谚语入门 – 从英语谚语看时事

成语 (Idioms) 和谚语 (Proverbs) 的区别，在于谚语是“民间智慧”提炼成的短句，其意义通常不言而明。

英语成语和汉语成语有一个不同：汉语成语通常已经有动词，故可以当“独立句子”运用，而英语成语通常缺少动词，要当作句子中的一部分用，比如“破釜沉舟”是完整的句子，但 "a dime a dozen" 需要造成句子后才有完整的意思。

下面介绍十句常见谚语：

1. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
绝对权力绝对导致腐败。

此谚语来自英国理论学家艾科顿 Lord Acton，他说：

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Great men are almost always bad men."

2. The early bird gets the worm.
“早起的鸟儿有虫吃”。

3. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
有点“下梁不正，上梁完蛋”的意思吧？

4. A fool and his money are soon parted.
“一日暴富，一月报穷”。

5. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.
牵马近水易，逼马饮水难，亦有“强人所难，徒劳无功”的意思。

6. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
此谚语来自英国作家博拍 (Alexander Pope) 的论文“论批评”
(On Criticism)。略有“浅学误人”或“一知半解很危险”之意。

7. Throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
“良莠不分一起抛弃”。

8. A person is known by the company he keeps.
“近朱者赤，近墨者黑”。

9. A picture is worth a thousand words.
“一图值千言”。

10. Familiarity breeds contempt.
“近而生厌”。