文/肖福壽

古人所說的“飛禽莫如鴣，走獸莫如兔”是有道理的，因為“兔”在中華文化中占據(jù)了顯著地位，隱含著深厚的文化蘊意。

可以說，“兔”的影子在中華文化中隨處可見，至少表現(xiàn)在以下幾個方面。其一，兔乃瑞獸，祥瑞之征兆。據(jù)古書《瑞應圖》記載：“赤兔大瑞，白兔中瑞”，宋書《符瑞志》也記載道：“王者德盛則赤兔現(xiàn)，王者敬耋則白兔現(xiàn)?！彪y怪乎，我國民間有正月初一“掛兔頭”以示鎮(zhèn)邪禳災的習俗，京津地區(qū)有敬拜“兔兒爺”以求吉祥的習俗。其二，兔乃生育之神，象征多子多產(chǎn)。據(jù)晉代張華在《博物志》記載：“兔望月而孕，自吐其子”，此句暗含了兔子超強的繁殖力。其三，兔乃壽星之化身，尤其是純白玉兔。據(jù)葛洪在《抱樸子》記載：“兔壽千歲，五百歲其色白?！逼渌?，兔與月亮之間存在千絲萬縷的聯(lián)系，與“兔”相關(guān)的詞語成為了月亮的別稱或代名詞，膾炙人口的神話故事“嫦娥奔月”與“玉兔搗藥”當中就有兔的身影。其五，兔與文學藝術(shù)也結(jié)下了不解之緣，如《詩經(jīng)》中有《兔爰》，元代雜劇有《白兔記》，歐陽修著有《白兔》，秦觀著有《放兔行》，魯迅先生著有《兔和貓》，《孫子兵法》有“動如脫兔”之說，《淮南子》有“兔子走火如馬則追風逮日”之說，《三國演義》有“馬如赤兔，關(guān)公千里走單騎”之說，屈原在《楚辭·天問》中有“夜光何德，死則又有？厥利維何，而顧兔在腹？”之說，李白在《古朗月行》中有“白兔搗藥成，問言誰與餐？”之說，辛棄疾在《滿江紅·中秋》中有“著意登樓瞻玉兔”之說。其六，“兔”存在于無數(shù)漢語詞語、成語、俗語、諺語中，如“兔魄”“守株待兔”“兔子不吃窩邊草”“兔子拉犁——心有余而力不足”，等等。由此可見，“兔”已深深扎根于中華文化。

2023 年，是中國農(nóng)歷癸卯年，即民間生肖紀年的兔年。在這兔年來臨之際，讓我們重新檢閱一下漢英詞典中一些與“兔”相關(guān)的表達法，聊作一種新年之樂吧。

本文的語料主要選取陸谷孫教授主編的《中華漢英大詞典》，均為該詞典的編纂者自以為迻譯尚有特點的與“兔”有關(guān)的表達法，其目的在于與廣大讀者共享并敦請廣大讀者質(zhì)疑與指謬。

一、二字表達法

白兔 1.white rabbit 2. moon

冰兔 moon

蟾兔also蜍兔 /chú -/ 1.[Chin Myth] the toad and the jade rabbit on the moon 2.[Chin Myth] the jade rabbit on the moon 3. moon

雌兔 doe

待兔 (to stand by a stump waiting for more hares to crash into it) to trust to chance and windfallssee守株待兔 /shǒu zhū - -/

當兔 shaft between two sideboards (of carriage)

伏兔 1. squattingorlurking hare: 上覆飛鳥, 下不見～ with birds hovering above,no rabbit was seen lurking on the ground 2. squatting hare [device between bottom board and axle of a carriage]3. [Chin Med] futu, squatting hare [acupoint of the stomach meridian of foot-yangming(足陽明), located on the line connecting the anterior superior iliac spine and the superior border of the patella, 6 cun (寸)above the patella]

跟兔 attendant, footman (of a pimp)

家兔 domestic rabbit

蹇兔 lame rabbit

金兔 (gold hare) moon

罝兔 1. to catch a rabbit with a net 2. rabbit trapped in a net 3. conduct of a virtuous person

靈兔 [Chin Myth] jade hare [on the moon]

牡兔 buck

踆兔 moon

守兔 to aim high and bide one’s time

霜兔 white rabbit

跳兔 [Zool] jumping rabbit, jump-ing hare,pedetid [long tail, short front legs, long hind legs, either black or white]

兔楮 writing brush and paper

兔蛋 male prostitute

兔管also兔翰 /- hàn/ writing brushsee毛筆 /máo bǐ/

兔毫 rabbit’s hair writing brush

兔褐 1. cloth made of rabbit hair 2. brownish yellow

兔灰 grey (colour)

兔簡 1. writing brush and paper 2. writings

兔角 non-existent thing

兔徑 small path: 獨徘徊～ pace up and down the small path alone

兔窟 1. warren; rabbit burrow 2.abbr狡兔三窟 /jiǎo - sān -/

兔鬣 1. rabbit hair 2. writing brush

兔籠 rabbit hutch

兔輪 moon [another name for 月亮 /yuè liang/]

