成语中英文对照.doc

_一不做，二不休 in for a penny, in for a pound He was found stealing money from his landlady by her daughter. In for a penny, in for a pound, he muttered to himself and then killed the little girl.一文不名；一贫如洗 not have (or without) a penny to ones name; not have two halfpennies to rub together; (as) poor as a church mouse; not have a bean; not have (or without) a red cent When I got married I didnt have a penny to my name.That family never seem to have two halfpennies to rub together.I am sorry, I cant lend you anything - I havent got a red cent.一石二鸟；一箭双雕；一举两得 kill two birds with one stone Since Benjamin, one of my classmates in university, lives near my mother, Ill call in on him as well and kill two birds with one stone.一帆风顺 plain sailing The security situation in the Taiwan Strait is far from being plain sailing.一见如故 get on like a house on fire (英) / get along like a house on fire (美) If two people get on/along like a house on fire, they like each other very much and become friends very quickly.I was worried that they wouldnt like each other, but in fact theyre getting on/along like a house on fire.一文不值 not worth a damn His promise isnt worth a damn.一针见血；一语中的 hit the nail on the head He hit he nail on the head when he mentioned casual sex as being the cause of her coming down with AIDS.一言以蔽之 in a nutshell Theres a lot I could say about my bosss speech but to put it in a nutshell, it was terrible.一命呜呼 turn up ones toes I hope to take a trip to the United States before I turn up my toes.一丝不苟 dot ones/the is and cross ones/the ts Youd better make sure you dot your is and cross your ts if you want to work at that company. Theyre very keen on details.一丝不挂 in a state of nature; in the altogether; in the buff; not have a stitch on (or without a stitch on) I had just got out of the bath and still was in the buff (or in the altogether/in a state of nature) when the maid walked in without knocking.I had just got out of the bath when he knocked at the door and I didnt have a stitch on.一模一样 as like as two peas (in a pod) If two brothers or two sisters are very much alike, you can say they are as like as two peas in a pod.一鸣惊人；一举成名；不同凡响 set the Thames on fire (英) / set the world on fire (美) Mary may set the Thames on fire with her piano playing.His great invention set the world on fire.一筹莫展 up the creek (without a paddle) He was really up the creek when his wife left him.一丘之貉；物以类聚 birds of a feather (flock together); be tarred with the same brush We all thought that he and his girlfriend were birds of a feather.I dislike politicians of all parties because theyre all tarred with the same brush.一箭之遥；近在咫尺 a stones throw My house is only a stones throw from the school.一意孤行；我行我素；独断独行 go/take ones own way I warned him not to marry that girl, but he was determined to go his own way.一知半解 a little knowledge A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. (这一句是颇有名的谚语，意为一知半解最危险；半瓶子醋害死人)一见钟情 fall in love (with someone) at first sight; love at first sight (这里 love 为名词) They fell in love with each other at first sight.They fell in love at once; it was love at first sight.一清二楚 (as) clear as crystal; (as) clear as a bell I dont know why you cant understand the instructions; theyre as clear as crystal to me.The whole thing was as clear as a bell to me. I knew what to do.一窍不通 be all Greek to someone He tried to explain how the computer worked, but it was all Greek to me.一白遮三丑 A white complexion is powerful enough to hide seven faults. A white complexion is powerful enough to hide seven faults.一朝被蛇咬，十年怕草绳；上一次当，学一次乖 once bitten, twice shy He has cheated and deceived me on one occasion, so I dont trust him. Once bitten, twice shy.九牛一毛；沧海一粟；杯水车薪 a drop in the ocean/bucket The money we collected for the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster is really just a drop in the ocean.入不敷出 live beyond ones means My father always told me not to live beyond my means.入乡随俗 when in Rome, do as the Romans do A lot of people often say when in Rome, do as the Romans do.十之八九 nine times out of ten When my wife comes home from work, nine times out of ten she buys me an evening newspaper.十拿九稳；稳操胜券 be in the bag Were sure to win. The match is in the bag.