眾所周知,諺語乃是一種語言的精華,寓意深刻,表達(dá)雋永。在考研寫作中如能適當(dāng)?shù)匾靡恍┲V語,可以為文章增輝添彩。一些同學(xué)在平時的學(xué)習(xí)中積累了一些諺語,但在寫作時不知道該如何將它們恰當(dāng)?shù)匾玫轿恼轮腥�,本文擬根據(jù)近年來《紐約時報》引用諺語的情況,總結(jié)出英語中常見的引用諺語的地道表達(dá)法,供同學(xué)們寫作時模仿使用。
諺語在英語中叫proverb,引用時經(jīng)常會在其前面酌情加上old, Chinese, English, Russian之類的形容詞;動詞一般用go, say, state, has it, put it等,在這些動詞后面用逗號或冒號皆可。諺語可加雙引號(這時諺語的第一個字母要大寫),也可不加雙引號(這時第一個字母一般不大寫)。引用諺語的表達(dá)方式常見的有如下十種:
1) A proverb goes / says, ——
2) As a / the proverb goes / says, ——
A Yiddish proverb goes, “Better to lose with a wise man than win with a fool.”
有一句依地語諺語說得好,“寧輸智者,不贏傻子。”(August 14, 2000)
A proverb says, “Medicine cures the man who is fated not to die.
有一句諺語說,“命不該死有藥救。”(July 16, 2009)
As a Chinese proverb goes, “Don‘t climb a tree to look for fish.”
正如中國的一句諺語所說,“不要緣木求魚。”(April 24, 2000)
As the old Chinese proverb says, “If you do not enter a tiger‘s den, you cannot get her cubs.”
正如中國的一句諺語所說,“不入虎穴,焉得虎子。”(November 15, 1993)
3) As a / the proverb has it / puts it,
4) A proverb has it that ——
As a Spanish proverb has it, “Flies don‘t enter a closed mouth.”
正如一句西班牙諺語所說,“禍從口入。”(July 26, 1992)
As a Navajo proverb puts it, “What comes around goes around.”
正如納瓦霍族的一句諺語所說,“一報還一報。”(May 28, 1987)
As a local proverb here in Chad puts it: A woman who is pregnant has one foot in the grave.
正如乍得當(dāng)?shù)氐囊痪渲V語所說:女人懷寶寶,鬼門關(guān)上走一遭。(March 20, 2004)
An old proverb has it that “if the thorn doesn‘t scratch when it first emerge, it will never scratch.”
有一句古老的諺語說,“如果荊棘剛長出時不扎手,那么它就永遠(yuǎn)不扎手。”(March 26, 2006)
5) There is a proverb: ——
6) There is a / the proverb that goes / states, ——
There‘s an African proverb: “Educate a boy, and educate an individual. Educate a girl, and you educate a community.”
有一句非洲的諺語說:“教育好一個男孩,僅教育好一人。教育好一個女孩,則教育好一群人。”(August 19, 2009)
There‘s a Russian proverb that goes: you must support the most talented people because untalented people will support themselves.
有一句俄羅斯諺語說,你須擁戴賢人,庸者僅會自顧。(December 31, 1995)
There is an old Jewish proverb that states: “A Shekel is always better in my pocket than in yours. ”
有一句古老的猶太諺語說:“金幣在我口袋里總比在你口袋里強。”(August 10, 2009)
7) ——, a / the proverb goes, ——
8) ——, goes a / the proverb, ——
“A river is deep,” an old African proverb goes, “because of its source.”
有一句古老的非洲諺語說,河有源泉水才深。(September 24, 2008)
To kill a snake, goes an old African proverb, you must first crush the head.
有一句古老的非洲諺語說,打蛇先打頭。(September 22, 1985)
9) —— have a proverb that goes, ——
10) There exists a proverb. It goes, ——
The Arabs have a proverb that goes, “When the sultan‘s dog died, everyone marched in his funeral. But when the sultan himself died, no one marched at all. ”
阿拉伯人有一句諺語是這樣說的,“當(dāng)蘇丹的狗死了,人人都為之送葬。而當(dāng)蘇丹死了,卻無人為之送葬。”(November 27, 1983)
諺語作為群眾集體智慧的結(jié)晶,多具有鮮明的民族性和地域特色。由于中西文化的差異,一些在漢語中人們耳熟能詳?shù)闹V語卻未必為西方人所理解。所以在引用漢語諺語時,如果中國特色過于濃厚,則可舍其形而取其意,寫成英語中與之意思對等的西方諺語。例如,有的同學(xué)想表達(dá)這個意思:本性難移,于是寫道:As a Chinese proverb goes, a dog cannot change its habit of eating shit. 這樣寫不但失之粗鄙,還會讓愛犬的西方人大惑不解。所以,這個意思宜寫成A leopard cannot change its spots. 或者A fox may grow gray, but never good.
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