英語中有關動物的諺語

英語中有關動物的諺語

諺語是人類智慧的結晶，是富於色彩的語言形式,它同文學作品、詩歌一樣是語言的精華,一般具有生動形象、喻義明顯、富於哲理的語言特徵。在一定程度上，英語諺語反映了英語民族的文化特點。英語諺語源遠流長，它既有民間流傳的諺語，又有來自《聖經》的、來自莎士比亞作品的和來自《伊索寓言》的，還有很多外來諺語。英語諺語中有許多有關動物的諺語，本人收集了以下幾條：

1. Bird

(1) Kill two birds with one stone. 一箭雙雕；一舉兩得。

(2) A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. 雙鳥在林不如一鳥在手。

(3) Birds of a feather flock together. 物以類聚，人以群分。

(4) It’s an ill bird that fouls own nest. 家醜不可外揚。

(5) Fine feathers make fine birds. 人要衣裝，馬要鞍。

(6) A bird is known by its note, and a man by his talk. 聽音識鳥，聞言識人。

(7) Each bird loves to hear himself sing. 鳥兒都愛聽自己唱。（自我欣賞）

(8) You cannot catch old birds with chaff. (粗糠). 用粗糠捉不住老鳥。（有經驗的人難騙。）

(9) Birds in their little nests agree. 同巢之鳥心兒齊。

2. Cat

(1) A cat has nine lives.貓有九條命；吉人天相。

(2) Cats hide their claws. 知人知面不知心。

(3) All cats are grey in the dark. 黑暗之中貓都是灰色的。（人未出名時看起來都差不多。）

(4) A gloved cat catches no mice. 戴手套的貓，老鼠抓不到。（不願吃苦的人成不了大事業。）

(5) When the weasel and the cat make a marriage, it is a very ill presage. 黃鼠狼和貓結親，不是好事情。

(6) Who will bell the cat? 誰去給貓掛鈴？（誰願意為大家冒風險？）

(7) The cat shuts its eyes when stealing cream. 貓偷吃奶油的時候總是閉著眼睛。（掩耳盜鈴）

(8) There are more ways of killing a cat than by choking it with butter. 殺貓的辦法很多。（達到目的的途徑很多。）

(9) Care kill a cat. 憂慮愁死貓。

3. Chicken

(1) Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched. 雞蛋未孵出，先別數小雞。（不要過早樂觀。）

4. Crow

(1) A crow is never the whiter for washing herself often. 江山易改，本性難移。

5. Dog

(1) He who would hang his dog gives out first that it is mad. 欲加之罪，何患無詞.

(2) A staff is quickly found to beat a dog with. 欲加之罪，何患無詞.

(3) Love me, love my dog. 愛屋及烏.

(4) Too much pudding will choke a dog. 布丁太多噎死狗。

(5) Every dog has his day. 人人皆有得意時。

(6) Barking dogs don’t (seldom) bite. 愛叫的狗很少咬人。

(7) Let sleeping dogs lie. 勿惹事生非。

(8) Dead dogs bite not. 死狗不咬人。

(9) All are not thieves that dogs bark at. 狗見了叫的不一定都是賊。（不要以貌取人。）

(10) Every dog is a lion at home. 狗在家門口就成了獅子。

(11) Don’t be a dog (lying) in the manger. 莫學狗占馬槽不吃草。（不要占著茅坑不拉屎。）

(12) Dog does not eat dog. 同類不相殘。

(13) Scornful dogs will eat dirty puddings. 狗再傲慢也會吃髒布丁。

(14) A son never thinks his mother ugly, and a dog never shuns its owner’s home however shabby it is.兒不嫌母醜，狗不嫌家貧。

6. Frog

(1) The frog in the well knows nothing of the great ocean. 井底之蛙，不知大海。

7. Fox

(1) The fox may grow grey, but never good. 狐狸毛色可變灰，但是本性難移。

(2) The fox preys farthest from his hole. 狐狸捕食，遠離洞府。（兔子不吃窩邊草。）

(3) When the fox preaches, then take care of your geese. 每當狐狸說教，當心鵝群被盜。

(4) When the fox says he is a vegetarian, it’s time for the hen to look out. 狐狸說它吃素的時候，母雞就得注意。

8. Fish

(1) The best fish swim near the bottom. 好魚常在水底遊。

(2) Never offer to teach fish to swim. 不要班門弄斧。

(3) Go to the sea, if you would fish well. 不入虎穴，焉得虎子。

(4) There’s as good fish in the sea as ever came out of it. 海裡的好魚多的是。

(5) It is a silly fish that is caught twice with the same bait. 智者不上兩次當。

(6) If water is noisy, there are no fish in it. 咆哮的水中無魚。（誇誇其談者無真才實學。）

9. Hare

(1) You cannot run with the hare and hunt with the hounds(獵狗). 不能既和野兔一起跑又和獵狗一起追。（人不應兩面討好。）

(2) The tortoise wins the race while the hare is sleeping. 兔子睡懶覺，烏龜跑贏了。

10. Horse

(1) You can take a horse to the water, but you can’t make him drink. 帶馬到河邊容易，逼馬飲水難。

(2) Don’t ride the high horse. 勿擺架子。

(3) A good horse cannot be of a bad colour. 好馬不會毛色差。

(4) A horse may stumble on four feet. 馬有四條腿，亦有失蹄時。

(5) A running horse needs no spur. 奔馬無需鞭策。

(6) Don’t put the cart before the horse. 不要將大車套在馬前面。（處理問題應按先後次序，不要本末倒置。）

(7) The common horse is worst shod. 公用之馬，掌子最差。

(8) Lock the barn door after the horse is stolen. 失馬之後鎖馬廄。（亡羊補牢）

(9) Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. 饋贈之馬，勿看牙口。

(10) Hair by hair you will pull out the horse’s tail. 一根一根拔，拔光馬尾巴。（水滴石穿）

11 . Mouse

(1) It is a poor mouse that has only one hole. 狡兔三窟。

(2) The mouse that has but one hole is quickly taken. 只有一個洞的老鼠，很快就被抓住。

(3) A speck of mouse dung will spoil a whole pot of porridge. 一粒老鼠屎，壞了一鍋粥。

12. Sheep

(1) If one sheep leaps over the ditch, all the rest will follow. 榜樣的力量是無窮的。

(2) A lazy sheep thinks its wool heavy. 懶羊嫌毛重。

(3) He that makes himself a sheep shall be eaten by the wolf. 甘心做綿羊，必然喂豺狼。

13. Swallow

(1) One swallow does not make a spring. 孤燕不報春。

(2) One swallow does not make a summer. 一燕不成夏。

14. Tiger

(1) If you don’t enter a tiger’s den, you can’t get his cubs. 不入虎穴，焉得虎子。

15. Wolf

(1) Don’t trust a goat with the kitchen-garden, or a wolf with sheepfold. 不能請羊管菜園，不能請狼管羊圈。

(2) Who keeps company with wolves, will learn to howl. 和狼在一起，就會學狼叫。

(3) Man is a wolf to man. 人對人是狼。（人心狠，人吃人）

(4) A growing youth has a wolf in his belly. 年輕人，在成長，吃起飯來像餓狼