鸡年话说汉英词典中的“鸡”

文/肖福寿

鸡年话说汉英词典中的“鸡”

文/肖福寿1

在源远流长的中华文化中，鸡占据了特殊的一席，象征着光明与吉祥、生命力与繁殖力，也象征着保护神与神力等，具有深刻与丰富的文化内涵。

《太平御览》云“黄帝之时，以凤为鸡”，说明鸡是一种身世不凡的灵禽；《仪礼·士婚礼》云“女子许嫁，笄而醴之，称字”，说明鸡与繁衍之神的联系；《史记·孝武本纪》云“乃令越巫立越祝祠，安台无坛，亦祠天神上帝百鬼，而以鸡卜”，说明了古人对鸡超自然神秘力量的崇拜；《尚书·尧典》云“日中，星鸟，以殷中春”，说明了鸡作为太阳神在古人心目中的崇高地位。

在商周时期，就有“鸡彝”祭祀天地、祖先的风俗，而周亮工《书影》中记述：“正月一日，贴画鸡。今都门剪以插首，中州画以悬堂，中州贵人尤好画鸡于石，元旦张之，盖此地乎鸡为吉，俗云室上大吉也。”这说明了鸡在民间扮演的保护神的角色，难怪人们在过年时不但在门上贴雄鸡图，而且也把农历新年的首日定为鸡日。民间艺术中有鸡剪纸、鸡头鞋、鸡围裙、鸡香袋、鸡烟荷包、鸡枕等，则说明鸡为吉祥、吉庆之象征。

2017年，是中国干支纪年的农历丁酉年，即民间生肖纪年的鸡年。在这吉（鸡）年之际，重新检阅一下汉英词典中一些与鸡相关的种种说法，可谓乐趣无穷。

本文选取了《中华汉英大词典》编纂者自以为迻译尚有特点的与鸡典、鸡馔与鸡文有关的表达法，其目的在于与广大读者共享并敦请广大读者质疑与指谬。

一、“鸡”字的界定

1. “家禽”之意 =[Zool] chicken; Gallus domestica: 雏～ a chick | 公～ a cock/ rooster | ～毛房 〈old〉 a low-class inn | ～食 chicken feed | ～窝 a chicken coop | ～鸭房 a fowl coop | 家～ a domestic chicken | 金～ a golden rooster |母～ a hen | 野～ a pheasant | 养～场 a chicken farm ｜～栖于埘，日之夕矣 when chickens return to their roost, night is about to fall

2. “十二生肖之一”之意= rooster, cock [one of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac]: 他是属～的 he was born in the year of the rooster | 雄～报晓 the rooster heralds the dawn

3. “妓女”之意 =〈dial〉 prostitute: ～窦 〈dial〉 (Guangdong) place that provides prostitution (secretly) [eg salon that provides massage service]

4. “姓”之意 =Ji [surname]

二、与鸡有关的典故

汉语中有大量与鸡有关的典故。比如，“鸡窗”（study; reading room）表示鸣窗攻读的典故，“山鸡起舞”用于形容“顾影自怜”与“孤芳自赏”的人，“淮南鸡犬”则形容攀附权贵的人，“闻鸡起舞”则表达报国之赤诚。类似的典故，请见下文：

1. 呆若木鸡 〈idiom〉 (dull as a wooden chicken) dumbstruck

2. 鹤立鸡群 〈idiom〉 (like a crane standing among a fl ock of chickens) to stand out in a crowd; to be like a peacock in a turkeys’ pen

3. 鸡肠狗肚 〈idiom〉 (chicken guts and dog stomach) ①small or narrow-mindedness②evil or malicious intentions

4. 鸡吵鹅斗 〈idiom〉 (chickens quarreling and goose squabbling) noisy quarreling and verbal abuse

5. 鸡虫得失 〈idiom〉 (gains and losses of worms to a chicken) tri fl ing gains and losses: ～无了时 piddling gains and losses will never cease

6. 鸡蛋里挑骨头 also 鸡蛋里找骨头 /- - - zhǎo - -/ 〈idiom〉 (to look for a bone in an egg) to nitpick | 鸡蛋碰石头 〈idiom〉 (egg striking a rock) to attack or challenge sb stronger than oneself; to court disaster

7. 鸡飞蛋打 〈idiom〉 (hen fl own and eggs broken) all is lost; to gain nothing; to fall between two stools: 落了个～ end up losing everything | 鸡飞狗走also 鸡飞狗跳 /- - - tiào/, 鸡飞狗窜/- - - cuàn/ 〈idiom〉 (hens fl ying anddogs running) mass confusion; great disorder; panic-stricken: 被吓得～ be frightened out of one’s wits

8. 鸡口牛后 〈idiom〉 (better to lead as a chicken than follow as an ox) better to reign in hell than serve in heaven: 宁为鸡口，无为牛后 better to reign in hell than serve in heaven |鸡口虽小，犹进食；牛后虽大，乃出粪也 a chicken’s beak, though small, can take food; a cow’s rump, though big, just discharges dung

