Egglaying, Cackling, Etc. –Xie Yi🔥背景知识：谢逸，广西人，为杂文作家。此文写于1980年8月间，用比喻的手法批评那些自我吹嘘、弄虚作假、骗取名位的人，颂扬那些默默奉献，不争功名的人。文章亦庄亦谐，饶有风趣，有很强的现实针对性。笼里养着两只母鸡，一只爱唱，另一只喜静。There were two hens in a coop. One was fond of cackling while the other liked to keep quiet.🎈为避免重复，「喜爱」译成了was fond of和like。Q： like to do和like doing有什么区别？🎈①表示时态不同。 like doing 与当下或者过往的动作有关，用于谈论已经存在或者存在过的情况时；like to do与将来相关，表示想去做某事，有种「趋向性」②表示概念不同。like doing表示「我喜欢做…事」，like to do表示「我认为做某事很好，但不一定喜欢」主人根据母鸡下蛋之后报唱的现象，以为所有的蛋都是那只唱鸡产的，因此很偏爱它，捉得蟑螂也专是喂给它吃。As it is customary for a hen to cackle after laying an egg, the chicken raiser accordingly credited the cackler with all the eggs that had been laid. As a result, he became so partial to his favourite bird that he fed her with every cockroach he caught.🎈「以为所有的蛋都是那只唱鸡产的」译为credited the cackler with all the eggs that had been laid，其中cackler即the hen that was fond of cackling；把……归功于某人 credit sb. with…🎈「因此很偏爱它」译为As a result, he became so partial to his favourite bird，其中his favourite bird是「它」的意译。其中，bird不是只有「鸟」的意思，还可以指「禽等一类带羽毛和翅膀的生物」但日子一久，秘密揭穿了：原来那只唱鸡下蛋很少，而不叫的那只却一天一个，且蛋刚落地就一声不响地离开鸡窝，由那只唱鸡站在蛋边大喊大叫。With the passing of time, however, it became known that the cackler had in fact laid very few eggs while the non-cackler kept laying one egg a day. Every time, as soon as the latter laid an egg, she quit the coop quietly, leaving the former standing by the newly-laid egg shouting and yelling her head off. 🎈此处的「但日子一久With the passing of time」和《时间即生命》中的「再看看墙上挂着的可以一张张撕下的日历with each page torn off the wall calendar」有异曲同工之处。🎈「大喊大叫」译为shouting and yelling her head off，意同shouting noisily或shouting at the top of her voice，但稍较强调。 🎈①leave sb.to do 让某人去做某事（那个某人现在还没做那件事）例句Mother leave me to watch TV.妈妈让我去看电视.（我现在没看，要去开电视了。）②leave sb. doing 让某人一直做某事（那个某人一直在做那件事）例句Mother leave me watching TV.妈妈让我一直看电视.（我一直在看）③leave sb. adj.让某人保持一种状态例句Don’t leave him alone.不要让他孤单。闲聊时和朋友谈及此事，他以为我是言外之意不在鸡，而是在论人。其实，古人早就以鸡喻人了，《尚书·牧誓》里就有“牝鸡无晨”之句。Once, when I chatted with a friend about this, he thought what I had in mind was not the hen, but men in general. As a matter of fact, our forefathers long ago already drew an analogy between the hen and man, as witness the Chinese idiom “No hen crows at dawn” (meaning “No woman is to usurp man’s power”) in The Book of History: Mu Shi.🎈考虑，想到 have in mind事实上As a matter of fact 很久以前long ago=once upon a time🎈以……为证 as witness…例句My father prospered perceptibly, as witness the garage, the Ford, the trips by train and steamship. 我的父亲明显地发达了，有了车库和福特车，坐火车和轮船出差。🎈牝鸡无晨译为No hen crows at dawn (meaning “No woman is to usurp man’s power”)，其中括号内的文字是译者增添的成分，起注释作用，有助于海外读者对原文成语的理解。说到人，在我们中确是有很多沉默寡言的人，他们牢牢蹲在自己的岗位上，夜以继日，埋头苦干，替国家创造了大量的物质财富，为人民作出一项又一项的优异成绩。他们像母鸡一样，吞的是粗糠老菜，产下的是蛋，而且往往一声不响。It is true that there are among us many who stick to their posts and quietly immerse themselves in hard work day and night, creating enormous material wealth for the state and achieving one success after another for the people. Like the above-mentioned good layer, they eat simple food, but lay eggs, often without making a fanfare.🎈坚守岗位stick to one’s postQ: state和country的区别？