M君分享丨做一个有文采的翻译人--成语翻译学起来！
大家好，我是M君，一个集经验与才华于一身的小编。
中华文化源远流长，博大精深，在几千年的流传中，中华文化形成了独有的成语文化。这些成语时常在交流和交际中被用到，从而使得讲话者表达更加丰富得体。然而成语的翻译确实给译者出了一道难题，如何正确表达出成语在中文里的准确意思，又能使外国友人理解其中的寓意，这成了口笔译中的难点之一。今天M君为大家带来了常见成语的翻译及方法，一起增加自己的知识储备吧！
Day Day Up
名山大川 famous mountains and great rivers
名胜古迹 scenic spots and historical sites
湖光山色 landscape of lakes and hills
青山绿水 green hills and clear waters
奇松怪石 strangely-shaped pines and grotesque rock formations
扬长避短 play up strengths and avoid weaknesses
集思广益 draw on collective wisdom and absorb all useful ideas
国泰民安 the country flourish and the people live in peace and harmony
政通人和 the government functions well and people cooperate well
国计民生 national welfare and the people's livelihood
辞旧迎新 bid farewell to the old year and usher in the new
徇私舞弊 bend the law for personal gain and engage in fraud
流连忘返 linger on with no thought of leaving for home
开拓进取 blaze new trails and forge ahead
求同存异 seek common ground while shelving differences
层峦叠嶂 peaks rising one after another
优胜劣汰 survival of the fittest
延年益寿 prolong one’s life
灵丹妙药 panacea/miraculous cure
长治久安 a long period of stability
求真务实 pragmatic
审时度势 size up the trend of events
路遥知马力，日久见人心 time will tell
车到山前必有路，船到桥头自然直 in the end things mend/there's always a way out
急功近利 eager for instant success and quick profits
德高望重 of high ability and integrity
结党营私 form cliques for private gain
扭亏为盈 turn a loss-making enterprise into a profitable one
寓教于乐 teach through lively activities
因材施教 teach students according to their aptitude
按劳分配 distribution according to performance
以商养文 support/sponsor cultural activities with the profits from doing business
廉洁奉公 honestly perform one's official duties
以强凌弱 the strong domineering over the weak
以人为本 people foremost; people-oriented
优势互补 complement each other's advantages
不进则退 no progress simply means regression
瞻前顾后 over cautions and indecisive
源远流长 have a long history
呕心沥血 spare no efforts
画龙点睛 bring out the crucial point
花天酒地 go on the loose
汗马功劳 exploits
闻名遐迩 famous
独具匠心 original
中流砥柱 mainstay, chief cornerstone
鱼米之乡 a land of milk and honey
世外桃源 a haven of peace
爱屋及乌 love me, love my dog
比上不足比下有余 worse off than some, better off than many; to fall short of the best, but be better than the worst
笨鸟先飞 a slow sparrow should make an early start
不眠之夜 white night
不以物喜不以己悲 not pleased by external gains, not saddened by personnal losses
不遗余力 spare no effort; go all out; do one's best
不打不成交 no discord, no concord
拆东墙补西墙 rob Peter to pay Paul
大事化小小事化了 try first to make their mistake sound less serious and then to reduce it to nothing at all
大开眼界 open one's eyes; broaden one's horizon; be an eye-opener
国泰民安 the country flourishes and people live in peace
过犹不及 going too far is as bad as not going far enough; beyond is as wrong as falling short; too much is as bad as too little
功夫不负有心人 everything comes to him who waits
好了伤疤忘了疼 once on shore, one prays no more
好事不出门恶事传千里 good news never goes beyond the gate, while bad news spread far and wide
和气生财 harmony brings wealth
活到老学到老 one is never too old to learn
既往不咎 let bygones be bygones
金无足赤人无完人 gold can't be pure and man can't be perfect
金玉满堂 treasures fill the home
