字典学习5

●An fool and his money are soon parted.
笨蛋难聚财。聪明人就一定能聚财吗？笨、聪明，又怎么区分呢？聪明也会反被聪明误。阿甘呢？

●A friend in need is a friend indeed.
这句话我们都会，刚刚学英语就学了吧，不知道现在的英语教材是不是还有，好亲切。就像“how are you? fine, thank you.”一样顺口。来了美国才发现，原来回答how are you可以那么随意，fine, good都可以的，还可以说not bad, great, excellent，据说你爱怎么说都可以。我还问一个美国朋友，说不是只能fine不能说good的么，他笑了，说这是一个自由的国家，你爱怎么回答都可以……

●God helps those who help themselves.
天助自助者，天道酬勤。我发现，很多谚语箴言什么的中英都是相像的，当然，好像是废话，呵呵~~

●The grass is always greener on the other side.
我们总是不满足自己所拥有的，总是认为别人的生活好像更好。这一谚语的含义可上溯到古罗马时期。古罗马诗人奥维德(Ovid，公元前43年－公元17年)就写下了这样的诗句：Fertilior seges est alenis semper in agris.(The harvest is always more fruitful in another man's fields.别人地里的庄稼总比自家的多产。)

在美国，这一谚语首见于缅因州的《班戈日报》(Bangor Daily News,1959)及《纽约时报》(New York Times,1959)。这一谚语变化形式较多，常见的有：
The grass is always greener over the next hill.
The grass always looks greener on the other side of the hill.
The grass is always greener on the other man's lawn.
The grass always looks greener on the other side of the pastures.
The grass is always greener across the street.

e.g. The grass is always greener when you take care of it. －Forbes,1984
细心照料的草地总是要更绿一些。——《福布斯》杂志(1984年)

●Great oaks from little acorns grow.
这是“Great oaks grow from little acorns ”的倒装句。他是橡树，在英语中，橡树是力量的象征 acorn 是橡子，再大的橡树也是从小小的种子开始发芽、成长的，任何事物的发展都有个由少到多、由小到大逐渐积累的过程。
e. g .We have just heard a marvelous performance. She is sure to become a great pianist. Great oaks from little acorns grow, as the saying goes.
Half a loaf is better than none.再有：Many a little makes a mickle.mickle 一词现今只存在于苏格兰语中，意思是：a good quantity or amount 。这一句与上一句有相通之处，都有“ 积少成多” 的意味。综观二者，不禁令人想起苟子《劝学》中传诵千古的名句：“不积跬步，无以至千里；不积小流，无以成江海。联骥一跃，不能十步，驾马十驾，功在不舍。”细细品味，实有异曲同工之妙。

●Haste makes waste.
欲速则不达
The proverb "Haste makes waste" means that one may delay the time to complete one thing if he rushes to do it, because he may neglect something important in the process and has to do it again from the beginning. So one should do every step well.

●He who hesitates is lost.
踌躇不决者必然失败。举棋不定，坐失良机。
关键时刻要果断。相反的，"Look before you leap"(三思而后行)。呵呵，人生总是充满辨证。

●Hitch your wagon to a star.
要怀有雄心壮志；把你的车拴在一颗星上。Hitch, to fasten something,在这里解释为被钩住；被栓住；被套住。Hitch…to…就是把…系上，栓上。这个词还有多种解释：
　　(1)a problem that delays something for a short time.故障；障碍。比如说：讨论顺利地结束了。我们可以这样表达：The discussion passed off without a hitch.
　　(2)informal to ask for a free ride from the drivers of passing cars by putting your had out with your thumb raised.求得免费搭车。免费搭车者我们就说：hitchhiker.
Wagon, a strong vehicle with four wheels, used for carrying heavy loads and usually pulled by horse; a large open container pulled by a train, used for carrying goods. (in BrE),是指四轮马车；在英式英语中指(铁路)货车。
　　虽然这句话含有人要志向远大的意思，但是也有可能是贬义，即：好高骛远。

●If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
Never give up!在没有成功的时候不要气馁，继续努力。小孩们把这格言改成If at first you don't succeed, cry, cry again。呵呵，恶搞~~

●If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.
愿望不等于事实呀。
There is a famous saying in English that comes from an old British proverb. It says, “If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.”
Beggars are very poor people who have to ask other people for money and food, so having horses would be very good for them. This saying uses this as an example of how easy life would be for people if wishing for something could make it happen. It lets people know that it is not always enough to just wish for something, because wishing really cannot make anything happen. It is telling us that if wishes always came true, then everybody, including beggars, could have anything they wanted.
We know that it is impossible for everybody to always have what they want, so we also know that it does no good to waste time for wishing for things to happen. The better thing to do is go out and get things done yourself.