英语口语·吉米老师说
每一个成语背后都承载着先人的智慧和人生的哲理，这10个常用成语的典故你都知道吗？今天老师分享双语版，一起来学习~
英语·成语故事
01 凿壁偷光
Kuang Heng was born in a poor family. He liked reading books very much. He needed to work at daytime, so he had to read books during night. But he was too poor to buy a candle.
One day, he found his neighbour had candles, but the light couldn’t go through his room. So he dug a small hole on the wall so that he could use the light to read books. From that day, he read books every night until the light went out.
However, he finished reading all his books and there were no books for him to read. Then he went to a rich man’s house and worked for him without payment. The rich man asked: “ Why don’t you want the money?” Kuang Heng said: “ Because I only want to borrow your books.” The rich man agreed. Kuang Heng read the books one by one.
Finally, he became a great scholar.
匡衡勤奋好学，但家中没有蜡烛。邻家有蜡烛，但光亮照不到他家，匡衡就在墙壁上凿了洞引来邻家的光亮，让光亮照在书上读书。
县里有个大户人家不怎么识字，但家中富有，有很多书。匡衡就到他家去做雇工，但不要报酬。
主人感到很奇怪，问他为什么这样，他说：“我希望读遍主人家的书。”主人听了，深为感叹，就借给匡衡书。于是匡衡成了一位伟大的学者。
重点词汇及短语：
candle：蜡烛
go through：穿过
dug：dig的过去式，挖，凿
so that：以便
go out：熄灭
payment：报酬
scholar：学者
02 掩耳盗铃
Once upon a time, there was a thief saw a doorbell hanging on the neighbour’s door. He wanted to steal it.
But he knew that bell would ring as soon as he touched it. And then he would be discovered.
He thought: Only using ears can hear the sound. What if I cover my ears? Then the sound would not be heard anymore.
Whereupon he covered his own ears and tried to steal the bell. However, he was discovered immediately when he touched the bell.
从前有一个人，看见人家大门上挂着一个铃铛，想把它偷走。
他知道，那个铃铛只要用手一碰，就会丁零丁零地响起来，被人发觉。他想：“响声要用耳朵才能听见，如果把耳朵掩起来，不是就听不见了吗？”
于是，他掩住了自己的耳朵，伸手去偷那个铃铛。谁知手刚碰到铃铛，他就被人发觉了。
重点词汇及短语：
thief 小偷
hang 悬挂
as soon as 一......就
discover 发现
be done 被动语态，被......
（be discovered 被发现）
what if 如果，假使
cover 掩盖
whereupon 于是
steal 偷
immediately 立即，马上
03 邯郸学步
During the Warring States period, a young man lived in Shouling. He always felt that he was not so perfect as he thought. One day, he heard that people in Handan walked in a gracefully way, so he decided to learn to walk there.
One morning, he set off for Handan without telling anyone. Upon arrival at Handan, he was surprised when he saw the situation. Everyone walked in a different but gracefully way, children walking actively, the old walking steady and women walking charmingly. So he made up his mind to learn how the people of the State of Zhao walked in Handan.
No matter how hard he tried, he was unable to learn the gait of the people there. On the contrary, he even forgot completely how he walked in Shouling. In the end, he had no choice but to crawl back to his hometown.
战国时期，燕国寿陵地方有一位少年。这位寿陵少年不愁吃不愁穿，论长相也算得上中等人材，可他就是缺乏自信心，经常无缘无故地感到事事不如人，低人一等——衣服是人家的好，饭菜是人家的香，站相坐相也是人家高雅。他见什么学什么，学一样丢一样，虽然花样翻新，却始终不能做好一件事，不知道自己该是什么模样。
家里的人劝他改一改这个毛病，他以为是家里人管得太多。亲戚、邻居们，说他是狗熊掰棒子，他也根本听不进去。日久天长，他竟怀疑自己该不该这样走路，越看越觉得自己走路的姿势太笨，太丑了。
有一天，他在路上碰到几个人说说笑笑，只听得有人说邯郸人走路姿势那叫美。他一听，对上了心病，急忙走上前去，想打听个明白。不料想，那几个人看见他，一阵大笑之后扬长而去。
邯郸人走路的姿势究竟怎样美呢？于是有一天，他瞒着家人，跑到遥远的邯郸学走路去了。
一到邯郸，他感到处处新鲜，简直令人眼花缭乱。看到小孩走路，他觉得活泼、美，学；看见老人走路，他觉得稳重，学；看到妇女走路，摇摆多姿，学。就这样，不过半月光景，他连走路也不会了，路费也花光了，只好爬着回去了。
重点词汇及短语：
gracefully 优雅地
set off for 出发前往某地
arrival （名词）到达
actively 活泼地
steady 沉稳地
charmingly 迷人地
made up one’s mind下定决心做某事
gait 步伐，步态
on the contrary相反
crawl爬
04 囫囵吞枣
Long ago, there was a young man who bought many fruits, like pears and dates.
