The English Learners Guide to Chinglish-中式英语之鉴.pdf

The English Learner`s Guide to Chinglish The English Learner`s Guide to Chinglish 中式英语之鉴 01.有他这颗扫帚星，什么事情都办不成。 [误] With a comet like him, nothing can be accomplished. [正] With a jinx like him, nothing can be accomplished. 注：“扫帚星”是中国人对“慧星”（comet）的俗称，因其后面象拖着的一条像扫帚一样的长尾巴而得名。在中国 古代，“扫帚星”被认为是灾难的预 兆，并被用来比喻不吉利的人或事；祸根：（person or thing that is thought to bring）bad luck（to sb/sth ）；curse。英语的 comet 虽然没有这层含义， 但却有一个对应的说法，即 jinx。 例：Theres a jinx on/Someones put a jinx on this car: its always giving me trouble. “这辆汽车上有什么妨人的东西，总 给我找麻烦”。 02.萝卜青菜，各有所爱。 [误] Some prefer radish but others prefer cabbage. [正] Tastes differ. 注：Tastes differ/vary 是句英语谚语，除此以外，原句还可翻译成：No dish suits all tastes. / You can never make everyone happy. / All things fit not all persons. / Every man has his hobbyhorse[liking]. / Every man[one] to his(own) taste. / It is difficult to cater for[to] all tastes. / It is hard to suit all tastes. / No dish suits all tastes. / Some persons like to eat radishes, others prefer cabbages--peoples tastes are various. / There is no accounting for tastes. / There is no disputing about tastes. 等。《新概念英语》第三册第23课的标题是：One mans meat is another mans poison. 03.他一向嘴硬，从不认错。 [误] He has always got a hard mouth and never admit a fault. [正] He never says uncle. 注：say (cry) uncle: to give up or in; to surrender; to admit defeat. Mainly used by boys, as when fighting。 主要是男孩们打架时的用语，当一方想制服另一 方时，就用命令的口气说：“Say uncle!”这时，有的孩子为了表示不服输，就是不说。后来，say uncle 就成了“ 服输”的代名词，而 not say uncle 就相 当于“嘴硬”了。 04.老师很喜欢这个嘴甜的小姑娘。 [误] The teacher likes this sweet-mouthed little girl very much. [正] The teacher likes this honey-lipped little girl very much. 注：中国人喜欢说“嘴甜”，但 honey-lipped 更符合英美人的语言习惯。 05.同学们都很讨厌他，因为他经常拍老师的马屁。 [误] The student all dislike him because he often pats the teachers ass. [正] The students all dislike him because he often licks the teachers boots. 注：以前在欧洲，臣民见到国王与王后往往要葡匐到在，亲吻他们的靴子。后来，人们将 lick the boots 引申为“ 为了某种目的而讨好某人”，它与汉 语的“拍马屁”含义一样。在美国英语中，“拍马屁”还有另一种说法，即 polish the apple，它典出以前的学生用擦 Page 1 PDF 文件使