【字面理解】身為愷撒妻,不可被人疑。
【英文解析】The associates of public figures must not even be suspected of wrongdoing.
【中文解析】與偉人交往的人不可有穢名
【典型例句】① When the newspapers reported the rumor that the lieutenant governor had failed to pay his taxes, the governor forced him to resign, saying, “Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion.”當(dāng)多家報(bào)紙披露了副州長逃 稅的傳言后,州長認(rèn)為“身為副州長,不可有穢名”, 勒令其辭職。
② Like Caesar’s wife, a journalist must be above suspicion—Bel Ami, Guy de Maupassant 作為一名新聞工作者,應(yīng)像愷撒的妻子一樣,不能讓 人說閑話。——莫泊?!镀僚笥选?/p>
【注釋】諺語。Caesar’s wife指的是愷撒的第二任妻子龐 培婭(Pompeia)。在她主持的祭祀慈愛女神的活動[1] 中,克洛迪烏斯(Catullus)男扮女裝闖入其中,之后羅馬有個(gè)風(fēng)俗,即每年12月初,羅馬的各級長官家里會輪流組織祭 祀慈愛女神的活動,該活動只允許上流社會的女性參加。謠言四起,大家風(fēng)傳兩人有染。雖然后來沒有任何證 據(jù)證明龐培婭失節(jié),但愷撒仍然堅(jiān)持離婚,理由是“I thought my wife ought not even to be under suspicion," 由此衍生了該習(xí)語。變體:Caesar’s wife should or ought to be above suspicion。