中国成语典故中英对照

风中落叶

惊弓之鸟
Birds Startled by the Mere Twang of a Bowstring

　　战国时期（公元前403―221年中国中原地区各诸侯国连年争战的时代）魏国有个名叫更羸的人。一天，他对国王说：“我只要拉开弓，空射一下，就能把天上的鸟射下来。”国王不相信。更羸便对准天上飞来的一只雁射去，果真那只雁听到拉弦的声音就掉了下来。国王感到很奇怪。更羸说，“那是一只受过伤的雁。它一听到我拉开弓弦的声响，就惊慌得支持不住，自然要掉下来了。”
　　In the Warring States Period, there was a man in the State of Wei called Geng Lei. One day he said to the king: 'I can shoot down birds by simply plucking my bowstring.' When the king expressed doubt, Geng Lei pointed his bow at a wild goose flying in the sky, twanged the bowstring, and the goose fell to the ground. Geng Lei said, 'This goose has been hurt in the past. Hearing the twang of the bowstring, it assumed that it was doomed. So it simply gave up trying to live.'

　　“惊弓之鸟”这个成语比喻受过惊恐之后，有一点动静就特别害怕。
　　This idiom means that if one has been frightened in the past one's will may become paralysed in a similar situation.

风中落叶

一鼓作气
　　Rousing the Spirits with the First Drum Roll

　　春秋时代，齐国派兵攻打鲁国。鲁国的国王鲁庄公带着谋士曹刿指挥作战。齐军第一次击鼓以后，鲁军准备发起进攻。曹刿说：“不行。”齐军三次击鼓以后，曹刿才说：“现在可以进攻了。”结果齐军大败。战斗结束后，鲁庄公问曹刿胜利的原因。曹刿说：“打仗要靠勇气。第一次击鼓，士气十分旺盛；第二次击鼓，士气有些衰落；第三次击鼓，士气就消耗尽了。敌人士气耗尽，我们发起进攻，所以取得了胜利。”
　　During the Spring and Autumn Period, an army from the State of Qi confronted one from the State of Lu. After the first roll of drums from the Qi side to summon Lu to battle, the Lu ruler wanted to attack. But his counsellor Cao Gui said, 'We should wait until the third drum roll, sire.' After the Qi side had beaten the drums three times, the Lu army attacked and defeated the Qi army. After the battle, the king asked Cao Gui the reason for his odd advice. Cao Gui answered, 'Fighting needs spirit. Their spirit was aroused by the first roll or the drums, but was depleted by the second. And it was completely exhausted by the third. We started to attack when their spirit was exhausted. That's why we won.'

　　后来，“一鼓作气”形容鼓起劲头，一下子把事情干完。
　　This idiom later meant to get something done with one sustained effort.

风中落叶

破镜重圆
　　　　　A Broken Mirror Made Whole Again

　　南朝陈国(公元557-589)将要灭亡的时候，驸马徐德言把一面铜镜破开，跟妻子各留下一半。双方约定：如果将来夫妻失散了，就把它当作信物。后来，夫妻二人真的失散了，凭借着各人留下的半面镜子，他们最终又得到团圆。
　　In the Northern and Southern Dynasties when the State of Chen (A.D. 557-589) was facing its demise, Xu Deyan, husband of the princess, broke a bronze mirror into halves. Each of them kept a half as tokens in case they were separated. Soon afterwards, they did lose touch with each other, but the two halves of the mirror enabled them to be reunited.

　　“破镜重圆”这个成语比喻夫妻失散或分离后重新团聚。
　　This idiom is used to refer to the reunion of a couple after they lose touch or break up.

风中落叶

狐假虎威
　　　　　Basking in Reflected Glory

　　老虎在山林里捉到了一只狐狸，要吃掉它。狐狸连忙说：“你不能吃我，我是天帝派来统治百兽的。你要吃了我，就违抗了天帝的命令。你不信，就跟我到山林里去一趟，看百兽见了我是不是都很害怕。”老虎相信了狐狸的话，就跟在狐狸的后面走进山林。百兽见了果然都纷纷逃命。老虎以为百兽真的害怕狐狸而不知道是害怕自己，于是就把狐狸给放了。
　　A tiger caught a fox in a forest, and was just about to eat it, when the fox said, 'You mustn't eat me. I was sent by Heaven to rule the animals. By eating me, you will violate the command of Heaven. If you don't believe me, just follow me to see whether the animals are of me.' The tiger agreed, and followed the fox as it walked around the forest. The animals all ran away on seeing them. The tiger thought they were of the fox, so he let it go. He didn't realise that it was him that the beasts were really of.

　　“狐假虎威”这个成语用来比喻倚仗别人的势力去欺压人或吓唬人。
　　This idiom means relying on another's power to bully or frighten others.

