为什么要学习语呢？

Idioms Are Weird Yet Fun to Learn

如果你只看习语的字面意思，往往会一头雾水，但仔细一想却会觉得大有深意，有趣又形象。比如“raining cats and dogs”，从表面上看简直不知所云，但知道它的含义是“倾盆大雨”后，是不是觉得这样比喻不仅没毛病，还生动了许多~

Idioms Give Insights into Cultural Knowledge

习语的流传往往与人们的习惯或是文化现象有关，有一些习语更是源于某一历史事件或民间故事。在学习习语的同时，你也能了解许多英美文化和社会背景，比如美国作家曾经发表的小说《第22条军规》，后来人们用Catch-22来比喻无法摆脱的困境

Using Idioms Makes You Sound Like a Native

native speaker说话时往往会掺杂很多的习语，掌握习语能避免与他们交流中产生障碍，也能让你自己口语听起来更地道。

The Best 37 English Idioms for ESL Students to Learn

1. a storm is brewing 麻烦事即将发生

Meaning: There will be trouble or emotional upset in the near future.

Example: “She decided to go ahead with their wedding, even though all they’ve been doing lately is arguing. I can sense a storm is brewing.”

2. calm before the storm 暴风雨前的平静

Meaning: An unusually quiet period before a period of upheaval (problems, chaos).

Example: “The strange quietness in town made her feel peaceful. Little did she know, it was just the calm before the storm.”

3. weather a storm 渡过难关

Meaning: To survive a dangerous event or effectively deal with a difficult situation.

Example: “Last year, they had some financial difficulties when her husband was fired. Together, they weathered the storm and figured out how to keep going.”

4. when it rains, it pours 祸不单行

Meaning: Bad things occur in large numbers; many big things happen all at once.

Example: “First he was made redundant, then his wife got into a car accident. When it rains, it pours.”

5. chasing rainbows 追求虚无缥缈的东西，白日做梦

Meaning: Following dreams, trying to do something that can’t be achieved.

Example: “His paintings have neither style nor imagination, but he insists on being a professional painter. He’s always chasing rainbows.”

6. rain or shine 不论晴雨，无论如何

Meaning: No matter what happens.

Example: “I’ll see you at the airport, rain or shine.”

7. under the sun 天底下，世上

Meaning: In existence.

Example: “Gili Trawangan must be one of the most beautiful islands under the sun.”

8. once in a blue moon 千载难逢，极为罕见

Meaning: Very rarely.

Example: “He used to call his grandma once in a blue moon. Now that she has passed away, he regrets not making more of an effort to keep in touch.”

9. every cloud has a silver lining 黑暗中总有一丝光明

Meaning: There’s a good aspect to every bad situation.（2012年的电影《乌云背后的幸福线》片名就是来源自这句话，是不是形象了很多？）

Example: “Don’t worry about losing your job. It will be okay. Every cloud has a silver lining!”

10. a rising tide lifts all boats 水涨船高

Meaning: When an economy is performing well, all of the people involved will benefit from it.

Example: “When the economy showed the first signs of recovering, everyone started investing and spending more. A rising tide lifts all boats.”

11. get into deep water 陷入困境

Meaning: To be in trouble.

Example: “He got into deep water when he borrowed a lot of money from a loan shark.”

12. pour oil on troubled waters 调停风波，息事宁人

Meaning: To try to make people feel better and become friendly again after an argument.

Example: “She hated seeing her two best friends arguing, so she got them together and poured oil on troubled waters.”

13. make waves  兴风作浪

Meaning: To cause trouble, to change things in a dramatic way.

Example: “She likes to make waves with her creative marketing campaigns. They get a lot of attention from customers.”

14. go with the flow 随波逐流

Meaning: To relax and go along with whatever is happening.

Example: “Quite often in life, good things happen when you don’t make plans. Just go with the flow and see what happens!”

15. lost at sea 困惑，不知所措

Meaning: To be confused about something, to feel unsure about what to do.

Example: “I am lost at sea with this new system at work. I just can’t understand it.”

16. sail close to the wind 顶风而行，顶风作案

Meaning: To act just within the limits of what’s legal or socially acceptable, to push boundaries.

Example: “They fired their accountant because he sailed too close to the wind.”

17. make a mountain out of a molehill 小题大作，言过其实

Meaning: To exaggerate the severity of a situation.

