Fire and water have no mercy.
水火无情。
Fire is a good servant but a bad master.
火是一把双刃剑。
First come, first served.
先来后到。
First impressions are half the battle.
初次见面，印象最深。
First think and then speak.
先想后说。
Fools grow without watering.
朽木不可雕。
Fool‘s haste is no speed.
欲速则不达。
Fools has fortune.
呆人有呆福。
Fools learn nothing from wise men, but wise men learn much from fools.
愚者不学无术，智者不耻下问。
Forbidden fruit is sweet.
禁果格外香。
Fortune favors those who use their judgement.
机遇偏爱善断之人。
- 8 -
英文谚语500 句[中国翻译家联盟2003-4-8]
Fortune knocks once at least at every man‘s gate.
风水轮流转。
Four eyes see more than two.
集思广益。
Friends agree best at distance.
朋友之间也会保持距离。
Friends are thieves of time.
朋友是时间的窃贼。
Friends must part.
再好的朋友也有分手的时候。
G
Genius is nothing but labor and diligence.
天才不过是勤奋而已。
Give a dog a bad name and hang him.
众口铄金，积毁销骨。
God helps those who help themselves.
自助者天助。
Gold will not buy anything.
黄金并非万能。
Good for good is natural, good for evil is manly.
以德报德是常理，以德报怨大丈夫。
Good health is over wealth.
健康是最大的财富。
Good medicine for health tastes bitter to the mouth.
良药苦口利于病。
Good watch prevents misfortune.
谨慎消灾。
Great barkers are no biters.
好狗不挡道。
Great hopes make great man.
伟大的抱负造就伟大的人物。
Great minds think alike.
英雄所见略同。
Great men have great faults.
英雄犯大错误。
Great men‘s sons seldom do well.
富不过三代。
Great trees are good for nothing but shade.
大树底下好乘凉。
Great wits have short memories.
贵人多忘事。
Greedy folks have long arms.
心贪手长。
- 9 -
英文谚语500 句[中国翻译家联盟2003-4-8]
Guilty consciences make men cowards.
做贼心虚。
H
Habit cures habit.
心病还需心药医。
Handsome is he who does handsomely.
行为漂亮才算美。
Happiness takes no account of time.
欢乐不觉时光过。
Happy is he who owes nothing.
要想活得痛快，身上不能背债。
Happy is the man who learns from the misfortunes of others.
吸取他人教训，自己o会走运。
Harm set, harm get.
害人害己。
Hasty love, soon cold.
一见钟情难维久。
Health is better than wealth.
健康胜过财富。
Health is happiness.
健康就是幸福。
Hear all parties.
兼听则明。
Heaven never helps the man who will not act.
自己不动，叫天何用。
He is a fool that forgets himself.
愚者忘乎所以。
He is a good friend that speaks well of us behind our backs.
背后说好话，才是真朋友。
He is a wise man who speaks little.
聪明不是挂在嘴上。
He is lifeless that is faultless.
只有死人才不犯错误。
He is not fit to command others that cannot command himself.
正人先正己。
He is not laughed at that laughs at himself first.
自嘲者不会让人见笑。
He is wise that is honest.
诚实者最明智。
He knows most who speaks least.
大智若愚。
He laughs best who laughs last.
谁笑到最后，谁笑得最好。
- 10 -
英文谚语500 句[中国翻译家联盟2003-4-8]
He sets the fox to keep the geese.
引狼入室。
He that climbs high falls heavily.
爬得越高，摔得越重。
He that will not work shall not eat.
不劳动者不得食。
He who does not advance loses ground.
逆水行舟，不进则退。
He who makes constant complaint gets little compassion.
经常诉苦，没人同情。
He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.
想不犯错误，就一事无成。
He who risks nothing gains nothing.
收获与风险并存。
History repeats itself.
历史往往重演。
Honesty is the best policy.
做人诚信为本。
Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
抱最好的愿望，做最坏的打算。
I
I cannot be your friend and your flatterer too.
朋友不能阿谀奉承。
If a man deceives me once, shame on him, if he deceives me twice, shame on me.
上当一回头，再多就可耻。
If you make yourself an ass, don‘t complain if people ride you.
人善被人欺，马善被人骑。
If your ears glow, someone is talking of you.
耳朵发烧，有人念叨。
If you run after two hares, you will catch neither.
脚踏两条船，必定落空。
If you sell the cow, you sell her milk too.
杀鸡取卵。
If you venture nothing, you will have nothing.
不入虎穴，焉得虎子。
If you want knowledge, you must toil for it.
要想求知，就得吃苦。
Industry is the parent of success.
勤奋是成功之母。
It is better to die when life is a disgrace.
宁为玉碎，不为瓦全。
It is easier to get money than to keep it.
挣钱容易攒钱难。
- 11 -
英文谚语500 句[中国翻译家联盟2003-4-8]
It is easy to be wise after the event.
事后诸葛亮好当。
It is easy to open a shop but hard to keep it always open.
创业容易守业难。
It is hard to please all.
众口难调。
It is never too old to learn.
活到老，学到老。
It is no use crying over spilt milk.
覆水难收。
It is the first step that costs troublesome.
