与动物有关的成语英语集锦 (2)

与动物有关的成语英语集锦

摘要：十二生肖，是中国传统文化的重要部分，由12种源于自然界的动物即鼠、牛、虎、兔、龙、蛇、马、羊、猴、鸡、狗、猪组成，用于记年，顺序排列为子鼠、丑牛、寅虎、卯兔、辰龙、巳蛇、午马、未羊、申猴、酉鸡、戌狗、亥猪，在中华文化圈内被广泛使用。有诸多描写十二生肖的文学作品，也有不少关于十二生肖的成语。2012年是龙年，当我们提到龙，我们就会想到“龙凤呈祥”、“生龙活虎”等成语，下面就介绍一些与动物有关的相关成语的英语翻译。

关键词：动物；成语；英语

一、与“龙”有关的

龙飞凤舞 lively and vigorous flourishes in calligraphy 龙盘虎踞 a forbidding strategic point

龙凤呈祥 excellent good fortune

龙蛇混杂 good and bad people mixed up

龙潭虎穴 a danger spot

龙腾虎跃 a scene of bustling activity

龙争虎斗 a fierce struggle between well-matched opponents 龙行虎步 majestic gait; imposing air

龙吟虎啸 dragons singing and tigers roaring

生龙活虎 full of vim and vigor

二、与“狗”有关的

狗胆包天 monstrous audacity

狗急跳墙 a corned beast will do something desperate

狗屁不通 unreadable rubbish

狗咬吕洞宾 to mistake a good man as a bad man

狗眼看人低 to be damned snobbish; to act as a snob

狗头军师 villainous adviser

狗皮膏药 quack medicine

狐群狗党 a pack of rogues

狗屁不如 worse than a cur or a swine

狗拿耗子 to poke one s nose into other people s business 三、与“虎”有关的

虎背熊腰 tough and stocky

虎口拔牙 dare the greatest danger

虎口余生 be snatched from the jaws of death

虎里虎气 (of a young man ) strong and vigorous

虎视眈眈 eye covetously or menacingly

虎头虎脑 (of a boy) looking strong and good-natured

虎头蛇尾 a fine start and a poor finish

虎尾春冰 in a precarious position

如虎添翼 with might redoubled

谈虎色变 turn pale at the mere mention of something terrifying

四、与“鸡”有关的

鸡飞蛋打 all is lost

鸡毛蒜皮 trifles; trivialities

鸡鸣狗盗 get up to mean or petty tricks

鸡鸣犬吠 country sounds

鸡皮鹤发 advanced in age

鸡犬不宁 general turmoil

鸡犬不留 ruthless mass slaughter

闻鸡起舞 diligent and self-disciplined

鼠肚鸡肠 petty; narrow-minded

偷鸡摸狗 pilfer; (of a man ) always having affairs with women

五、与“马”有关的

马不停蹄 without a stop; nonstop

马齿徒增 grow old with nothing accomplished

马到成功 win success immediately upon arrival

马革裹尸 die on the battlefield

马路新闻 street-gossip; hearsay

马马虎虎 careless; not very good

马首是瞻 follow sb.s lead

人仰马翻 badly battered; thrown into confusion

老马识途 an old horse knows the way

千军万马 a powerful army; a mighty force

六、与“牛”有关的

牛头不对马嘴 incongruous; irrelevant

牛刀小试 a master hand s first small display

牛年马月 a time that will never come

九牛二虎 tremendous effort

九牛一毛 a drop in the ocean

汗牛充栋 an immense collection of books

对牛弹琴 address the wrong audience; talk over sb s head 目无全牛 be supremely skilled

鸡口牛后 better to reign in hell than serve in heaven

如牛负重 like an ox carrying a heavy load

七、与“羊”有关的

羊质虎皮 outwardly strong, inwardly weak

羊肠小道 a narrow winding trail; a meandering footpath 羊毛出在羊身上 in the long run, whatever you re given, you pay for

挂羊头卖狗肉 try to palm off sth. inferior to what it purports to be

亡羊补牢 mend the fold after the sheep is lost

顺手牵羊 pick up sth. on the sly; walk off with sth.

歧路亡羊 go astray in a complex situation

十羊九牧 too many bosses

如狼牧羊 (of an oppressive official) ride roughshod over the people

如狼似虎 as ferocious as wolves and tigers; like cruel beasts of prey

八、与“鼠”有关的

鼠肚鸡肠 petty; narrow-minded

鼠目寸光 see only what is under one s nose; be shortsighted

鼠窃狗偷 play petty tricks on the sly

抱头鼠窜 scurry (or scamper) off like a frightened rat 洞中之鼠 bottled up; trapped

猫鼠同眠 act in collision; conspire; gang up

贼眉鼠眼 shifty-eyed; thievish-looking

过街老鼠 a person hated by people; a person of thing that provokes a hue and cry

胆小如鼠 as timid as a mouse; mouse like timidity

马捉老鼠 one is busy without useful results

九、与“兔”有关的

兔死狐悲 the fox mourns over the death of the hare—like grieves for like

兔死狗烹 the hounds are killed for food once all the hares

are bagged—trusted aides are eliminated when they have outlived their usefulness

狡兔三窟 a wily hare has three burrows—a crafty person has more than one hideout

守株待兔 stand by a stump waiting for more hares to come and dash themselves against it—trust to chance and windfalls 兔子不吃窝边草 a rabbit doesn t eat the grass near its own hole(so that it will be protected)—a villain doesn

t harm his next-door neighbors

兔子尾巴长不了 the tail of a rabbit can t be long / won t last long

十、与“猴”有关的

猴年马月 a time that will never come

猴手猴脚 be careless; not be steady

尖嘴猴腮 have a wretched appearance

杀鸡吓猴 punish someone as a warning to others

沐猴而冠 a worthless person in imposing attire

十一、与“蛇”有关的成语

蛇蝎心肠 as venomous as snakes ad scorpions

打草惊蛇 act rashly and alert the enemy

杯弓蛇影 beset with imaginary fears; extremely suspicious 画蛇添足 ruin the effect by adding sth. superfluous

笔走龙蛇 a vigorous calligraphic style

蛇无头不行 nothing can be accomplished without a leader 十二、与“猪”有关的

猪狗不如 worse than pigs or dogs

猪朋狗友 bad companions

猪羊变色 change is happening

一龙一猪 one is very capable, while the other is extremely incompetent

人怕出名猪怕壮 fame portends trouble for men just as fattening does for pigs

除了十二生肖的动物外，还有一些与其它动物相关的，例如：

十三、与“狐狸”有关的

狐假虎威 bully people by flaunting one s powerful connections

狐狸尾巴 something that gives away a person s real character or evil intentions; cloven hoof

狐群狗党 a pack of rogues; a gang of scoundrels

狐死首丘 a fox dies with its face towards its den (said of sb. longing for home or mindful of his origin)

狐狸狐搰 hesitant; indecisive

与狐谋皮 expect sb. (usu. an evil person) to act against his own interests

十四、与“狼”有关的

狼狈不堪 in an extremely awkward position; in a sorry plight

狼狈为奸 act in collusion (or cahoots) with each other 狼狈周章 terror-stricken; panic-stricken

狼奔豕突 tear about like wild beasts

狼吞虎咽 wolf down; gobble up

狼烟四起 war alarms raised everywhere

狼子野心 have a wolfish nature; be full of wild ambitions 引狼入室 open the door to an enemy

杯盘狼藉 wine cups and dishes strewn in disorder (after a feast)

声名狼藉 have a bad name; be notorious