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日常口语: “不要自讨苦吃”英文怎么说 20081127

字体: 小 中 大 | 打印 发表于: 2008-11-27 09:53    作者: 我爱英语    来源: 恒星英语论坛

“不要自讨苦吃”在英文中有一个很特别的俚语表示这个意思，就是let sleeping dogs lie。这是个非常非常古老的习惯用语，至少有六百年的历史了。实际上十四世纪的英国伟大诗人乔叟就曾经引用过这句话，可见这个习惯用语影响深远。如果你去惊动邻居睡着的看家狗话，那你简直就是自讨苦吃，自愿被狗咬。这个习惯用语很形象生动吧。

我们来看个例子，说的是办公室里的纠纷，有人和一个叫Peter的同事不和，因而打算去老板那儿告状，但是他另一位同事却在劝他：

Better let sleeping dogs lie. The boss likes Peter so much, and you are just like fish in a big pond. Be smart and stay quiet until your chance comes. 你最好别自讨苦吃。老板很喜欢Peter，而你只是没没无闻的小人物。还是放聪明点儿，别吭声，等待时机。

从这儿可以看出let sleeping dogs lie就是劝人“别招惹别人”，以免自找麻烦。

下面这个例子是有一个选民和朋友谈论名叫Green的候选人。他希望Green能就堕胎问题发表看法，于是他的朋友向他解释Green保持沉默的原因：

Green is trying to let sleeping dogs lie. Both sides feel so strongly about this issue that if he stands on either side, he is sure to make a lot of enemies. Green 是在努力避免招惹是非，由于双方在这个问题上都固执己见，所以不论他站在哪一边，都必然给自己树立很多敌人。


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最新回复

  • shirleybaby (2008-11-27 09:56:14)

    let sleeping dogs lie

  • candyzy (2008-11-27 10:00:13)

    let sleeping dogs lie!
    i get it ,thank you ！

  • dingrui (2008-11-27 10:01:05)

    let me alone

  • 青浅浅 (2008-11-27 10:04:21)

    let sleeping dogs lie

  • xufan230 (2008-11-27 10:58:28)

    Thanks

  • yumentoudu (2008-11-27 11:02:02)

    Let sleeping dogs lie

  • EDI (2008-11-27 16:55:43)

    i see ,tks !
    let sleeping dogs lie.

  • sunnyhou (2008-11-27 17:08:43)

    let sleeping dogs lie
    i get it ,thanks

  • can-d-y (2008-11-27 17:32:09)

    i see. thank you. i'll get it.

  • seaf (2008-11-27 21:26:51)

    yes got it

  • christina (2008-11-27 21:54:46)

    let sleeping dogs lie.

  • strawhat (2008-11-28 09:54:31)

    thanks

  • diylsz (2008-11-28 09:57:23)

    let sleeping dogs lie

  • 洁恋儿 (2008-11-29 15:51:32)

    let sleeping dogs lie 别惊动睡着的狗（别无事生非，过去的事不要再提） let the cat out of the bag 放出袋中猫（泄密，说漏嘴）

  • Betty-2008 (2008-11-29 16:31:18)

    The grade 4 English examination was coming. A classmate of mine was afriad that she could not pass it because she had failed for three times.So she rented a pair of invisible headphones in order to pass the exam smoothly.On the evening of  the day before the next  examing day,she put the invisible headphones on to check them.But when she wanted to get them out after she finished checking them,she found that the headphone could not be got out. she tried her best to get them out  ,which made the situation even worse.At last she could do nothing but go to doctor's.
    I think she will well understand the meaning of the phrase "  let sleeping dog lie".
    I understand this too.
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