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数字文化与翻译•InChinese,wecanoftenseesuchidiomsas•thosewithNumbersdealwithmanyfields:politics,economy,history,geography,satronomy,marriage,religion,etc.InChinese,wecanhear“三大纪律，八项注意；三大改造；四马分肥；三国演义；（中国经济特区）金三角；三生有幸；etc.•InEnglish,wecanoftenseesuchidiomsasfollow:•Idiomswith“one”•1)Whenoneisonetoomany?•Gogettheefromthedoor.(FromWilliamShakespeare,TheComedyofErrors)•译文：一个已太多了，你要这么多干什么？走，快滚！•Notes:“onetoomany”,createdbyWilliamShakespeare,canbetranslatedinto“多余，碍手碍脚.•2)Helooksasifhehashadoneovereight.•他看上去喝得有点醉。•Note:“haveoneovereight”istranslatedinto“微醉；多喝了一杯”,inwhich“eight”refersto“eightpints”,namelyonegallonandpeopletakeitforgrantedthatit’senoughforonetodrinkeightpintsofbeer,onemorepintandhewilllookdrunk.•2Idiomswith“two”•Puttingtwoandtwotogether,asthesayingis,itwasnotdifficultformetoguesswhotheexpectedMarquiswas.(W.Thackeray,TheNewcomes)•译文：正如俗话云，二加二等于四，我不难推断出还没有来的侯爵是谁了。•Note:“Puttwoandtwotogether”means“根据现有的事实或材料推断”，andthetranslationheretellsusthatitcanbespecificallytranslatedintoanotherkindofversion.•2)Everyonesprangtohisfeet,butthebusinesswasoverintwotwos.(RStevenson,NewArabianNights)•译文：此时大家一跃而起，但转眼间他一命呜呼。•Note:“intwotwos或two’s”canbetranslatedinto“顷刻间，一下子就，一转眼”。•3Idiomswith“three”•Hethathasoneservanthastwo,hethathastwohasbuthalfaone,andhethathasthreehasnoneatall.一个和尚挑水喝，两个和尚抬水喝，三个和尚没水喝。//大懒使小懒，小懒使虾蟆，虾蟆手一摊，你懒我也懒。•Theproverbhastoldthetruth.Whenyouarecourting,twoiscompany,threeisnone.二人成伴，三人不欢。你在求爱时，该谚语千真万确。•4Idiomswith“four”•1)Manyofthosepigslivehere.Dotheyeverwonderwhytheirmasterswalkuprightinlieuofgoingonall-fours?Andwhytheytalkinsteadofgrunting？有许多猪在此。它们可否知道：其主人为何用两条腿直挺着身子走路，可它们则用四腿爬行？主人为何是侃侃而谈而非象它们那样咕咕叫？•Note:“onall-fours或onallfours”hasthemeaningof“匍匐着，爬着。”•2）Todaysheiswearingapairofplusfours,walkingdownthestreet.•5Idiomswith“six”•1)…there’saregularshindyinthehouse;andeverythingatsixesandsevens.(W.Thackeray,VanityFair)家里乱透了，一切都是乱七八糟。•Note:“atsixesandsevens”inthepassagehasthemeaningof“乱七八糟，杂乱无章，七零八落”，andsometimesitcanbeconvertedinto“七嘴八舌，纠缠不清”.•Hisbrother…isknowntobenobetterthanhimselfininclination…Intheoldphraseitissixofoneandhalfadozenoftheother...(RStevenson,TheMasterofBallantrae).人所共知，其兄的居心并•不比他好……如老话说的，两人是半斤八两，相差无几…….•Note:“sixofoneandhalfadozenoftheother”or“sixandhalfadozen”canbetranslatedinto“半斤八两，本质一样，相差无几.”•6Idiomswith“seven”•SeventytimessevendidItakecounselwithmysoul.我在内心深处不知考虑了多少次。•Note:“Seventytimesseven”canbetranslatedinto“很大的数目”intheEnglishsentence,butits•originalmeaningis“七十个七次”，whichcomesfromTheBible:Jesussaithuntohim,Isaynotuntothee,untilseventimes:but,untilseventytimesseven.