成语故事（中英对照）
第一篇：成语故事(中英对照)
抱薪救火
战国末期，秦国向魏国接连发动大规模的进攻，魏国无力抵抗，大片土地都被秦军占领了。到公元前273年，秦国又一次向魏国出兵，势头空前猛烈。
典韦出装发展计划魏王把大臣们召来，愁眉苦脸地问大家有没有使秦国退兵的办法。大臣们由于经过多年的战乱，提起打仗就吓得哆嗦，谁也不敢谈“抵抗”二字。在这大兵压境的危急时刻，多数大臣都劝魏王，用黄河以北和太行山以南的大片土地为代价，向秦王求和。
谋士苏代听了这些话，很不以为然，忙上前对魏王说：“大王，他们是因为自己胆小怕死，才让您去卖国求和，根本不为国家着想。您想，把大片土地割让给秦国虽然暂时满足了秦王的野心，但秦国的欲望是无止境的，只要魏国的土地没割完，秦军就不会停止进攻我们。”
说到这里，苏代讲了一个故事：从前有一个人，他的房子起火了，别人劝他快用水去浇灭大
火，但他不听，偏抱起一捆柴草去救火，是因为他不懂得柴草不但不能灭火反而能助长火势的道理。大王若同意拿着魏国土地去求和，不就等于抱着柴草救火吗？”
尽管苏代讲得头头是道，但是胆小的魏王只顾眼前的太平，还是依大臣们的意见把魏国大片土地割让给秦国。到公元225年，果然秦军又向魏国大举进攻，包围了国都大梁，掘开黄河大堤让洪水淹没了大梁城，魏国终于被秦国灭掉了。
故事出自《史记·魏世家》。成语“抱薪救火”比喻用错误的方法去消灭祸害，结果反而使祸害扩大。
Carrying Faggots to Put Out a Fire In the last years of the Warring States period, the State of Qin attacked the State of Wei on a large scale repeatedly and occupied large areas of land, for the State of Wei was too weak to defend itlf.In 273 B.B., the qin army launched another attack upon the State of Wei with a momentum more vigorous than ever.The king of the State of Wei summoned his officials,and asked with a worried look if anyone could propo a way to defeat the Qin army.After years of chaos caud by the wars,the officials trembled when fighting was mentioned, and no one dared to speak ofre
sistance.At the critical moment when a large enemy force was bearing down upon the border, most of the offinials persuaded the king to sue for peace, at the cost of giving away to the State of Qin the large area of land north of the Huanghe River and south of the Taihang Mountain.However Su Dai, a counllor, did not agree.He hurried up to the king and said:“Your Majesty, they don't think about the interests of the country at all.It is just becau they are cowardly and afraid of death that they ask you to sue for peace by betraying the country.Of cour you can temperarily satisfy the ambition of the king of the State of Qin is insatiably greedy.It will never stop assaulting us until our land is totally given away.”Once there was a man who hou was on fire.People told him to put out the fire with water, but he would not listen.Instead, he carried a faggot to put out the fire, only to make the fire fiercer.That was becau he didn't know that,instead of putting out the fire, faggots could only make it burning more vigorously.Isn't it equivalent to carrying faggots to put out a fire if you agree to sue for peace at the cost of the land of the State of Wei?“Though Su Dai's argument was very convincing, the king accepted the suggestion of tho officials and gave away to the State of Qin a large area of the land of the State of
Wei.For the king of the State of Wei was cowardly and only cared for peace at the moment.As might be expected,the Qin army assaulted the State of Wei on a large scale in 225 B.C.,surrounding the capital city Daliang and flooding it by digging open the dykes of the Huanghe River.The State of Wei was finally destroyed by the State of Qin.This story appears in the Historical Records Written by Sima Qian.The t phra”carrying faggots to put out a fire"is ud to mean adopting a wrong method to save a situation and ending up by making it wor.
第二篇：中英对照彩图成语故事集锦
中英对照彩图成语故事集锦
一、中国古代成语故事 1.惊弓之鸟
Birds Startled by the Mere Twang of a Bowstring
战国时期（公元前403―221年中国中原地区各诸侯国连年争战的时代）魏国有个名叫更羸的人。一天，他对国王说：“我只要拉开弓，空射一下，就能把天上的鸟射下来。”国王不
相信。更羸便对准天上飞来的一只雁射去，果真那只雁听到拉弦的声音就掉了下来。国王感到很奇怪。更羸说，“那是一只受过伤的雁。它一听到我拉开弓弦的声响，就惊慌得支持不住，自然要掉下来了。”
In the Warring States Period, there was a man in the State of Wei called Geng Lei.One day he said to the king: 'I can shoot down birds by simply plucking my bowstring.' When the king expresd doubt, Geng Lei pointed his bow at a wild goo flying in the sky, twanged the bowstring, and the goo fell to the ground.Geng Lei said, 'This goo has been hurt in the past.Hearing the twang of the bowstring, it assumed that it was doomed.So it simply gave up trying to live.'
