英语写作中如何引用谚语

众所周知，谚语乃是一种语言的精华，寓意深刻，表达隽永。在英语写作中如能适当地引用一些英语谚语，可以为文章增辉添彩。在写作时如何把平时积累的谚语恰当地引用到文章中去呢？以下总结了英语中常见的引用谚语的地道表达法，供同学们写作时模仿使用。　　　　
谚语在英语中叫proverb，引用时经常会在其前面酌情加上old, Chinese, English, Russian之类的形容词；动词一般用go, say, state, has it, put it等，在这些动词后面用逗号或冒号皆可。谚语可加双引号（这时谚语的第一个字母要大写），也可不加双引号（这时第一个字母一般不大写）。引用谚语的表达方式常见的有如下几种：　　　　

（1) A proverb goes / says, ……
As a / the proverb goes / says, ……　　　　

A Yiddish proverb goes, “Better to lose with a wise man than win with a fool.”　　　　
有一句依地语谚语说得好，“宁输智者，不赢傻子。”　　　　
A proverb says, “Medicine cures the man who is fated not to die.”　　　　
有一句谚语说，“命不该死有药救。”　　　　
As a Chinese proverb goes, “Don’t climb a tree to look for fish.”　　　　
正如中国的一句谚语所说，“不要缘木求鱼。”　　　　
As the old Chinese proverb says, “If you do not enter a tiger’s den, you cannot get her cubs.”　　　　
正如中国的一句谚语所说，“不入虎穴，焉得虎子。”　　　　

（2) As a / the proverb has it / puts it,……　　
A proverb has it that ……　　　　

As a Spanish proverb has it, “Flies don’t enter a closed mouth.”　　　　
正如一句西班牙谚语所说，“祸从口入。”　　　　
As a Navajo proverb puts it, “What comes around goes around.”　　　　
正如纳瓦霍族的一句谚语所说，“一报还一报。”　　　　
As a local proverb here in Chad puts it: A woman who is pregnant has one foot in the grave.　　　　
正如乍得当地的一句谚语所说：女人怀宝宝，鬼门关上走一遭。
An old proverb has it that “if the thorn doesn't scratch when it first emerge, it will never scratch.”　　　　
有一句古老的谚语说，“如果荆棘刚长出时不扎手，那么它就永远不扎手。”　　　　

（3) There is a proverb: ……　　
There is a / the proverb that goes / states, ……　　　　

There’s an African proverb: “Educate a boy, and educate an individual. Educate a girl, and you educate a community.”　　　　有一句非洲的谚语说：“教育好一个男孩，仅教育好一人。教育好一个女孩，则教育好一群人。”　　　　There’s a Russian proverb that goes: you must support the most talented people because untalented people will support themselves.　　　　
有一句俄罗斯谚语说，你须拥戴贤人，庸者仅会自顾。　　　　
There is an old Jewish proverb that states: “A Shekel is always better in my pocket than in yours.”　　　　
有一句古老的犹太谚语说：“金币在我口袋里总比在你口袋里强。”　　　　

（4) ……, a / the proverb goes, ……　　
……, goes a / the proverb, ……　　　　

“A river is deep,” an old African proverb goes, “because of its source.”　　　　
有一句古老的非洲谚语说，河有源泉水才深。　　　　
To kill a snake, goes an old African proverb, you must first crush the head.　　　　
有一句古老的非洲谚语说，打蛇先打头。　　

（5) …… have a proverb that goes, ……　　
There exists a proverb. It goes, ……　　　　

The Arabs have a proverb that goes, “When the sultan’s dog died, everyone marched in his funeral. But when the sultan himself died, no one marched at all.”
阿拉伯人有一句谚语是这样说的，“当苏丹的狗死了，人人都为之送葬。而当苏丹死了，却无人为之送葬。”

谚语作为群众集体智慧的结晶，多具有鲜明的民族性和地域特色。由于中西文化的差异，一些在汉语中人们耳熟能详的谚语却未必为西方人所理解。所以在引用汉语谚语时，如果中国特色过于浓厚，则可舍其形而取其意，写成英语中与之意思对等的西方谚语。例如，有的同学想表达这个意思：本性难移，于是写道：As a Chinese proverb goes, a dog cannot change its habit of eating shit. 这样写不但失之粗鄙，还会让爱犬的西方人大惑不解。所以，这个意思宜写成A leopard cannot change its spots. 或者A fox may grow gray, but never good.