成语英译（2）

鸡鸣狗盗：指微不足道的技能；也指具有这类技能的人。常形容偷偷摸摸等不正当的行为。(ability to) crow like a cock and snatch like a dog; small abilities of one kind or another; small tricks

风声鹤唳：唳：鹤鸣声。风吹的响声和仙鹤的叫声。形容惊慌失措；或自相惊扰。 the sound of the wind and the cry of the stork [crane] -- referring to the great fright of routed soldiers; They are so scared that they'd run from their own shadows!; start at the mere rustle of leaves in the wind; apprehend danger in every sound; the sound of the wind and the cry of cranes; a fleeing army's suspicion of danger at the slightest sound

哀鸿遍野：哀鸿：鸿雁找不到安栖的地方；没有目的地飞着；悲哀地叫着。比喻到处都是呻吟呼号、流离失所的灾民。 Starving people fill the land.; a land of wailing and despair; a land swarming with famished refugees; disaster victims (moaning) everywhere

指鹿为马：把鹿说成马。比喻故意颠倒黑白point to a deer, call it a horse -- deliberately misrepresent; call a stag a horse -- deliberately misrepresent; call white black; deliberate deception; distort facts; encourage sycophancy or practise it

唾面自干：《新唐书·娄师德传》:“其弟守代州，辞之官，教之耐事。弟曰:‘有人唾面，洁之乃己。’师德曰:‘未也，洁之，是违其怒，正使自干耳。’”指受了侮辱，极度容忍，不加反抗。be spat on the face and let the spittle [saliva] dry without wiping -- extreme obsequiousness; drain the cup of humiliation; meekly submit to humiliation; pocket an insult; treat one with great forbearance; turn the other cheek

毛骨悚然：毛：头发和汗毛；骨：指脊背；悚然：害怕的样子。毛发竖起；脊骨透寒。形容非常恐惧惊骇。with one's hair standing on end; absolutely terrified; be frightened from the tips of one's hair to the marrow of his very bones; be bloodcurdling; be overcome with horror; give someone the creeps; have gooseflesh; make one's blood run cold; make one's flesh creep; make someone creep all over

不寒而栗：寒：寒冷；栗：发抖。不是因为寒冷而发抖。形容恐惧到了极点。 shiver all over though not cold; A chill runs down one's back.; cannot help shivering; One's skin begins to tighten up.; shiver but not from cold; shiver without being cold

黄袍加身：黄色的龙袍穿到身上。指被拥立为帝王。be draped with the imperial yellow robe by one's supporters ； be acclaimed emperor ；be made emperor

克绍其裘：比喻能继承父祖的事业。 Be able to inherit fathers’ business

鹊占鸠巢: 不会做窠，常强占喜鹊的窠。比喻强占别人的住屋The domestic animals are all thriving.

孟母三迁: 孟子的母亲为了使孩子拥有一个真正好的教育环境，煞费苦心，曾两迁三地，现在有时用来指父母用心良苦 ,竭尽全力培养孩子。mencius' mother moves her home three times to better her son's education

家徒四壁：只；壁：墙壁。家里只有四周的墙壁。形容穷得一无所有。have nothing but the bare walls in one's house; a family with nothing but four walls; a house empty [bare] of all furniture; as poor as a church mouse; be utterly destitute; He has nothing except his own shadow within the four walls of his house.; (as) poor as Job; The house is quite bare -- living in poverty.