兔毛 1. rabbit hair 2. tender tea leaves

兔目 1. rabbit’s eyes 2. new leaves of Chinese scholartree [shaped like rabbit eyes]

兔魄 moon [another name for 月亮 /yuè liang/]

兔闕 [Chin Myth] palace on the moon

兔肉 rabbit

兔絲 [Bot] Chinese dodder,Cuscuta chinensis[the seeds of which are used in Chinese medicine]see菟絲子 /- - zǐ

兔脫 to flee (like a rabbit)

兔眼 [Med] hare-eyed; lagopht-halmus; lagophthalmos

兔穎 writing brush made of rabbit hair

兔影 1. shadow on the moon 2. shadow cast by moonlight

脫兔 1. fleeing hare 2. fastsee動如脫兔 /dòng rú - -/

夕兔also瑤兔 /yáo -/ moon

野兔 hare; rabbit

陰兔 moon

玉兔 (jade hare) moon [from the legend that a white hare lives on the moon]

雉兔 1. pheasant and rabbit 2. to hunt pheasants and rabbits

逐兔 1. to chase a rabbit 2. to fight for the throne: 萬人～ myriads of people scramble for the throne 3. to lead a leisure and comfortable life

墜兔 setting moon: ～收光 the moon has set

走兔 to wield a brush; to writeorpaint with a brush

二、三字表達法

電動兔 rabbit [figure of a rabbit sped mechanically along a dog track’s edge as an object of pursuit ]

兔搗碓 [Chin Myth] the rabbit’s pestle [in which the “rabbit in the moon” (月中兔 /yuè zhōng -/) grinds medicinal herbs]

兔耳花also兔子花 /- zi -/ [Bot] cyclamen;Cyclamen persicum

兔翻花 romping; skipping; hopping

兔化法 [Biochem] lapinization

兔毛塵 (particle of dust on a rabbit’s hair) microscopic; minute

兔毛呢 rabbit hair fabric

兔女郎 bunny girl [young nightclub waitress whose costume includes the tail and ears of a rabbit]

兔兒爺 1. Turye [rabbit-shaped clay figure,popular during the Mid-autumn Festival]2. catamite

兔熱病 [Med] rabbit fever; tulare-mia

兔崽子 1. brat 2. s.o.b 3. catamite

兔 子 鞋 1. rabbit’s shoes 2. to run away fast [used after “to wear” ( 穿 /chuān/)]

養(yǎng)兔場 rabbitry; rabbit warren小兔子 bunny

玉兔毫 1. soft long hair of white hare 2. radiance of the moon 3.brush pen

三、四字表達法

白兔赤烏 1. (white rabbit and red raven) the moon and the sun 2. time

得兔忘蹄 (to forget the rabbit net after catching the rabbit) to forget the circumstances behind one’s success; to be ungrateful

東兔西烏 (the moon rises in the east and the sun sets in the west) time elapses without ceasing

動如脫兔 (like a rabbit when moving) nimble, agile (of one’s movements)

龜毛兔角 (tortoise growing hair and rabbit growing horns) 1. omen of war 2. impossible thing; sth in name only

狐死兔泣 (when the fox dies the rabbit weeps) to have sympathy for fellow creatures

見兔放鷹 (to release the hawk upon seeing the rabbit) 1. to chase immediate interests 2. to take measures in time 3. [Budd] to teach appropriately to the spiritual capacities of the audience

見兔顧犬 (to call for one’s dog upon seeing the rabbit) to take immediate action to save the situation

狡兔三窟 (a wily rabbit has three exits to its burrow) a crafty person has several ways out of a predicament

驚猿脫兔 (startled monkeys and fleeing hares) to be startled and run away quickly

狼奔兔脫 (to dash like wolves and flee like rabbits ) to dash pell-mell;to flee helter-skelter: 那幫匪徒～，如入無人之境 the bandits went on a rampage as if they were in no man’s land

目兔顧犬 (to call the hound after seeing the hare) to remedy in time

犬兔俱斃 both parties perish together; both end in common ruin

獅子搏兔 (like a lion pouncing on a hare; not stint the strength of a lion in wrestling with a rabbit) to go all out or use all one’s might even when fighting a weaker opponent or handling a minor matter; to use a lot of strength to perform a small feat

勢若脫兔 (to dash like a fleeing hare) sharp and swift when attacking the enemy

守株待兔 (to stand by a tree stump waiting for another hare to come by and dash itself against it) to wait for gains without pains; to trust to chance and windfalls; to do nothing but wait for a stroke of luck: 那個失業(yè)者～，等待機會 the jobless man did nothing but wait for his chance

兔 角 龜 毛 (rabbit’s horns and turtle’s hair) nonexistent things

兔 角 牛 翼 (rabbit’s horns and bull’s wings) unreasonable things

兔毛大伯 rich villager; rustic man of property

兔腦痘苗 [Vet] neurovaccine

兔起鳧舉 (fleeing like a rabbit and hurtling like a wild duck) quick; swift

兔起鶻落 1. (as soon as the hare rises, the falcon swoops) bold (of brush strokes) 2. quick; nimble