🎈country指国家时,侧重疆土或人口, 又作「乡下」讲。state指国家时,侧重政体、政府,也可指组成国家的「州」🎈「他们像母鸡一样」译作Like the above-mentioned good layer ，用above-mentioned一词把聒噪争功的一类母鸡排除在外。🎈「往往一声不响」译为often without making a fanfare。To make a fanfare是成语，作「大吹大擂」解。 但也有一种人，嘴尖舌长，能说会道，自我吹嘘，滔滔不绝，像那只爱唱的母鸡一样，占着个鸡窝不下蛋。个别恶劣的还窃取别人的成果去报喜称功，一点不觉得惭愧。There are among us, however, another kind of people who, armed with a glib tongue, indulge in incessant self-glorification and, like the above-mentioned cackler, hold on to the coop without laying any egg. Some few even go so far as to brazenly claim credit for work that was done by others. 🎈「占着个鸡窝不下蛋」译为hold on to the coop without laying any egg，其中to hold on to 是成语，作「抓住不放」解，和to stick to以及to cling to同义。 🎈even go so far as to包含so…as to结构。其中，far表示恶劣程度之深。本来，考核一个人的成绩，不是听他唱得好听不好听，而是看他“下蛋不下蛋”。 但那善于炫耀和卖弄的人，生一个蛋就唱得像是生了十个似的，只做出三分成绩就吹成十分，The proper way to evaluate a person is of course by watching whether or not he “lays eggs” not by listening to him singing his own praises. When a braggart lays one egg, he will talk in such a way as if he had laid ten eggs. When he puts in a tiny bit of work, he will talk as if he had done ten times as much.🎈赞美、赞扬某人 sing one’s praises《白杨礼赞》中：我赞美白杨树！Let me sing its praises.🎈in such a way as if…中such是限定词(用于名词词组前强调某事的程度或某事了不起)，意为「如此，这样，非常」例句The economy was not in such bad shape.经济状况并不是特别糟糕。🎈倍数+as much 几倍（多）碰上个凡事只用耳朵听不用眼睛看的糊涂长官，自然就博得了偏爱，于是一帆风顺，扶摇直上了。He will naturally find favour with a muddle-headed boss who trusts his ears more than his eyes. The braggart will thus find himself quickly climbing up the social ladder.🎈「一帆风顺，扶摇直上」译为quickly climbing up the social ladder，其中to climb up the ladder是成语，作to rise to power and position解。 补充扶摇直上：形容地位、名声、价值等迅速往上升，比喻仕途得意。（出自《庄子·逍遥游》：“鹏之徙于南冥也，水击三千里，抟扶摇而上者九万里。”）而那些埋头“下蛋”的人，由于他们一声不响，默默无闻，就很少为人所知，更不受重视。因此，他们既没有“蟑螂”可吃，甚至连个“下蛋的窝”也没有。As to those engrossed in “laying eggs”, because they are reserved and content to live in obscurity they gain little public attention, let alone recognition. They are given no “cockroaches” to eat. They do not even have a “shelter for egglaying”.🎈「一声不响，默默无闻」译为are reserved and content to live in obscurity，其中reserved作「缄默寡言」解，content to live in obscurity意即「甘于寂寞」喜唱或是爱静，本来只是人的一种个性，由于是长期养成的习惯，要完全改过来也颇不容易，It is in one’s nature to be either noisy or quiet. As something ingrained, it cannot be completely changed overnight.🎈「要完全改过来也颇不容易」译作it cannot be completely changed overnight。其中，overnight是添加成分，表示「突然，一下子，一夜之间」，文章虽无其词，却有其意。 但是，在新长征的途程中，人的生命到底有限，而探索宇宙奥秘的道路却又那样的无限和悠长，结果一天到晚都用于高谈阔论，搞“假、大、空”，又哪有时间及精力去钻研和攻关呢？But life is short while the probe into the mysteries of the universe is long and unlimited. If we indulge in empty talk and trickery day and night, how can we have time and energy for serious study and tackling key problems confronting the country on its new Long March towards modernization?🎈……结果一天到晚都用于……处理成了If…。翻译时对中文潜藏的逻辑关系理解非常重要。🎈注意译者对「在新长征的途程中」的处理方法。confronting the country on its new Long March towards modernization作key problems的后置定语。其中，towards modernization是结合当时写作背景补充的成分。最重要的还是认真蹲在“窝”里，多为九亿人民“下蛋”。 