四面楚歌：四面都是楚人的歌声。后用来比喻四面受敌；处于孤立无援的处境。be besieged on all sides (and completely isolated); be amidst enemies; be assailed on all sides; be coerced and urged on all sides; be in dire straits; be surrounded by danger; be surrounded by enemies on all sides; be under attack from all directions; be utterly isolated; find oneself besieged on all sides; have the world against one

招蜂引蝶：致蜜蜂；吸引蝴蝶。比喻吸引别人的注意。attract the attention of the elegant young idlers ； flirt with men ；围魏救赵：攻击敌人后方；迫使进攻的敌人撤回兵力的战术。魏、赵：战国时的国名。

“besiege Wei to rescue Zhao” -- relieve the besieged by besieging the base of the besiegers； relieve the State of Zhao by besieging the State of Wei ； rescue the Kingdom of Zhao by besieging the capital of the Kingdom of Wei； save Zhao by besieging the capital of Wei

口蜜腹剑：里说得动听；心里却盘算着坏主意。形容嘴甜心狠；阴险毒辣。 play a double game; a cruel heart under the cover of sugar-coated words; A honey tongue, a heart of gall; honey words and a dastardly heart; hypocritical and malignant; One's words are as honey but one's heart is like a dagger.; with honeyed words on one's lips but murder in one's heart; with peace and be a villain; with peace on one's tongue and guns in one's pocket

极乐世界：教指阿弥陀佛成道时所居住的乐土；是一块可以摆脱人间一切烦恼的净土。后泛指无忧无虑、快乐如意的理想境界。 Pure Land ； Western Paradise ； Elysian Fields ；nirvana

饥不择食：急了就顾不上选择食物，比喻急需时顾不得选择。A hungry person is not picky and choosy.; Hunger finds no fault with the cookery.; A good appetite is a good sauce.; A hungry person is not choosy about his food.; All food is delicious to the starving.; Beggars can't be choosers.; Hunger is the best sauce.; Hunger sweetens beans.; Nothing comes amiss to a hungry man.; The best sauce is hunger.

坐怀不乱：春秋时鲁国的柳下惠将受冻的女子裹于怀中，没有发生非礼行为。形容男子在两性关系方面作风正派。be not disturbed with a woman in one's lap ； wear Joseph's coat

当头棒喝：头：迎头；喝：大声喊叫。原是佛教用语。禅宗和尚接待初学的人用棒迎头一击；或大喝一声；以考验对方的领悟程度。现在泛指使人震动和醒悟的猛烈手段。a blow and a shout; a sharp warning; a severe warning; give a timely warning; give sharp advice for one to wake up from error

先发制人：开始行动；制：制服。指争取主动；先动手来制服对方。现泛指先下手争取主动。strike first to gain the initiative; beat to the draw; dominate the enemy by striking first; fire the first shot; gain an advantage over a competitor [the enemy] without his knowing; gain mastery by striking first; get [have] the drop on sb.; get the upper hand by taking the initiative; steal a march upon [on] sb.; steal one's thunder; strike first to forestall the enemy; strike the first blow

为虎作伥：老虎咬死的人变成鬼；又去引诱别人来让老虎吃；这种鬼叫作“伥”。比喻充当恶人的帮凶。 play the jackal to the tiger; abet one's enemy; act as the paws of the tiger; assist the evildoer; hold a candle to the devil; help an evil man (do evil); help a villain do evil; help the tiger to pounce on [upon] its victims

班门弄斧：鲁班；即公输子；春秋时鲁国人。我国著名的木匠；在鲁班门前舞弄斧头。比喻在行家面前卖弄本领。display one's slight skill before an expert; be conceited; display one's incompetence before a connoisseur; go to teach hewing to the God of Carpenters; show off before a superior man; show off in the presence of an expert; teach fish to swim; teach one's grandmother (how) to suck eggs

狡兔死走狗烹: 野兔捕杀了；猎狗无用；被煮着吃了。比喻事情成功之后；把效力有功的人抛弃或杀掉。 When all hares are killed, the hounds will be stewed and eaten.; After the cunning hare is killed, the hound is boiled.; Cook the hounds when no longer needed after the hares have been run down.; slay the lackeys when they have outlived their usefulness; The hounds are killed for food once all the hares are bagged -- trusted aides are eliminated when they have outlived their usefulness.; When the hares die, the dogs are killed and boiled.

