Quotes of the Day(今日名言警句)這個網站我隔三差五就要都要瀏覽一次，有時候看到有意思的名人名言就記下來，其中一部分翻譯出來收入了中國書店出版的《東方文化西方語》，利用每一頁的紙面頁腳用小字排出，提高了本書的“信價比”(“信價比”這個詞是方雨教授“發明”的，指書刊信息量與價格之比)。比如法國詩人保羅•瓦萊里(Paul Valery，1871 – 1945)的這句話就很有趣：“書籍和人類一樣有共同的敵人：火災、潮濕、動物、天氣還有他們自己的內涵(Books have the same enemies as people: fire, humidity, animals, weather, and their own content)”.
不過，這個網站上的名言警句有時候讀起來也讓人納悶以致于郁悶，因為它們號稱是Chinese Proverb(中國諺語)，但我作為中國人卻不甚了了，想不出來這些Chinese Proverb 到底對應哪些“中國諺語”。比如下面這些Chinese Proverb，我可以大致翻譯出其意義，但是還沒有想出對應的中文原句：
A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.
鳥兒唱歌不是因為它們有了答案，而是因為它們有歌要唱。
A bit of fragrance clings to the hand that gives flowers.
送花的手上留有香味。
A book tightly shut is but a block of paper.
一本沒有打開的書就是一團紙。
A child’s life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark.
孩子的一生就像一張白紙，周邊每個人都會在上面留下印記。
A fool judges people by the presents they give him.
糊涂人根據他人的送禮決定親疏。
A nation’s treasure is in its scholars.
學者是國家的財富。
A rat who gnaws at a cat’s tail invites destruction.
咬貓尾巴的老鼠自尋毀滅。
Be the first to the field and the last to the couch.
第一個出工干活，最后一個上床休息。
Do not employ handsome servants.
別雇傭長得好看的傭人。
Do not remove a fly from your friend’s forehead with a hatchet.
別用斧頭拍打朋友額頭上的蒼蠅。
Don’t open a shop unless you like to smile.
你要是不喜歡微笑就別開店。
He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.
張口發問可能讓你表現出5分鐘的無知，但是不發問的人永遠會無知。
He who strikes the first blow admits he’s lost the argument.
辯論中的兩個人，第一個動手的那個人就是承認辯論失敗的那個人。
If you bow at all, bow low.
既然低了頭，干脆就多低點。
Keep your broken arm inside your sleeve.
把受傷了的胳膊藏在衣袖里。
Not until just before dawn do people sleep best; not until people get old do they become wise.
只有到凌晨人們才睡的最熟，只有到年老時人們才變得聰明。
Raise your sail one foot and you get ten feet of wind.
撐起一尺的風帆，你會得到10尺的風力。
To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.
要知道怎樣前面的路怎么走，最好問從前面返回的人。
When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other.
如果在世上你只剩下2毛錢，就用一毛錢買一塊面包，另一毛買一朵百合花。
Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
點亮一支蠟燭總比咒罵黑暗要好。
A thorn defends the rose, harming only those who would steal the blossom.
荊棘是玫瑰的衛士，只會刺傷摘花的人。
With time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown.
只要有時間和耐心，桑樹葉子會變成綢大褂。
If we don’t change our direction we’re likely to end up where we’re headed.
如果我們不改變方向，總會走到我們要去的地方。
If you get up one more time than you fall you will make it through.
如果你站起來的次數比摔倒的次數多一次，你就過關了。
The man who comes with a tale about others has himself an ax to grind.
說別人壞話的人一定是自己圖謀不軌。
I dreamed a thousand new paths. . . I woke and walked my old one.
在夢里有一千條新路可走，可是醒來以后還是走老路。
The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.
說某事不能做的人不應該干擾別人去做。
看著這許多“中國諺語”，怎么就沒聽說過呢？不是自己學識淺薄，就是老外故弄玄虛，總覺得有deep doubts(深深的疑惑)。說起doubts，也許正好用上另一句世上流傳的Chinese Proverbs：
Deep doubts, deep wisdom; small doubts, little wisdom.
疑惑深，智慧也深；疑惑淺，智慧也淺。 |
大學英語---