最好的朋友也要分别; 朋友虽好,终有一别; 天下没有不散的宴席。This is on the same theme as ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END(9).The words can be found the chorus of There is a Tavern in the Town:Fare thee well,for I must leave thee,Do not let this parting grieve thee,And remember...[继续阅读]

    今天一个蛋,胜过明天一只鸡;宁可今天吃鸡蛋,不等明天才吃鸡; 多得不如现得。This means the same as A BIRD IN THE HAND IS WORTH TWO IN THE BUSH(52).这条谚语与A BIRD IN THE HAND IS WORTH TWO IN THE BUSH (52) (两鸟在林不如一鸟在手意思相同。)...[继续阅读]

    宁为傻子,不作恶棍。Of the two evils foolishness is the lesser,since it is usually considered something you are born with,whilst knavery is something a person does deliberately. Moreover,knavery is more likely to land you in prison than is foolishness.两害之中,愚笨为害较小,因...[继续阅读]

    宁为老人妻,不做青年奴。This proverb suggests,rightly or wrongly,that the woman who marries an old man will fare better than the woman who marries a young one,on the grounds that the old man is likely to make a great fuss of his young wife,while the young man will ex...[继续阅读]

    安全胜于遗憾;宁要安全,不冒危险。Here ‘sure’ is used in the old sense of ‘safe,free from danger’. ‘If we reach the forest’,says a character in Shakespeare,‘we shall be sure enough.’ So the literal meaning of the proverb is:‘It is better to be safe than to do anything t...[继续阅读]

    宁为狗头,不做狮尾;宁为鸡口,勿为牛后。Another old proverb says the same thing more clearly: ‘Better be the head of the yeomanry than the tail of the gentry.’In other words,it’s better to hold a high position at a low level than to hold a low position at a high level.‘They’...[继续阅读]

    宁屈不折; 宁可委曲求全,不可恃胜逞强。The pliant tree bends before the wind and is not damaged by the storm,but the rigid tree is often snapped.In the same way it is sometimes better to give way to the wishes of those in authority than to stand up to t hem and be ruined. T...[继续阅读]

    迟做总比不做好;迟来总比不来强。It is better to do a thing after much procrastination than not to do it at all. It is often used as a semi-humorous excuse,e. g. ‘Dear Tom. -I’m sorry I’ve not written for such a long time,but better late than never…’ A longer version of t...[继续阅读]

    宁要已知的恶魔,不要未知的撒旦;未知的危险比已知的危险更可怕。An unknown danger or hardship is much more frightening than one we have already experienced.‘I’ve got to go to Paris again on business next week. The very thought of crossing the Channel makes me feel seasick...[继续阅读]

    问路总比迷路好; 骄傲招不幸,多问不吃亏。Some people are too proud to admit that they don’t know,and,by refusing to ask,go astray. That is to say,they do the wrong thing or become lost. The proverb advises us to pocket our pride and ask for advice in order to avoid such unne...[继续阅读]