风中落叶

曾子杀彘
　　Zengzi Slaughters a Pig

engzi’s wife was going to the market. Her little son insisted on going with her, making a tearful scene. “Stay at home,” she said to the boy. “When I come back, I will slaughter a pig for you.” When she came back, Zengzi got ready to slaughter the pig. His wife stopped him, saying: “I was just kidding.” “A child is not to be kidded like that!” he replied. “A child does not know much and cannot judge for himself. He learns from his parents and listens to what they day. To lie to him is to teach him to lie to others. If a mother lies to her son, he will not trust her anymore. How is she then to educate him?” With that Zengzi went to slaughter the pig and prepare a good meal for their son.
曾子的妻子到集市上去, 他的儿子哭着要跟去. 他的母亲说: “你回家呆着,待会儿我回来杀猪给你吃.” 她刚从集市上回来, 曾子就要捉猪去杀. 妻子劝止他说: “只不过是跟孩子开玩笑罢了.” 曾子说: “不能跟孩子开玩笑啊! 小孩子没有思考和判断能力, 要向父母亲学习, 听从父母的教导. 现在你欺骗他,这是教孩子骗人啊! 母亲欺骗儿子, 儿子就不再相信自己的母亲了, 这不是实现教育的方法.” 于是曾子就杀猪煮肉给孩子吃.

风中落叶

守株待兔
　　Sitting by a Stump, Waiting for a Careless Hare

　　春秋时代，宋国有个农夫，一天在耕田的时候，忽然跑来一只兔子，恰巧碰在树桩上，脖子折断死了。农夫把兔子拾回家去，美美地吃了一顿兔肉。晚上他想：“我何必辛辛苦苦地种地呢？每天在树下能捡到一只兔子就够我吃的了。”于是，他从此不再耕作，每天坐在树下等待兔子的到来。
　　In the Spring and Autumn Period, a farmer in the State of Song was one day working in the fields when he saw a rabbit bump into a tree stump accidentally and break its neck. The farmer took the rabbit home, and cooked himself a delicious meal. That night he thought, 'I needn't work so hard. All I have to do is wait for a rabbit each day by the stump.' So from then on he gave up farming, and simply sat by the stump waiting for rabbits to come and run into it.

　　“守株待兔”这个成语，讥笑那些不想经过努力，存在侥幸心理，希望得到意外收获的人。
　　This idiom satirizes those who just wait for a stroke of luck, rather than making efforts to obtain what they need.

风中落叶

一鸣惊人
　　Amazing the World with a Single Feat

　　战国时代，齐威王即位后做了三年国君，只顾享乐，不理政事。有个善于说笑话的人叫淳于髡，一天对齐威王说：“城里有一只大鸟，三年不飞也不叫，你知道这是什么道理？”齐威王说：“这鸟不飞则罢，一飞就冲天；不鸣则罢，一鸣就惊人。”在淳于髡的激发下，齐威王开始治理国家，取得很大成绩，齐国的声威一直保持了几十年。
　　In the Warring States Period, Duke Wei of Qi neglected state affairs, for the first three years of his reign, giving himself over to dissipation. One of his ministers, Chun Yukun who had a good sense of humour, said to him: 'There is a big bird which has neither taken wing nor sung for three years.' The duke answered, 'Once that bird starts to fly and sing, it will astonish the world.' The duke thereupon devoted himself to his duties and built his state up into a powerful one.

　　“一鸣惊人”用来表示平时默默无闻，一旦行动起来，却做出惊人的成绩。
　　This idiom is used to indicate that a person may rise from obscurity and achieve greatness.

风中落叶

画饼充饥
　　Allaying Hunger with Pictures of Cakes

　　三国时代魏国的皇帝曹睿，准备选拔一个有才能的人到朝廷来做官。曹睿对他的大臣说：“选择人才，不能光找有虚名的人。虚名好像是在地上画的一块饼，只能看，不能解决肚子饥饿的问题啊！”
　　In the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280), the king of the Wei, Cao Rui, wanted to select a very capable man to work for him. He said to his ministers: 'When choosing a talented person, always beware of one with a false reputation. A false reputation is just like a picture of a cake; it can' t relieve hunger.'

　　后来人们就用“画饼充饥”这个成语比喻用空想安慰自己，不能解决实际问题。
　　Later, this idiom came to be used to mean comforting oneself with unrealistic thoughts, without solving practical problems.

风中落叶

怒发冲冠
　　So Angry That One' s Hair Lifts Up One' s Hat

　　战国时代，赵国的大臣蔺相如出使到秦国。在他向秦王索回玉璧的时候，秦王蛮不讲理，蔺相如气愤得连头发都竖了起来，向上冲着帽子。
　　In the Warring States Period, Lin Xiangru, chief min-ister of the State of Zhao, was sent as an envoy to the State of Qin to ask the ruler of Qin to return a fine piece of jade to Zhao. But the ruler of Qin was rude and unreasonable. Lin was angry, and his hair stood up so stiffly on his head that it lifted up his hat.

　　后来人们用“怒发冲冠”这个成语形容人愤怒到了极点。
　　This idiom came to be used to mean being extremely angry.

风中落叶

班门弄斧
　　Showing Off One's Proficiency with the Axe Before Lu Ban the Master Carpenter

　　古代有一个建筑和雕刻技术非常高超的人，名叫鲁班，木匠行里尊称他为祖师。传说他曾用木头制作了一只五彩斑斓的凤凰，能够在空中飞翔三天不掉下来。在鲁班门前摆弄斧子，当然显得有些自不量力了。
　　Lu Ban was supposed to be a consummate carpenter in ancient times. It is said that he once carved a wooden phoenix that was so lifelike that it actually flew in the sky for three days. Thus it was considered the height of folly to show off one's skill with an axe in front of Lu Ban.

　　“班门弄斧”这个成语，用来比喻在行家面前显示本领。
　　This idiom excoriates those who show off their slight accomplishments in front of experts.