尸位素餐：位：占据着职位而不做事。不做事而白吃饭。空占着职位而不做事hold down a job without doing a stroke of work

添油加醋：比喻叙述事情或转述别人的话，为了夸大，添上原来没有的内容。adding the trimmings ； exaggerate [give] embellishment to； add highly coloured details to ； relate sth. with great unction

沉鱼落雁：：使下沉；落：使落下。原指女子貌美；使游鱼下沉；使飞雁降落；不敢与之比美。后来形容女子容貌美丽动人。(a dazzling beauty that) makes the fish sink [dive down] and wild geese fall； one who would make wild geese alight and fish dive down for shame

问鼎中原：古代煮东西的器物，三足两耳，传说古代夏禹铸造九鼎，代表九州，作为国家权力的象征。夏、商、周三代以九鼎为传国重器，为得天下者所据有。中原：黄河中下游一带，指疆域领土。比喻企图夺取天下。find for the tripod in the central plain -- attempt to usurp the throne

欲盖弥彰：盖：遮掩；弥：更加；彰：明显。要掩盖坏事的真相；结果反而暴露得更加明显。The more one tries to hide, the more one is exposed.; He who excuses himself accuses himself.; One exposes oneself unwittingly while trying to cover up his tricks.; The harder one tries to conceal a thing, the more it attracts attention.; The more concealed, the more conspicuous.; try to cover up a misdeed, only to make it more conspicuous

乐不思蜀：指三国时蜀国。蜀后主刘禅投降司马昭后；被安置在洛阳仍过荒淫生活；快乐得不想回国。比喻乐而忘返或乐而忘本。 have much enjoyment and forget to go back home; abandon oneself to pleasures; have such a good time that one forgets to go home; indulge in pleasure and forget home and duty; so happy as to forget one's home country; too happy to think of home

解衣推食：让。把衣服脱给别人穿；把食物让给别人吃。offer one's own coat and food -- to treat one's friends sincerely

一网打尽：比喻一个不漏地全部抓住或彻底肃清。catch all in one draft [dragnet]; all enemy) are trapped.; capture all in one net; catch all, letting none escape; catch the whole lot in a dragnet; capture all at once; make a clean sweep; make wholesale arrests of; rope in every one of (the enemy) in one clean sweep; round up at one swoop; round up the whole gang at one fell swoop; take all at one haul of the net

水落石出：水落下去，水底的石头就露出来。比喻事情经过澄清以后彻底暴露；真相大白。When the water subsides, the rocks emerge.; Doubts will clear up when the facts are known.; reach the bottom of sth.; The time will come to reveal the whole truth.; The whole thing comes to light.; When the water ebbs, stones will appear.

呼天抢地：呼：呼叫；抢地：触地；撞地。指向天呼号；用头碰地。形容极端悲痛。lament to heaven and knock one's head on earth ； cry bitterly and loudly in excessive grief ； utter cries of anguish

面红耳赤：脸和耳朵都红了。形容因羞愧、窘迫、激动或发怒而脸色涨红的样子。 flush with shame; A red flush spread from (sb.'s) face to his neck.; become [get; be] red in the face; be flushed -- feeling ashamed; become red to the ears; (become) crimson with anger; emotionally excited

蚕食鲸吞：食：吃；吞：整个儿咽下去。像蚕啃桑叶一样一点一点来；或像鲸鱼吃食一样大口大口吞。比喻强国用逐步侵占或一举吞并的方式侵略弱国领土 gnaw as [like] a silkworm or swallow as [like] a whale; bite off little by little as a silkworm; gulp down or eat up by degrees; nibble at or gobble up (a neighbor's territory);nibble away like a silkworm or swallow like a whale; seize another country's territory by piecemeal encroachment or wholesale annexation; take by force and encroach upon land [territory]

