Sayingsandproverbs(谚语、格言和警句)

1、Dorothy( 多萝西珍贵的礼物)Sayings and proverbs(谚语、格言和警句)Below is a list of well-known sayings and proverbs: fixed phrases or sentences that give advice or say something that is generally true. Sometimes a speaker will leave out part of the sentence because it is sowell known. The part that is often missed o

2、ut is shown in brackets: what the eye doesn t see (the heartdoesn t grieve over): What does it matter if I use his flat while he s away? What the eye doesn t下列广泛流传的谚语、格言和警句，即给予劝诫和表达普遍真理的固定短语或句子。有时，因为这些谚语已众所周知，说话者会省去其中一部分，常常省略的部分用括号表示：What the eye doesntsee (the heart doesnt grieve over) ( 眼不见，心不烦 )

3、我趁他外出时用他的公寓有什么关系呢？反正他又看不见！Absence makes the heart grow fonderUsed to say that when you are away from sb. that you love, you love them even more不想见，倍思念There s no accounting for tasteUsed to say how difficult it is to understand why sb. likes somebody or something that you do not like at all人的爱憎好恶是无法解

4、释的，人各有所好Actions speak louder than wordsWhat a person actually dose means more than what they say they will do行动比言语更为响亮It llbe all right on the nightUsed to say that a performance, an event, etc. will be successful even if the preparations for it have not gone well(演出、活动等) 到时候自会成功的；车到山前必有路The apple d

5、oesn t fall/ never falls far from the tree (especially NAME)A child usually behaves in a similar way to his or her parent(s)有什么样的父母就有什么样的儿女；上行下效If you can t beat them, join themIf you cannot defeat sb. or be as successful as they are, then it is more sensible to join them in what they are doing and

6、perhaps get some advantage for yourself by doing so打不赢，就投靠Beauty is in the eye of the beholderPeople all have different ideas about what is beautiful情人眼里出西施；对美的判断因人而异Beauty is only skin-deepHow a person looks is less important than their character美貌不过一张皮；貌美不如心灵美You ve made your bed and you must lie

7、in/ on itYou must accept the results of your actions自己承担后果Beggars can t be choosersPeople say beggars can bet choosers when there is no choice and sb. must be satisfied with what isavailable要饭就不能嫌馊；给什么就得要什么Seeing is believingUsed to say that sb. will have to believe that something is true when they

8、see it, although they do not think it is true now眼见为实；百闻不如一见A bird in the hand is worth two in the bushIt is better to keep something that you already have than to risk losing it by trying to get much more一鸟在手胜过双鸟在林（满足于现有的总比因过分追求而失去一切的好）Birds of a feather (flock together)People of the same sort (are

9、 found together)同类的人（聚在一起） ； 物以类聚Blood is thicker than waterFamily relationships are stronger than any others血浓于水；亲属关系最牢靠Born with a silver spoon in your mouthHaving rich parents生于富裕之家；出身富裕There s one born every minuteUsed to say that sb. is very stupid总有那种傻瓜Boys will be boysYou should not be surpri

10、sed when boys or men behave in a noisy or rough way as this is part of typical male behavior男孩子总归是男孩子（不必为男孩或男子的吵闹粗野大惊小怪）When the cat s away the mice will playPeople enjoy themselves more and behave with greater freedom when the person in charge of them is not there猫儿不在，老鼠玩得自在（指管事的不在，下面的玩个痛快）Charity

11、begins at home you should help and care for your own family, etc. before you start helping other people博爱始于自家Every cloud has a silver liningEvery sad or difficult situation has a positive side黑暗中总有一线光明Cut your coat according to your clothTo do only what you have enough money to do and no more量入为出Two

12、scompanies (, three s a crowd)Used to suggest that it is better to be in a group of only two people than have a third person with you as well两人成伴（三人太多）Too many cooks spoil the brothIf too many people are involved in doing something, it will not be done well厨师多了烧坏汤；人多手杂反而坏事；人多添乱Don t count your chick

13、ens (before they are hatched)You should not be too confident that something will be successful, because something may still go wrong不要蛋未孵化先数小鸡；别过早打如意算盘Curiosity killed the catUsed to tell sb. not to ask questions or try to find out about things that do not concern them好奇心能要猫的命（让人不提问或打听与己无关的事情）Better

14、 the devil you know (than the devil you don t)Used to say that it is easier and wiser to stay in a bad situation that you know and can deal with rather than change to a new situation which may be much worse熟悉的魔鬼比不熟悉的魔鬼好；不要嫌熟悉的环境不好，换个不熟悉的环境可能更糟The devil makes work for idle handsPeople who do not have