Example: “She shouted at him angrily for being five minutes late, but it really didn’t matter that much. She really made a mountain out of a molehill.”

18. gain ground 取得进展

Meaning: To become popular, to make progress, to advance.

Example: “As Airbnb gains ground in many cities all over the world, many locals complain that they can no longer find a place to live. Landlords would rather rent their places out to tourists and earn more money.”

19. walking on air 很高兴

Meaning: Very excited or happy.

Example: “She’s been walking on air since she found out that she’s pregnant.”

20. many moons ago 很久以前

Meaning: A long time ago.

Example: “Many moons ago, we used to be two very close friends. Now we’ve gone separate ways and lost contact.”

21. castle in the sky 空中楼阁，天方夜谭

Meaning: A daydream, a hope, especially for one’s life, that’s unlikely to come true.

Example: “World traveling used to be a castle in the sky for most people a few decades ago, but with cheap flight tickets and the global use of English, many youngsters are living that dream.”

22. down to earth 面对现实

Meaning: To be practical and sensible.

Example: “It’s a stereotype, but Dutch people are known for being down to earth.”

23. salt of the earth 社会中坚，优秀分子

Meaning: Being honest and good.

Example: “My father is the salt of the earth. He works hard and always helps people who are in need.”

24. the tip of the iceberg  冰山一角

Meaning: Just a small part of something much bigger.

Example: “Exceptionally long drought periods are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the global impact of climate change.”

25. break the ice 破冰，打破僵局

Meaning: To attempt to become friends with someone.

Example: “He made a weather joke to break the ice.”

26. sell ice to Eskimos

Meaning: To be able to sell anything to anyone; to persuade people to go against their best interests or to accept something unnecessary or preposterous.

Example: “He’s a gifted salesman, he could sell ice to Eskimos.”

27. bury your head in the sand 逃避现实

Meaning: To (try to) avoid a particular situation by pretending that it doesn’t exist.

Example: “Stop burying your head in the sand. You haven’t been happy with him for years, why are you staying together?”

28. let the dust settle 让尘埃落定

Meaning: To allow a situation to become calm or normal again after something exciting or unusual has happened.

Example: “You just had big news yesterday, let the dust settle and don’t make any decisions yet.”

29. clear as mud 混乱，莫名其妙

Meaning: Not clear at all, not easy to understand.

Example: “He’s a great scientist, but I find his explanation of bacteria and microbes as clear as mud.”

30. as cold as stone 铁石心肠

Meaning: Being very cold and unemotional.

Example: “In the Victorian times, many women were told to suppress their feelings and, thus, appeared as cold as stone.”

31. between a rock and a hard place 进退两难

Meaning: In difficulty, faced with a choice between two unsatisfactory options.

Other phrases with a similar meaning are “the lesser of two evils,” “between the devil and the deep blue sea,” “between Scylla and Charybdis,” “Hobson’s choice” and “Catch-22.”

Example: “I can understand why she couldn’t make up her mind about what to do, she’s really between a rock and a hard place.”

32. nip something in the bud 把...扼杀在摇篮中

Meaning: To stop a bad situation from becoming worse by taking action at an early stage of its development.

Example: “When the kid shows the first signs of misbehaving, you should nip that bad behavior in the bud.”

33. barking up the wrong tree 白费力气，找错对象

Meaning: Doing something that won’t give you the results you want.

Example: “If you think she’s going to lend you money, you’re barking up the wrong tree. She never lends anyone anything.”

34. out of the woods 脱离困境，脱离危险期

Meaning: The situation is still difficult but it has improved or gotten easier, the hardest part of something is over.

Example: “The surgery went very well and he just needs to recover now, so he’s officially out of the woods.”

35. can’t see the forest for the trees 一叶障目，不见森林

Meaning: To be unable to see the whole situation clearly because you’re looking too closely at small details.

Example: “He’s worried because the flowers haven’t all arrived, but everyone says the wedding has been perfect and beautiful. He just can’t see the forest for the trees.”

36. to hold out an olive branch 抛出橄榄枝

Meaning: To offer to make peace (with a rival or enemy).

Example: “After years of rivalry with her cousin, she decided to hold out an olive branch and go have fun together.”

37. beat around the bush 旁敲侧击，绕圈子

Meaning: To spend a long time getting to the main point of what you’re saying, especially because it’s embarrassing.

Example: “I don’t have much time, so stop beating around the bush and tell me what actually happened.”