汉语习语英译

[眼中钉]a thorn in someone's flesh

不知为什么我成了他们的眼中钉了。我可从未错待过他们。
I wonder why I become a thorn in their flesh. I've never harmed them.
我们说的“眼中钉”与英美人讲的a thorn in someone's flesh指的是一回事，虽比喻有异，但意思相同。与此说法相似的还有“刺耳的话”（a flea in someone's ear）。

Dialogue

Frank: I don't know why I should become a thorn in the John's flesh.
Betty: You mean your boss?
Frank: Yeah. He seems to bear me a grudge.
Betty: That's because you are too much on the ball.
Frank: But why should that make him hate me?
Betty: That's because you put him in the shade.

[馋得流口水]make someone's mouth water

桌上的美味佳肴馋得他直流口水。
The delicacies on the table make him mouth water.

“使某人流口水”指“使某人垂涎”，是地道的汉语口语。这一概念一般是用make someone mouth water的句式来表达的。

Dialogue

Sue: Wow! What a gracious table! Everything looks so beautiful.
Bob: This might be the best dinner you've ever had.
Sue: Surely it is. I can hardly wait. They make my mouth water.
Bob: I feel itching, too. Let's start and try these delicacies.

[胡说八道]shooting from the hip

他说我迷恋上李丽了？这简直是胡说八道！
He thinks I've got the hots for Lily? It's shooting from the hip!

汉语口语中的"胡说八道"曾被译成break wind。其实，英美人更习惯用shoot from the hip来表示这一说法。

Dialogue

Rose: I didn't know Joe was two-faced. He stabbed me in the back.
Mark: What did he do?
Rose: He told my boyfriend that I had affairs with several men, which, of course, made my boy friend very suspicious of me.
Mark: I didn't believe he would shoot from the hip like that! It was very vicious of him. You must not put up with him.
Rose: Of course not! He will soon know what he deserves!

[各奔东西]drift apart

毕业后我们班的同学就各奔东西了。

After graduation my classmates drifted apart.

“各奔东西”指的是“散开”或“不在一起”的意思，但“散开”或“分散开”的英语是disperse，常指“分散精力”，“疏散人群”或“驱散云雾”等概念。因而，“各奔东西”不宜使用disperse，而应该用drift apart。此语中的drift是漂流的意思。

Dialogue

John: What have you been doing these days, mark?
Mark: I've been trying to track down some of our old friends.
John: I haven't been keeping in touch with them. We simply drifted apart.
Mark: We lost track of each other somehow after we graduated.
John: Did you ever bump into any of them?
Mark: A few Some have settled down, some are tied down, some are living it up and others are in a rut.

[呕吐]shoot the cat

他刚吃完饭就吐了。

He shoot the cat right after the meal.

Shoot the cat 是一条俚语，意即vomit。表示"呕吐"的概念时，除了用shoot, 还可以用jerk,形成jerk the cat的说法。

Sample Sentences

1、 他告诉医生说他一吃完饭就吐，不知道是为什么。

He told the doctor that he would shoot the cat right after meals without knowing why.

2、 他又吐了，肯定又喝多了。

He's shooting the cat again. He must have drank too many again.

3、她说吃牛肉就吐，但是还特别想吃。

She says she would shoot the cat after eating beef and she doesn't seem to be able to resist eating it.

打嗝］make a belch

孩子打嗝儿了，让他喝口水吧。

The kid is making a belch. Give him a drink.

汉语口语中的“打嗝儿”可以用动词belch来表示，也可以用make a belch的形式。作为动词使用，belch有“猛烈喷射”、“阵阵冒出”以及“打嗝”等意。在日常口语中，英美人一般使用make a belch的说法。


Sample Sentences

1、 有人说当你打嗝儿时，想想别的事就会好的。

It's said that when you are making a belch, think of something else and the belch will be off.

2、 你快给他多穿点衣服吧。他都打嗝了。

He's making a belch. Give him more clothes to make him warm.

3、 有人说打嗝时喝点儿热水就会好的。

It's said drinking some warm water can help get over the belch.

[久等]cool one's heels

汉语口语中“久等”或“足足等了”之类的概念可以用Cool one's heels来表示。比如：I have left cooling my heels since seven o'clock.此语源于古时，人们一般骑马外出，当马走的路程太长或太疲惫时，马蹄就会发热，骑马的人必须停下来，让马休息，一直到马蹄凉下来再走。

Sample Sentences

1、 报社记者必须学会久等，这也是他们的一个任务。

Newspaper reporters must learn to accept cooling their heels as part of their job.

2、 他们让我在经理办公室的门外等了好外。

I was left cooling my heels outside the manager's office.

3、 让他久等？他是耐不住这个性子的。
Asking him to wait ? He had no patience in cooling his heels.

注：但值得注意的是，英语cool one's heels作为“久等”或“足足等了”的地道表示法，只能用于“白白等了”的情景之中，若“久等”而“白等”时就应该用be kept waiting来表示。比如：对不起，让您久等了。I'm sorry to have kept you waiting.

[各有利弊]cut both ways

在国营企业或合资企业工作各有利弊：在国营企业工作比较安定，但工资较少；在合资企业工业挣钱多一些，可是又不稳定。

It cuts both ways to work in a state-run enterprise or a joint venture :the pay from a state-run enterprise is relatively lower but you feel more stable while in a joint venture you feel unassured, though the pay is relatively higher.

“各有利弊”一般是用have both advantages and disadvantages的片语来表示的。但作为口语，用cut both ways似乎更好些。此语直译为“两面都砍”。这也就如同在说，事物既有好的一面，也有其坏的一面；有有利的一面，也有不利的一面，与汉语的“各有利弊”相吻合。

Dialogue

Li Ming: I head that you have found a new job in a joint venture. What about the pay?
Zhao Hua: 2,000 yuan a month.
Li Ming: 2,000 yuan a month? That's four times the pay I get! No wonder many people are crazy about finding a job in a joint venture.
Zhao Hua: Well, it cut both ways. When you work in a state-run enterprise as the one you do now, you feel safe and stable. But those who are working in a joint venture do not have that feeling, you know what I mean.
Li Ming: Sure, But most people still prefer to have a job that has a higher pay.

[吃闭门羹]to a locked door

我昨天去他家看他，不想吃了闭门羹。

I went to see him yesterday, but unfortunately I was to a locked door.

汉语口语中“吃闭门羹”的说法指登门拜访某人而某人不在家。在大多数的场合，是用to a locked door的片语来表示的。


Dialogue

Mark: Did you went to see her last week?
Mike: Yes, I did. But she was out when I called.
Mark: But you could tell her mother about that.
Mike: How could I? I was to a locked door.
Mark: Did you try again?
Mike: No. I don't feel comfortable running to a locked door. I would rather wait till she appears.

[哪儿都找了]look high and low

我哪儿都找遍了，可还是没找到那反钥匙。
I looked high and low for the key, but I couldn't find it any where.