Useful English Expression
bite off more than one can chew 自不量力;好高騖遠
Meaning: undertake or commit oneself to do more than one can accomplish
字面上的意思是我們不論吃什麼東西都只能一口一口吃,一點一點嚼。人的嘴巴容量是有限的,再好吃的東西,再愛吃的東西,也只能咬一口,吃一口。如果貪多貪快,一下咬下一大口,那就會有嚼不下去,嚥不下去也消化不了。現多用來比喻一個人好高騖遠,高估自己能力的情況。
He thought his English was good enough to translate that short story, but soon after he began, he found he had bitten off more than he could chew.
You want to learn English, French, and German all at once? Young man, you will bite off more than you can chew.
你想同時學英、法、德三種語言? 年輕人,你也太自不量力了。
Dave has always been successful, but it looks as though this time he has bitten off more than he can chew.
build castles in the air 做白日夢;不切實際
Meaning: certain a wish or hope that has little chance of fulfillment
castle是古代歐洲的城堡,和所有的建築物一樣,城堡必須在打下堅固的地基之後,方可在地面上實實在在地建造起來。在空中建造城堡無疑是件不可能的任務。因此,build castles in the air就用來表示“做一些不切實際的空想”,或者說“做白日夢”,和我們的“空中閣樓”、“海市蜃樓”都是來表示不可能實現,只存在於幻想中的事情的說法十分接近。這個說法中的the air也有人用Spain一詞代替,即build castles in Spain:
You’d better stop building castles in the air and get down to some practical work.
你最好不要再做種種空想,該踏踏實實做事了。
When he was young he used to build castles in the air and thus did not succeed in anything.
You will be building castles in the air if you attempt to become a musician and an architect at once.
你想同時成為音樂家和建築師,這未免太不切實際了。
give (free) rein to 任憑…自由馳騁; 自由決定
Meaning: permit to act without restraint
rein指的是套在馬身上的繮繩,駕車的人拉著繮繩便控制著馬的前進方向,因此,rein有control的意思,give (free) rein to somebody 的意思是“把繮繩交給某人,讓某人自由地去駕駛”,意即“把控制權交給某人,讓某人按自己的意願自由地去行動”,有時甚至有“放任、縱容”的意思:
Our principal is very liberal-minded. He gives free rein to the teachers in the way they teach and evaluate their students.
我們的校長十分開明,老師怎麼教、怎麼考,他都由他們自己去決定。
Do you think it advisable for parents to give free rein to their teenage children so as to develop their individuality?
你覺得家長對十來歲的孩子採取放任態度,讓他們自由發展這種作法可取嗎?
When left alone in her room in the evening, she stared out of the window at the starry night sky and gave rein to her imagination.
當夜晚來臨,她獨自一人留在房中,仰望窗外繁星密佈的夜空,任憑她的思想自由地馳騁。
He’s quite disciplined, you know. He never gives free rein to his feelings.
play fast and loose 朝三暮四
Meaning: deal irresponsibly
fast and loose是一對相反詞,兩者都是副詞。從字面上雖看不出play fast and loose是什麼意思。但至少fast和loose這對相反詞給了點啟示,即“時緊時鬆、經常變化、缺乏一貫性”。正是如此,play fast and loose是表示某些人的作為和處事態度的成語,有些人對友誼、工作、政治、愛情不是始終不渝,而是朝三暮四,一日一變,這種作法即為play fast and loose,當然,這是一種不可取的處事態度。
Mary’s mother warns her that the boy with whom she has been going out recently has a bad reputation of playing fast and loose with the affection of girls.
The two political parties both refused to admit him for he had played fast and loose with either of them.
兩個政黨都不願意接受他,因為他對兩個黨的忠誠都不專一。
I’m afraid she is the kind of person who’s willing to play fast and loose with other people’s feelings in order to get what she wants.
source: voa special English / the key to English
整理: Josie Lai
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李家同(3)

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1樓搶頭香
走向紅地毯
dom87
天長地久的愛情就在你心中,
只要你真心的付出,執著的追求,
勇敢的犧牲,真愛就在你的身上發
生。愛是一種無私的付出和犧牲,
愛的回報就是對方的永遠快樂和幸
福,如果你愛對方,那麼你會因為
對方快樂而快樂,因為對方幸福而
幸福。
f4qm6r