1. Head
The head is thought to be the most important part of the human body. So a leader is often compared to a head(首腦). Thus we have Head of State or the head of a delegation.
The head is where the brain is located. It is naturally associated with ideas and intelligence. Very often, we need other peoples ideas andopinions when we want to do something well. This is because two heads are better than one.
頭被認為是人體最重要的部位,因此領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者常常稱為“首腦”(head),于是就有了Head of State(國家元首)或the head of a delegation(代表團團長)的說法。
頭是腦的所在處。它自然跟思想和智慧相聯(lián)系。很多時候,我們希望工作做得妥當,就需要聽別人的意見,正所謂“一人計短,二人計長”?。。═wo heads are better than one.)
2. Eye
The eyes are extremely precious to us. That is why we say “Mind your eye!” when we remind someone to be careful.
Not only human beings and animals have eyes, many things also have eyes “the eyes of a ship”, “the eye of a needle”, “the eye of a typhoon”, and so on.
眼睛極其寶貴,因此我們叫人“當心”就說Mind your eye!
不僅人和動物有眼,很多事物都有“眼”,例如“錨索眼”(the eyes of a ship)、“針眼”(the eye of a needle)、“臺風眼”(the eye of a typhoon)等等。
3. Ear
The ear is the organ of hearing. A piece of light music is easy on the ear(悅耳動聽). We are usually all ears(專心聆聽) for it.
When they think somebody is overhearing, English people use either of the two proverbs: Walls have ears(隔墻有耳) and Pitchers have ears(壺罐有耳). They also think that little children have big ears(小孩子耳朵尖). Nice boys and girls respect other people. They will not secretly listen to others private conversations.
提到聽的器官我們就會想到耳朵,一段輕音樂悅耳動聽(is easy on the ear),同時我們經(jīng)常專心聆聽(all ears)。
當我們認為一些人在偷聽的時候,英國人總會用這樣兩個詞語:隔墻有耳(Walls have ears)和壺罐有耳 (Pitchers have ears)。同時他們也認為小孩子耳朵尖。對于好孩子來說,他們總是尊重其他人,不會去偷聽別人的談話。
4. Nose
The English phrase “face to face(面對面)” and its Chinese counterpart(對應(yīng)) are exactly the same. But English people, to express the same idea, can say nose to nose instead. There is no such substitute in Chinese.
The word nose appears in many idioms. Here are two which are quite similar to their Chinese equivalents: lead somebody by the nose(牽著某人的鼻子走) and turn up ones nose at somebody or something(對某人或某物嗤之以鼻).
English people can say “as plain as the nose in ones face(一清二楚)” to mean “very obvious”. May be to them, the nose is the most conspicuous part of the face.
英語成語face to face(面對面)和漢語是相對應(yīng)的,但是對于英國人來說當他們想表達相同的觀點時,他們會用nose to nose來代替,在漢語中你是找不到這種表達的。
在許多成語中你會看見“nose”這個詞下面兩個短語和漢語的表達是相對應(yīng)的:牽著某人的鼻子走(lead somebody by the nose)對某人或某物嗤之以鼻(turn up ones nose at somebody or something)。
當英語人說“as plain as the nose in ones face”時,他們的意思是指“一清二楚”,也許是因為他們認為鼻子是臉上最明顯的部位。
5. Lip
We have two lips: the upper lip and the lower lip. If ones two lips are closed, one cannot speak. So it goes saying that “dont open your lips(不要開口)” means “dont speak”.
His lips are sealed. Are his lips really stuck together by wax or glue? No, his lips are sealed when asked about something that he must keep secret. Sometimes a top secret is betrayed because it has escaped someones lips(脫口而出). Then the incident may become a piece of news that is on everybodys lips(眾口相傳).