。

沧海一粟：沧海：大海；粟：谷子。大海中的一粒谷子。比喻非常渺小；微不足道。也作“大海一粟”。 a grain of corn in the wide sea -- a drop in the bucket; a drop in the ocean; a grain of millet from a granary; a speck in a vast ocean; (be) only a drop of water compared to the vast sea

漏网之鱼： 眼里漏出去的鱼。比喻侥幸逃脱的罪犯或敌人。 (as) fish escaping from the net;(as) a fish escaped through the seine; the fish that escaped the net; frightened fish that narrowly escaped the dragnet; a fish out of the net; escape unpunished

丢三落四：形容马虎或记忆力不好而顾此失彼） miss this and that; forget this, that and the other; there is always sth. [sb.] missing; forgetful

危在旦夕：形容危险就在眼前。旦夕：早晨和晚上；指很短时间之内。 on the verge of death or destruction; at death's door; be at the last gasp; be in deadly danger; be not worth a day's purchase; be now a mere question of hours

投鼠忌器：想用东西打老鼠；又怕打坏了老鼠旁边的器物。比喻想打击坏人而又有所顾忌。spare the rat to save the dishes -- to hold back from taking action against an evildoer for fear of involving good people; hesitate to pelt a rat for fear of smashing the vase [dishes] beside it; One who strikes at a rat cares if a vessel would be broken.; throw sth. at a rat, but afraid to break the vase -- caution in taking action

狐假虎威：假借；凭借。狐狸借着老虎的威风去吓唬其他野兽。比喻凭借别人的威势来欺压人。 the fox assuming the majesty of the tiger -- borrowing power to do evil; (like) a donkey [an ass] in a lion's hide; a fox masquerading as a tiger; assume someone else's authority as one's own; assume the dignity of another; assume the dignity [authority] of sb. else as one's own; assuming self importance by one's connections; browbeat others by virtue of sb. else's influence [position; authority]; clothe one's fox-like form with the borrowed majesty of the tiger; rely on one's master's might to bully other; swagger about in borrowed plumes; take advantage of the influence of others;

抱薪救火：薪：柴草。抱着柴草去救火。比喻用错误的方法消除灾害；结果不但没有消除灾害；反而使灾害扩大。也作“负（背）薪救火”。 carry faggots to put out a fire -- adopt a wrong method to save a situation and end up by making it worse； add fuel to the fire ； do sth. counterproductive ； fight a fire by adding fuel to it

死灰复燃：熄灭的火灰又燃烧起来。比喻已停止或消失的东西又重新活动起来。复：又。a stirring among the dry bones; dying embers glowing again -- resurgence; like dying embers that flare up; revival; rejuvenated; rise again from the ashes; rise phoenix-like from the ashes

如坐针毡：像坐在插着针的毡子上。形容心神不定；坐立不安。sit on pins and needles; as if sitting on a spiked rug; be in an extremely uncomfortable position; be kept on the anxious seat; be on nettles; be on tenterhooks; be [sit; stand; walk] upon [on] thorns; feel as if sitting on a bed of nails; feel extremely uneasy; like a cat on hot bricks; sit on a cushion of needles -- ill at ease

中饱私囊：中饱：从中得利。指侵吞经手的钱财使自己得利。fill one's own pocket (with public funds); batten on money entrusted to one's care; embezzle; embezzle public funds; line one's pockets with public funds or other people's money

鸟尽弓藏：飞鸟打光了；弹弓也就藏起来不用了。比喻事情成功之后；原来借助的力量就被一脚踢开或加以消灭。cast aside the bow once the birds are gone -- cast sb. aside when he has served his purpose; The bows and arrows are put away when there are no more birds to shoot -- kick out sb. after his services are no longer needed.