15、 enough to do often start to do wrong人闲生是非The die is castUsed to say that an event has happened or a decision has been made that cannot be changed事已成定局；木已成舟Discretion is the better part of valourYou should avoid danger and not take unnecessary risks谨慎即大勇；慎重为勇敢之本Every dog has his/its dayEveryone has

16、good luck or success at some point in their life人人皆有得意时Give a dog a bad nameWhen a person already has a bad reputation, it is difficult to change it because others will continue to blame or suspect hem/her恶名难洗；名声一旦毁，万难挽回Why keep a god and bark yourself?If sb. can do a task for you, there is no point

17、 in doing it yourself既然有人代劳，何必自己操劳The early bird catches the wormThe person who takes the opportunity to do something before other people will have an advantage over them早起的鸟儿有虫吃；捷足先登Be easier said than doneTo be much more difficult to do than to talk about说时容易做时难；谈何容易Easy come, easy goUsed to mean

18、that sb. does not care very much about money or possessions especially if they spend it or lose something来得容易去得快；易得则易失The end justifies the meansBad or unfair methods of doing something are acceptable if the result of that action is good or positive只要目的正当，可以不择手段An Englishman s home is his castle(a m

19、an s home is his castle)A person s home is a placeherew they can be private and safe and do as they like 英格兰人的家就是他的城堡Enough is enoughUsed when you think that something not continue any longer（认为不应再继续）够了，行了Some (people, members, etc.) are more equal than othersAlthough the members of a society, group

20、, etc. appear to be equal, some, in face, get better treatmentthan others有些（人、成员等）比其他的更平等This phrase is used by one of the pigs in the bookAnimal Farm byGeorge Orwell : ” all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than other.本断言来自乔治奥”威尔所著的动物庄园中一头猪所说的话： “所有的动物都平等，但有些动物比其他的动物更平等。”An eye for

21、 an eye (and a tooth for a tooth)Used to say that you should punish sb. by doing to them what they have done to you or to sb. Else以眼还眼；以牙还牙What the eye doesn(thesheart doesn t grieve over)Is a person does not know about something that they would normally disapprove off, then it cannot hurt them眼不见（心

22、不烦） ；眼不见为净All sfair in love and warIn some situations any type of behavior is acceptable to get what you want在情场和战场上可以不择手段Familiarity breeds contemptKnowing sb.something very well may cause you to lose admiration and respect for them/it过分亲密就会有所悔慢Famous last wordsPeople sometimes say Famous last word

23、swhen they think sb. is being too confident about somethingthat is going to happen吹牛；胡扯 This phrase refers to a collection of quotations of the dying words of famous people. 这个短语原指名人临终遗言语录选编So far, go goodUsed to say that things have been successful until now and you hope they will continue to do so

24、, but you know the task, etc. is not finished yet到目前为止，以前还算顺利It s not over until the fat lady singsUsed for saying that a situation may still change, for example that a contest, election, etc. is not finished yet, and sb. still has a chance to win it最后才能见输赢；不到最后，结果难料Like father, like sonUsed to say

25、that a son s character or behavior is similar to that of his father有其父必有其子First come, first servedPeople will be dealt with, seen, etc. strictly in the order in which they arrive 先来先接待；先到先供应；俺先来后到对待If you ve got, itflaunt itUsed to tell sb. that they should not be afraid of allowing other people to

26、see their qualities and abilities 有什么能耐施出来瞧瞧A fool and is money are soon partedA person who is not sensible usually appends money too quickly or carelessly, or is cheated by others傻瓜口袋漏，有钱留不住；蠢人不积财Fools rush in （ where angels fear to tread ）People with little experience try to do the difficult or da

27、ngerous things which more experienced people would not consider doing（智者却步处）愚者独敢闯(There is) no fool like an old foolAn older person who behaves in a stupid way is worse than a younger person who does the same thing, because experience should have taught him or her not to do it糊涂莫过老糊涂；老糊涂最糊涂Forewarne

28、d is forearmedIf you know about problems, dangers, etc. before they happen, you can be better prepared for them预警即预备；有备无患A friend in need (is a friend indeed)A friend who gives you help when you need it (is a true friend)患难的朋友（才是真正的朋友）；患难之交（见真情）Out of the frying pan into the fireFrom a bad situation

29、 to one that is worse跳出油锅又落火坑；逃出虎口又入狼窝；每况愈下Two can play at that gameUsed to tell sb. who has played a trick on you that you can do the same thing to them（表示也会对方耍的花招）这一套你会我也会What goes around comes aroundThe way sb. behaves towards other people will affect the way those people behave towards them in t