我們有兩個嘴唇:上嘴唇和下嘴唇。當我們把嘴唇合上時是不能講話的,所以當我們說“dont open your lips”是指“不要說話”。
他的嘴被封上了。難道他的嘴唇真的被膠水給封上了嗎,不是這樣子的,只是當它想保守秘密的時候,不開口罷了。也許有時我們不小心脫口而出時,秘密就被泄漏了。當人們眾口相傳時,謠言也就變成了事實。
6. Tongue
We all know we cannot speak without the tongue. So the tongue is closely related to speech. To hold ones tongue(保持沉默) means “to keep silent”. A person who has too much tongue(太多嘴) is disliked by all, for he is too talkative. Mother tongue is not the tongue of a mother: it is a persons native language.
“Dont you have a mouth below your nose(你鼻子底下不是有張嘴嗎)?” The Chinese say so to blame a person who did not say what he should have said. But this not the right way to express the idea in English. English people would say, “You have a tongue in your head, havent you?”
人們都知道沒有舌頭我們沒法說話,所以舌頭是與我們講話最密切的一個部分?!癟o hold ones tongue”是指保持沉默,如果一個人太多嘴的話,大家會很討厭他的。“Mother tongue”的意思不是指”媽媽的舌頭“,而是指一個人的本國語言。
“你鼻子底下不是有張嘴嗎?”當中國人說這句話的時候,無疑是在責備一個人,當他應(yīng)該說話的時候卻“閉口不談”,而在英語中你想表達這個含意卻不是對應(yīng)的。英國人會這樣說:“You have a tongue in your head, havent you?”
7. Face
Face has to do with the idea of respect and dignity both in Chinese and English. You lose your face(丟面子) if you fail again and again, but a decisive victory will save your face(挽回面子) after all your failures.
When you feel unhappy, you pull a long face(拉長臉). The idea is conveyed in Chinese in the same way. But “about face(向后轉(zhuǎn))” does not refer to the face. It is a military order to turn round and face in the opposite direction. It is the exact equivalent of “about turn”.
臉,面和“面孔”、“面子”、“尊嚴”相關(guān),中英文都一樣。你一再失敗,就“丟面子”(lose face),經(jīng)歷多次挫折之后取得最后成功也就“挽回面子”(save face)。
你不高興的時候會pull a long face。中文也是說“拉長臉”。不過about face!卻不指臉孔,而是步操時的口令,意思是“向后轉(zhuǎn)”,另一個短語about turn跟它的意思完全一樣。
8. Shoulder
The shoulders can bear heavy things. Your father has a great responsibility for the family on his shoulder. When faced with difficulty, the family should stand shoulder to shoulder(肩并肩) to overcome it. You should not turn a cold shoulder(不理睬) to your family members. Nor should you give your friends the cold shoulder(冷落朋友). Both expressions mean treating others coldly.
肩膀是用來扛沉重物體的,在你的父親的肩上擔著全家人的責任。當遇到困難時,全家人也會肩并肩地來克服它。你不應(yīng)該不理睬你的家人,也不應(yīng)冷落朋友。
9. Back
A good host is hospitable to his guests. But, if a guest is tiresome, the host is glad to see his back(他離開).
If your friend has done something really well, you may give him a pat on the back(輕輕拍背部) to show your appreciation.
If you turn your back on somebody(不理睬他人), you mean you do not like making friends with that person.
非常好客的主人無疑是個好主人,如果客人感到很疲倦,主人會很高興地看到他離開。
如果你的朋友很出色的完成一件事,你會輕輕拍拍他的背來表示你對他的欣賞。
如果你不理睬他人,這意味著你不喜歡和這個人做朋友。
10. Heart
The heart is an extremely important organ inside the chest. It usually stands for something important or the centre of something, for example, the heart of the matter(問題的核心) or the heart of mystery.
Many other expressions make use of the word “heart”. A lover can be called a sweet heart(情人). The Purple Heart(紫心徽章) is a medal given as an honor to American soldiers wounded in battle.
If your friend is in trouble, you may encourage him by saying “Dont lose heart(不要灰心).”
心是胸腔內(nèi)極其重要的器官,因此常常喻為事物的重要或核心部分,例如問題的核心(the heart of the matter),秘中之秘(the heart of a mystery)。
還有許多別的英語習語也用上了heart這個詞。情人可以叫做sweet heart。Purple Heart是美國政府頒發(fā)給在戰(zhàn)爭中受傷士兵的紫心勛章。
如果你的朋友遇到困難,你可以鼓勵他說:“不要灰心(dont lose heart),鼓起勇氣吧!”