力不从心；心余力绌；心有余而力不足 the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (这两句的上半句 the spirit is willing 和下半句 the flesh is weak 常被分开单独使用) When I asked him for help yesterday, he said my spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak.人面兽心；口蜜腹剑；笑里藏刀 (披着羊皮的狼) a wolf in sheeps clothing Mary trusted Jack until one day she was cheated by him, and realized thathe was a wolf in sheeps clothing.人不可貌相 appearances are often deceptive Appearances are often deceptive is a commonly used idiom, meaning things are not always what they seem to be.三心两意 in two minds My wife thinks we should go to South Korea for our holiday, but Im still in two minds about it.三番两次 again and again; over and over (again); time and (time) again; time after time Ive told my son again and again not to run a red light. (to run a red light：闯红灯)三缄其口 hold ones peace/tongue In spite of the fact that he made provocative remarks, I held my peace/tongue.三思而后行 look before you leap Look before you leap when doing business on the Web.三句不离本行；说行话；谈论工作上的事情 (这成语通常带有贬义，暗示这些关于工作的言谈让人觉得很无聊) (to) talk shop They did nothing but talked shop, and I came home early because it was so boring.三个臭皮匠顶个诸葛亮 two heads are better than one Two heads are better than one.大同小异；半斤八两 (very) much of a muchness The two articles are very much of a muchness.大相径庭 poles apart They are poles apart in their political attitudes.千方百计 by hook or by crook; leave no stone unturned (or no stone be left unturned) I know this work looks difficult, but Ill finish it by hook or by crook.The police left no stone unturned to catch Taiwans most wanted fugitive Chang Hsi-ming (张锡铭) and they succeeded.He promised no stone would be left unturned to get his wife back.千载难逢 once in a blue moon My wife and I rarely, if ever, eat out. So, when I told her last night lets eat out and go to see a movie, she was very surprised and said thats really once in a blue moon.寸步不离 at ones elbow His wife was always at his elbow whenever an important decision had to be taken.大海捞针 (like) looking/searching for a needle in a haystack Trying to find a book we want in so many books is just like looking for a needle in a haystack.口是心非；言不由衷 with ones tongue in ones cheek (adv.); tongue in cheek (adv.); tongue-in-check (adj.) He described me as an excellent teacher, but he said it tongue in cheek/with his tongue in his cheek.Thats a tongue-in-cheek remark/reply.大惊小怪；小题大作 make a mountain out of a molehill Dont make a mountain out of a molehill when you know I look about ten years younger than I really am. (I look about ten years younger than I really am. 我看起来比实际年龄年轻大约10岁)小题大作；杀鸡用牛刀 break a butterfly on a/the wheel (小题大作亦可用 make a meal out of 和 make a mountain out of a molehill 来表示) I know what Ive done is wrong, but theres no need to break a butterfly on a wheel/to make a meal out of it.大发雷霆 do ones nut When I told him what she had said about him, he did his nut.大获全胜；所向披靡 sweep the board; carry (or sweep) all/everything before one I swept the board at the casino last night.Although I hadnt done well at high school, I carried all before me at university.亡羊补牢 lock the stable door after the horse has bolted It is never too late to lock the stable door after the horse has bolted.小洞不补，大洞吃苦 a stitch in time saves nine (经常略为 a stitch in time) You should try and repair your car before it becomes worse. Remember, a stitch in time saves nine.井井有条；井然有序 in apple-pie order My wife likes to keep everything in apple-pie order.少年老成；老成持重 have an old head on young shoulders Michael has an old head on young shoulders and handles his business very well.手足无措 not know where to put oneself/ones face When I told Linda almost everyone at her department had seen the photo of her hugging and kissing her boyfriend affectionately in the street, she was so embarrassed she didnt know where to put herself/her face.日复一日 (或一连数天) day after day; day in day out (这亦可写成 day in, day out) It went on raining day after day.If we do the same things day in day out, it isnt surprising we get bored.附注：关于 day after day，其他表示时间的词也可以这样用，如 year after year，month after month 和 night after night；至于 day in day out，其他表示时间的词，尤其是表示较长时间的词，也可以这样用，如 year in year out (这亦可写成 year in, year out，以下亦同)，month in month out，week in week out 和 night in night out，但 hours, minutes 和 seconds 则不可以这样用。 