兔起烏沉 the moon rises and the sun sets

兔兒奶奶 wife of Turye （兔兒爺）

兔絲燕麥 (Chinese dodder and oats) in name only; in name but not in reality

兔死狗烹 (when the hare dies the dogs are killed and boiled) trusted aides are eliminated after they have outlived their usefulness

兔死狐悲 (when the rabbit dies the fox mourns) like grieves (mourns,feels) for like: ～，物傷其類 the fox will mourn when the rabbit dies, and all creatures grieve for their own ilk

兔 頭 蛇 眼 (rabbit’s head and snake’s eyes) crafty-looking

兔頭兔腦 stupid-looking; like a dumbhead

兔走烏飛 (hare running and crow flying) how time flies

脫兔之勢 (with the momentum of a fleeing hare) sharp and swift

烏飛兔走 (crow flying and hare running) how time flies

逐兔先得 the leader in the hunt gets the quarry

四、五字及五字以上表達法

不見兔子不撒鷹 (to refrain from releasing the hawk without seeing the hawk) not to take untimely action

趕兩只兔子，一只都捉不著 if you run after two hares, you will catch neither

狐死則兔悲，兔死則狐亦悲 when the fox dies, the rabbit mourns;when the rabbit dies, the fox also mourns

狡兔死，良狗烹 (after the crafty rabbit is killed, the hound is cooked) past services are soon forgotten

靜如處女，動如脫兔also靜若處子,動若脫兔 /- - - zǐ - - - -/ (like a maiden when still and like a rabbit when moving) to have the know-how to cope with circumstances; to know when to take proper action: 他能做到～嗎？does he have much savvy about inaction and action?

沒有黃狼的地方，兔子也擺架子 (even the rabbit will put on airs where there is no yellow weasel)when the cat’s away, the mice will play

寧可守株待兔，不可緣木求魚 (better wait at a tree stump for a hare than climb a tree to catch fish)better wait for a windfall than adopt a wrong and fruitless approach

獅子搏兔，亦用全力 (even a lion will exert itself when fighting with a hare) to handle trifling matters seriously;to spare no effort in dealing with small problems

兔耳形室內(nèi)天線 rabbit ears

兔毫無優(yōu)劣，管手有巧拙 (there is no good or bad writing brush,but there is a skillful or clumsy hand)good calligraphy pivots on the skill of the calligrapher

兔眼烏飯樹 [Bot] rabbiteye

兔子不吃窩邊草 (a rabbit does not eat the grass near its burrow) an evildoer does not harm his neighbours;a criminal never commits crimes near home

兔子回頭，兇似虎 (a rabbit which turns is as fierce as a tiger) even the meek will turn and fight when overly oppressed

兔子急了，還咬人 (even a rabbit will bite people when desperate)even the meek will revolt when pushed too far; even a worm will turn

兔子駕不了轅 (a rabbit can never be harnessed to a carriage) don’t ask the weak or incapable to shoulder heavy responsibilities

兔子靠腿，狼靠牙——各有各的謀生法 (rabbits live off their fast legs, and wolves off their sharp teeth) every creature has his own way of making a living

兔子滿山跑，還得回老窩 (a rabbit may run all over the hills but will still return to its burrow in time)everyone will return home sooner or later

兔子尾巴長不了 (a rabbit’s tail cannot be long) won’t last

的確，漢語中與“兔”有關(guān)的表達法實在太豐富了，諸如“打個兔子喂鷹——好處給了別人”“打兔子碰見了黃羊——撈了個大外快”“打著兔子跑了馬——得不償失”“餓狼撲兔子——抓住不放”“蛤蟆追兔子——差得遠”“猴子笑兔子尾巴短——彼此彼此”“黃鼠狼背兔子——力不從心”“活剝兔子——扯皮”“開春的兔子——成群結(jié)隊”“老虎皮，兔子膽——色厲內(nèi)荏”“老母豬追兔子——上氣不接下氣”“媒人的嘴，兔子的腿”“敲鑼攆兔子——起哄”“青蛙望玉兔——有天地之別”“秋天的野兔子——撒歡”“水牛追兔子——有力使不上”“套馬桿子逮兔子——瞎胡鬧”“兔兒生兒——不走正路”“兔子成精比老虎厲害”“兔子的腿——跑得快”“兔兒吹笛子——嘴不嚴”“兔死犬饑”“兔子掉進海里——不是時髦（濕毛）的事”“兔子逗老鷹——沒事找事”“兔子跟著汽車跑——望塵莫及”“兔子跟著月亮跑——沾光”“兔子和老鷹打架——找死”“兔子駕轅牛打套——亂套了”“兔子進虎穴——白送死”“兔子看人——紅眼了”“兔子拉車——連蹦帶跳”“兔子拉犁——心有余而力不足”“兔子攆烏龜——趕得上”“兔子跑到麻地里——橫豎都是躺”“兔子跑到羊群里——小而精”“兔子群里一只象——龐然大物”“兔子上樹——趕急了”“兔子生耗子——一窩不如一窩”“兔子逃跑——不回頭”等表達法的英文翻譯，更待我們共同探索。