脚踏实地 be down-to-earth
脚踩两只船 sit on the fence
君子之交淡如水 the friendship between gentlemen is as pure as crystal; a hedge between keeps friendship green
礼尚往来 courtesy calls for reciprocity
留得青山在不怕没柴烧 where there is life, there is hope
马到成功 achieve immediate victory; win instant success
名利双收 gain in both fame and wealth
茅塞顿开 be suddenly enlightened
没有规矩不成方圆 nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards
弄巧成拙 be too smart by half; cunning outwits itself
拿手好戏 masterpiece
赔了夫人又折兵 throw good money after bad
抛砖引玉 a modest spur to induce others to come forward with valuable contributions; throw a sprat to catch a whale
破釜沉舟cut off all means of retreat; burn one's own way of retreat and be determined to fight to the end
抢得先机 take the preemptive opportunities
巧妇难为无米之炊 if you have no hand you can't make a fist; one can't make bricks without straw
千里之行始于足下 a thousand-li journey begins with the first step; the highest eminence is to be gained step by step
前事不忘后事之师 past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future
前人栽树后人乘凉 one generation plants the trees in whose shade another generation rests; one sows and another reaps
前怕狼后怕虎 fear the wolf in front and the tiger behind hesitate in doing something
强龙难压地头蛇 even a dragon (from the outside) finds it hard to control a snake in its old haunt; powerful outsiders can hardly afford to neglect local bullies
强强联手 win-win co-operation
瑞雪兆丰年 a timely snow promises a good harvest
人之初，性本善 man's nature at birth is good
人逢喜事精神爽 joy puts heart into a man
人海战术 huge-crowd strategy
世上无难事，只要肯攀登 where there is a will, there is a way
世外桃源 a fictitious land of peace away from the turmoil of the world
死而后已 until my heart stops beating
岁岁平安 peace all year round
塞翁失马焉知非福 misfortune may be an actual blessing
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
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
歪风邪气 unhealthy practices and evil phenomena
物以类聚，人以群分 birds of a feather flock together
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
唯利是图 draw water to one's mill
无源之水,无本之木 water without a source, and a tree without roots
无中生有 make/create something out of nothing
无风不起浪 there are no waves without wind; there's no smoke without fire
徇私枉法 bend the law for the benefit of relatives or friends
新官上任三把火 a new broom sweeps clean
虚心使人进步，骄傲使人落后 modesty helps one go forward, whereas conceit makes one lag behind
蓄势而发 accumulate strength for a take-off
心想事成 may all your wish come true
心照不宣 have a tacit understanding; give tacit consent; tacit understanding
先入为主 first impressions are firmly entrenched
先下手为强 catch the ball before the bound
像热锅上的蚂蚁 like an ant on a hot pan
现身说法 warn people by taking oneself as an example
息事宁人 pour oil on troubled waters
喜忧参半 mingled hope and fear
循序渐进 step by step
严以律己，宽以待人 be strict with oneself and lenient towards others
有钱能使鬼推磨 money makes the mare go; money talks
有识之士 people of vision
有勇无谋 use brawn rather than brain
有缘千里来相会 separated as we are thousands of miles apart, we come together as if by predestination
与时俱进 advance with time
欲穷千里目，更上一层楼 to ascend another storey to see a thousand miles further
欲速则不达 haste does not bring success.
