外国谚语集锦

1.
Brevity is the soul of wit.
言贵简洁。

2.
Easier said than done.
说时容易做时难。

3.
Fling dirt enough and some will stick.
诽谤重复多遍就会有人相信。

[注] 相似的 有：

Give a dog a bad name and hang him.
给人强加恶名，毁灭人的一生。

Give a lie twenty-four hours' start, and you can never overtake it.

24小时不辟谣，谣言成事实。

与此相似的中国谚语有：是非吹入凡人耳，万丈黄河洗不清。

3.
He who excuses himself accuses himself.
欲盖弥彰。

4.
His heart can not be pure whose tongue is not clean.
言语脏者， 不净。

5.
If the cap fits, wear it.
如果这顶帽子合适你，就戴吧！

[注] 意为：如果你认为我是在讲你，那么就认为我在讲你吧。

6.
It is one thing to promise and another to perform.

许诺是一回事，实现诺言是另一回事。

7.
No one is informed but he who inquires.
多问长知识。

8.
Not good is it to harp on the frayed string .
老调重弹，音不悦耳。

[注] 意指老说一个话题令 厌。

9.
One lie makes many.
一旦撒谎，欲止难休。

10.
Praise makes good men better and bad men worse.

表扬使好的人变得更好，坏的人变得更坏。

11.
Silence gives consent.
缄默即是认可。

[注]相似的谚语有：

No answer is also an answer.

12.
There is a sin of omission as well as of commission.做与不做均是过。

13.
After a dinner sit a while ,after a supper walk a mile.
午饭后歇歇，晚餐后走走。

14.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
一天一个苹果，不要求医问药。

15.
Bed is a medicine.
睡好觉，如服药。

16.
Early to bed and early to rise.
早睡早起使你聪明 和富裕。

17.
An empty sack cannot stand upright.
空粉袋，站不直。

[注] 寓意人以粮食为主。

18.
The end makes all equal.
死亡面前人人平等。

19.
A healthy mind is in a healthy body.
身体好则 爽。

20.
A little labour, much health.
适度劳动，没病没痛。

21.
Medicines are not meant to live on.
不能靠医药救命。

22.
Seek your salve where you get your sore.

何处得病痛，何处寻药医。（或：心病还需心药医。）

23.
Beggars must not be choosers.
要饭的哪能挑肥拣瘦。

[注] 相似的谚语是：

Never look a gift horse in the mouth.
人家送你马，切莫看口齿。

24.
Blessed is he who experts nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.

不奢望得到任何东西的人最 ，因为他永远不会失望。

相似的谚语有：

There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip.
杯到嘴边还会失手。

汉语谚语“知足长乐”的意思与此 相似。

25.
Better wear out shoes than sheets.
穿破鞋子，胜于磨破床单。

26.
Care is enemy to health.
忧愁是健康之敌。

27.
Care kill a cat.
忧虑伤身。

28.
Cleanliness is next to godliness.
爱洁净仅次于敬上帝。

29.
Comfort is better than pride.
宁愿舒适，不慕虚荣。

30.
A contented mind is a perpetual feast.
知足常乐

31.
Courtesy costs nothing.
谦恭有礼，惠而不费。

[注] 这句话的另一种形式是：

There is nothing that costs less than civility.
彬彬有礼，惠而不费。

32.
Don't meet trouble half-way.
不要自寻烦恼。

33.
Don't outrun the constable.
不要背债。

[注] 这句谚语的另一种形式是：

Don't overrun the constable.

从前讨债是英国 的职责之一，如果你到期不付应付的款项，债权人报警，债务人就可能被逮捕入狱。

34.
Eavesdropoers never hear any good of themselves.

隔墙之耳（偷听者）永远听不见被人夸。

[注] 这句谚语告诫人们不要过于好奇。

相似的谚语还有：

The fish will soon be caught that nibbles at every bait.嘴谗的鱼儿早上钩。

He who peeps through a hole may see what will vex him.
孔中窥视，只见烦恼事。

Too much curiosity lost paradise.
太强好奇心，失去伊甸园。

35.
A fault confessed is half redressed.
承认错误等于改正了一半。

[注] 参见另 ：

Open confession is good for the soul.
有错承认，心里安然。

与此相似的中国谚语是：知错改错不是错，知错不改错中错。迷途知返，得道未远。

36.
Gluttony kills more than the sword.
饕餮杀人剩余甚于刀剑。

相近的中国谚语：狂饮伤身，暴食伤胃。

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