英文習語

​​在英語學習中,最難的就是學習習語。環境的不同而造成的中西方文化差異,導致我們很難get到英語習語中的某些“點”。相信許多朋友都有吃過虧,但是千萬不要因為這些就放棄治療,還是有一些英文習語和中文直譯有共通點的。今天小咖請來Connor為我們講一講這些簡單粗暴的英文習語。


丟臉=lose face?那些年撞臉的中英文習語


Connor says

Idioms


丟臉=lose face?那些年撞臉的中英文習語


Idioms


丟臉=lose face?那些年撞臉的中英文習語


Lose face

To“lose face” means to be embarrassed or humiliated—“丟臉” in Chinese. This English expression is so similar to its Chinese equivalent because it is a direct translation. In the 19th century, when Britain and China were constantly involved in trade and conflict, some Chinese words were adopted into English,“lose face” being one of the most widely known of these. 丟臉在英語中的說法跟中文一模一樣,就是“lose face”,這是因為這個詞就是19世紀的時候,從漢語翻譯而來的。


丟臉=lose face?那些年撞臉的中英文習語


Idioms


丟臉=lose face?那些年撞臉的中英文習語


The last straw

“The last straw” refers to any minor annoyance or difficulty that, in itself, is not a big deal, but that is unbearable because it comes after a long series of other frustrations. 翻譯成中文就是,最後一根稻草。It comes from the saying “the straw that broke the camel’s back”—壓死駱駝的最後一根稻草。“Straw” 就是稻草的意思。Camels are strong, robust animals and a single straw is very light, but if you keep putting them on a camel’s back one by one, eventually one of those straws will cause the camel to collapse. In this case, Chinese has adopted the English expression. So, in Chinese, “the last straw” is 最後一根稻草. Exactly the same as English.


丟臉=lose face?那些年撞臉的中英文習語


Idioms


丟臉=lose face?那些年撞臉的中英文習語


Speak of the devil

Imagine that you and your friends are having dinner together. As everyone is sitting down to eat, you notice that someone is missing. “Hey, wasn’t Peter going to come?” you ask. Just then, before anyone has the chance to respond, Peter walks right in. At that moment, you could say, “Well, speak of devil!” The use of the word “devil” doesn’t imply that Peter is a bad guy. 這句話相當於中文裡面“說曹操,曹操到”的意思。In English, the full idiom is “Speak of the devil and he will appear.” Typically, however, people just say the first part.


丟臉=lose face?那些年撞臉的中英文習語


Idioms


丟臉=lose face?那些年撞臉的中英文習語


Great minds think alike

This means that smart people tend to come up with similar ideas in similar situations. It’s kind of a playful way of congratulating yourself and your interlocuter (the person you’re talking to) on your brilliant thinking. 在中文的口語裡,如果說“英雄所見略同”,是一樣的意思,有一點點開玩笑的成分。


丟臉=lose face?那些年撞臉的中英文習語


Idioms


丟臉=lose face?那些年撞臉的中英文習語


In the same boat

In Chinese, the saying “在一條船上” has almost the same meaning. “在一條船上” means people are in a bad situation together and share the same concerns. You can use the phrase “in the same boat” to describe this kind of situation. For example, at a big meeting, your boss might say to you and your coworkers, “We’re all in the same boat here. If this company fails, we all fail with it.” But in English, “in the same boat” can also means that you have the same problem as someone else. Suppose someone wants to borrow money from you. They might say, “Hey man, I’m broke. Can you lend me twenty bucks?” You could answer: “Sorry. I’m in the same boat. I’ve been out of work all year” You don’t have any money either! In the first example, “in the same boat” means something like “同舟同濟”;in the second case, you can translate it as “同病相憐”。​​​​


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