Similar Chinese and English Idioms  汉英对应成语
 
 
Yang Li:   Welcome to Qanda, I'm Yang Li.
 
Finn:  And I'm Finn.
 
Yang Li:   今天我们有一个问题呢，虽然没有署名，但是很有意思。 这个听友想知道‘一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井绳’ 这在英语里有没有对应的说法呢？Well is there, Finn?
 
Finn:  Actually Li there is, but doesn't involve snakes. But it does involve biting. Do you know it, Li?
 
Yang Li:   Once bitten twice shy?
 
Finn:  That's right.
 
Yang Li:  Anyway, I think we've answered this week's question. But it seems a little early to finish the programme!
 
Finn:  I think it does! So I've prepared some idioms in English which have very similar Chinese equivalents.
 
Li:  Oh, that's very good. Finn 现在准备了几个英语成语。这些成语都有汉语对应的翻译。所以现在要考考大家了，请大家准备好。Finn 说完了英语后，看看你能不能马上说出汉语。行吗？Finn? Let's begin, number one！
 
Finn:  Ok let's do number one. In English it is: can't see the wood for the trees. 
 
Yang Li:   Can't see the wood for the trees... 见树不见林！
 
Finn:  That's right.
 
Yang Li:   Did you get it right? Good.
 
Finn:  It's quite similar isn't it?
    
Yang Li:   Yeah, it is. So 'wood' is the whole, and 'trees' are the individual plants. So 见树不见林 – 整体和具体。
  2
Finn:  That's right the whole picture and the detail. Next one, number two, in English is: strike while the iron is hot. 
 
Yang Li:   Iron… hot…
 
Finn:  Shall we give them a clue?
 
Yang Li:   Yes.
 
Finn:  Iron.
 
Yang Li:   趁热…
 
Finn:    打铁！
 
Yang Li:  Ok, 趁热打铁！
 
Finn:    Very good.
 
Yang Li:  Quite similar, isn't it?
 
Finn:  Again very similar, yes. We've got the concept of iron, 铁。We must strike it while it's hot; when you can still move, when you can still shape the iron. Otherwise it becomes too hard and you lose the opportunity.
 
Yang Li:  Isn't it amazing that Chinese and English share so much, and so precisely?
 
Finn:  I think it's great. Let's try number three shall we and see if it's equally similar: seeing is believing.
 
Yang Li:  As we always say, hearing something a hundred times, is not as good as seeing it with your own eyes.
 
Finn:  Hearing one hundred times, 百闻…
 
Yang Li:  不如一见！
 
Finn:  Very good.
 
Yang Li:  见到才是真的呢。百闻不如一见。
 
Finn:  Yes, seeing is believing.
 
Yang Li:  Again this is quite is quite precise.
 
Finn:  I think again it's very similar isn't it. Let's do one which is a little bit more different. In English it involves a duck. But in Chinese it's a different animal. Now in English it's: like a duck to water.
 
Yang Li:  A duck to water.
 
Finn:  Like a duck to water.
 
Yang Li:  Hmmm, actually Finn, when you talk about water and water animals, I think Chinese would think about fish… 
  3
Finn:  So which idiom has…
 
Yang Li:  如鱼得水。
 
Finn:  That's right. 
 
Yang Li:  如鱼得水。Interesting.
 
Finn:  如鱼得水。So it describes, in English, when somebody or something enters a situation where they are very comfortable. It's like a duck swimming on the water. It feels very comfortable. 
 
Yang Li:  But not in water – duck to water.
 
Finn:  That's an important point. In English we say 'like a duck to water'. 
 
Yang Li:  Very good. 如鱼得水。What is your final one, Finn?
 
Finn:  One last one. This one is a bit more violent, and instead of a duck, we're talking about birds this time. And the idiom is: to kill two birds with one stone. 
 
Yang Li:  一箭双雕。Did you get it? I'm sure you got it. Well this reminds me of our website, doesn't it Finn?
 
Finn:  Yes, why does it remind you of our website, Li?
 
Yang Li:  Well, because what we have here is not only British life and culture and entertainment, but also the language. So if you get on our website you will get both. 
 
Finn:  That's right, you can kill two birds with one stone.
 
Yang Li:  一箭双雕。
 
Finn:  Bird number one is British life and culture, and bird number two is the English language. So why not kill two birds with one stone and 登录:
 
Yang Li:  www.bbcukchina.com 
 
Finn:  Or you can email us at chinaelt@bbc.co.uk. We hope to hear from you soon, please send us any more idioms that you can think of.
 
Yang Li:  谢谢大家，我们下次再会！  
 
Finn:  Thank you. 谢谢收听。
 
Yang Li:  Bye!