怎么区分说兔子的英文表述bunny、rabbit和hare
今年是兔年,作为中国人,对兔子总有特别的感情,兔子”在英语中有三种表达方式,bunny,rabbit,hare。那么,“兔年”用英语该怎么说呢?首先,我们要了解这三个词的区别。
rabbit
Rabbit是兔科哺乳动物。rabbit是毛茸茸的,有长长的耳朵、胡须和短尾巴。Rabbit更适合家养。
hare
Hare也属于兔科。Hares的后腿更长更强壮,耳朵也比它们的表亲兔子长。Hare不是家畜,不应作为宠物饲养。
bunny
Bunny通常用来指小兔子,小兔子实际上被称为kittens(是的,和你所说的小猫一样)。所以,从科学上讲,没有bunny这种物种。
一言以蔽之,rabbit是家兔,hare是野兔,bunny是小兔子。
按照我们文化中对和谐稳重的追求,“兔年”应该被翻译为“the Year of Rabbit”。
下面总结一下更多关于“兔子”的地道表达。
狡兔三窟
A sly rabbit has three openings to its den.
兔子不吃窝边草
Rabbits don’t eat grass near their nests.
兔子逃跑不回头
Rabbits run away without turning back.
兔子逗老鹰,没事找事
The rabbit teases the eagle and makes trouble.
兔子吃年糕,闷心
The rabbit eats New Year’s Cake, depressed.
不见兔子不撒鹰
If you don’t see a rabbit, you don’t scatter an eagle.
媒人的嘴,兔子的腿
Matchmaker’s mouth, rabbit’s leg.
兔子急了也咬人
Rabbits bite when they are in a hurry.
鸟尽弓藏,兔死狗烹
When all hares are killed, the hounds will be stewed and eaten.
兔死狐悲
The fox mourns over the death of the hare.
静若处子,动如脱兔
Quiet like an elegant lady and brisk like a rabbit.
不要守株待兔
Don’t wait for gains without pains.
Pull a rabbit out of the hat
直译“从帽子中变出兔子”其实这个短语的含义是:“做了一件出乎意料的、似乎不可能完成的事。”
例句:
Pulla rabbit out of your hat. That’s the secret both to trial law and life.
出人意料做到不可能完成的事,这是打赢官司和战胜生活的共同奥秘。
《爱丽丝梦游仙境》中爱丽丝跳进兔子洞中,开始了一场无法预知的惊奇的冒险,
但rabbit hole 却表示:
A situation in which you become so interested in a subject or an activity ,
that you cannot stop trying to find out about it or doing it,
也就是“无法脱身;深陷……之中无法自拔”的意思。
常用的短语是 go down the rabbit hole
“rabbit hole”通常情况下用于那些局面混乱或复杂的事件或经历。
例句:
Are you sure you’re ready to go down the rabbit hole of owning your own business?
你确定你已经准备好拥有自己公司了吗?
Rabbit on
rabbit on是一种英式表达,表示“to continue talking about something ,
that is not interesting to the person you are talking to”,
也就是“没完没了地说;唠叨;喋喋不休”。
例句:
He’s always rabbiting on about his stamp collection.
他总是没完没了地说他的集邮。
Rabbit hutch
hutch / hʌtʃ / n.笼
rabbit hutch原本指“兔笼;兔棚”。
引申含义指“a very small, uncomfortable building or room.狭小的房间(或建筑物)”。
例句:
Are you OK,working in this little rabbit hutch?
你在这个狭小的屋子里工作,感觉还好吗?
These newhouses are all one or two-bedroom rabbit hutches with no character.
这些新房子都是狭小的一居室或两居室,毫无特色。
A rabbit in the headlights
headlights 车头灯,“a rabbit in the headlights”用来形容因为“极度紧张而说不出话”。
例句:
I couldn’t say a word. I was like a rabbit in the headlights. But in the end, I said yes.
我一句话也说不出来,我被震住了,不过最后我答应了。
A happy bunny
“happy bunny”字面表示“快乐的兔子”,延伸后表示“高兴、内心充实的人”。
“not a happy bunny”就表示“非常不满,生气”的心情。
例句:
Her computer crashed an hour ago and she’s lost a morning’s work – she’s not a happy bunny.
她的电脑一小时前死机了,一上午做的东西全不见了,她烦着呢!
My husband has his beer, the football match on TV and complete control of the remote. He is one happy bunny.
我老公喝着啤酒,看着电视上的足球比赛,手握遥控器。他太开心了。
As mad as a March hare
每值春季繁殖期,兔子会表现出一系列激动无常的行为,就像发狂一样疯疯癫癫的。“as mad as a March hare”用来形容人“极度疯狂或非常愚蠢”。
例句:
Wehad an argument yesterday and he smashed all the plates in the kitchen –he was as mad as a March hare!
昨天我们吵了一架,他把厨房里的盘子都摔碎了,他当时真是发疯了!
WhenI started dancing, they all looked at me as if I was as mad as a March hare.