看故事學英語:買櫝還珠
來源:滬江英語
2012-04-10 07:15
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【成語來源】?
get the casket and return the pearl
買櫝還珠
有個楚國人想在鄭國出售一顆珍貴的珍珠。
He made a casket for the pearl out of the wood from a magnolia tree, which he fumigated with spices. He studded the casket with pearls and jade, ornamented it with red gems and decorated it with kingfisher feathers.
他用木蘭為珍珠作了個匣子,用香料把匣子熏香,還用珠,玉,紅寶石來加以裝飾,并插上了翠鳥的羽毛。
A man of the state of Zheng bought the casket and gave him back the pearl.
一個鄭國人買走了這個匣子,卻把珍珠還給了他。
過于華麗的裝飾往往會喧賓奪主。
This man from Chu certainly knew how to sell a casket but he was no good at selling his pearl. And the man of Zheng didn't know which is really valuable.
那個楚國人知道如何賣掉匣子,卻不擅長出售珍珠(忽略了物品的重點,取舍不當)。至于買匣子的鄭國人,他根本不懂什么才是真正有價值的。
【文化鏈接】
“買櫝還珠”這個故事中那個買走了盒子卻舍棄珍珠的鄭國人其實“只注重了外表,卻忽略了實質”,而英文中表達諸如此類的“買櫝還珠”“以貌取人”意思的短語就可以用“judge a book by its cover”,直譯也就是“光憑一本書的書皮,就判斷書的內容的好壞”。
在英國達人秀中脫穎而出的草根明星“蘇珊大媽”雖然沒有華麗的外表,但是她以自己的實力一鳴驚人,所以蘇珊大媽這個例子就告訴我們:Never judge a book by its cover.(不要買櫝還珠/不要以貌取人)
- 相關熱點:
- 小學英語學習
- 小學教材全解
- 日常英語口語900句