眾所周知,諺語(yǔ)乃是一種語(yǔ)言的精華,寓意深刻,表達(dá)雋永。在考研寫(xiě)作中如能適當(dāng)?shù)匾靡恍┲V語(yǔ),可以為文章增輝添彩。一些同學(xué)在平時(shí)的學(xué)習(xí)中積累了一些諺語(yǔ),但在寫(xiě)作時(shí)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(lái)《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》引用諺語(yǔ)的情況,總結(jié)出英語(yǔ)中常見(jiàn)的引用諺語(yǔ)的地道表達(dá)法,供同學(xué)們寫(xiě)作時(shí)模仿使用。
諺語(yǔ)在英語(yǔ)中叫proverb,引用時(shí)經(jīng)常會(huì)在其前面酌情加上old, Chinese, English, Russian之類的形容詞;動(dòng)詞一般用go, say, state, has it, put it等,在這些動(dòng)詞后面用逗號(hào)或冒號(hào)皆可。諺語(yǔ)可加雙引號(hào)(這時(shí)諺語(yǔ)的第一個(gè)字母要大寫(xiě)),也可不加雙引號(hào)(這時(shí)第一個(gè)字母一般不大寫(xiě))。引用諺語(yǔ)的表達(dá)方式常見(jiàn)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(yǔ)諺語(yǔ)說(shuō)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(yǔ)說(shuō),“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(guó)的一句諺語(yǔ)所說(shuō),“不要緣木求魚(yú)!(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(guó)的一句諺語(yǔ)所說(shuō),“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(yǔ)所說(shuō),“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(yǔ)所說(shuō),“一報(bào)還一報(bào)。”(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(yǔ)所說(shuō):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(yǔ)說(shuō),“如果荊棘剛長(zhǎng)出時(shí)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(yǔ)說(shuō):“教育好一個(gè)男孩,僅教育好一人。教育好一個(gè)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(yǔ)說(shuō),你須擁戴賢人,庸者僅會(huì)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(yǔ)說(shuō):“金幣在我口袋里總比在你口袋里強(qiáng)!(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(yǔ)說(shuō),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(yǔ)說(shuō),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(yǔ)是這樣說(shuō)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(wú)人為之送葬。”(November 27, 1983)
諺語(yǔ)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(yǔ)中人們耳熟能詳?shù)闹V語(yǔ)卻未必為西方人所理解。所以在引用漢語(yǔ)諺語(yǔ)時(shí),如果中國(guó)特色過(guò)于濃厚,則可舍其形而取其意,寫(xiě)成英語(yǔ)中與之意思對(duì)等的西方諺語(yǔ)。例如,有的同學(xué)想表達(dá)這個(gè)意思:本性難移,于是寫(xiě)道:As a Chinese proverb goes, a dog cannot change its habit of eating shit. 這樣寫(xiě)不但失之粗鄙,還會(huì)讓愛(ài)犬的西方人大惑不解。所以,這個(gè)意思宜寫(xiě)成A leopard cannot change its spots. 或者A fox may grow gray, but never good.