雜誌精選》與病毒共存還是收緊管控 臺灣防疫「進退兩難」英文要用tiger

雜誌精選》與病毒共存還是收緊管控 臺灣防疫「進退兩難」英文要用tiger（示意圖/shutterstock達志影像）

老虎在中國生肖排行第三，被視爲具有力量、美麗、勇氣的動物，經常被視爲威嚴與權勢的象徵。例如我們會說「一山不容二虎」，但有趣的是，英文的對應句子是用馬來形容，如：If two ride on a horse, one must ride behind。本次就來學各種老虎相關英文，跟外國朋友聊天超實用。

phrases related to tigers 老虎的英文用語

1. paper tiger紙老虎：形容虛有其表、外強中乾的人或團體。

Many people see North Korea as nothing more than a paper tiger, despite its threats against other countries.（即便北韓對其他國家構成威脅，許多人認爲北韓不過就是個紙老虎。）

2. ride the tiger騎虎難下、處於險境：比喻事情迫於情勢，進退兩難，不得已只能一直持續下去。

It has now become obvious that our country has been riding a tiger with our military intervention in this region— it was foolish to get involved, but it would be catastrophic to leave now.（我們國家武力干涉這個區域很顯然地變成了騎虎難下的局勢—要跟着攪和實在愚蠢，但是現在抽身也是個災難。）

3. holding a tiger by the tail進退兩難：抓住老虎尾巴是一件非常危險的事情，意思是面臨着很大的困難或威脅，一時找不到解決辦法。

Once you start using drugs, you'll have a tiger by the tail. If you get hooked, you'll need more and more; it'll cost you more money, and you might have to steal to support the habit.（你一旦開始吸毒，就很難找到退路。如果你上癮了，就需要越來越大的用量，會讓你花更多錢，甚至還要爲了滿足毒癮去偷竊。）

4. The tiger cannot change its stripes江山易改，本性難移。雖然這句話最多的說法是A leopard cannot change its spots「花豹無法改變花紋」，但也有人用老虎的意象作變化。

He's a conservative, no matter what he says; the leopard cannot change its spots and the

tiger cannot change its stripes.（他是個保守派，無論他說了什麼，反正江山易改，本性難移。）

5. Venturing into the tiger's den to catch cubs不入虎穴，焉得虎子。類似的說法也有No pain, no gain或是Nothing ventured, nothing gained。

If you don't venture into the tiger's den, you'll never achieve anything.（如果你不冒險，你就無法成功。）

facts about tigers 老虎小常識

1. tiger's roar老虎重低音砲般的吼聲

When tigers roar, the sound can be heard nearly two miles away. Why are a tiger's pipes so powerful? It turns out they can stretch their vocal cords in a special way that pumps up the volume of their vocalizations.（當老虎吼叫時，在兩英里外就可以聽到吼聲。爲何老虎的低音管這麼低沉有力？原來是老虎可以用特殊方式延展聲帶，提高吼聲的音量。）

2. tiger's stripes老虎斑紋表裡如一

No two tigers have the same stripe pattern on their coats. So the animals' fur is sort of like a human fingerprint. What's more, a tiger's skin is striped identical to its coat—fur real!（如同人類的指紋，每隻老虎的斑紋都是獨一無二的。此外，老虎皮膚上的虎紋就跟毛上的紋路一模一樣，毛皮大衣裡外如一，千真萬確呢！）

＊注：fur real改編自英文for real，表示「是真的！」

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