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