·少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲

　　有人译成If you neglect study when you are young， what may happen to your old age？

　　这句问句会把老外问得云里雾里，因为他们沒有“学而优则仕”的思想，也不认为功课差，将来就会伤悲。他们劝告子女经常说的是

　　Studying / working hard can lead you to a brighter / more promising future. （努力用功会带给你光明的前程。

　　当然也可以对年轻人说：Study hard when you are young. It will pay off when you get older. （年轻时好好努力，到老的时就会觉得学有所值。）

　　·学如行舟，不进则退

　　如果直译成：

　　Learning is like rowing upstream； not to advance is to drop back.老外听后，也许会感到一头雾水。这样修改一下，表达可以清晰一些：

　　Learning seems like rowing upstream（逆流）； if one does not advance， one will fall back. Learning is like rowing against the current（激流）， if one does not advance， one will retreat.

　　更直接的说法是：If you don't make progress， you will fall behind.

　　·一日为师，终身为父

　　有这样的译法：

　　He who teaches me for one day is my father for life. If you are my teacher for even one day， you will be my teacher （mentor） all my life. He who teaches me may be considered my father-figure for life.

　　这几种译法意思都是“老师即使对我只有一天的教诲，也会让我一生都受用不尽”。外国人也有他们表达师生关系的谚语，如：

　　Teach others to fish and they will fish for a lifetime.（授人以鱼，不如授人以渔）

　　Give a man fish， he will have a meal； teach him to fish， he will have food all his life.

　　·忠言逆耳，良药苦口

　　有人译成Faithful words are contrary to the ears； good medicine tastes bitter to the mouth.

　　也有人反译为：Bitter words are medicine； sweet words bring illness.

　　Good advice often jars on the ears； bitter pills have good effects.

　　这些说法，老外也会“一知半解”，不如直接一点说成：Honest advice may be distasteful to the recipient. Honest advice is hard to accept. Truth is a hard pill to swallow.

　　更简单的说就是：Truth hurts.

　　·近墨者黑，近朱者赤

　　有人直译为one who stays near vermilion gets stained red， and one who stays near ink gets stained black（vermilion是朱砂或鲜红色的意思）

　　也有人译成：When you touch black， you become black； when you touch red， you become red.

　　这种说法，恐怕老外一时无法理解真正含意。不过他们倒有这么说：

　　One takes the behavior of one's company. （一个人的行为，往往受到朋友的影响。）或One takes on the attributes of one's associates. （attributes复数時是指品质、特性；associates指朋友、同事）

　　简单的说，就是：Watch the company you keep！（小心交朋友！）

　　或者也可以说成：As he who lies with dogs will ride with fleas， how could your son learn anything good by mixing with those people？ （你儿子跟那些人混在一起，能学出个好来？）

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