諺語(yǔ)是人類智慧的結(jié)晶,是富于色彩的語(yǔ)言形式,它同文學(xué)作品、詩(shī)歌一樣,是語(yǔ)言的精華,一般具有生動(dòng)形象、喻義明顯、富于哲理的語(yǔ)言特征。在一定程度上,諺語(yǔ)還能反映一個(gè)民族的文化特點(diǎn)。英語(yǔ)諺語(yǔ)源遠(yuǎn)流長(zhǎng),它既有民間流傳的諺語(yǔ),又有來(lái)自《圣經(jīng)》的、莎士比亞作品的和《伊索寓言》的,還有很多外來(lái)諺語(yǔ)。以下輯錄了一些有關(guān)動(dòng)物的英語(yǔ)諺語(yǔ),請(qǐng)同學(xué)們欣賞!
1.Fish
(1)The best fish swim near the bottom. 好魚(yú)常在水底游。
(2)Never offer to teach fish to swim. 不要班門弄斧。
(3)Go to the sea, if you would fish well. 不入虎穴,焉得虎子。
(4)There’s as good fish in the sea as ever came out of it. 海里的好魚(yú)多的是。(縱然失去一個(gè)機(jī)會(huì),不愁沒(méi)有其他機(jī)會(huì)。)
(5)It is a silly fish that is caught twice with the same bait. 智者不上兩次當(dāng)。
(6)If water is noisy, there are no fish in it. 咆哮的水中無(wú)魚(yú)。(夸夸其談?wù)邿o(wú)真才實(shí)學(xué)。)
2. Cat
(1)A cat has nine lives. 貓有九條命。(吉人天相。)
(2)Cats hide their claws. 知人知面不知心。
(3)All cats are grey in the dark. 黑暗之中貓都是灰色的。(人未出名時(shí)看起來(lái)都差不多。)
(4)A gloved cat catches no mice. 戴手套的貓,抓不到老鼠。(不愿吃苦的人成不了大事業(yè)。)
(5)When the weasel and the cat make a marriage, it is a very ill presage. 黃鼠狼和貓結(jié)親,不是好事情。
(6)Who will bell the cat? 誰(shuí)去給貓系鈴?(誰(shuí)愿意為大家冒風(fēng)險(xiǎn)?)
(7)The cat shuts its eyes when stealing cream. 貓偷吃奶油的時(shí)候總是閉著眼睛。(掩耳盜鈴。)
(8)There are more ways of killing a cat than by choking it with butter.殺貓的辦法很多。(達(dá)到目的的途徑很多。)
(9)Care kill a cat. 憂慮愁死貓。
3. Chicken
Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched. 雞蛋未孵出,先別數(shù)小雞。(不要過(guò)早樂(lè)觀。)
4. Crow
A crow is never the whiter for washing herself often. 江山易改,本性難移。
5. Horse
(1)You can take a horse to the water, but you can’t make him drink. 帶馬到河邊容易,逼馬飲水難。
(2)Don’t ride the high horse. 勿擺架子。
(3)A good horse cannot be of a bad colour. 好馬不會(huì)毛色差。
(4)A horse may stumble on four feet. 馬有四條腿,亦有失蹄時(shí)。
(5)A running horse needs no spur. 奔馬無(wú)需鞭策。
(6)Don’t put the cart before the horse. 不要將大車放在馬前面。(處理問(wèn)題應(yīng)按先后次序,不要本末倒置。)
(7)The common horse is worst shoe. 公用之馬,掌子最差。
(8)Lock the barn door after the horse is stolen. 失馬之后鎖馬廄。(亡羊補(bǔ)牢。)
(9)Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. 饋贈(zèng)之馬,勿看牙口。
(10)Hair by hair you will pull out the horse’s tail. 一根一根拔,拔光馬尾巴。(水滴石穿。)
6. Frog
The frog in the well knows nothing of the great ocean. 井底之蛙,不知大海。
7. Fox
(1)The fox may grow grey, but never good. 狐貍毛色可變灰,但是本性難移。
(2)The fox preys farthest from his hole. 狐貍捕食,遠(yuǎn)離洞府。(兔子不吃窩邊草。)
(3)When the fox preaches, then take care of your geese. 每當(dāng)狐貍說(shuō)教,當(dāng)心鵝群被盜。
(4)When the fox says he is a vegetarian, it’s the time for the hen to look out. 狐貍說(shuō)它吃素的時(shí)候,母雞就得注意。