11. Stomach
The stomach is naturally related to ones appetite. If you dislike heavy food, you have no stomach for it(反胃). The word is also related to ones interests or likings. If you find something boring or vulgar, you have no stomach for it, either. Bad food turns your stomach. Similarly, your stomach turns at a bad joke.
Stomach can also be a verb. Look at this example: “How could you stomach(忍受) such rude words?” Apparently, stomach here can be replaced by “tolerate”.
胃自然和食欲有關(guān)。如果你不喜歡難消化的食物,那么你對它就沒有胃口?!拔浮边@個詞也和興趣或嗜好相聯(lián)系。如果你覺得什么事情無聊或庸俗,你也就對它毫無興趣(have no stomach for it)。壞食品叫你反胃,而下流的笑話也同樣會令你反胃。
stomach也可以用作動詞。看看這個例子:How could you stomach such rude words?(你怎能忍受這樣粗暴的言詞?)顯然,這里的stomach可以用tolerate或put up with來代替,而意思沒有任何改變。
12. Arm
Every person has two arms: the right arm and the left arm. The right arm is usually stronger, so we call a good helper the right arm(得力助手).
We all know an arm is not very long. But when you keep someone at arms length(保持距離), the distance is long enough. For that means you do not like that person and you try your best to avoid him or her. We should indeed keep the bad friends at arms length.
每個人都有兩雙手臂:左臂和右臂,而右臂通常較強壯,因此,我們常以“right arm”來稱得力的助手。
我們都曉得,手臂是相當短的,不過,當你和別人保持“一臂之距”(keep somebody at arms length)時,卻不是很短的了。因為那意味著你不喜歡那個人而且避免和他(或她)親近。我們對那些損友,確實是應(yīng)該保持距離的。
13. Hand
Quite a number of phrases formed from the word hand are very similar to their Chinese counterparts. Here are some obvious examples: a fresh hand(新手), short of hands(人手短缺), hand in hand(手拉手) and wash ones hands of something(洗手不干了). But do not always take this for granted. Study these examples and you will understand.
He lives from hand to mouth(He has just enough money to live on). We gave them a big hand(We gave them lots of applause).
英語用hand這個詞構(gòu)成的許多短語也和中文的用語十分相像。明顯的例子是:a fresh hand(新手),short of hands(人手短缺),hand in hand(手拉手,聯(lián)手合作),wash ones hands of something(洗手不干)。不過,我們不要以為總是這樣。
看看這兩個例子你就會明白了:他的收入僅夠糊口。(He lives from hand to mouth.)我們對他們報以熱烈的掌聲。(We gave them a big hand.)
14. Finger
How many fingers does each of your hands have? Now lets name them in English from the smallest: the little finger, the ring finger, the middle finger, the index finger and thumb.
Each finger has its own part to play. If your fingers are all thumbs(笨拙), that is too bad. That means you are very clumsy.
一只手有幾只手指?“五只”,你肯定會這樣回答?,F(xiàn)在,讓我們用英文從最小那只數(shù)數(shù)看:the little finger(小指)、the ring finger(無名指)、the middle finger(中指)、the index finger(食指),還有一只叫什么呢?叫thumb(大拇指)。
每只手指都有自己的作用。如果your fingers are all thumbs,那可就糟了。這話說的意思是指你很笨拙。
15. forehead
Generally, a young person has a smooth forehead while an old person has a wrinkled one. When you think hard or feel displeased, you may knit your forehead.
Some people think that a person with a broad forehead must be intelligent while a person with a low forehead must be stupid. In fact, ones intellect can be trained and sharpened. Keep exercising your brain and you will become cleverer and cleverer.
對于前額一般來說,年輕人的前額光滑而老年人的前額起皺。當你苦苦思索或是感到不快的時候,你會皺起眉頭。
有些人認為,前額寬的人聰明,前額低的人愚蠢。事實上,一個人的才智是可以靠培養(yǎng)和磨煉而成。堅持用腦,你就會越來越聰明。