汉语成语英译(四)


三十而立 "A man should be independent at the age of thirty.

At thirty, a man should be able to think for himself."

 

升级换代 updating and upgrading (of products)

 

四十不惑 Life begins at forty.

 

谁言寸草心,报得三春晖 "Such kindness of warm sun, can't be repaid by grass. "

 

水涨船高 When the river rises, the boat floats high.

 

时不我待 Time and tide wait for no man.

 

杀鸡用牛刀 break a butterfly on the wheel

实事求是 seek truth from facts; be practical and realistic; be true to facts

 

说曹操,曹操到 Talk of the devil and he comes.

 

实话实说 speak the plain truth; call a spade a spade; tell it as it is

 

实践是检验真理的唯一标准 Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth.

 

山不在高,有仙则名 "No matter how high the mountain is, its name will spread far and wide if there is a fairy; "

 

韬光养晦 hide one's capacities and bide one's time

 

糖衣炮弹 sugar-coated bullets

 

天有不测风云 Anything unexpected may happen. a bolt from the blue

 

团结就是力量 Unity is strength.

 

“跳进黄河洗不清” "eve if one jumped into the Yellow River, one can not wash oneself clean--there's nothing one can do to clear one's name "

 

歪风邪气 unhealthy practices and evil phenomena

 

物以类聚,人以群分 Birds of a feather flock together.

 

往事如风 "The past has vanished (from memory) like wind.; What in past, is past."

 

望子成龙 hold high hopes for one's child

 

屋漏又逢连阴雨 Misfortunes never come singly. When it rains it pours.

 

文韬武略 military expertise; military strategy

 

唯利是图 draw water to one's mill