He sat at the roadside to eat them. An old man saw him and said: “Eating too many pears is good for teeth, but bad for your body.”
The man asked: “How about dates?” The old man answered: “The dates are good for body but bad for teeth.”
The young man thought for a while and said: “I've got a good idea! I can eat pears with teeth and don't swallow them. And I can swallow dates without chewing.”
Then he put a date into his mouth and swallowed it immediately. Unluckily, he was choked by the date.
从前，有个人买了一堆水果，有梨儿，也有枣儿，坐在路边上吃。有个老头儿看见了，
对他说：“小伙子，梨儿可不能多吃呀。它虽然对牙齿有好处，可是吃多了对身体不好。”
青年人就问：“枣儿吃多了呢？”老头儿说：“枣儿对身体是好的，可吃多了对牙齿不好，也不能多吃。”
青年人看了看梨儿，又看了看枣儿，想了一会儿，说：“哈哈，我想出了个好办法！我吃梨儿就只用牙齿嚼，不吞到肚子里去。吃枣儿，我就把它整个儿吞下去，不用牙齿嚼。”
说完话，他就拿起一个枣儿放在嘴里，直接吞了下去。没想到，他一下子就被枣儿噎住了。
重点词汇及短语：
date：枣
swallow：吞，咽
chew：咀嚼，嚼
immediately：直接地
choke on sth.：被……噎住
05 杞人忧天
In the State of Qi, there was a man who was haunted by the fear that the sky might fall.
He was so worried that he could neither eat nor sleep well. His friend said to him: “ The sky is gathered by gas. We are living in the air. It is impossible to fall.”
After hearing this, the man set his fear at ease instantly. His friend was also delightful.
一个杞国人，每天都担心天会掉下来，为此焦虑的吃不好睡不好。他的朋友开导他说：“天是由气聚集而成的，我们就生活在空气中。天是不可能掉下来的。”
杞国人听后，顿感放心。他的朋友见状也如释重负，开心异常。
重点词汇及短语：
haunt：缠绕，萦绕在心头
neither...nor...：既不......也不......
gather：聚集
impossible：不可能的
set one’s heart at ease：放心
instantly：立即地，马上地
delightful：开心的，愉快的
06 同舟共济
In the Spring and Autumn period, the State of Wu and the State of Yue didn’t get along well. They had been fighting against each other for years.
People in each country also didn’t have a good relationship. One day, the people of Wu and the people of Yue happened to be on the same boat to cross a river.
At the beginning, they didn’t say a word with each other. When the boat sailed to the center of the river, a strong wind came. In no time, huge waves hit people’s faces.
It seemed that the boat would sink at any time. Just then, they forgot all the hatred between two countries and began to help each other just like they were family. In the end, they safely got to the river bank under everyone’s effort.
春秋战国时，吴、越两国连年交兵，两国百姓彼此在感情上也很难共容。
有一次，吴国人和越国人碰巧共乘一条船渡河。开始时，他们都不理睬对方。
船至河心，狂风骤起，霎时惊涛骇浪迎面扑来，船随时有可能覆没。
此时，他们忘记了仇恨，相互救济，好像一家人一样。由于全船人的齐心协力，终于安全到达对岸。
重点词汇及短语：
relationship：关系
happened to do sth.：碰巧做某事
sail：航行，行驶
huge wave：巨浪
sink：沉没
hatred：仇恨，憎恶
river bank：岸边
07 班门弄斧
During the Warring States period, there wasa carpenter named Lu Ban. He was good at making woody tools.
One day, a youngman passed by a red gate. He held up an axe with his hand and said: “This axeis really good.
I can make the greatest tools in the world with it.” Hearingthis, people around here all laughed. One person asked: “So, can you make amore beautiful gate than this one?”
“That’s so easy! I was a student of Lu Ban before!Making a similar gate is like a piece of cake!” The young man said arrogantly.
“But the gate was made by Lu Ban!” Allpeople said.
鲁班是战国时代的鲁国人。他是一个善于制作精巧器具的能手，人们叫他“巧人”，民间历来把他奉为木匠的始祖。
有一天，一个年轻的木匠漫不经心地走到一个大红门的房子前，举起自己手里的斧子，说：“我这把斧子，别看它不起眼，可不管是什么木料，只要到了我的手里，用我的斧头这么一弄，就会做出漂亮无比的东西来。”
旁边的人听了，觉得他太夸口，就指着身后的大红门说：“小师傅，那你能做出比这扇还好的门吗？”年轻的木匠傲慢地说：“不是我吹牛，告诉你们，我曾经当过鲁班的学生，难道还做不出这样一扇简单的大门来，简直是笑话。”
众人听了，忍不住大笑起来，说：“这就是鲁班先生的家，这扇就是他亲手做的，你真的能做出比这扇还好的门吗？”那位年轻的木匠不好意思地跑掉了。
重点词汇及短语：
carpenter 木匠
be good at doing sth. 擅长做某事
pass by路过
hold up举起
axe 斧头
similar 相似的
a piece of cake 小菜一碟
arrogantly 傲慢地
08 杯水车薪
One evening, Zhao Da passed by a tea house when he came back from cutting firewood.
