“忙得四腳朝天”用英語(yǔ)怎么說(shuō)

Donny在北京學(xué)中文。他的中國(guó)朋友要是遇到了不知道用美語(yǔ)怎么說(shuō)的詞，就會(huì)來(lái)請(qǐng)教他。今天是楊琳要問(wèn)的：忙。

Donny：Hi 楊琳，what's up? I haven't seen you in ages.

YL: 別提了，我最近特別忙，I am really busy! 忙得四腳朝天，怎么說(shuō)...four feet up!

Donny: four feet up? I can imagine. But in English, we don't say that...You can say I'm up to my neck in work.

YL: I'm up to my neck... in work ? 工作太多，堆到和脖子一樣高？被工作壓得喘不過(guò)氣來(lái)。這個(gè)說(shuō)法太形象了! 還有別的嗎？

Donny: There is another expression that also has to do with body parts. It is "I've got my hands full".

YL: I've got my hands full。我明白了，就是說(shuō)兩手都沒(méi)閑著。

Donny: Exactly. Oh, I just thought of another one---"I have a lot on my plate".

YL: I have a lot on my plate? plate, p-l-a-t-e, plate 不是盤(pán)子么？說(shuō)盤(pán)子里有很多東西，那一定是...忙著吃呢吧？

Donny: That's possible! Anyway, when you say you have a lot on your plate, it means you're busy.

YL: 我知道了。哎呀，我快遲到了，快，再教最后一個(gè)。

Donny: Okay, this one will be easier to remember-- I've got a million things to do!

YL: 太夸張了吧! I've got a million things to do! 有一百萬(wàn)件事情等著我去做。

Donny: Right! Now, Yang Lin, tell me what you've learned today!

YL: 今天學(xué)到的還真不少。形容特別忙可以說(shuō)，I'm up to my neck in work，工作堆到脖子了；I've got my hands full, 兩手都占著呢；I have a lot on my plate，盤(pán)子里堆得滿(mǎn)滿(mǎn)的。哎呀! 我得趕緊走人了，I've got a million things to do!