1.經典英語成語故事及翻譯
臥薪嘗膽
During the Spring and Autumn period （770－476BC）, the State of Wu launched an attack against the State of Yue. The King of Wu was seriously wounded and soon died. His son Fu Chai became the new King. Fu was determined to get revenge. He drilled his army rigidly until it was a perfect fighting force. Three years later, he led his army against the State of Yue and caught its king Gou Jian. Fu took him to the State of Wu.
春秋時期，吳國和越國之間進行了壹場戰爭，吳王不幸受了重傷，不久就死了。他的兒子夫差作了吳國的新國王，他發誓要替父親報仇。於是，他嚴格的操練他的士兵，把他們訓練成了壹支非常厲害的軍隊。三年以後，他對越國發動了戰爭，抓住了越王勾踐，把他帶回了吳國。
In order to avenge his father's death, Fu let him live in a shabby stone house by his father's tomb and ordered him to raise horses for him. Gou pretended to be loyal to Fu but he never forgot his humiliation. Many years later, he was set free. Gou secretly accumulated a military force after he went back to his own state. In order to make himself tougher he slept on firewood and ate a gall-bladder before having dinner and going to bed every night. At the same time he administered his state carefully, developing agriculture and educating the people. After a few years, his country became strong. Then Gou seized a favorable opportunity to wipe out the State of Wu.
為了復仇，夫差讓勾踐住在他父親墓旁的破石屋裏天天看墓、餵馬。勾踐表面上服從，心裏面卻想著復仇。幾年以後，勾踐被放回越國。他立刻開始秘密聚集壹支軍隊。為了提醒自己不要忘了報仇，他睡在柴上，還每天在吃飯睡覺前嘗壹嘗苦膽。同時，他專心治理國家，大力發展農業，加強民眾教育。幾年後，越國又變得強大起來，然後，勾踐抓住壹個適當的機會消滅了吳國。
Later, people use it to describe one who endures self-imposed hardships to strengthen one's resolve to realize one's ambition.
後來，人們用它來形容人刻苦自勵以達到自己定下的目標。
2.經典英語成語故事及翻譯
望梅止渴
Quenching Thirst by Watching Plums
One summer, Cao Cao was leading his troops in a punitive expedition against Zhang Xiu. It was extraordinarily hot. The burning sun was like a fire, and the sky was cloudless. The soldiers were walking on the winding mountain paths. The dense forest and the hot rocks exposed to the sun on both sides of the paths made the soldiers feel suffocated. By noontime the soldiers' clothes were wet through with sweat, and the marching speed slowed down. Some solders of weak physique even fainted on the roadside.
Seeing that the marching speed was slower and slower, Cao Cao was very worried because he feared that he might bungle the chance of winning the battle. But how could they quicken their speed? Cao Cao at once callde the guide and asked him on the quiet whether there was a source of water nearby. The guide shook his head, saying that the spring water was on the other side of the mountain, which was very far to have to make a detour to reach. Cao Cao realized that time didn't permit them to make such a detour. After thinking for a moment, he said to the guide, "Keep quiet. I'll find a way out." He knew that it would be to no avail to order his troops to quicken the steps. He had a brain wave and found a good solution. He spurred his horse and came to the head of the column. Pointing his horsewhip to the front, Cao Cao said, "Soldiers, I know there is a big forest of plums ahead. The plums there are both big and delicious. let's hurry along, and we will reach the forest of plums after bypassing this hill." When the solders heard this, they immediately slobbered. Picturing in their minds the sweet and sour flavour of the plums, the soldiers felt as if they were actually eating the plums, the soldiers felt as if they were actually eating the plums themselves. The morale greatly boosted, the soldiers quickened their steps a great deal automatically.
This story comes from "The Fake Tangery" in Anecdotes of This World by Liu Yiqing of the Southern Dynasties period (420-589). From this story, people have derived the set phrase "quenching thirst by watching plums" to refer to trying to comfort oneself of others by idle dreams.