(Matt,18:22)•Keepathingsevenyearsandyou’llfindauseforit.东西放着，总会派上用场。•7Idiomswith“nine”•Thenewelectriccarsmayturnouttobeaninedays’wonder;nooneseemsinterestedinbuyingthemanylonger.此种新型的电动汽车原来只是轰动一时的新鲜玩意，再也无人对它们感兴趣了。•Note:“ninedays’wonder”hasthemeaningof“轰动一时”,whichoriginatesfromChaucer’swork.AndWShakespeareonceuseditinhishistoricalplay“HenryIV”,sodidDreiseruseitinhisnovelFinancier.•2)…she’sdresseduptotheninesforsomegrandparty.(ThHardy,Ethelberta)她穿得很讲究，准备参加某个大型宴会。•Note:“bedresseduptothenines”canbetranslatedinto“穿得很讲究,打扮得很华丽.”•7Idiomswith“ten”•Here’saman,anarmyofficer,insucharottenshapethatifIsentagoodhorseafterhimnowit’stentoonehecouldn’tgetonhim.(ThDreiser,TwelveMen,Culhane,TheSolidMan)此处有位军官，可他身体是如此虚弱，以至于即使我们用一匹马送他，十之八九他也上不去。•Note:“tentoone”hasthemeaningof“十有八九，很可能”，butitsoriginalmeaningis“十比一.”•AccordingtoJackLondon,peopleintheuppertenarenotclevererthanpeopleinthelowerclasses.根据杰克.伦敦的看法，上层•社会的人并不比下层社会的人聪明。•Note:“theupperten”or“theuppertenthousand”canbetranslatedinto“上层社会，贵族阶级”.•8Idiomswith“eleven”or“twelve”•Ifanyguestfailedattheeleventhhour,Todwasaskedtodine.(W.Thackeray,VanityFair)若到最后时刻有什么客人来不了，就把托德请来凑数一起吃。•Note:“attheeleventhhour”hasthemeaningof“在最后时刻，在危急关头.”AnditoriginatesfromTheBible.•Theirbestpartswereslowlyrevealed;theydidn’tstriketwelvethefirsttime.他们的优点是慢慢显露出来的；他们并没有一开始就全部表现出来。•Note:“striketwelve”hasthemeaningof“表现出全部的才能，获得辉煌的成就”。Butitsoriginalmeaningis“(钟)敲响十二点”.•9Idiomswith“nineteen”or“forty”•Attea-time,hecamedowntodrawingroom,andfoundthemtalking,asheexpressedit,nineteentothedozen.(J.Galsworthy,TheManoftheProperty)茶点时分，他来到楼下的客厅，•见他们---照他自己的话说---说个没完没了。•WhenaskedwhetherhewasamemberoftheCP,hetookthefifth.•问及是否是共产党员时，威廉.柯林斯拒绝作危害自己的证词。•Note:“takethefifth”hasthemeaningof“拒绝作危害自己的证词;以美国宪法修正案第5条作庇护拒绝回答”or“拒绝回答，避而不答”.•Cf:“takefive/ten”means“小憩（qi）”,butitcanbeliterallytranslatedinto“休息无分钟，休息十分钟.”Seethefollowingexample:•Hedecidedtotakefive----onareviewingstandinEthiopia’sRevolutionSquare.他决定小憩片•刻-----在埃塞俄比亚革命广场的一个检阅台上。•2）Let’sgofifty-fiftyonthecostofthegas.这煤气费咱们各付一半吧。•Note:“gofifty-fifty”hasthemeaningof“平分；二一添作五；均摊；分摊”.•11Idiomswith“sixty”or“ninety-nine”•1)“Whatisit?Whathurtsyou?”“Myeyes.They’rehurtinglikesixty.”(JackLondon,TheValleyoftheMoon)“怎么啦？你哪里疼？”“眼睛，疼得很厉害。”•Note:“likesixty”hasthemeaningof“快速地；急剧地；猛烈地。”•2）Itisveryhardtoarguefromresultsinhistory.Ninety-nineoutofahundred,theresultsofwhatanybodywantedtodointhepastturnouttobenotwhattheyintended.根据历史上所作出的决定来进行辩论是很困难的。十有八九，过去曾有人因要做某事而所作出的决定后来被证明并不符合他们原来的意图。•Note:“ninet