酒囊饭袋：囊：口袋。装酒装饭的口袋。喻指只会喝酒吃饭而毫无能力的人。a person who can do nothing but eat and drink ； a glutton ； a useless person good only for feasting and drinking ； wine skin and rice bag -- a good-for-nothing

沆瀣一气：沆瀣：夜间的水气。这里指唐僖宗时；担任主考官的崔沆；录取了一个叫崔瀣的考生。所以有人开玩笑；将他俩的单名连起来是“沆瀣”两字。指“沆”、“瀣”两人连成一气。比喻臭味相投的人结合在一起。act evilly in collusion with

小人得志：小人：旧指道德低下或行为不正派的人。指人格卑下的人取得权势。

a small man intoxicated by success ； a small man having greatness thrust upon him ；It is a case of scoundrel realizing his ambition. ； villains holding sway

沾沾自喜：沾沾：轻浮的；自鸣得意的样子。形容自满得意的样子。pleased with oneself; grandiose; pat oneself on the back; play the peacock; priggish hug oneself on [for; over]; self-contented; smug; well-satisfied; feel complacent

庐山真面目：庐山：在今江西九江市南。指庐山的真实面目。用以比喻事物的真相；或人的本来面目。The true face of Mt. Lu -- the real appearance of a person or thing; one's true character [identity]; one's true features; the truth about a person or a matter; What Lushan Mountain really looks like

一饭千金：比喻重重地报答对自己有恩的人。be grateful to sb. and bestow upon the former benefactor a thousand taels of silver; pay back a debt of gratitude with rich reward; requite an obligation generously; reward a benefactor handsomely for the favour or help one has received from him; repay sb. for kindness with rich reward

吴牛喘月：吴牛：指产于江淮间的水牛。吴地水牛见月疑是日，因惧怕酷热而不断喘气。比喻因疑心而害怕。The buffaloes in Jiangsu pant when they see the moon mistaking it for the hot sun.； a Wu cow shivering before the moon -- undue fear before sth. rarely seen； fear of a thing due to mistaking it for sth. else ； have an excessive fear of (sth.)

牛衣对泣：睡在牛衣里，相对哭泣。形容夫妻共同过着穷困的生活。couple living in destitute misery

三生有幸：三生都很幸运。形容极为幸运或难得的好境遇。三生：佛教指前生、今生、来生。be the most supreme; a stroke of luck; happiness of one's three existences; luck for three incarnations; the good fortune of three lives; thrice blessed

自惭形秽:因自己不如别人而感到惭愧；形容自愧不如别人。feel ashamed of one's ungainly appearance; ashamed of one's own unseemliness [unworthiness]; be ashamed of one's poverty-stricken state; feel ashamed of one's lack of creative talent; feel put to shame (by sb.); feel unworthy (of others' company); have a sense of inferiority [inadequacy]

大义灭亲:为了维护正义；对犯了罪的亲属不包庇；使之受到应得的惩处。 punish one's own relations in the cause of justice; place righteousness above family loyalty; place righteousness above loyalty to one's family; sacrifice consanguinity for the sake of righteousness; sacrifice ties of blood to righteousness; uphold justice and righteousness even at the sacrifice of blood relations

江郎才尽:江郎：南朝梁文人江淹；少有文名；晚岁文思衰；才：才华；尽：完。江淹的文思已经衰竭。后比喻人的文思枯竭或才气用完了。The imaginative power in writing has declined. ； The inspiration has dried up

一败涂地:一：一旦；涂地：“肝脑涂地”的省略。一旦失败就肝脑涂地。形容彻底失败；不可收拾。suffer a big [final; crushing] defeat; a complete loss; an overwhelming defeat; be a dead failure; beat sb. all to pieces [to nothing; all to ribbons; to sticks]; beat sb. hollow [all hollow]; be ignominiously defeated; be put to rout; be ruined completely; collapse completely; fall to the ground; get the worst of it; suffer a thorough defeat; sustain a crushing defeat; utter failure or defeat; wiped out at one blow

糟糠之妻：指贫贱时共患难的妻子，今也用来谦称自己的妻子。 wife who has shared her husband's hard lot