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这是忘忧英语坚持日更的第617天,关注我,学习更多地道英语表达。
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想象一下,你听到有人说:’America is a land of milk and honey.’ 你心里嘀咕:美国是牛奶和蜂蜜之地?难道那里奶牛和蜜蜂特别多?
别急,今天我们就来揭开这个古老表达的奥秘,顺便学习一系列与milk和honey相关的有趣表达,让你的英语瞬间变得’甜蜜’起来!
01.‘milk and honey’的真面目:源自圣经的富饶象征
‘milk and honey’这个表达最早出现在《圣经·出埃及记》中,上帝对摩西说:’我将你们从埃及的困苦中领出来,往流奶与蜜之地去。’
这里的’流奶与蜜之地’指的是迦南地(今巴勒斯坦),象征着物产丰富、生活富足的理想国度。
例子:Many immigrants see this country as a land of milk and honey.
例子:After years of hard work, they finally found their milk and honey in the southern city.
经过多年努力,他们终于在南方的城市找到了理想家园。
例子:The island is now the fancied land of milk and honey.
莎士比亚在《威尼斯商人》中写道:’How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! Here will we sit and let the sounds of music creep in our ears: stillness and the night become the touches of sweet harmony. Sit, Jessica. Look how the floor of heaven is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold: there’s not the smallest orb which thou behold’st but in his motion like an angel sings, still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins; such harmony is in immortal souls; but whilst this muddy vesture of decay doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it.’
“月光柔和地洒在这堤岸上,多么甜美!我们就在这里坐下,让音乐的声音悄悄爬进我们的耳朵:寂静与夜色化作甘美和谐的触感。坐下吧,杰西卡。看那天穹的地面,是用明亮的金片厚厚镶嵌;你所见不到的,哪怕最小的一颗星球,也在它旋转中如同天使歌唱,不停地与那双眸清澈的智天使合唱;永生的灵魂中就有这样的和声;但当这污浊的腐朽躯壳粗暴地将其包围时,我们就无法听见它。
02.更多与’milk’和’honey’相关的趣味表达
1. the milk of human kindness
例子:She’s filled with the milk of human kindness, always helping those in need.
例子:The delivery route is just a milk run for experienced drivers.
例子:The journalists milked the scandal dry before moving to the next story.
4. it’s no use crying over spilt milk
例子:Yes, we made a mistake, but it’s no use crying over spilt milk.
例子:His speech was nothing but milk and water, putting everyone to sleep.
例子:The spy was caught in a honey trap set by the enemy.
例子:Don’t be fooled by his honeyed words; he’s not to be trusted.
8. honey tongue, a heart of gall
例子:She appears friendly but has a honey tongue, a heart of gall.
例子:I got a honey of a deal on this new car.
一位英国诗人曾说:’Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.’ 确实,这些看似简单的词汇背后,蕴含着深厚的文化底蕴和生动的意象。
‘milk’代表着生命的滋养和纯洁,而’honey’则象征着甜蜜和美好。当它们结合在一起,就创造出了英语中最富有诗意的表达之一。
现在你知道了’milk and honey’的真正含义,不过英语中还有许多类似的有趣表达。比如,你知道’apple of my eye’为什么是’珍爱之人’的意思吗?这个表达又有着怎样的历史渊源?
敬请期待我们的下一期内容,同时,欢迎在评论区分享你遇到过的有趣英语表达,我们将会选取最有趣的例子在下一期进行解析!
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作者简介:Frank Yao,英专毕业,有多年英语教学经验,目前在海外知名企业从事英语翻译工作。每天分享实用的英语知识,想学习英语的伙伴一定要关注我。
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