9. 鸡零狗碎 〈idiom〉 (bits of chicken and pieces of dog) bits and pieces; odds and ends: 那～的事，恕不细说 such a trivial thing is hardly worth elaborating

10. 鸡毛蒜皮 〈idiom〉 (chicken feathers and garlic peels) tri fl es; worthless things:提出些～的意见 offer some tri fl ing suggestions |为～的芝麻粒小事儿而吵闹 squabble over insigni fi cant and trivial matters

11. 鸡鸣而起 〈idiom〉 (to rise at cock’s crow) to be diligent and industrious |鸡鸣狗盗 〈idiom〉 (crowing like a cock and fi lching like a dog) ①person with petty tricks: ～亦奇才 he who is capable of petty tricks is also a prodigy②mean; despicable; contemptible: ～之徒 lowlifes or riffraff | 鸡鸣狗吠 〈idiom〉 (the crowing of cocks and the barking of dogs) ①people live and work in peace and contentment ②war; turmoil; social upheaval: 无～之惊 have no fear of war | 鸡鸣馌耕 〈idiom〉 (to cook food at cock’s crow for those working in the field) hardworking and thrifty (of a woman, esp a housewife) | 鸡鸣之助 〈idiom〉 (help from a crowing cock) help from one’s wife

12. 鸡皮鹤发 〈idiom〉 (chicken’s skin and crane’s hoary head) wrinkled skin and white hair [descriptive of old age]

13. 鸡犬不惊 〈idiom〉 (neither the chickens nor the dogs are alarmed) ①peace and tranquility ② fi ne military discipline: 不许一人掳掠，～ the strict military discipline dictates that no one engage in looting | 鸡犬不留 〈idiom〉(not even a chicken or a dog is left) mass slaughter; total extermination: 杀了个～ engage in mass killing | 鸡犬不宁 〈idiom〉 (not even the chickens and dogs are left in peace) great disturbance; pandemonium: 闹得～ run riot or raise an uproar | 鸡犬桑麻 〈idiom〉 (cocks crow, dogs bark, mulberry and hem trees grow densely) peaceful and tranquil rural life | 鸡犬升天 〈idiom〉 (one’s dogs and chickens rise to heaven with one) followers gain (when their leader gainspower): 古话说的好：一人得道，～ as the old saying goes, “when a man attains the Tao, even his pets ascend to heaven.” | 鸡犬相闻 〈idiom〉 (to hear each other’s cocks crow and dogs bark) ①dense population: 这儿已是～的村落了 it has now become a densly populated village ②to live nearby or in the neighbourhood | 鸡犬之声相闻, 老死不相往来 〈idiom〉 (people never visit each other, though the crowing of their cocks and the barking of their dogs are within hearing distance) to live within hail but never visit each other; to live in seclusion and autarky

14. 鸡窝里飞出金凤凰 〈idiom〉 (a golden phoenix fl ying out of a henhouse) a person of humble origin rising to prominence

15. 鸡争鹅斗 〈idiom〉 (chickens quarreling and geese squabbling) noisy quarreling and verbal abuse

16. 嫁鸡随鸡, 嫁狗随狗 〈idiom〉 (if you marry a chicken, follow the chicken; if you marry a dog, follow the dog) a woman should mould her lifestyle after that of her husband

17. 牝鸡司晨 〈idiom〉 (the hen announcing the morning) female rule; woman as head of the family

18. 山鸡舞镜also山鸡照影 /- - zhào yǐng/ 〈idiom〉 (the pheasant dancing before a mirror) to look at one’s re fl ection and admire what one sees

19. 杀鸡取卵also杀鸡求蛋 /- - qiú dàn/ 〈idiom〉 (to kill the chicken for its eggs) to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs | 杀鸡问客 〈idiom〉 (to ask the guest whether to kill a chicken) to put the burden of acceptance and refusal on the guest | 杀鸡吓猴also杀鸡儆猴 /- - jǐng -/ 〈idiom〉 (to kill the chicken to frighten the monkey) to punish one to deter others | 杀鸡焉用牛刀 〈idiom〉(why use an ox-knife to kill a chicken) why break a butter fl y on the wheel

20. 偷鸡不成蚀把米 also偷鸡不着蚀把米 /- - - zháo - - -/ 〈idiom〉 (fail to steal the chicken and lose the rice—the bait) to go for wool and come back shorn | 偷鸡盗狗 〈idiom〉 (to steal dogs and chickens) low-life | 偷鸡摸狗 ①〈idiom〉(to steal dogs and chickens) to be a petty thief ②to be a lecher; to have illicit sex with women

21. 闻鸡起舞 〈idiom〉 (to rise up brandishing swords at the sound of cock crow) noble-minded and prepared to spring into action at the proper time

