VOA慢速英語：詞匯掌故：傾盆大雨

The Good and the Bad of Rain and Clouds

詞匯掌故：傾盆大雨

Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.

現(xiàn)在是美國之音慢速英語詞匯掌故節(jié)目。

On this program we explore common words and expressions in American English.

在這個(gè)節(jié)目中，我們將會(huì)探討美式英語中的常見詞匯和表達(dá)。

Some are very common. For example, I'm sure that most of you have heard the expression "raining cats and dogs." We use it when it is raining very, very hard. In other words, when it is pouring!

有些很常見。例如，我相信大多數(shù)人都聽過“瓢潑大雨”。當(dāng)雨下得非常大的時(shí)候我們經(jīng)常會(huì)用到這句。換句話說，就是傾盆大雨。

Now, we have another useful expression about hard rain: "When it rains, it pours!" This means that when something bad happens, other bad things usually happen at the same time. We often use this saying after someone describes a lot of bad things, one after the other, like in this example.

現(xiàn)在我們有了另一種關(guān)于大雨的常用表達(dá)：“When it rains, it pours!(禍不單行)”這句話的意思是當(dāng)發(fā)生不好的事情時(shí)，通常就會(huì)同時(shí)發(fā)生其它不好的事情。我們會(huì)在有人講述一個(gè)接一個(gè)的許多不好的事情之后用到這種說法，例如下面的例子：

Boy, my sister is really having a hard time these days.

老弟，我妹妹這些天太倒霉了。

Why? What's wrong?

為啥?出什么事了?

First, someone stole her car. Then she broke her arm in a biking accident and a falling tree cut a hole in her house – all in one week!

先是有人偷走了她的車，然后她騎車出事摔斷了胳膊，一棵樹倒了把她家砸了個(gè)洞，這些都發(fā)生在同一個(gè)星期。

That is one unlucky week. You know what they say: When it rains, it pours.

倒霉的一周!人們常說：禍不單行!

When using this expression, know that it can be helpful in any situation. You can say it to your best friend or to your employer. Also, we often say it in a sing-song way, like this – "When it rains ... it pours."

當(dāng)使用這種表達(dá)時(shí)，要知道凡事都會(huì)有有利的一面。你可以對(duì)你最好的朋友或老板說。此外我們經(jīng)常像唱歌一樣念出來，就像這樣，“禍不單行吶。”

Now, the Merriam-Webster dictionary says that English speakers use this idiom for a series of bad things. However, other websites say you can also use it to describe many good things. While I have heard it used to describe many good things, more often than not, the "rain" in this expression represents bad things.

韋氏在線詞典稱英語人士使用這句俗語來談?wù)撘幌盗械姑故?。然而另一些網(wǎng)站稱，它也可以用于描述很多美好的事情。雖然我聽過它用于描述很多美好的事情，但通常情況下，這句表達(dá)里面的雨都代表倒霉事。

So, even though we mostly use "When it rains, it pours" for bad situations, you can also use it in good ones. However, we only use the next one in bad times.

所以，即使我們大多把“When it rains, it pours”用于倒霉事，它也可以用于美好的事情。然而，下一種表達(dá)就只用于倒霉事。

If a person is under a cloud, they are thought to have done something bad or dishonorable. A person might even be a under a certain type of cloud, such as a cloud of suspicion. If you are living under a cloud of suspicion, other people believe that you have done something wrong.

如果我們說一個(gè)人籠罩在一片云之下，他們通常被認(rèn)為是做了什么不好的事情。我們可以說某人籠罩在某種特定類型的陰云之下，例如籠罩在一片疑云之下。如果你籠罩在一片疑云之下，意思就是其他人認(rèn)為你做了不好的事情。

But, we use this expressions for companies and organizations as well – not just people. For example, currently many scandals surround some women's gymnastic organizations and some universities in the United States. They are under a cloud of suspicion.

但是，我們也可以將這種表達(dá)用于公司和組織，而不僅僅是個(gè)人。例如，目前許多丑聞圍繞著美國一些女子體操組織和大學(xué)，它們都籠罩在一片疑云之下。

However, if you add a few extra words to the phrase, the meaning changes greatly. If I am living under a dark cloud, it means I am depressed and sad all the time. We can make this phrase even more descriptive by saying "living under the dark cloud of depression" or "living under the dark cloud of poverty." So, you see -- there are different types of dark clouds you can live under.

然而，如果給這句短語添加一些額外的單詞，則意義就會(huì)發(fā)生很大變化。例如，如果說我生活在一片烏云之下，意思就是我總是感到詛喪和悲傷。我們可以說生活在蕭條的烏云之下，或生活在貧窮的烏云之下，使這句話更具體。所以，你看，有各種不同類型的烏云。

But even for people living under a dark cloud, there is hope. There is always hope. And that brings us to our last expression: Every cloud has a silver lining.

但是即使生活在烏云之下的人們也有希望。希望總是在的。這就給我們帶來了最后一種表達(dá)：“守得云開見月明。”

This expression means there is always something hopeful in even the most difficult or unhappy situation. A silver lining on a cloud shows that the sun is behind it. Even a really terrible, bad event may produce something happy or hopeful.

這種表達(dá)的意思是即使是最困難或悲傷的情況下，也總會(huì)有一線希望。云朵的銀邊表明太陽躲在背后。即使是非常糟糕的事情也會(huì)產(chǎn)生一些快樂或充滿希望的事情。

For example, let's say a friend of yours is in a car crash. She is not badly hurt but her car is too damaged to fix. When the tow truck driver comes to take her car off the road, she starts talking to him. They find out that they share a love of old cars. So, they plan to meet the following weekend at a car show. Soon they become great friends. When she tells this story to her friends and family, they often say the same thing: Every cloud has a silver lining!

例如，假如某位朋友發(fā)生了車禍，她受傷不重，但是車損嚴(yán)重。當(dāng)拖車司機(jī)來給她拖車時(shí)，她開始跟他交談。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)他們都喜歡舊車。所以，他們打算在下周車展上見面。很快他們就成為了好朋友。當(dāng)她給親朋好友講述這件事情的時(shí)候，他們通常都會(huì)說：塞翁失馬焉知非福。

And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories!

以上就是本次詞匯掌故節(jié)目的全部?jī)?nèi)容。

I'm Anna Matteo.

安娜·馬特奧報(bào)道。