有壹年夏天，曹操率領部隊去討伐張繡，天氣熱得出奇，驕陽似火，天上壹絲雲彩也沒有，部隊在彎彎曲曲的山道上行走，兩邊密密的樹木和被陽光曬得滾燙的山石，讓人透不過氣來。到了中午時分，士兵的衣服都濕透了，行軍的速度也慢下來，有幾個體弱的士兵竟暈倒在路邊。
曹操看行軍的速度越來越慢，擔心貽誤戰機，心裏很是著急。可是，眼下幾萬人馬連水都喝不上，又怎麽能加快速度呢？他立刻叫來向導，悄悄問他：“這附近可有水源？”向導搖搖頭說：“泉水在山谷的那壹邊，要繞道過去還有很遠的路程。”曹操想了壹下說，“不行，時間來不及。”他看了看前邊的樹林，沈思了壹會兒，對向導說：“妳什麽也別說，我來想辦法。”他知道此刻即使下命令要求部隊加快速度也無濟於事。腦筋壹轉，辦法來了，他壹夾馬肚子，快速趕到隊伍前面，用馬鞭指著前方說：“士兵們，我知道前面有壹大片梅林，那裏的梅子又大又好吃，我們快點趕路，繞過這個山丘就到梅林了！”士兵們壹聽，仿佛已經吃到嘴裏，精神大振，步伐不由得加快了許多。
故事出自《世說新語?假譎》。成語“望梅止渴”，比喻用空想安慰自己或他人。
3.經典英語成語故事及翻譯
壹鳴驚人
In the Warring States Period, Duke Wei of Qi neglected state affairs, for the first three years of his reign, giving himself over to dissipation. One of his ministers, Chun Yukun who had a good sense of humour, said to him: 'There is a big bird which has neither taken wing nor sung for three years.' The duke answered, 'Once that bird starts to fly and sing, it will astonish the world.' The duke thereupon devoted himself to his duties and built his state up into a powerful one.
戰國時代，齊威王即位後做了三年國君，只顧享樂，不理政事。有個善於說笑話的人叫淳於髡，壹天對齊威王說：“城裏有壹只大鳥，三年不飛也不叫，妳知道這是什麽道理?”齊威王說：“這鳥不飛則罷，壹飛就沖天;不鳴則罷，壹鳴就驚人。”在淳於髡的激發下，齊威王開始治理國家，取得很大成績，齊國的聲威壹直保持了幾十年。
4.經典英語成語故事及翻譯
精衛填海
Once upon a time, the youngest daughter of Emperor Yan, legendary ruler of primitive China, went boating on the Eastern Sea. While she was enjoying herself, a strong wind rose on the sea and her boat capsized. Just before she was buried by the surging waves, her spirit turned into a beautiful bird. As it flew over the roaring sea, it cried sadly in the sound "jinwei, jingwei". That was why people called it "Jingwei".
The bird lived on a mountain near the sea. It hated the sea so much that it decided to fill it up. Every day, it flew to and fro between the mountain and the sea, carrying in a twig or a pebble from the mountain and dropping it into the sea.
One day, the roaring sea said to Jingwei, "Poor little bird, stop doing that meaningless thing! You'll never fill me up." Jingwei replied, "I'll fill you up no doubt! I will, even if it'll take me thousands of years! I'll fight on until doomsday!"
The brave little bird kept carrying twigs and pebbles from the mountain to the Eastern Sea without taking a rest.
From this fable comes the idiom "The bird Jingwei trying to fill the sea". We use it to describe people who are firm and indomitable and will not stop until they reach their goal.
從前，炎帝(傳說中中國原始社會的統治者)的小女兒在東海上劃船。正當她劃得高興時，海面上突然升起壹陣大風，把她的小船弄翻了。就在她要被洶湧的波浪吞 沒時，她的靈魂變成了壹只美麗的小鳥。它飛過那咆哮的海面，傷心的叫著"精衛，精衛"的聲音。所以人們就叫她"精衛"。
精衛鳥住在靠海的壹座山上。它非常恨大海，所以決心要把它填平。它每天來回於山海之間，把從山上銜來的小樹枝和小石子扔在大海裏。
壹天，咆哮的大海對精衛說："可憐的小鳥，停止妳那無謂的舉動吧!妳是永遠都填不平我的。" 精衛回答說："我當然會把妳填平的!即使這需要千千萬萬年的時間，我也壹定會鬥爭到底，直到妳的末日來臨!"
這只勇敢的小鳥繼續從山上銜來小樹枝和小石子，扔到東海中，從未有片刻休息。
"精衛填海"這個成語就是由這個傳說而來的，形容那些堅定不移，不屈不撓，不到目的決不罷休的人。
5.經典英語成語故事及翻譯
fail the exam
名落孫山
In the Song Dynasty (宋朝) there was a joker called Sun Shan(孫山).
宋朝有壹個很幽默的人，他叫孫山。
One year he went to take the imperialexamination, and came bottomof the listof successfulcandidates.
有壹年他去參加考試，公布名單時他是最後壹名。
Back in his hometown, one of his neighbor asked him whetherthe neighbor's son had also passed.
回到家，他的鄰居向他打聽自己的兒子考得怎麽樣。
Sun Shan said, with a smile:"Sun Shan was the last on the list. Your son came after Sun Shan."
孫山笑著對鄰居說：“孫山考了最後壹名，妳兒子的名字還在孫山的後面呢。”
The peopleused this idiom to indicatefailing in an examination or competition.
人們用“名落孫山”來比喻考試沒有考上或者選拔沒有被錄取。