开贴学英语：Proverbs & Sayings

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If there is light at the end of the tunnel, the end of the present troublesome period is in sight, even if it is still a long way off.

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what goes around comes around.
出来混迟早要还的 （直接翻译：转过去的东西又回来了）

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those who are watching a sequance of events from a distance have a clear and more objective view of what is happening than those closely involved. 旁观者清

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Make hay while the sun shines

Make use of your opportunities while they last. Take a gap year between school and university and make hay while the sun shines - travel abroad, learn a language, maybe earn some money, while you are young and free.

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This proverb neatly exploits the bad associations of haste and the good ones of speed, and warns against doing anything in a hurry; the likelihood is that you won't be thinking clearly, will make mistakes, and waster time as a result:

I was making a cake in a great hurry and it was a case of more haste, less speed, because I forgot to put the eggs in and had to start again from the beginning.

欲速则不达

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Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today

This urges you to deal immediately with any task that can be done without further deliberation.

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If you are waiting for news or a communication and have received none, this is probably a good sign because, since bad news travels fast, you would hear quickly if anything bad happended. The proverb is often used to comfort people who are worrying.

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A failure or setback that is described as not the end of the world need not be viewed as a total disaster.

Cheer up! Not getting that job is not the end of the world; there are plenty of other employers wanting someone with your experience.

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Old habits die hard积习难改

it is difficult to stop yourself performing some familiar routine once the need for it has passed.

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One picture is worth a thousand words

This proverb emphasizes the greater effectiveness that a picuture - as compared with a verbal description - can have in summing up a situation.

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this advises people to take advantage of an opportunity when it arises, as such an opportunity is not likely to occur again.
机不可失，时不再来

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You pay lip service to a principle when you express agreement with it but fail to follow it in practice.

There are several industries that pay lip service to the conservation of the environment, but do not even recycle their own waste products.

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Harry and Carol take pride in saving money by dressing themselves and their children in second-hand clothes, but Harry has just spent thousands on a sports car - penny wise, pound foolish.

小精明，大傻瓜？

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The homeless can recover both hope and status by selling 'The Big Issue' on the streets instead of begging. Their exposure to the public view in this way is beneficial, because it reminds people that poverty is not a crime.

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it is better to stop something happening than to be able to put it right or find a remedy for it afterwards.

While we have a well-qualified first-aid team in the factory, we would rather avoid accidents. Workers must ensure that they follow all safety procedures, because prevention is better than cure.

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I remember going for a job interview once and feeling pretty certain of success when I met the other applicants, who looked unimpressive to me. Pride comes before a fall, though - I didn't get the job!

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You put a plan or project on the back burner when you remove it from the immediate agenda, but still keep it in mind as a future possibility.

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You rob Peter to pay Paul when you deprive one party of something in order to satisfy another.
、拆东墙补西墙？

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Rome wasn't built in a day

This advocates patience and perseverance, reminding us that it can take a long time to create something important and worthwhile.

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I like to work late in the office when the others have gone home, I really appreciate the peace when all the chatter and bustle caeases and I'm left to myself. - Silence is golden.

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Patience and perseverance will bring final success. This is a warning that steady progress is better than rash haste in trying to achieve something.

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Quiet, apparently unemotional, people may have hidden depths to their personalities.

Switzerland is renowned as a quiet country where nothing much happens. But apparently in a recent international poll on people's love lives, it turned out that the Swiss have the most exciting time - still waters run deep.

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However close friends are to each other, there comes a time in their lives when, because of circumstances, they ahve to separate.

Children can get very upset when a beloved friend is leaving the school or neighbourhood. You can only tell them that sometimes the best of friends must part, the separation isn't forever and they can keep in touch.

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It is said to be in force in a situation where there are no rules except the survival of the fittest.

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The New Year sales in the big department stores are quite fun, but you have to fight your way to the bargins - it's the law of the jungle!

神行太保

mark

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Variety is the spice of life

Change and variation make life more interesting and enjoyable.

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Virtue is its own reward

The satisfaction that comes from knowing that you have done the right thing is sufficient reward.

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Well begun is half done

If you plan a task properly and set about it methodically, it's as though the wrok were already half done.

Good planning and preparation will save you time in any job; and always have your materials assembled before you need them - well begun is half done.

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with the benefit of hindsight

You express an opinion with the benefit of hindsight about the correct management of a situation if you do so when it is over and you know how it turned out.

Philip came to us with the best credentials but, with the benefit of hindsight, we should never have appointed him managing director. the firm has lost money as a result of his mismanagement, and a lot of staff have been made redundant.