Chinese Idiom
1. 天涯原咫尺，到处可逢君。World is but a little place, after all. Explanation: It is used when a person meets someone he knows or is in someway connected with him in a place where he would never have expected to do so.Example: (在火车上，你突然遇到一个同公司但不同部门的同事，你说) 怎么你也出差去深圳吗？真是天涯原咫尺，到处可逢君哪。
2. 入乡随俗 When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Explanation: Conform to the manners [...]
Love Motto
Where there is great love, there are always miracles.
哪里有真爱存在，哪里就有奇迹。
Love is like a butterfly. It goes where it pleases and it pleases where it goes.
爱情就像一只蝴蝶，它喜欢飞到哪里，就把欢乐带到哪里。
If I had a single flower for every time I think about you, I could walk forever in my garden.
假如每次想起你我都会得到一朵鲜花，那么我将永远在花丛中徜徉。
Within you I lose myself, without you I find myself [...]
Cassandra’s Dream A Tragedy of Human Nature
Cassandra, the beauty having the gift of prophecy. In Greek mythology, Cassandra (also known as Alexandra) was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Her beauty caused Apollo to grant her the gift of prophecy. However, when she did not return his love, Apollo placed a curse on her so that no [...]
1000 English Mottos Part 3
201. All is not gold that glitters.
闪光未必尽黄金。
202. Money is the root of evil.
金钱是罪恶的根源。
203. Money makes the mare go.
有钱能使鬼推磨。
204. All things are obedient to money.
一切事物都服从于金钱。
205. Before gold, even kings take off their hats.
在黄金面前，国王也要脱帽。
[...]
Tongue Twister
Here are some English tongue twisters. Enjoy your oral pain! J
A big black bear sat on a big black bug.
A big black bug bit a big black bear and made the big black bear bleed blood.
A big black bug bit a big black dog on his big black nose!
A loyal warrior will rarely worry why [...]
Secret Lady Daily English 20060816
Q：Arouse 、 rouse 两字有什么分别？
A：查《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》， arouse 是「激起」或「唤醒」， rouse 也是「激起」或「唤醒」，无法看出有什么分别。事实上，两字也大致通用，例如： I aroused / roused him early in the morning （我大清早就把他唤醒）。
一般而言， arouse 多指激发感情， rouse 则多指把人激发，所以 rouse 的受词（ object ）往往是人， arouse 的受词往往是说感情的字，例如：
（1 ） The proposed sales tax has aroused strong opposition （征收销售税的提议，引起强烈反对）。
（2 ） The sight of the woman holding her dead child aroused my pity （看见那女人抱死去的孩子，令我动了同情心）。
（3 ） A loud [...]
Secret Lady Daily English 20060815
Q：The company was to blame for shrinking revenues 这一句，可不可以改作 The company was blamed for shrinking revenues ？
A：The company was blamed / was to blame for shrinking revenues 两个说法都正确，只是意思有点不同。
Blame 有两个意思，一是「责备」，用法和普通及物动词（ transitive verb ）相同，有主动（ active voice ）和被动语态（ passive voice ），例如：
He blamed the pedestrian for the accident / The pedestrian was blamed for the accident （他责备那个引起这宗意外事故的行人/那行人因引起这宗意外事故而被责备）。
Blame 的另一个意思，是「应负上过失的责任」或「应受责备」，习惯用在 be [...]
Secret Lady Daily English 20060813
Wellington served as commander of the British forces in the Peninsular War between Britain and France. As the war progressed, the soldiers of his army became adept at living off the country. On one occasion, Wellington himself caught a soldier staggering along carrying a stolen beehive.
“Hallo, sir, where did you get that beehive?” asked Wellington.
The [...]
Secret Lady Daily English 20060812
Q: 翻译 quality 一字，quality 是「质素」还是「素质」？有人说「素质」是新中国词语，以前没有，对吗？
A:春秋时代《管子．势》说用兵宜主静，而求静必须素质虚空：「素质不留，与地同极。」「素质」不是新中国词语，一九七一年初版的梁实秋《最新实用汉英辞典》以及一九七四年初版的何容《国语日报辞典》，都只有「素质」，没有「质素」。
至于「质素」一词，出现时代似乎晚于「素质」，一九四七年初版的《辞海》有「质素」而无「素质」，但这两个词其实可以通用。当然，翻译 quality 一字，不一定要用「素质」或「质素」，例如： One important quality of gold is its malleability （黄金的一个重要特质，是延展力强）。
Quality 和「素质」最不同的，是 quality 可用在名词之前，作形容词，指「上等的」，推销员、商业广告等尤其爱用这个字，例如：
（1 ） We are a company specialising in quality self-assembly furniture （敝公司专门经营上等的自行装配家具）。
（2 ） The restaurant aims to provide quality food and service （这家餐厅务求膳食精美，服务优良）。这个 quality ，不可直译做「素质」，而现代汉语必须以英文为骨汉字为肉，那怎么办？有现代汉语高手想到「优质」二字。从此优质家具、优质膳食、优质服务、优质 XYZ 等大行其道，「上品」、「一流」、「高级」等中文词语一扫而空，是之谓优质汉语
