英語寫作中如何引用諺語
眾所周知，諺語乃是一種語言的精華，寓意深刻，表達(dá)雋永。在考研寫作中如能適當(dāng)?shù)匾靡恍┲V語，可以為文章增輝添彩。一些同學(xué)在平時(shí)的學(xué)習(xí)中積累了一些諺語，但在寫作時(shí)不知道該如何將它們恰當(dāng)?shù)匾玫轿恼轮腥ィ疚臄M根據(jù)近年來《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》引用諺語的情況，總結(jié)出英語中常見的引用諺語的地道表達(dá)法，供同學(xué)們寫作時(shí)模仿使用。
諺語在英語中叫proverb，引用時(shí)經(jīng)常會(huì)在其前面酌情加上old, Chinese, English, Russian之類的形容詞;動(dòng)詞一般用go, say, state, has it, put it等，在這些動(dòng)詞后面用逗號(hào)或冒號(hào)皆可。諺語可加雙引號(hào)(這時(shí)諺語的第一個(gè)字母要大寫)，也可不加雙引號(hào)(這時(shí)第一個(gè)字母一般不大寫)。引用諺語的表達(dá)方式常見的有如下十種：
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.”
有一句依地語諺語說得好，“寧輸智者，不贏傻子。”(August 14, 20xx)
A proverb says, “Medicine cures the man who is fated not to die.
有一句諺語說，“命不該死有藥救。”(July 16, 20xx)
As a Chinese proverb goes, “Don’t climb a tree to look for fish.”
正如中國的一句諺語所說，“不要緣木求魚。”(April 24, 20xx)
As the old Chinese proverb says, “If you do not enter a tiger’s den, you cannot get her cubs.”
正如中國的一句諺語所說，“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.”
正如一句西班牙諺語所說，“禍從口入。”(July 26, 1992)
As a Navajo proverb puts it, “What comes around goes around.”
正如納瓦霍族的一句諺語所說，“一報(bào)還一報(bào)。”(May 28, 1987)
As a local proverb here in Chad puts it: A woman who is pregnant has one foot in the grave.
正如乍得當(dāng)?shù)氐囊痪渲V語所說：女人懷寶寶，鬼門關(guān)上走一遭。(March 20, 20xx)
An old proverb has it that “if the thorn doesn’t scratch when it first emerge, it will never scratch.”
有一句古老的諺語說，“如果荊棘剛長出時(shí)不扎手，那么它就永遠(yuǎn)不扎手。”(March 26, 20xx)
5) There is a proverb: ---
6) There is a / the proverb that goes / states, ---
There’s an African proverb: “Educate a boy, and educate an individual. Educate a girl, and you educate a community.”
有一句非洲的諺語說：“教育好一個(gè)男孩，僅教育好一人。教育好一個(gè)女孩，則教育好一群人。”(August 19, 20xx)
There’s a Russian proverb that goes: you must support the most talented people because untalented people will support themselves.
有一句俄羅斯諺語說，你須擁戴賢人，庸者僅會(huì)自顧。(December 31, 1995)
There is an old Jewish proverb that states: “A Shekel is always better in my pocket than in yours. “
有一句古老的猶太諺語說：“金幣在我口袋里總比在你口袋里強(qiáng)。”(August 10, 20xx)
7) ---, a / the proverb goes, ---
8) ---, goes a / the proverb, ---
“A river is deep,” an old African proverb goes, “because of its source.”
有一句古老的非洲諺語說，河有源泉水才深。(September 24, 20xx)
To kill a snake, goes an old African proverb, you must first crush the head.
有一句古老的非洲諺語說，打蛇先打頭。(September 22, 1985)
9) --- have a proverb that goes, ---
10) There exists a proverb. It goes, ---
The Arabs have a proverb that goes, “When the sultan’s dog died, everyone marched in his funeral. But when the sultan himself died, no one marched at all. “
阿拉伯人有一句諺語是這樣說的，“當(dāng)蘇丹的狗死了，人人都為之送葬。而當(dāng)蘇丹死了，卻無人為之送葬。”(November 27, 1983)
There exists an old Soviet proverb. It goes, “In the monastery, you don’t offer your own view.”
有一個(gè)古老的俄羅斯諺語說，“。”(May 17, 1984)
諺語作為群眾集體智慧的結(jié)晶，多具有鮮明的民族性和地域特色。由于中西文化的差異，一些在漢語中人們耳熟能詳?shù)闹V語卻未必為西方人所理解。所以在引用漢語諺語時(shí)，如果中國特色過于濃厚，則可舍其形而取其意，寫成英語中與之意思對(duì)等的西方諺語。例如，有的同學(xué)想表達(dá)這個(gè)意思：本性難移，于是寫道：As a Chinese proverb goes, a dog cannot change its habit of eating shit. 這樣寫不但失之粗鄙，還會(huì)讓愛犬的西方人大惑不解。所以，這個(gè)意思宜寫成A leopard cannot change its spots. 或者A fox may grow gray, but never good.