Now, the VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories.
现在是美国之音慢速英语词汇掌故节目时间。

Today we explain more proverbs. A proverb is a short, well-known saying that expresses a common truth or belief. Proverbs are popular around the world. Many proverbs give advice about how to live. Some proverbs are hundreds of years old, but they are still used today.
今天我们来讲述更多谚语。谚语一般是表达一种共同的真理或信念的简短、众所周知的说法。谚语风靡全球，很多谚语提出了生活哲理，有些谚语已经有数百年历史但一直被沿用至今。

For example, my son is just like his father in many ways. We often say the two of them prove the proverb that the apple does not fall far from the tree.
例如，我儿子在很多方面都像他的父亲。我们常说这两人验证了“有其父，必有其子”(apple does not fall far from the tree)这句谚语。

My daughter is very short. She would like to be taller. But I tell her that good things come in small packages. The size of something is not always important. Some valuable things are very small, like diamonds and other jewels.
我女儿身材矮小，她希望长高点。但我告诉她，“浓缩的都是精华”(good things come in small packages)。事物的大小并不总那么重要。有些贵重的东西就很小，例如钻石和其它珠宝。

But I also tell my children that all that glitters is not gold. Do not be fooled by appearances. Something may look valuable, but may not really be valuable. Also, I tell them do not judge a book by its cover. You should not judge something only by its appearance.
但我也告诉孩子，“发光的并不一定是金子”(all that glitters is not gold)，不要被表象所蒙蔽。有些东西可能看起来很有价值，但可能不是真有价值。另外，我告诉他们，不要以貌取人（do not judge a book by its cover），不应该通过外表判断事物。

Another proverb is do not bite off more than you can chew. This means do not try to do more than you are able to do.
另一句谚语是“贪多嚼不烂”(do not bite off more than you can chew)，意思是做事情不要超出自己的能力。

Some times I tell my children to cooperate to solve a problem. After all, two heads are better than one. Two people working together can get better results. But another proverb says too many cooks spoil the broth. If too many people try to do something, then the job will not be done well.
有时候，我告诉孩子们要合作解决问题。毕竟，“人多智广”(two heads are better than one)，两人合作会更好。但另一句谚语却说，“人多事乱”（too many cooks spoil the broth），如果太多人试图做某事，可能会做不好。

I also tell my children that two wrongs do not make a right.You should not do something bad just because someone did the same to you.
我还告诉我的孩子“别人错了,不等于你就对了”(two wrongs do not make a right)，不能因为别人曾错误地对你，你就以同样的方式回敬。

Some people are pessimists: they always think about how bad things are or will be. Other people are optimists: they always look on the bright side. They think things will be all right.
有些人很悲观：他们总认为事情很糟或者会变糟。有些人很乐观：他们总是看到好的一面，认为一切都会顺利。

Optimists might say that every cloud has a silver lining. They can find something good even in a bad situation. Other people are both pessimists and optimists. They hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
乐观主义者会说“黑暗中总会有一丝光明”（every cloud has a silver lining）。即使是在恶劣的情况下他们也能发现美好。其他人既是悲观主义者又是乐观主义者，他们“抱最好的希望，做最坏的打算”（hope for the best and prepare for the worst）。

Some people often worry about what they will do in a situation that might happen in the future. We could tell them do not cross that bridge until you come to it.
有些人常常为如何应对未来可能发生的情况而忧心。我们可以告诉他们“船到桥头自然直”(do not cross that bridge until you come to it) 。

It is usually much better to prevent a problem from happening than it is to find ways to solve it. So we say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
预防问题发生总比事后补救更好。所以我们常说“一分预防相当于十分治疗”(an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure) 。

Finally, I always liked this proverb: You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Honey is sweet while vinegar is not. In other words, you can win people to your side more easily with gentle persuasion than by hostile actions.
最后，我最喜欢这句谚语：“甜言蜜语比辛辣言词更容易奏效”（You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar）。蜂蜜是甜的而醋不甜。换句话说，与敌对的行为相比，好言相劝更容易赢得人们的支持。