30、he future你怎样待人，人就怎样待你When the going gets tough (the tough get going)When conditions or progress become difficult (strong and determined people work even harder to succeed)当条件变得艰苦时，当进展变得困难时（隐含有志者更勇往直前之意）All that glitters/glistens is not golfNot everything that seems good, attractive, etc. is actually

31、 good, etc.闪闪发光的未必都是金子；中看未必中用The grass is (always) greener on the other side (of the fence)Said about people who never seem happy with what they have and always think that other people have a better situation than they have草是那边绿，山是那边高It/ money doesn t grow on treesUsed to ell sb. not to use somethin

32、g or spend money carelessly because you dont have a lot of it（钱或东西不多，让人不要随便用）树上不能长出钱来，那东西（或钱）来之不易Half a loaf is better than no bradYou should be grateful for something, even if it is not as good, much, etc. as you really wanted; something is better than nothing半块面包比没有面包强；聊胜于无All hands on deck/all ha

33、nds to the pumpEveryone helps or must help, especially in a difficult situation总动员；全体出动Many hands make light workUsed to say that a job is mad easier if a lot of people help人多好办事；众人拾柴火焰高More haste, less speedYou will finish doing something sooner if you do not try to do it too quickly because you wi

34、ll make fewer mistakes欲速则不达Make hay while the sun shinesTo make good use of opportunities, good conditions, etc. while they use of opportunities, good use of opportunities, good conditions, etc. while they last趁有太阳时晒干草；抓紧时机；打铁趁热Two heads are better than oneUsed to say that two people can achieve mor

35、e than one person working alone两人智慧胜一人He who hesitates is lostIf you delay in doing something you may lose a good opportunity当断不断，反受其乱；优柔寡断者坐失良机Home is where the heart isA home is where the people you love are家乃心之所系Hope springs eternalPeople never stop hoping人生永远充满希望You can lead a horse to water, bu

36、t you can t make it drinkYou can give sb. the opportunity to do something, but you cannot force them to do it if they do not want to牵马近水易，逼马饮水难；机会可以给，做不做由人；老牛不饮水，不能强按头Ignorance is blissIf you do not know about something, you cannot worry about it无知是福；不知道心不烦It s an ill wind (that blows nobody any goo

37、d)No problem is so bad that it does not bring some advantage to sb.没有绝对的坏事；任何坏事都会有利于某些人Give sb. an inch (and they ll take a mile/yard)Used to say that if you allow some people a small amount of freedom or power they will see you as weak and try to take a lot more得寸进尺Don t judge a book by its coverUs

38、ed to say that you could not form an opinion about sb./something from their appearance only 物以貌取人；勿只凭外表判断Kill the goose that lays the golden egg/eggsTo destroy something that would make you rich, successful, etc.杀鸡取卵；竭泽而渔；自绝财源Better late than neverUsed especially when you, or sb. else, arrive/arrive

39、s late, or when something such as success happens late, to say that this is better than not coming or happening at all迟到总比不到好；迟发生总比不发生强He who laugh last laughs longestUsed to tell sb. not to be too proud of their present success; in the end another person may be more successful别高兴太早Look before you l

40、eapUsed to advise sb. to think about the possible results or dangers of something before doing it三思而后行A leopard cannot change its spotsPeople cannot change their character, especially if they have a bad character本性难改；秉性难移Where there s life (, there s hope)In a bad situation you must not give up hope

41、 because there is always a chance that it will improve 活着（就有希望） ；留得青山在（，不怕没柴烧）The lights are on but nobodye s homUsed to describe sb. who is stupid, not thinking clearly or not paying attention 稀里糊涂；没头脑；心不在焉Lightning never strikes (in the same place) twiceAn unusual or unpleasant event is not likely

42、 to happen in the same place or to the same people twice倒霉的事不可能在同一场所（或同一人身上）重复发生；是不过二Live and let liveUsed to say that you should accept other people s opinions and behavior even though they are different from you own自己活也让别人活;宽以待人；互相宽容Live to fight another dayUsed to say that although you have faile

43、d or had a bad experience, you will continue（虽已失败或经历很糟但仍要）该日再战，卷土重来Love is blindWhen you love sb., you cannot see their faults爱情是盲目的，爱让人蒙蔽双眼（指恋爱中的人看不到对方缺点）Every man for himselfPeople must take care of themselves and not give or accept any help人各为己；自己照顾自己One man s meat is another man s poisonUsed to

44、say that different people like different things; what one person likes very much, another person does not like at all兴趣爱好因人而异；一人手中宝，他人脚下草You can t keep a good man downA person who is determined or wants something very much will succeed 有志者事竟成；决心大的人终有出头之日Marry in haste (, repent at leisure) people wh