There were a lot of people drinking tea there. He put the firewood outside and walked into the tea house.
When he finished a cup of tea, he found his firewood on fire. Zhao Da shouted: “Oh no! It’s on fire!”
He took a cup of water, ran out of the door and splashed the water on the fire. Other people in the tea house also took their own cups to fight the fire.
However, instead of being put out, the fire burned even harder.
一天傍晚，赵大砍柴回来，路过一个茶馆，里面坐了很多人，有的在喝茶，有的在乘凉。他就把柴车停放在外面，也走进茶馆。
赵大坐在那刚刚喝完一杯茶，只见茶馆外面一片红光，赵大放下茶杯，走到门口一看：原来是自己的一车柴草着火了，忽忽的光苗直往上窜。
赵大喊起来："不好了，着火啦!"边喊边跑进茶馆，端起桌子上的一杯水，跑到门外往车上的柴草上泼去。茶馆里的人，一听赵大的叫喊声，也都忙着端起自己的茶杯，往车上泼去。
可是，劈里叭啦一阵响声之后，火不但没灭，反而燃烧得更猛烈了。赵大心疼地连声喊道："完了，完了!"
重点词汇及短语：
pass by：经过
firewood：柴火，木柴
splash：泼
instead of：而不是
put out：扑灭
09 自相矛盾
A young man ran a business in the market.
One day, he held up a shield and said proudly: “My shield is very strong.
It can stop any spear in the world.” Then he held up his spear and bragged: “My spear is very sharp. No matter how strong a shield is, my spear can pierce it.”
People all around here laughed when they heard the words of the young man.
One of them asked: “So, according to what you said, your spear is the sharpest. No matter how strong a shield is, your spear can pierce it. And your shield is also the strongest.
No matter how sharp a spear is, it can’t pierce your shield. Well, what will happen if I pierce your shield with your spear?"
The young man was too embarrassed to say anything.
古时候，有一个人，他既卖矛又卖盾。一天，他在集市上叫卖，非常得意。他举起他的盾说：“我的盾非常坚固。无论怎样好的矛，都戳不穿它！”说完，他又举起他的矛夸口说：“我的矛非常锋利。无论怎样坚固的盾都能戳进去！”
站在旁边的人听了，都暗暗地发笑。
有人问他：“照你这样说，你的矛是最锋利的。无论怎样硬的盾都戳得进去。你的盾又是最坚固的。无论怎样锋利的矛，也别想戳进去。
那么，现在我用你的矛来戳你的盾，看看结果会怎样呢？”
那个人窘得连一句话也答不上来。
重点词汇及短语：
run a business经营生意，做买卖
shield 盾
spear 矛
brag 夸耀，吹牛
pierce 刺穿
embarrassed 尴尬的，窘迫的
10 按图索骥
In the Spring and Autumn Period, a man named Bo Le is an expert in identifying a good horse.
He put his experiences in this area into his book Physiognomy Of Horses, which illustrated all kinds of horses with rich pictures and words.
His son wanted to learn his skill about identifying a good horse. Then he read the book carefully over and over again.
He thought he had mastered the skill.
Once he saw a toad along the road, whose forehead was in accord with the features of a good horse.
Then he rushed to his father and told him he had found a good steed.
Hearing this, Bo Le didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. He had to reply jokingly: “ This horse does too well in jumping, so it’s hard for us to rein it. ”
春秋时期，有个人叫伯乐，他非常善于鉴别马匹，他将自己这方面的经验写成了一本书《相马经》，书中图文并茂地介绍了各类马匹。
他的儿子想学到识马的本领。于是就把父亲的这本书反复诵读，之后，他就以为自己已经掌握了这个本领。
有一次他在路上看到了一只癞蛤蟆，前额刚好与《相马经》上的好马特征相符，便以为找到了一匹千里马，马上跑去告诉父亲。
伯乐被儿子弄得哭笑不得，就开玩笑的回答说：“这匹马太会跳了，不好驾驭。”
重点词汇及短语：
recognize: 识别
expert: 专家，行家
identify：辨别，鉴别
experience: 经验
physiognomy: 相面术，相貌
illustrated: 描绘
master: 掌握
toad: 癞蛤蟆
forehead: 前额
in accord with: 与……一致
feature: 特征
rush：奔，冲
steed：骏马
jokingly：开玩笑地
rein：驾驭
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