日以继夜；夜以继日 day and night; night and day He thought of her wife day and night when she went on business trip abroad last year.日薄西山 (或好景不长) someones days are numbered Now he knows his days are numbered.五十步笑百步 the pot calling the kettle black She was criticizing me for not looking for a new job but that is like the pot calling the kettle black. She isnt looking for a new job either.太岁头上动土 beard the lion in his den (这里 beard 为动词) My bosss in his office, so lets beard the lion in his den and ask for a pay raise.中饱私囊 line ones (own) pocket/purse (with + money/profits) The presidents lack of oversight has allowed some of the Cabinet members to line their pockets with hundreds of millions of dollars.心不在焉 here/there in body, but not in spirit; someones heart is not in I didnt understand very clearly what you said, because I was here in body, but not in spirit at the time.John should try to find another job because his heart is always not in his work at all.心满意足；痛痛快快 to ones hearts content (这个字的重音在第二音节) Its weekend, so you can sleep to your hearts content.心旷神怡 feel on top of the world If health has been a problem, dont worry. Youll feel on top of the world from now on.火上加油 (或煽动情绪) add fuel to the flames/fire; fan the flames/fire The workers werent satisfied with their wages, so when they were asked to work longer hours, it added fuel to the flames.火中取栗 (意为替别人冒险) pull the/someones chestnuts out of the fire I had pulled the chestnuts out of the fire for him on several occasions and was unwilling to do it again.方柄圆凿；格格不入 a square peg in a round hole If you go to university, you will be a square peg in a round hole there because you just have no desire to study.互相残杀；互相倾轧 cut each others throats For a bag of gold coins they would cut each others throats without hesitation.天涯海角 the ends of the earth Oh dear, as you know, I would take you to the ends of the earth at any time.天壤之别；天悬地隔 be worlds apart Our ways of life are worlds apart.George and Mary decided to get married even though their families were worlds apart.今日事今日毕 never put off till tomorrow what you can do today (亦写成 never put off till tomorrow what may/can be done today，但较少人使用) It should be borne in mind that never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.不自量力 (贪多嚼不烂) bite off more than one can chew I told him he would be biting off more than he could chew if he tried to get 950 points in the TOEIC test.不言而喻 (或不用说)；不辩自明 go without saying; speak for itself/themselves It goes without saying that I will never love her.The company has had a very successful year; the figures speak for themselves.不念旧恶；宽大为怀 forgive and forget We hated each other in Taiwan; we met again in the United States last year and decided to forgive and forget. Now we have become very friendly.不相上下；半斤八两；铢两悉称 six of one and half a dozen of the other Voting for a DPP or a KMT candidate is a case of six of one and half a dozen of the other.不动声色；泰然自若 keep ones countenance; play it cool Most people could hardly keep their countenance in the face of death.They expected us to be angry, but we had decided to play it very cool.不知所措；晕头转向 at a loss; lose ones bearings; not know whether one is (standing) on ones head or ones heels When she asked me if I had ever divorced any women, I was at a loss for words. ( at a loss for words：无言以对)In all this mass of details Im afraid Ive rather lost my bearings.When his shop was very busy yesterday morning, the poor shopkeeper didnt know whether he was on his head or his heels.不屈不挠 (keep ones) chin up Hes having a pretty difficult time but he seems to be keeping his chin up.不择手段；千方百计 by hook or by crook; stop at nothing (to do something) David is trying to get that promotion by hook or by crook; he even spread rumors smearing the other candidates.The young man wanted to be rich and would stop at nothing to get more money for himself.不入虎穴，焉得虎子 nothing venture, nothing gain/win/have (or nothing ventured, nothing gained) Nothing venture, nothing gain, as the saying goes. 白手起家；从头做起 from scratch; start (again) from scratch Hes a successful entrepreneur who started from scratch.白纸黑字 in black and white I dont want to hear you promise to pay me. I want your promise in black and white.