万事开头难。
It is the unforeseen that always happens.
天有不测风云，人有旦夕祸福。
It is too late to grieve when the chance is past.
坐失良机，后悔已迟。
It never rains but it pours.
不鸣则已，一鸣惊人。
It takes three generations to make a gentleman.
十年树木，百年树人。
J
Jack of all trades and master of none.
门门精通，样样稀松。
Judge not from appearances.
人不可貌相，海不可斗量。
Justice has long arms.
天网恢恢，疏而不漏。
K
Keep good men company and you shall be of the number.
近朱者赤，近墨者黑。
Kill two birds with one stone.
一箭双雕。
Kings go mad, and the people suffer for it.
君王发狂，百姓遭殃。
Kings have long arms.
普天之下，莫非王土。
Knowledge is power.
知识就是力量。
Knowledge makes humble, ignorance makes proud.
博学使人谦逊，无知使人骄傲。
L
- 12 -
英文谚语500 句[中国翻译家联盟2003-4-8]
Learn and live.
活着，为了学习。
Learning makes a good man better and ill man worse.
好人越学越好，坏人越学越坏。
Learn not and know not.
不学无术。
Learn to walk before you run.
先学走，再学跑。
Let bygones be bygones.
过去的就让它过去吧。
Let sleeping dogs lie.
别惹麻烦。
Let the cat out of the bag.
泄漏天机。
Lies can never changes fact.
谎言终究是谎言。
Lies have short legs.
谎言站不长。
Life is but a span.
人生苦短。
Life is half spent before we know what it is.
人过半生，方知天命。
Life is not all roses.
人生并不是康庄大道。
Life without a friend is death.
没有朋友，虽生犹死。
Like a rat in a hole.
瓮中之鳖。
Like author, like book.
文如其人。
Like father, like son.
有其父必有其子。
Like for like.
一报还一报。
Like knows like.
惺惺相惜。
Like mother, like daughter.
有其母必有其女。
Like teacher, like pupil.
什么样的老师教什么样的学生。
Like tree, like fruit.
羊毛出在羊身上。
Little things amuse little minds.
小人无大志。
- 13 -
英文谚语500 句[中国翻译家联盟2003-4-8]
Look before you leap.
摸清情况再行动。
Lookers-on see more than players.
当局者迷，旁观者清。
Losers are always in the wrong.
胜者为王，败者为寇。
Lost time is never found again.
岁月既往，一去不回。
Love at first sight.
一见钟情。
Love cannot be compelled.
爱情不能强求。
Love is blind.
爱情是盲目的。
Love is full of trouble.
爱情充满烦恼。
Love is never without jealousy.
没有妒忌就没有爱情。
Love me, love my dog.
爱屋及乌。
M
Make hay while the sun shines.
良机勿失。
Make your enemy your friend.
化敌为友。
Man is the soul of the universe.
人是万物之灵。
Man proposes, God disposes.
谋事在人，成事在天。
Many hands make light work.
众人拾柴火焰高。
Many heads are better than one.
三个臭皮匠，赛过诸葛亮。
Many things grow in the garden that were never sown there.
有心栽花花不发，无心插柳柳成荫。
Measure for measure.
针锋相对。
Misfortunes never come alone.
祸不单行。
Misfortune tests the sincerity of friends.
患难见真情。
Money isn‘t everything.
钱不是万能的。
- 14 -
英文谚语500 句[中国翻译家联盟2003-4-8]
Murder will out.
纸包不住火。
My son is my son till he has got him a wife, but my daughter is my daughter all the days of her life.
儿子婚前是儿子，女儿终生是女儿。
N
Nature is the true law.
天行有常，不为尧存，不为桀亡。
Necessity is the mother of invention.
需要是发明的动力。
Never fish in trouble water.
不要混水摸鱼。
Never judge from appearances.
不可以貌取人。
Never say die.
永不言败。
Never too old to learn, never too late to turn.
亡羊补牢，为时未晚。
New wine in old bottles.
旧瓶装新酒。
No cross, no crown.
不经历风雨，怎么见彩虹。
No garden without its weeds.
没有不长草的园子。
No living man all things can.
世上没有万事通。
No man can do two things at once.
一心不可二用。
No man is born wise or learned.
没有生而知之者。
No man is content.
人心不足蛇吞象。
No man is wise at all times.
聪明一世，糊涂一时。
None are so blind as those who won‘t see.
视而不见。
None are so deaf as those who won‘t hear.
充耳不闻。
No news is good news.
没有消息就是好消息。
No one can call back yesterday.
昨日不会重现。
No pains, no gains.
没有付出就没有收获。
- 15 -
英文谚语500 句[中国翻译家联盟2003-4-8]
No pleasure without pain.
没有苦就没有乐。
No rose without a thorn.
没有不带刺的玫瑰。
No sweet without sweat.
先苦后甜。
No smoke without fire.
无风不起浪。
Nothing brave, nothing have.
不入虎穴，焉得虎子。
Nothing dries sooner than a tear.
眼泪干得最快。
Nothing in the world is difficult for one who sets his mind to it.
世上无难事，只怕有心人。
Nothing is difficult to the man who will try.
世上无难事，只要肯登攀。