英语成语故事

分类:教育/科学>>学习帮助

问题描述:

我急需一篇至两篇成语故事，但是一定要中英文对译。哦，还要是初中生能看懂的喔！！谢了

解析:

邯郸学步

English

相传在两千年前，燕国寿陵地方有一位少年，不知道姓啥叫啥，就叫他寿陵少年吧！

这位寿陵少年不愁吃不愁穿，论长相也算得上中等人材，可他就是缺乏自信心，经常无缘无故地感到事事不如人，低人一等——衣服是人家的好，饭菜是人家的香，站相坐相也是人家高雅。他见什么学什么，学一样丢一样，虽然花样翻新，却始终不能做好一件事，不知道自己该是什么模样。

家里的人劝他改一改这个毛病，他以为是家里人管得太多。亲戚、邻居们，说他是狗熊掰棒子，他也根本听不进去。日久天长他竟怀疑自己该不该这样走路，越看越觉得自己走路的姿势太笨，太丑了。

有一天他在路上碰到几个人说说笑笑，只听得有人说邯郸人走路姿势那叫美。他一听对上了心病，急忙走上前去，想打听个明白。不料想那几个人看见他，一阵大笑之后扬长而去。

邯郸人走路的姿势究竟怎样美呢？他怎么也想象不出来。这成了他的心病。终于有一天他瞒着家人，跑到遥远的邯郸学走路去了。

一到邯郸他感到处处新鲜，简直令人眼花缭乱。看到小孩走路，他觉得活泼、美，学；看见老人走路，他觉得稳重，学；看到妇女走路，摇摆多姿，学。就这样不过半月光景，他连走路也不会了，路费也花光了，只好爬着回去了。

故事出自《庄子·秋水》。成语“邯郸学步”，比喻生搬硬套，机械地模仿别人，不但学不到别人的长处，反而会把自己的优点和本领也丢掉。

ImitatingAnotherwithoutSuccessandLosingWhatUsedtoBeOne'sOwnAbility

Traditionhasitthatmorethan2,oooyearsago,therelivedayoungmanintheShoulingareaoftheStateofYan.Ashisnameisnotknown,wejustcallhimShoulingyoungmanforconvenience'ssake.

selfconfidentHewasatalossastohowtobehaveallthetime.

Hisfamilymembersadvisedhimtooverethisshorting,buthethoughttheywerefondofpokingtheirnosesintohisbusinessandwereunwillingtoprovidehimwithtuitionfee.Hisrelativesandneighbourssneeredathim,sayingthathewouldneverbeabletolearnanything.Asthedayswentby,heevenbegantodoubtwhetherheshouldwalkthewayhedid,forhefeltmoreandmorethathiswalkinggesturesweretooclumsyandawkward.

Oneday,hemetsomepeopleontheroadwhowerechattingandlaughing.OneofthemsaidthatpeopleinHandanwalkedmostgracefully.Andthaasjustwhathewasmostconcernedabout,sohehurreedtowardsthemandwantedtomakefurtherinquiries.Tohissurprise,whenthesepeoplesawhim,theystalkedofflaughing.

Hecouldnotpicturetohimselfinwhatwaytheirwalkinggesturesweregraceful,nomatterhowhardherackedhisparentsoneday.HewenttoHandanwhichwasfarawaytolearnhowtowalk.

AssoonashearrivedinHandan,hewasdazzledtofindthateverythingwasnovel.Helearnedfromthechildrentherehowtowalk,becausehethoughtthatthechildren'swalkinggestureswerelivelyandpleasingtotheeye.Helearndfromtheoldpeopletherehowtowalk,becausehethoughttheoldpeople'swalkinggesturesweresteady.Helearndfromthewomentherehowtowalk,becausehethoughtthewomen'swayingwalkinggestureswerebeautiful.Thatbeingthecasewithhim,inlessthanhalfamonthheevenfothowtowalk.Ashehadalreadyuseduphistravelingexpenses,hehadtocrawlbackhome.

ThisstoryefromthearticleAutumnWaterinTheWorksofXhuangZi(ZhuangZiwasafamousancientChinesephilosopherofabout300B.c.).Laterthesetphraseinitatinganotherwithoutsuccessandlosingwhatusedtobeone'sownabilityisusedtorefertoactsofcopyingothersmechanisallyindisregardofspecififcconditions.