优胜劣汰 survival of the fittest
英雄所见略同 great minds think alike
冤家宜解不宜结 better make friends than make enemies
冤假错案 cases in which people were unjustly, falsely or wrongly charged or sentenced; unjust, false or wrong cases
一言既出，驷马难追 a real man never goes back on his words
招财进宝 money and treasures will be plentiful
债台高筑 become debt-ridden
众矢之的 target of public criticism
知己知彼，百战不殆 know the enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat
纸上谈兵 be an armchair strategist
纸包不住火 truth will come to light sooner or later
左右为难 between the devil and the deep blue sea
成语翻译技巧
以上M君分享的成语翻译当然无法穷尽所有的成语，记忆以上的成语翻译也有一定的难度，那么，在翻译实践中，我们遇到成语需要的翻译的时候，该怎么处理会比较好呢？
一、字面翻译
1）汉语成语没有比喻意义，字面意思也就是实际意义。
例1：
劳苦功高 to have spent toilsome labour and won distinctive merits
攻其不备 to strike sb. when he is unprepared
牢不可破 to be strongly built as to be indestructible
2）汉语成语的字面翻译能够为译文读者所接受，其比喻效果和原文一样形象生动，译文能使读者很快联想到英文中的对等成语，可以使字面翻译。
例2：
黛玉道：“跌了灯值钱呢，还是跌了人值钱？你又穿不惯木屐子。那灯笼叫他们前头点着；这个又轻巧又亮，原是雨里自己拿着的。你自己手里拿着这个，岂不好？明儿在送来——就失了手也有限的，怎么忽然又变出这‘剖腹藏珠’的脾气来！”
Which is more valuable, lamp or man? You're not used to wearing pattens, so get them to carry the horn lantern in front and take this one yourself, since it's handy and bright and meant to be used in the rain. Wouldn't that be better? You can send it back later. And even if your drop it, it won't matter. What's come over you suddenly that you want to 'cut open your stomach to hide a pearl'? (translated by Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang)
解析：“剖腹藏珠”意思为为了一点小利益而牺牲大利益，译文直接按照字面意思翻译为“cut open your stomach to hide a pearl”，比喻十分形象生动。译文读者理解字面意思，能够获得英语对等成语“penny wise and pound foolish”同样的效果。
例3：
竭泽而渔 to drain a pond to catch all the fish(相当于kill the goose that lays the golden eggs)
打草惊蛇 to stir up the grass and alert the snake(相当于wake a sleeping dog)
守口如瓶 to keep one's mouth closed like a bottle(相当于keep a still tongue in one's head）
解析：但是这种方法并不适用于一切成语翻译。比如“狗血淋头”，在汉语里通常形容骂人骂得凶，绝对没有“淋狗血”的意思。翻译成“pour dog's blood on sb.”，懂英语的中国人可能心领神会，但外国人却大为不解。成语是一个民族文化的精华，越是民族的越具有特色，中西成语和谚语中也只有少部分吻合。
二、灵活翻译
1）比喻形象不能被译文读者所接受，意译为佳。
例4：
沉鱼落雁
直译：something makes the fish dive down and geese fall.
意译：dazzling beauty/striking beauty
解析：“沉鱼落雁”是极富东方特色的一种表述，中国读者当然十分清楚这里的“something”是指什么，但是国外读者恐怕难以知晓，甚至觉得可能是“雷电”或“飓风”等自然灾害让动物死亡。既然“沉鱼落雁”的字面意义误导英语读者，便大可采用意译的方式。
例5：
灯红酒绿
直译：with red lights and green wine
意译：dissipated and luxurious
开门见山
直译：to open the door and see the mountain
意译：to come straight to the point
解析：以上两个例子，直译都会造成误解，采用意译为佳。在与其他文化接触时，人们很难摆脱自身的文化传统和思维方式，往往按照自己习惯的思维模式来解读，这就产生了难以避免的文化误解。这就需要在翻译中注意换位思考。
2）字面上含有中国古代人名、地名，或出自寓言或历史典故的成语，最好绕开其文化背景，翻译其内涵意义。若加上解释性文字，则失去了成语短小精炼的特点。
例6：
毛遂自荐 to volunteer one's service
东施效颦 crude imitation with ludicrous effect
悬梁刺股 to be extremely hard-working in one's study
四面楚歌 to be besieged on all sides
解析：“毛遂自荐”指的是赵国平原君的门客毛遂自动请缨的故事，如果翻译时将毛遂的人名加上，不免让英文读者一头雾水。而这成语本身就是一个典故，若是后缀英文解释又显得过于累赘。
3）汉语成语和英语成语在意义上对等，可用英语成语翻译，使译文读者便于理解和更觉亲切。
例7：
赴汤蹈火 go through fire and water
小题大做 make a mountain out of a molehill
洗心革面 turn over a new leaf
汉语成语的翻译相当复杂，既要保持原文特色，又要尊重本国国情民俗，特别是传统观念；既要引入异国元素，又要考虑译文读者的反应和感受。而且汉语成语变化多端，同一成语因其上下文语境不同，意思也大为不同。
因此，在翻译汉语成语时，译者在透彻理解原文的基础上，要善于随机应变，巧做处理。
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