中文常用习语俗语常用成语英文翻译

城门失火，殃及池鱼 A fire on city wall brings disaster to the fish in the moat.
路遥知马力，日久见人心As a long road tests a horse’s strength, so a long task proves a person’s heart.
初生牛犊不怕虎 New-born calves make little of tigers.
口蜜腹剑 to be honey-mouthed and dagger-hearted
声东击西 to shout in the east and strike in the west
刻骨铭心to be engraved on one’s heart and bones
引狼入室 to lead a wolf into the house
（cf. to set the wolf to keep the sheep)
打落水狗 to beat the dog in the water
重见天日 to see the daylight again
百川归海 All rivers flow into the sea.
画饼充饥 to draw cakes to allay hunger
所以这李纨虽青春丧偶，且处在膏梁锦绣之中，竟如“槁木死灰”一般，一概不问。

（《红楼梦》）
So this young widow living in the lap of luxury was no better off than withered wood or cold ashes, taking no interest in the outside world.
他一家子在这儿，他的房子、地在这儿，他跑？跑得了和尚跑不了庙。

（周立波：《暴风骤雨》）
Escape? But his home and property can’t escape. The monk may run away, but the temple can’t run with him.
咳！这一来，竹篮子打水一场空了。

（梁斌：《红旗谱》）
Ah！We were drawing water in a bamboo basket.
三个臭皮匠，胜过诸葛亮。

The wit of three cobblers combined surpasses that of Zhuge Liang the master mind. （增加词语，提供背景知识）班门弄斧show off one’s proficiency with axe before Lu Ban, the master carpenter （增加词语，以表达原文内涵意义、提供背景知识）胸有成竹
to have a bamboo in his stomach
to have a well-thought-out plan before doing something
桃李满天下
to have the peaches and plums all over the world
to have students all over the world
用典的习语往往不能保留比喻形象
叶公好龙
professed love of what one really fears
东施效颦
crude imitation with ludicrous effect
南柯一梦
a fond dream or illusory joy/fond dream
四面楚歌
to be besieged on all sides
悬梁刺股
to be extremely hard-working in one’s study
at the beginning of one’s career
罄竹难书
(of crime) too numerous to mention
失之东隅收之桑榆 What one loses on the swings, one gets back on the roundabouts.
塞翁失马安知非福？A loss may turn out to be a gain.
庆父不除鲁难未已 There will always be trouble until the
trouble-maker is removed.
几乎不含文化因子的比喻形象往往不能保留
眉飞色舞
his eyebrows are flying and his countenance is dancing
to beam with joy
粗枝大叶
with big branches and large leaves
to be crude and careless
灯红酒绿
with red lights and green wine
dissipated and luxurious
扬眉吐气
to raise the eyebrows and let out a breath
to feel proud and elated
to get into every hole
to take advantage of every weakness
开门见山
to open the door and see the mountain
to come straight to the point
纸醉金迷
with drunken paper and bewitched gold
(a life of ) luxury and dissipation
风雨飘摇
the wind and rain are rocking
(of a situation) being unstable
小题大做 make a mountain out of a molehill 赴汤蹈火 go through fire and water
过河拆桥 kick down the ladder
格格不入 be like square pegs in round holes 魂不附体jump out of one’s skin
乳臭未干 be wet behind the ears
空中楼阁 castle in the air
浑水摸鱼 to fish in troubled water
班门弄斧 to teach fish to swim
暗送秋波 to make eye at
掌上明珠the apple of one’s eye
一丘之貉 birds of a feather flock together
家丑不可外扬 It is an ill bird that fouls its own nest.
cut in a joke 插科打诨
speak one’s mind畅所欲言
be after one’s own heart称心如意
at one’s finger-tips 了如指掌
fish in troubled waters 混水摸鱼
thousands upon thousands of 成千上万
in deep water 水深火热
tur n up one’s nose at嗤之以鼻
skin and bones 皮包骨头
touch and go 一触即发
from the cradle to the grave 一生一世
hit the nail on the head 一语道破
make fish of one and flesh of another 厚此薄彼
lick sb’s boots巴结stick to one’s las t 安分守己
keep sth under one’s hat保密
eat one’s heart
out 极度悲痛be in sb’s pocket 被某人操纵
be in irons 被监禁
wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve表露感情
put one’s cards on the tabl e 表明观点
eat like a bird 吃得极少catch forty winks 打盹儿
break the ice 打破僵局
jump out of one’s skin大吃一惊
get cold feet 胆怯
be driven from pillar to post 被逼得走投无路
walk on air 得意洋洋
get the green light 得到许可
mend one’s fences改善关系
poke one’s nose into sth干涉
turn thumbs down on sth 反对
充耳不闻turn a deaf ear to
出人头地be head and shoulders above others
吹毛求疵pick a hole in sb’s coat
破釜沉舟burn one’s boat
大惊小怪make a fuss about
大海捞针look for a needle in a bundle of hay
颠倒黑白talk black into white
得意忘形have one’s nose in the air
攀龙附凤worship the rising sun
大发雷霆hit the ceiling; fly into a rage
骑虎难下hold a wolf by the ears
视而不见turn a blind eye to
大吵大闹raise the roof
公开认错stand in a white sheet
有花不完的钱 have enough money to burn
话中有话with the tongue in the cheek
获得全胜sweep the board
机敏keep one’s eyes on the ball
坚决反对put one’s foot down; set one’s face against 简言之in a nutshell
侥幸by the skin of one’s teeth
结为良缘win the hand of
鸡毛蒜皮trifling
开门见山come straight to the point
狗急跳墙do sth desperate
顺手牵羊walk off with sth
守株待兔trust to chance and stroke of luck
铜墙铁壁an impregnable fortress
唇枪舌剑engage in a battle of words
黔驴技穷at one’s wit’s end
单枪匹马all by oneself
生龙活虎bursting with energy
截然不同oil and vinegar
家丑 a skeleton in the cupboard; a family skeleton 觉得可疑smell a rat
鲁莽的人 a bull in a china shop
捏造pull sth out of one’s hat
告发put the finger on
干苦差事hold [carry] the baby
反应快quick on the trigger; think on one’s feet 恻隐之心the milk of human kindness
保密keep sth under one’s hat
注意形象的不同
胆小如鼠 as timid as a hare
如鱼得水 like a duck to water
多如牛毛 as plentiful as blackberries
一箭之遥at a stone’s throw
水中捞月 to fish in the air
半瓶子醋 half-baked
蠢得像猪 as stupid as a goose
害群之马black sheep
挥金如土 to spend money like water
烂醉如泥 drunk as a sailor
热锅上的蚂蚁 like a cat on a hot tin roof 瘦得像猴子 as thin as a shadow
如履薄冰 to tread upon eggs
棋逢敌手 diamond cut diamond
挂羊头卖狗肉 cry up wine and sell vinegar 火上加油 to add fuel to the fire
趁热打铁 Strike while the iron is hot.
隔墙有耳 Walls have ears.
眼见为实 Seeing is believing.
沧海一粟 a drop in the ocean
破釜沉舟burn one’s boat
竭泽而渔
to drain a pond to catch all the fish
to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs 打草惊蛇
to stir up the grass and alert the snake to wake a sleeping dog
易如反掌
to be as easy as turning over one’s hand as easy as falling off a log
掌上明珠
a pearl in the palm
the apple of one’s eye
守口如瓶
to keep one’s mouth closed like a bottle to keep a still tongue in one’s head
雪中送炭
to send charcoal in snowy weather
to help a lame dog over a stile
画蛇添足
to draw a snake and add feet to it
to paint the lily。