A swine over fat is the cause of his own bane.猪死因身肥。
句中的bane解作“祸根”。整句的意思也就是“肥猪的死,祸根在它自己身上”。这谚语用猪来比喻财富,指财富过多不一定是好事,常会成为惹祸的根源;同样名誉地位也是如此,所以俗语有“人怕出名,猪怕壮”之说。
中国古代历史文学名著《左传》中有句话:“象有齿以焚其身。”象的牙齿、狐的尾巴、猪的肥胖,都是惹祸的根由,是同一意思的比喻。儒家经典《周易》中还有两句名言:“慢藏诲盗,冶容诲淫。”意思是:钱财藏得多虽是好事,但会引来盗窃;面容漂亮虽也是好事,但会引来淫乱。讲的都是同一道理。
英语谚语还有一句也说明这道理的:
The tail does often catch the fox.
意思就是:狐狸的大尾巴往往就是它被擒的原因:The big tail of a fox is the cause of his own bane。
另有谚语指出肥胖或过于富裕,有“尾大不掉”的麻烦:
A full belly neither fights nor flies well.
肚满肠肥的,既不善战,也不善飞。
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未经允许不得转载:全书网 » 「小学英语谚语」A swine over fat is the cause of his own bane.猪死因身肥。