45、o marry quickly, without really getting to know each other, may discover later that they have made a mistake草率结婚后悔多The more the merrierThe more people or things there are, the better the situation will be or the more fun people will have人越多越热闹； （东西）多多益善，越多越好A miss is as good as a mileThere is no rea

46、l difference between only just failing in something and failing in it badly because the result is still the same错误再小也是错；功败垂成仍为败Money talksPeople who have a lot of money have more power and influence than others有钱就有势Out of the mouths of babes (and sucklings)Used when a small child had just said somet

47、hing that seems very wise or clever童言有道Where there s muck there s brassUsed to say that a business activity that is unpleasant or dirty can bring in a lot of money 哪儿活脏哪儿有钱赚Mud sticksPeople remember and believe that bad thing they hear about other people, even if they are later shown to be false坏事如泥

48、巴，沾身洗不清；烂泥沾身洗不清Necessity is the mother of inventionA difficult new problem forces people to think of a solution to it需要是发明之母Needs must (when the Devil drives)In certain situations it is necessary for you to do something that you do not like or enjoy（情势所迫）只好如此；不得已而为之No news is good newsIf there were

49、bad news were would hear it, so as were have heard nothing, it is likely that nothing bad has happened没有消息就是好消息Great/tall oaks from little acorns growSomething large and successful often begins in a very small way参天橡树长自小小橡实；合抱之树，生于毫末You can t make an omelette without breaking eggsYou cannot achieve

50、something important without causing a few small problems 不打破鸡蛋摊不成蛋饼；不花代价就难成大事Once bitten, twice shyAfter an unpleasant experience you are careful to avoid something similar一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井绳When you ve seen, heard, etc. one, youve seen, heard, etc. them all Used to say that all types of the things mentione

51、d are very similar 所有的、都打通小异；知其一便知其全部。You are only young onceYoung people should enjoy themselves as much as possible, because they will have to work and worry later in their lives行乐当及年少时；青春只有一次No pain, no gainUsed to say that you need to suffer if you want to achieve something不劳则无获He who pays the p

52、iper calls the tuneThe person who provides the money for something can also control how it is spent花钱的人说了算；财大者气粗The pen is mightier than the swordPeople who write books, poems, etc. have a greater effect on history and human affairs than soldiers and wars笔住胜于剑伐；文字的力量超过武器In for a penny, in for a poun

53、dUsed to say that since you have started to do something, it is worth spending as much time or money as you need to in order to compete it一不做，二不休；有始有终A penny for your thoughts/a penny for themUsed to ask sb. what they are thinking about（用于询问别人想什么）你在呆呆地寻思什么呢People （ who live ） in glass houses shouldn

54、 t throw stonesYou should not criticize other people, because they will easily find ways of criticizing you 身居玻璃房，投石遭祸殃；自身毛病多，勿挑他人错Pigs might flyUsed to show that you do not believe something will ever happen（表示不相信某事会发生）太阳从西边出来Any port in a stormIf you are in great trouble, you take any help that is

55、 offered慌不择路；饥不择食；有病乱投医Possession is nine tenths of the lawIf you already have or control something, it is difficult for sb. else to already have or control something, it is difficult for sb. else to take it away from you, even if they have a legal right to it现实占有，败一胜九；占有者在诉讼中总占上风The pot calling the

56、 kettle blackUsed to say that you should not criticize sb. for a fault that you have yourself锅笑壶黑；乌鸦说猪黑；五十步笑百步Practice makes perfectA way of encouraging people by telling them that if you do an activity regularly and try to improve your skill, you will become very good at it熟能生巧Prevention is better

57、than cure (an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure) it is better to stop something bad from happening rather than try to deal with the problems after it has happened预防优于补救；防患于未然是上策Everyone has their priceYou can persuade anyone to do something by giving them more money or something tha

58、t they want人皆有价；重赏之下，必有勇夫；有钱能使鬼推磨Pride comes/goes before a fallIf you have too high an opinion of yourself or your abilities, something will happen to make you look stupid骄傲使人失败The proof of the pudding (is in the eating)You can only judge is something is good or bad when you have tried it只有通过体验才能判断事

59、物的好坏It never rains but it pours (when it rains, it pours)Used to say that when one ad thing happens to you, other bad things happen soon after不雨则已，一雨倾盆；祸不单行You reap what you sowYou have to deal with the bad effects or results of something that you originally started自食其果The road to hell is paved with

60、 good intentionsIt is not enough to intend to do good things; you must actually do them黄泉路上徒有好意多；光说不练是不够的Rob Peter to pay PaulTo borrow money from one person to pay back what you owe to another person; to take money from one thing to use for something else借旧债还新债；拆东墙补西墙A rolling stone gathers no moss