汲黯是西汉武帝时代人，以刚直正义、敢讲真话而受人尊重。他为人和做官都不拘小节，讲求实效。虽然表面上不那么轰轰烈烈，却能把一个郡治理得井井有条，因此朝廷把他从东海太守调到朝廷当主爵都尉——一种主管地方吏任免的官职。

有一次汉武帝说要实行儒家的仁义之政，为老百姓办好事了。没等皇帝把话说完，汲黯就说：“陛下内心里那么贪婪多欲，表面上却要装得实行仁政，这是何苦呢？”一句话把皇帝噎了回去。汉武帝登时脸色大变，宣布罢朝，满朝文武都为汲黯捏着一把汗，担心他会因此招来大祸。武帝回到宫里以后，对身边的人说，汲黯这个人也未免太粗太直了。

从此以后汲黯的官职再也没有提升。他当主爵都尉的时候，公孙弘、张汤都还是不起眼的小官，后来，他们一个劲儿住上升，公孙弘当上了丞相，张汤做上了御史大夫，可他汲黯还蹲在原地没动窝。有一天汲黯对武帝说，陛下使用群臣，跟码劈柴一样，是“后来者居上”啊！汉武帝当然听得出这是发牢骚。于是转脸对臣下们说：“人真是不能不学习啊！你们听汲黯说话，越来越离谱了！”

故事出自《史记·汲郑列传》。成语“后来居上”，往往指后起的可以胜过先前的。和汲黯说这话的原意，大不相同。

TheLateersSurpasstheOld-timers

ThissetphraseisderivedfromtheplaintsJiAnmadetotheemperor.

JiAnlivedatthetimeofEmperorWudioftheWesternHanDynasty(206B.C.-A.D.24).Hewasrespectedforbeinguprightandjustandfordaringtospeakthetruth.Hedidnotbotheraboutamallmattersinpersonalbehaviourandinbeinganofficial.Hewasparticularaboutactualeffectsand,althoughhedidnotcauseastir,hecouldkeeptheprefecturehegovernedinperfectorder.Becauseofthis.theimperialcourttransferredhimtothecentralgovernmentfrombeingtheperfectoftheDonghaiPrefecturetobeingamanderinchargeoftheappointmentanddi***issalofthelocalofficals.

Once,EmperorWudisaidthathewouldimplementthepolicyofbenevolenceandjusticeofConfuciani***andwoulddogoodturnstothepeople.EmperorWudiHadhardlyfinishedhisremardswhenJiAnsaidthattherewasnoneedfortheemperortosayso.Whyshouldtheemperorbother,JiAnsaid,aboutpretendingtoimplementthepolicyofbenevolenceandjusticesincehewassogreedyandavariciouswithinhimself?Thischokedtheemperoroff.TheemperorsuddenlyChangedhiscountenanceanddeclaredthemeetingover.AllthecivilianandmilitaryofficersatcourtwerebreathlesswithanxietyforfearthatJiAnmightbringdisasteruponhimselfbecauseofthis.Afterreturning,EmperorWudisaidtothepeoplearoundhimthatJiAnwasalittletoorudeandtoostraightforward.

Forthisreason,JiAnwasneverpromotedagain.Whenhewasthemanderinchargeoftheappointmentanddi***issalofthelocalofficials,bothGongsunHongandZhangTangwerelow-rankinglfficialsoflittleimportance.Later,theywerepromotedcontinuously.GongsunHongbecametheprimeministerandZhangTangbecametheimperialcensor.However,JiAn'spostremainedthesame.Oneday,JiAnsaidtoEmperorWudithatthewaytheemperorusedhisministerswasjustlikepilingupfirewood,whichmeantthatthelateerssurpassedtheold-timers.Ofcourse,EmperorWudicouldseethatJiAnwasplaining.So,turningtohisministers,EmperorWudisaid,Itistruethatnoonecanstoplearning.Yousee,JiAnismakingmoreandmoreindiscreetremarks.

ThisstoryesfromTheHistoricalRecords.Latergenerationsusethesetphrasethelateerssurpasstheold-timerstoindicatethatsuccessorscancxcelthepredecessors,whichisquitedifferentfromtheoriginalideawhenJiAnsaidthatthelateerssurpassedtheold-timers.