本末倒置 put/set the cart before the horse Youre putting the cart before the horse by buying all this furniture before youve got the house.本性难移 a leopard never changes its spots; a leopard cannot change its spots Its not surprising that he was sentenced to five years in prison again, because a leopard never changes its spots.生龙活虎；生气勃勃 alive and kicking My father is 82 years old but he is still very much alive and kicking.生杀大权 the power/right of life and/or death The ancient kings of this country held the power of life and death over all their servants.功败垂成；功亏一篑 (theres many) a slip twixt (the) cup and (the) lip; pipped at the post I have to tell you that your plan is a slip twixt the cup and the lip.We thought the owner would agree to sell us the house but we were pipped at the post by a more generous offer from someone else.附注：1. twixt 或 betwixt 是 between 的旧式拼法。2. 在赛马中，一匹马快到终点时突然被另一匹马超越称之为 pipped；现今，无论在任何比赛、竞争或选举中，只要在最后关头或最后一刻被击败或被超越时就可使用这成语来形容，如例句所言，眼看要成交时，有人却出更高的价钱把房子买走了。 左右为难；进退两难 on the horns of a dilemma I was on the horns of a dilemma when I was offered another job because I still had/felt a great deal of loyalty to my boss.左右逢源 butter both sides of ones bread Shes buttering both sides of her bread - she works for our company during the day and has another job during the evening.四面八方 on every hand; on all hands; in all directions On every hand was a charming view of rocky buttresses and wooded heights.打铁趁热 make hay while the sun shines John may as well make hay while the sun shines, because he is young and healthy and able to earn a lot of money.半途而废 fall by the wayside; wither on the vine Hows that book you were working on?- Oh, Im afraid its fallen by the wayside.My wife who was trying to lose weight had already withered on the vine by eating cream cakes.失之东隅，收之桑榆 (即得失相当；损益相抵) What you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts (常缩写为 swings and roundabouts) Its a bit of a swings-and-roundabouts situation. (a swings-and-roundabouts situation：得失相当的情况)未雨绸缪；以备不时之需 for a rainy day Youd better save some money for a rainy day.出人头地；功成名就 make ones/its mark After having been working for the company for more than 15 years, he finally made his mark.以升容斗；以小容大；做明知办不到的事 put a quart into a pint pot (通常用于否定句) Many new people have moved into this small town and they have nowhere to live. You cant put a quart into a pint pot.以怨报德；恩将仇报 bite the hand that feeds one The man had worked for the company for several years. When he was caught stealing, his employer felt that he had bitten the hand that fed him.以眼还眼，以牙还牙 an eye for an eye (and a tooth for a tooth) I didnt believe in the death penalty - an eye for an eye - but how else can we stop this sort of thing?以其人之道还治其人之身 pay someone back in their own coin II decided to pay her back in her own coin and refuse to help her. 行将就木；奄奄一息；生命垂危 at deaths door We were very surprised to hear that our favorite teacher was at deaths door.老调重弹 harp on one (or the same) string Ive already told you many times that I have no money to lend you. I wish youd stop harping on the same string.多此一举；徒劳无益 carry coals to Newcastle To offer him money is to carry coals to Newcastle; he is very wealthy.妄自尊大；自以为了不起 too big for ones boots John is too big for his boots; thats his trouble.守口如瓶 keep a quiet/still tongue (in ones head) Youll keep a quiet tongue in your head, will you?充耳不闻 stop ones ears; turn a deaf ear He stopped his ears to bad news.The president always turns a deaf ear to peoples complaints.光阴似箭；岁月易逝 time flies Scientists prove time flies when youre busy.先发制人；比.抢先一步 steal a march on (someone) The company plans to steal a march on its competitors by offering the same computer at a lower price.夸夸其谈；信口开河；信口雌黄 shoot off ones mouth It seems like every senior official in the administration is free to shoot off his mouth on any subjects at any time.血浓于水 blood is thicker than water He gave his brother a good job because blood is thicker than water.百闻不如一见；眼见为凭 To see is to believe; Seeing is believing To see is to believe? No, eyes can be easily deceived.全力以赴 do ones level best; go all out; go great guns; pull out all the stops; put ones best foot forward I did my leve