The most important thing is to stand fast to the “coop” and “lay” more “eggs” for this nation of 900,000,000 people. 🎈「认真蹲在“窝”里」译为to stand fast to the coop，其中to stand to是成语，和to stick to同义；stand fast表示「紧紧的，稳固的」，是惯用语。🔥必背词汇customary adj.习俗的;习惯的英义Customary is used to describe things that people usually do in a particular society or in particular circumstances. 例句It is customary to offer a drink or a snack to guests…向客人提供一杯饮料或一份点心是一种习俗。partial adj. 喜欢的；偏爱的英义If you are partial to something, you like it.例句He’s partial to sporty women with blue eyes.他喜欢爱运动的蓝眼睛女子。engross v.使全神贯注英义if something engrosses you, it is so interesting that you give it all your attention and time.例句They seemed to be engrossed in conversation.他们好像在聚精会神地谈话。forefather cn.(尤指男性)祖先，先人英义Your forefathers are your ancestors, especially your male ancestors.例句They were determined to go back to the land of their forefathers.他们决意回到祖先的土地上。usurp v.夺取，篡夺，侵占英义If you say that someone usurps a job, role, title, or position, they take it from someone when they have no right to do this.例句The Congress wants to reverse the reforms and usurp the power of the presidency.议会企图颠覆改革，夺取总统权力。analogy cn.相似，类似，类推，类比英义If you make or draw an analogy between two things, you show that they are similar in some way. 例句No analogy exists between them.他们之间没有相似之处。fanfare n.大张旗鼓的宣传英义If something happens with a fanfare, it happens or is announced with a lot of publicity. If something happens without a fanfare, it happens without a lot of fuss or publicity.例句The departure of the South Korean prime minister was marked with little fanfare.韩国首相悄无声息地离开了。brazenly adv.厚脸皮地，厚颜无耻地，明目张胆地英义openly and without shame, usually about something that people find shocking.例句How dare he distort the facts so brazenly!他怎么敢如此肆无忌惮地歪曲事实!🔥重点表达一……另一…… one…the other…把……归功于某人 credit sb. with…让某人一直做某事leave sb. doing 让某人保持一种状态leave sb. adj. 牝鸡无晨No hen crows at dawn (meaning “No woman is to usurp man’s power”)考虑；想到 have in mind事实上As a matter of fact 很久以前long ago=once upon a time以……为证 as witness…坚守岗位stick to one’s post夜以继日day and night下蛋 lay eggs下蛋的窝a shelter for egglaying大吹大擂make a fanfare抓住不放hold on to/stick to/to cling to赞美、赞扬某人 sing one’s praises一帆风顺，扶摇直上quickly climbing up the social ladder默默无闻live in obscurity很少为人所知gain little public attention新长征new Long March （towards…）🔥复盘测试一……另一……把……归功于某人 让某人一直做某事让某人保持一种状态牝鸡无晨考虑；想到事实上很久以前以……为证 坚守岗位夜以继日下蛋下蛋的窝大吹大擂抓住不放赞美、赞扬某人一帆风顺，扶摇直上默默无闻很少为人所知新长征🔥表达对比「更不用说」有几种表达？由于他们一声不响，默默无闻，就很少为人所知，「更不」受重视。As to those engrossed in “laying eggs”, because they are reserved and content to live in obscurity they gain little public attention, let alone recognition. 它的宽大的叶子也是片片向上，几乎没有斜生的，「更不用说」倒垂了；Their leaves are broad and point upwards with very few slanting sideways, much less upside down.他会说德语和法语，「更不用说」英语了。He can speak German and French, not to speak of English.这个句子别扭得很，「更不用说」它语义晦涩了。This sentence is very awkward, to say nothing of its being obscure.老人、小孩都不赞成这个建议，「更不用说」年轻人了。Old folks and children are all against the proposal, not to mention the youth.他对我很和善，「更不用说」对我哥哥了。He is kind to me, still more to my elder brother.
帕布莉卡