英语典故

Bible stories





Forbidden fruit: any indulgence or pleasure that is considered illegal or immoral Olive branch: a sign of peace A garden of Eden: a place of innocent happiness Birthday suit: complete nakedness Solrael noted for his wisdom Noah’s ark: refuge

——Aesop's Fables《伊索寓言》
Definition of allusion

A brief reference, explicit or indirect, to a person, place or event, or to another literary work or passage.
Literary works


Romeo: an ardent male lover Rip van Winkle: someone unaware of current evens and conditions Uncle Tom: a slavish/ obedient person Friday: an assistant with diverse duties Shylock: merciless person(莎士比亚喜剧威尼斯
Example sentence ：

It is easy for him to be used as a cat's paw of evil-doing.
（他很容易就被人利用，成为别人为非作 歹的工具。）


In Greek mythology, a phoenix is a longlived bird that is cyclically regenerated or reborn.
人们在口头或书面表达时引用出自神话、童话、传说、寓 言、民俗、宗教、文学名著的带典故性的词语，并使之与 叙述或议论融为一体。

Function

适当运用典故可做到言之有据，表达简练， 精辟，生动，从而增强感染力和说服力。
Origin



Fables and legendaries Myths Bible stories Historical events Literary works Famous speeches
Fables and legendaries


Cry wolf: give a false alarm Cat’s paw: a person used as a tool Skeleton in the cupboard: an unpleasant/shocking event/fact（不为人知的 家丑） Phoenix: a symbol of immorality
-President john F. Kennedy in his inaugural
address, 1961
Thank you for watching!

Patrick Henry’s speech to the Virginia(弗吉尼
亚)House
议院）
of Burgesses(下
in 1775 contained
this famous allusion.
Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.
Allusion
[əˈlu:ʒn] 典故
That politician cries wolf in every speech he makes. 那个政治家在他的每篇演说中都虚发警报。

If you keep on crying wolf, nobody will trust you. 如果你老是发假警报的话，没人会相信你了。
Historical events




Bite the bullet: suffer bravely sth. Very unpleasant. Deep throat: a secret giver of information Columbus’ egg: easy job when tricks are known Zero hour: vital moment
Myths



A Pandora’s box: source of evils An apple of discord: course of dispute; root of trouble A sword of Damocles: sth. Bad happening at any time Helen(of troy): the beautiful woman as a disaster; the face launching a thousand ships
Example sentence ：
When I asked Jane about her problems, I didn’t know I had opened Pandora’s box. 我向简询问了她的问题。当时我不知道自己 已经引祸上身。

Money may bring you happiness, but sometimes it is a Pandora’s box. 金钱可能给你带来幸福，但金钱有时是灾祸 之源。
商人中的一位残忍的守财奴）

Utopia: a community or society possessing highly desirable or near perfect qualities
Famous speeches:
“Give me liberty or give me death!”