Sucirst 点评：
翻译成 质量 即可。
1000 English Mottos Part 2
101. Lying is the first step to the gallows.
说谎是上断头台的第一步。
102. Waste not, want not.
俭以防匮。
103. From saving comes having.
富有来自节俭。
104. A penny saved is a penny gained.
省一文是一文。
105. Take care of the pence and the pound will take care of themselves.
金钱积少便成多。
106. Frugality is an estate alone.
节俭本身就是一宗财产。
107. He that regards not a penny, [...]
A Japanese Poem Translation
试译千缕风诗一首
从Kenji的space上看到了一首貌似流传比较广的小诗，试着翻译了一下：
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am [...]
Secret Lady Daily English 20060811
Q：This is she / her （这就是她）、 It is she / her （那就是她）这两句，应用 her 还是 she ？
A：语法上，应说 This / It is she 。
读者也许会问： This 是句子主词（ subject ），「她」是受词（ object ），为什么不用受词 her ？ I saw her （我看见她）、 I followed her （我跟她）等句子，总不能改作 I saw she 、 I followed she 吧？
其实 be （包括 is 、 were 等变体）和 see 、 follow [...]
Secret Lady Daily English 20060810
Ｑ: 某网站”A Word a Day”（一日一字）专栏授 lay low 一词，例句是 He decided to lay low for awhile until his friend forgot that he had damaged his car （他决定沉寂一会儿，待朋友把他毁坏汽车的事遗忘）。这一句 lay low 二字用得正确吗？
Ａ:这句英文有两个错误，一是 for awhile ，一是 lay low 。
Awhile 是副词（ adverb ），可修饰动词，意思是「片刻」或 for a short time ；
例句： Let’s sleep awhile （我们小睡一下吧）
a while 则是名词，可用在介系词（ preposition ）之后，意思是「一段时间」或 for a period of [...]
Secret Lady Daily English 20060807
At the end of the Mexican War in 1848, General William Tecumseh Sherman was sent to survey the lands of New Mexico and Arizona, which the Americans had won from the Mexicans.
On his return President Taylor asked Sherman what he thought of the lands. Had they been worth fighting for? Recalling the arid lands from [...]
Secret Lady Daily English 20060804
Q：读英文报纸，见到 Indonesia has been hit by a second tsunami in as many years 一语， in as many 这说法是怎样用的？
A:查《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》，也有「 He made ten mistakes in as many lines 他在十行中就出了十个错」例句。
英文一个常用句式，是句子先说一个数字，然后用 as many 说数目上和这数字相同的事物，所以介系词（ preposition ）不一定用 in ，例如：
（1 ） Seven topics were discussed at as many （= seven ） meetings （七个会议讨论了七个题目）。
（2 ） They beat us in three football games, [...]
Secret Lady Daily English 20060803
Q：一家社区学院来信欢迎我读副学士课程，说二○○四至○五学年有超过二百八十个文学副学士毕业生升上大学，其中超过一百人入了香港大学文学院、育学院、社会科学院： More than 280 Associate of Arts students continued their bachelor’s degree study. Among which, more than 100 students were admitted to the faculties of Arts, Education, and Social Sciences in HKU 。文中continued 一字用得对吗？
A：Continued their bachelor’s degree study 即「继续其学士学位课程」，但香港的所谓副学士课程根本不是学士课程一部分，毕业生可以说「升读」学士课程，却不可说「继续」。我希望这只是无心之失，而不是有意蒙混，把副学士、学士混为一谈，以高副学士身价。
此外， Among which 二字也很不妥当。 Which 是连接词兼代名词，可连接两个句子，却不可用来起句；可作事物的代名词，却不可作人的代名词。
The committee had ten members. There were disagreements among them （委员会有十名成员，大家意见并不一致）这两句，可改写作
The committee [...]
1000 English Mottos Part 1
001. An idle youth, a needy age.
少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲。
002. Time flies.
时光易逝。
003. Time is money.
一寸光阴一寸金。
004. Time and tide wait for no man.
岁月无情；岁月易逝；岁月不待人。
005. Time tries all.
时间检验一切。
006. Time tries truth.
时间检验真理。
007. Time past cannot be called back again.
光阴一去不复返。
008. All time is no time when it is past.
光阴一去不复返。
009. No one can call back [...]
Introduction of This Website
Time flies. I have collected so much material about English learning. I even have enough time to read all of them. And it seems to be a really hard work to arrange them.
So, I decided to create this En website as my English edition of my blog, 傻子网. I will try to use this website [...]