AMERICAN IDIOMS

A Fish out of Water & to Teach a Fish How to Swim

        今天,要给大家介绍几个和鱼有关的习惯用语.中国人常常用"如鱼得水"来形容一个一切都很顺当的环境.美国人常常用的一个俗语却刚刚好和"如鱼得水"相反,他们说:

        A Fish out of Water

        从字面上解释就是"没有水的鱼",你肯定经历过这种场合,当时你觉得很不自然,和周围的人或者环境格格不入. A Fish out of Water 作为一个俗语,就是指这种感觉,它的意思是某个人和他所处的环境不融合,使他感到很别扭,很难堪.比如:

        "At the conference I was a fish out of water, all the speeches were in French, a language I never studied."

        这个人说:"参加那个会议真的叫我感到别扭,所有人发表讲话时候都用法语,可是我从来都没有学过法语."

        每个人都会有感到别扭的时候,下面这个人碰到的场合又是一个例子.

        "Everybody else at the party ended up in the swimming pool. But I was a fish out of water because I can't swim."

        这个人说:"参加聚会的每个人最后都到游泳池去游泳了,我真感到别扭,因为我不会游泳."

        要是谁想要教鱼怎么游泳的话,那简直是班门弄斧,多余.

        下面我们要讲的这个俗语就是这个意思:

        To Teach a Fish How to Swim

        To Teach a Fish How to Swim 作为俗语的意思是指班门弄斧,给别人提出完全没有必要的建议或劝告.你看了下面这位父亲的讲看就知道他的儿子又多么可笑了.

        "My son, fresh out of college, keeps telling me how to run my business. But I've been making good money for 30 years, so he's teaching a fish how to swim."

        这位父亲说:"我的儿子大学刚毕业,可是他却不断来告诉我应该怎么做生意.我三十年来生意做得很好,赚了不少钱.所以,他来告诉我怎么做生意简直是多余的."

        这个儿子可能还不知道自己在做傻事,可是,有的人在事后发现自己做了类似的傻事会感到很难堪.请看下面这个例子:

        "The day after I got my private pilot's license, I told this man at the party all about how to fly an airplane. Later I learned he was an airline pilot who flew jumbo jets--- I'd been teaching a fish how to swim."

        这个人说:"我在得到飞行员执照后的一天,在一次聚会上告诉一个人怎么驾驶飞机.后来,我听说那个人是开大型喷气飞机的飞行员.我去告诉他怎么驾驶飞机真是多余,简直是班门弄斧."

        今天给大家讲的两个俗语都是和fish有关系的.希望大家可以记住,并能在对话中熟练的运用.

        A Fish out of Water 意思是指人因与环境不融合而感到别扭。

        To Teach a Fish How to Swim 意思是班门弄斧。