寓意1：“惊弓之鸟”这个成语比喻受过惊恐之后，有一点动静就特别害怕。
This idiom means that if one has been frightened in the past one's will may become paralyd in a similar situation.寓意2：后人根据上面的故事，形成了“惊弓之鸟”这个成语，形容先前多次受过惊吓的人，忽然遇到同样可怕的事物，就吓得魂飞魄散，惊惶失措，不知如何去应付新的环境。
安妮沙利文
Henceforth comes the idiom “A bird startled by the mere twang of a bow-string”, illustrating a ca where a man who had been previously and repeatedly frightened became numb and stupefied by a new thing of the same nature not knowing how to face the new situation.例1：汤姆越狱後, 时时如惊弓之鸟, 生怕再次被捕。
Since he escaped from gaol, Tom has been living on a razor's edge, terrified of recapture.例2：地震之后，那个地区的人都成了惊弓之鸟，稍有风吹草动就要逃到街上去。海蛎子怎么保存
白娘子的传说
People there became so frightened after the quake that they would run into the streets once they nd something wrong.2.毛遂自荐
clever的反义词Mao Sui Recommending Himlf
战国时代，秦国军队攻打赵国的都城。赵国的平原君打算亲自到楚国去请救兵，想挑选一个精明能干的人一同前去。有一个名叫毛遂的人，自告奋勇愿意同去。平原君到楚国后，与楚王谈了半天，没有一点结果。毛遂怒气冲冲地拿着宝剑，逼近楚王，终于迫使楚王答应出兵，与赵国联合共同抵抗秦国。
In the Warring States Period, the State of Qin besieged the capital of the State of Zhao.Duke Pingyuan of Zhao planned to ask the ruler of the State of Chu personally for assistance.He wanted to lect a capable man to go with him.A man called Mao Sui volunteered.When the negoti-actions between the two states were stalled becau the ruler of Chu hesitated to nd troops, Mao Sui approached him, brandishing a sword.At that, the ruler of Chu agreed to help Zhao, against Qin.“毛遂自荐”这个成语用来比喻自己推荐自己，不必别人介绍。This idiom means to recommend onelf.例1：当老师问到有没有人愿意为孤寡老人服务时，同学们各个毛遂自荐，教室里一时热闹非凡。
When the teacher asked if anyone would like to help the childless old, all the students
offered to take the duty and the classroom was at once full of noi and excitement 例2：将来说不定您会需要一位新的译员。因而在此不揣冒昧，特致函向阁下毛遂自荐，敬请原谅。
Someday in the future you may have need for a new interpreter.So I take the liberty of writing you here to to offer mylf for a position in your corporation.例3：然后她坦率地告
诉他自己曾是一个妓女，她想毛遂自荐作为他的一个情妇。
After that,she told him frankly that she was a prostitute, and she wondered whether she could offer herlf as his mistress.3.世外桃源
A Haven of Peace and Happiness
东晋的文学家陶渊明写了一片著名的文章叫《桃花源记》。叙述一个渔人出外捕鱼的时候，偶然来到了桃花源这个地方。从这里通过一个山洞，发现了一个村子，这里的居民是秦朝时避难人的后代。这是一个与世隔绝、没有剥削和压迫、人人安居乐业的美好社会。渔人告别村民回家以后，再也找不到这个地方了。
Tao Yuanming, a famous writer of the Eastern Jin Dynasty(317-420), wrote the well-known essay Peach-Blossom Spring.In it he tells a story which goes like this: A fisherman happened to come upon a place called Peach-Blossom Spring.Squeezing through a cave, he found a village, the residents of which were descendants of refugees from the Qin Dynasty.It was a paradi isolated from the outside world, without exploitation or oppr
中国周边
ession, and everybody living and working in peace and contentment.The fisherman left the villagers and went home.But he could never find the place again.后来，由这个故事产生了“世外桃源”这个成语，用来比喻与世隔绝的、理想的美好世界。This idiom is derived from the above story, and is ud to mean an isolated, ideal world.例1：进入九寨沟如同进入世外桃源一般，人间烦恼都会置于脑后。
Upon entering the resort, you will find yourlf strolling in a haven of peace, leaving behind nothing but earthly troubles and vexations.例2：西藏的确是世界上最后一个世外桃源。来到这儿，我感觉好像置身于一个世外桃源。
Tibet is really the world's last Shangri-La, and when I came here, I felt as if I had been in a different world.4.南辕北辙
Going South by Driving the Chariot North
从前有个人要到南方去，他坐的车子却向北方行驶。过路人说：“你去南方，车子怎么向北行驶呢？”他回答说：“我的马很能跑路，我的车夫驾车的技术也很高明，加上我又带了充足的路费。”这个人没有考虑到，方向弄反了，他的条件越好，离他要去的地方就越远。
西安旅游攻略三日游Once a man wanted to go to the south, but his carriage was heading north.A pasr-by asked him: 'If you are going to the south, why is your chariot heading north? ' The man answered, 'My hor is good at running, my driver is highly skilled at driving a carriage, and I have enough money.' The man didn't consider that the direction might be wrong;the better his conditions were, the further he was away from his destination.后来人们就把这个故事概括为“南辕北辙”，比喻一个人的行为和他的目的正好相反。
