希腊神话中的英语典故(4)
16.Sell One's Birthright for a Mess of Pottages因小失大；见利弃义
Sell One's Birthright for a Mess of Pottages直译是:“为了一碗红豆汤而出卖了长子继承权”。
《旧约。创世纪》第25章记述了这样一个故事传说:犹太族长以撒的妻子利百加怀孕期间,感觉到2个胎儿在她腹内互相踢打,就去问耶和华,耶和华对她说:“两国在你腹内,两族要从你身上出来,这族必强于那族,将来大的要服小的。”
后来,利百加果然生下一对孪生兄弟,哥哥叫以扫,弟弟叫雅各。两兄弟长大后,以扫好动,常外出打猎；雅各则常在家里帮助料理家务。有一天,以扫打猎回来,又饥又渴,看见弟弟雅各在熬豆汤,就对他说:“我饿极了,给我喝点红豆汤吧！”雅各说:“你要喝汤,就把你的长子权卖给我。”以扫说:“你都要饿死了,要这长子权有什么用呢？”于是,他便按雅各的要求,对天起誓,把长子权卖给雅各,换来饼和红豆汤。以扫吃饱喝足后,起身走了。他哪里想到,为了这碗红豆汤,他的后裔便注定要服事雅各的后裔。
由此,人们用to sell one's birthright for a mess of pottage短语,来比喻to exchange something of lasting value for something that is of value for a short time only；to suffer a big loss for a little gain.这个成语常缩略为for a mess of pottage的形式。有时也可用to sell one's birthrights.
eg:It was argued that joining the Common Market……would be giving away her national rights and advantages for a mess of pottage.
There are many,many people who are willing to prostitute their intelligence for a mess of pottage.
17.The Apple of Ones' Eye
The Apple of Ones' Eye的字面意思是“某人眼里的苹果”,在这里,apple指的是the pupil（瞳孔,眼珠）,大概因眼珠圆的象苹果之故。瞳孔是眼睛最重要的部分,失去瞳孔,光线就无法通过虹膜中心的圆孔进入眼内而变成了瞎子。所以,这个成语常用来比喻象爱护眼珠一样爱护某个最心爱的人或珍贵的东西,即表示a cherished person or object；sth extrmely precious to one； sb dearly loved等意
这个成语来字《旧约。申命记》（Deuteronomy）第32章“耶和华遇见他在旷野荒凉、野兽吼叫之地,就环绕他,看顾他,保护他如同保护眼里的瞳人。”在圣经其他地方也有类似的话。英文版《旧约。诗篇》（Psalm）第17章有这样的句子:"Keep me as the apple of the eye,hide me under the shadow of the wings"
成语the apple of one's eye是固定结构,不得写成the apple of the eye of…的形式；在搭配上,它常与动词be,keep,care for等连用。按其想象意义,它与汉语成语“掌上明珠”颇相似,但其比喻的对象较汉语“掌珠”更广,因“掌珠”通常指心爱的女儿,而不能用与其他场合。
eg:Little Mary is the apple of her father's eye
Mind the reputation of your school as you care for the apple of your eye.
18.The writing/Finger on the Wall不详之兆；大祸临头
这个成语的字面意思是“墙上的文字（或手指）”,而实际含义是a sign or warning of impending disaster（迫在眉睫的凶兆）；a sign that sth bad will happen； a feeling that ones number is up；等等。其语言外壳与内涵是怎样联系起来的呢？还是出自《圣经》
据《旧约。但以理书》（Daniel）第5章记述:有一次古巴比伦（Babylonian）的国王伯沙撒（Belshazar）正在宫殿里设宴纵饮时,突然,不知从哪里出现了一个神秘的手指,当者国王的面,在王宫与灯台相对的粉墙上写西了四个奇怪的单词:MENE（弥尼）、MENE（弥尼）、ＴＥＫＥＬ（提客勒）、ＵＰＨＡＲＳＩＮＧ （乌法珥新）。国王张皇失措,惊恐万分,谁也不懂墙上所写的字是什么意思。后来叫来了被虏的犹太预言家但以理,才明白了这几个字的意思就是大难临头。他说:“弥尼就是上帝已经数算你国的年日到此为完毕；提客勒就是你被称在天平里显出你的亏欠；乌法珥新就是你的国分裂,归与玛代人和波斯人。”果然,当夜伯沙撒被杀,又62岁的玛代人大利乌取而代之。
依次,“墙上的文字（或手指）”就表示身死国亡的凶兆。英语中这个成语有几种表达方式:the writing/handwriting on the wall或a finger on the wall,通常与be,like等系动词连用；有时写成see/read the writing on he wall的句型,表示提出警告,such as :Don't you see the writing on the wall, 有时候也可省略on the wall,只说Don't you see the writing？意思也是一样的。
eg:This inexplicable incident seemed,like the Babylonian finger on the wall,to be spelling out the letter of my judgement……
In this house of his there was writing on every wall.His business-like temperament protested against a mysterious warning that she was not made for him.
John's emplyer had less and less work for him；John could read the writing on the wall.
The writing on the wall is clear:if man behaves like an animal and allow hs population to increase while each nation steadily increases he coplexity and range of its environment,nature will take her course and the law of the Jungle will prevail.
When Bill's team lost four games in a row,he saw the handwriting on the wall.
19.Not an iota of没有一点点,丝毫也不
iota是希腊字母表中第9个字母“Ｉ”的名称。not an iota of 出自《新约。马太福音》第5章:“律法的一点一画都不能废去,都要成全。”因为iota是希腊字母表中最小的一个字母,它有时可以写作一短横置于其他字母之上；遗漏这一点点对发音并无什么影响,只按规则不能减少而已。《福音书》所说的律法,系指“摩西律”,意即无论何人都不允许随便废去这戒律哪怕是最小的一条,甚至其中的一个字母,一个小小短横也不得更动或遗漏。
由此,在语言中遗留下来这个成语,转义表示not a bit of ；not one jot or little；not at all等意思。iota在这里,相当于汉语“小不点儿”的意思。
Eg:Science deals with things in a practical way.Science means honest,solid knowledge,allowing not an iota of falsehood,and it involves herculean efforts and gruelling toil.
There is not an iota of truth in the story.
20.The Salt of the Earth社会中坚；民族精华；优秀份子
The Salt of the Earth这个成语,字面意思“世上的盐”
盐是饮食中不可缺少的调味品,人体若缺盐,健康就会受到影响,出现种种疾病。盐还有杀菌、解毒、消炎、除污等多种功用,它既是“百药之王”,又是工业之母,确是值得珍视的东西。在许多民族的习俗汇总,盐被当作敬客的高贵礼品。
The Salt of the Earth一词出自《圣经》,据《新约。马太福音》（Matthew）第5长记载:耶稣对他的门徒说:"Ye are the salt of the earth:but if the salt have lost his savor,wherewith shall it be salted？ " 在这里,salt用于转义,表示flavor；of the earth即of the world.这是耶稣登山垂训论"福",所讲福音结尾的话,他把门徒比做“世上的盐”,这是极高的称赞。这句话在后世不断引用变成了一个典故性成语,转义为the most valuable members of sociey；the finest type of humanity；a person or a group of people having the best character 之意
eg: He does a lot of good jobs and is considered to be the salt of the world.
You all are the salt of the earth.Our hope is placed on you
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