三、与鸡有关的美馔

在文学作品中，有关各种鸡馔可谓不胜枚举。比如，《楚辞·招魂》载有“露鸡”； 《齐民要术》载有鸡“五味脯”“鸡羹”“蒸鸡”；《礼记》中载有“鸡羹”“弗食……鸡肝”； 清代《随园食单》已载有鸡馔30款；《武林旧事》有“润鸡”；《新唐书》有“鸡球”。白居易更有“鸡球饧粥屡开筵”的名句。

在民间，就有“无鸡不成席”之说，不同地方的鸡馔名目繁多。比如，广东有“白切鸡” “葱油鸡”“脆皮鸡”“清平鸡”“手撕鸡”“太爷鸡”“文昌鸡”“盐焗鸡”，河南有“道口烧鸡”， 湖南有“东安鸡”， 江苏有“芙蓉鸡片”“叫花鸡”，四川有“宫保鸡丁”“怪味鸡”， 西安有“葫芦鸡”，浙江有“醉鸡”。 这些鸡馔，从一个侧面反映了中国丰富的饮食文化。

那么，汉英词典是如何表达诸如此类的鸡馔呢？请见以下例子：

1. 白切 boiled and sliced: ～鸡 sliced boiled chicken

2. 葱油 [Culin] scallion or onion oil: ～鸡 steamed chicken with scallion oil

3. 鸡肠 chicken guts | 鸡肝 chicken liver | 鸡丝 shredded chicken | 鸡松 chicken

fl oss | 鸡血 chicken blood | 鸡杂 〈colloq〉 chicken giblets

4. 鸡丁 diced chicken: 宫保～ kung pao chicken

5. 鸡公煲 chicken hot pot [Sichuan cuisine]

6. 鸡肉 chicken (as food); chicken meat: ～冻 chicken in aspic | ～松 dried minced chicken

7. 鸡胗肝儿 chicken gizzard [as a food item]

8. 鸡爪 chicken feet [as a food item]

9. 叫花鸡 beggar’s chicken [whole chicken roasted in caked mud]

10. 手撕鸡 [Culin] shredded chicken

11. 醉鸡 steamed chicken with distilled grain

四、与鸡有关的诗文

唐代诗人李贺的千古名句“雄鸡一声天下白”和毛泽东的“一唱雄鸡天下白”都是脍炙人口的诗句，为中国百姓喜闻乐见。

其实，鸡作为中华民族喜爱的动物，曾被写入无数诗文中，关于鸡的描述不绝于书。《诗经》中的“风雨潇潇，鸡鸣胶胶”“风雨如晦，鸡鸣不已”，其他诗句包括“鸡声茅店月，人迹板桥霜”“秦台一照山鸡后，便是孤鸾罢舞时”“诗成一夜月中题，便卧松风到晓鸡”“三更灯火五更鸡，正是男儿读书时”。据不完全统计, 仅一部《全唐诗》，标题中带有“鸡”字的就有48首，内容中含有“鸡”字的则多达992首。在唐代著名诗人中，白居易诗中带“鸡”字最多，为68首，其次为李白（49首）和杜甫（38首）。拿以下诗文来说吧。

1. 《孟子》：鸡鸣而起，孳孳为善者，舜之徒也；鸡鸣而起，孳孳为利者，蹠之徒也。 He who rises at cock-crowing and addresses himself earnestly to the practice of virtue, is a disciple of Shun; he who rises at cock-crowing and addresses himself earnestly to the pursuit of gain, is a disciple of Zhi.

2. 《诗经》：风雨如晦，鸡鸣不已。既见君子，云胡不喜。 Through the wind and rain all looks dark, and the cock crows without ceasing. Since I have seen my husband, how should I not rejoice?

3. 《诗经》：风雨潇潇，鸡鸣胶胶。既见君子，云胡不瘳。 The wind whistles and the rain patters, while loudly crows the cock. Since I have seen my husband, could my ailment but be cured?

4. 《诗经》：鸡既鸣矣，朝既盈矣。匪鸡则鸣，苍蝇之声。 The cock has crowed, and the court is full. It was not the cock that was crowing but the sound of the blue fl ies.

5. 陶渊明：狗吠深巷中，鸡鸣桑树颠。 In the long lane bark the dogs, and atop mulberry trees crow the cocks.

6. 毛泽东：一唱雄鸡天下白，万方乐奏有于阗，诗人兴会更无前。 Now the cock has crowed and all under heaven is bright, here is the music from all our peoples, from Yutian too, and the poet is inspired as never before.

的确，汉语中与“鸡”有关的表达法实在太丰富了，诸如“鸡碑”“鸡鹄”“鸡距”“鸡盲”“鸡梦”“鸡齐”“鸡鹜”等词语的英文翻译，更待我们共同探索。

1南京大学博士，哈佛大学访问学者，现为上海大学教授、英语系主任，主要从事英语词块学、ESL写作以及词典编纂研究。