众所周知,谚语乃是一种语言的精华,寓意深刻,表达隽永。在考研写作中如能适当地引用一些谚语,可以为文章增辉添彩。一些同学在平时的学习中积累了一些谚语,但在写作时不知道该如何将它们恰当地引用到文章中去,本文拟根据近年来《纽约时报》引用谚语的情况,总结出英语中常见的引用谚语的地道表达法,供同学们写作时模仿使用。
谚语在英语中叫proverb,引用时经常会在其前面酌情加上old, Chinese, English, Russian之类的形容词;动词一般用go, say, state, has it, put it等,在这些动词后面用逗号或冒号皆可。谚语可加双引号(这时谚语的第一个字母要大写),也可不加双引号(这时第一个字母一般不大写)。引用谚语的表达方式常见的有如下十种:
1) A proverb goes / says, ---
2) As a / the proverb goes / says, ---
A Yiddish proverb goes, “Better to lose with a wise man than win with a fool.” 有一句依地语谚语说得好,“宁输智者,不赢傻子。”(August 14, 2000)
A proverb says, “Medicine cures the man who is fated not to die. 有一句谚语说,“命不该死有药救。”(July 16, 2009)
As a Chinese proverb goes, “Don’t climb a tree to look for fish.” 正如中国的一句谚语所说,“不要缘木求鱼。”(April 24, 2000)
As the old Chinese proverb says, “If you do not enter a tiger’s den, you cannot get her cubs.” 正如中国的一句谚语所说,“不入虎穴,焉得虎子。”(November 15, 1993)
3) As a / the proverb has it / puts it,
4) A proverb has it that ---
As a Spanish proverb has it, “Flies don’t enter a closed mouth.” 正如一句西班牙谚语所说,“祸从口入。”(July 26, 1992)
As a Navajo proverb puts it, “What comes around goes around.” 正如纳瓦霍族的一句谚语所说,“一报还一报。”(May 28, 1987)
As a local proverb here in Chad puts it: A woman who is pregnant has one foot in the grave. 正如乍得当地的一句谚语所说:女人怀宝宝,鬼门关上走一遭。(March 20, 2004)
An old proverb has it that “if the thorn doesn’t scratch when it first emerge, it will never scratch.” 有一句古老的谚语说,“如果荆棘刚长出时不扎手,那么它就永远不扎手。”(March 26, 2006)
5) There is a proverb: ---
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