中国习语英译法撷英（一）

小儿科：mickey mouse, a little leaguer, it is child’s play, it is kid stuff, trite, trivial, petty stuff

小意思：toke appreciation

吹牛：rap session, bull session

功名富贵：fame and gortune

牛刀割鸡：to swat a fly with a cannon

声名远扬：spread far and wide

家喻户晓：a household word

成者为王败者寇：legitimacy belongs to the victor

随机应变：to improvise, improvisation

感情用事：let one’s emotions carry one away; allows one’s personal feelings to influence (to interfere with)

啼笑皆非：caught between tears and laughter

情人眼里出西施：beauty is in the eyes of the beholder

深入研究：in-depth study

吃力不讨好的工作：a thankless job

屈膝以求：fall to one’s knees and plead; bring something to its knees; crawl on one’s hands and knees

名副其实：to live up to one’s reputation; measure up

好好利用：put something to the best use possible; put to good use; take advantage of; make use of; make the most of

想吐：sick of the sight of; cannot bear the sight of; feel nauseous; throws up

油腔滑调：an oiled tongue; evasive; subterfuge; equivocal; ambiguous; avoid being nailed down on

拉后腿：drag one’s foot

债台高筑：sink deeply into debt; accumulate a tremendous amount of debts; deep in debt; go deeper and deeper into debt; deeply in one’s debt（指感情上欠债）

酝酿：brew

精神食粮：food for thought

心太软：don’t have the heart’ cannot bear to; to soft-hearted

失去民心：alienate the sympathies of the people

顺其自然：let Nature take care of it; let Nature take its own course; let chips fall where they may

捧上天：praise someone to the skies; sing someone’s praises; lavish praise on someone; heap praise on someone; sing the praise of

气死人：burn someone up; make someone mad; be bound to hit the ceiling; blow one’s top off; be outraged

砸破饭碗：take the bread out of one’s mouth

朝秦暮楚：blow hot and cold; play fast and loose; not consistent

暗地里搞鬼：sticky fingers; hanky-panky;

蛮劲：dogged determination

冠冕堂皇：explain in noble words; in high-sounding words

视而不见听而不闻：look without seeing and listen without hearing

屈指可数：be counted on the fingers of one’s hand; be counted on one hand

对牛弹琴：talk to a stone wall; preach to deaf ears

炒冷饭：rehash

装死：play dead

装傻：play dumb

良药苦口：good medicine tastes bitter to the mouth（英语谚语）

实验品：guinea-pigs

心惊肉跳，不寒而栗：chill up one’s spine; spine-chilling; goose pimples (or goose-skin)，注意汉语用起鸡皮疙瘩表示肉麻，英语用起鹅皮疙瘩表示惊惧。

天下无不散的筵席：all good things must come to an end

天涯海角：the ends of the earth; every corner of the world