虎年话说汉英词典中的“虎”

肖福寿

虎，又称“山君”，自古以来就有“万兽之王”之美誉，是中华文化不可或缺的元素。《说文解字》曰：“虎，山兽之君也”;《风俗通义·祀典》云：“虎者，阳物，百兽之长也，能执搏挫锐，噬食鬼魅。”《周易·乾卦文》也有“云从龙，风从虎”的说法，虎与龙并称，可见虎之地位。

中华虎文化源远流长，始于原始社会旧石器时代的虎图腾，传说黄帝就曾率领以虎图腾崇拜为主的部落盟军打败了炎帝。事实上，虎的形象与称谓已经渗透到中华语言、文学、雕塑、绘画、神话、传说、戏曲、民俗等众多领域。比如说，文学名著《水浒传》有武松打虎的经典片段;民间童话中有《老虎学艺》的故事;唐代诗人王建在《寄汴州令狐相公》中有“三军江口拥双旌，虎帐长开自教兵”的诗句;《古今图书集成·禽虫典》中记载有诸如“戏猫”“委虎”“尤耳”“驺吾”“开明虎”“穷奇虎”“離离”等各种老虎，京剧《智取威虎山》中有名段《打虎上山》;古代文学中以青龙、白虎、朱雀、玄武来象征东、西、南、北四个方位;百姓用虎画、虎脸来祈福辟邪。可以说，虎在中华文化中无所不在。

2022年是中国农历壬寅年，即民间生肖纪年的虎年。在虎年来临之际，让我们重新检阅一下汉英词典中一些与虎相关的表达法，聊作一种新年之乐吧。

本文的语料主要选自陆谷孙教授主编的《中华汉英大词典》，均为该词典的编纂者自以为迻译尚有特点的与虎有关的表达法，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、二字表达法

1.1 虎变  <lit> ①colourful （of tiger skin） ②<fig> to innovate and make great changes ③<fig> to act unexpectedly （of extraordinary person）： 大贤～愚不测 unbeknownst to the common run， the great would pull off something spectacular

1.2 虎伥  <lit> ①tiger’s helper [from the legend that the ghost of a person devour-ed by a tiger helped the tiger to devour other human beings] ②<fig> jackal; pawn see 为虎作伥 /wèi - zuò -/

1.3 虎螭  <lit> ①tiger and dragon ②<fig> brave and mighty

1.4 虎队  <fig> brave or gallant army

1.5 虎夫  valiant fighter

1.6 虎虎  ①tigerish; mighty; powerful; forceful; vigorous： 打起拳来～生风 brandish one’s fist in boxing as if kicking up gusts of wind ②whoosh; swish： 北风～的在发威 the north wind is roaring ferociously

1.7 虎喙  <lit> ①tiger’s mouth ②<fig> dangerous situation

1.8 虎将  brave （and mighty） general

1.9 虎劲  <colloq> ①drive and daring; dash： 有一股子～ be like a hot shot ②（to do sth） vigorously

1.10 虎舅  <lit> cat [another name for 猫 /māo/ ]

1.11 虎吏  merciless official （as ferocious as a tiger）

1.12 虎脸  <dial> to put on a fierce look; to pull a long face

1.13 虎貔  <fig> <lit> valiant fighter

1.14 虎女  <laud> outstanding girl

1.15 虎士  <lit> valiant soldier

1.16 虎子  ①tiger cub ②<fig> vigorous child

二、三字表达法

2.1 打死虎  <idiom> （to beat a dead tiger） to attack or finish off sb powerless

2.2 虎彪彪  intrepid; truculent： ～的武士们 strapping warriors

2.3 虎而冠  <idiom> （tiger wearing a human hat） cruel and ferocious at heart not-withstanding one’s human get-up

2.4 虎负嵎  <idiom> （like a tiger taking refuge in a corner of a hill） to fight back with one’s back to the wall; to put up a desperate resistance

2.5 虎啃虎  <dial> （tiger gnawing at a tiger） to meet the tough head-on with toughness

2.6 虎剌孩  ①thief [from Mongolian] ②<vern> mean fellow; bastard; scoundrel

2.7 虎辣人  <colloq> spitfire; peppery person; short-tempered person

2.8 虎狼窝  <idiom> extremely dangerous place

2.9 虎狼心  greedy and cruel heart

2.10 虎列拉  <old> <tl> cholera see 霍乱 /huò luàn/

2.11 虎生生  <colloq> spirited; vigorous; dashing： ～的大眼睛 radiant big eyes

2.12 虎式子  rude and violent attitude

2.13 虎字头  the radical 虎 [as in 虎， 虚 /xū/， etc.]

2.14 捋虎须  <idiom> （to stroke a tiger’s whiskers） to take great risks

2.15 笑面虎  <idiom> （smiling tiger） person with a kindly face but a cruel heart; wolf in sheep’s clothing

三、四字表達法

3.1 藏龙卧虎  <idiom> （hidden dragons and crouching tigers） talented people who remain obscure to the undiscerning eye; undiscovered talent

3.2 虎背熊腰  <idiom> （with back of a tiger and waist of a bear） of blocky build; stalwart; sturdy; as strong as an English oak

3.3 虎步龙骧  <idiom> （to walk like a dragon and pace like a tiger） to walk in martial gait see 龙骧虎步

3.4 虎斗龙争  <idiom> （the tiger struggles and the dragon fights） fierce battle between formidable foes see 龙争虎斗

3.5 虎踞龙盘  <idiom> （crouching like a tiger and coiled like a dragon） forbid-ding; difficult of access （of a city， etc.）： ～今胜昔 the once inaccessible city out-shines its ancient glories

3.6 虎口拔牙  <idiom> （to pull a tooth from a tiger’s mouth） to do sth extremely dangerous; to dare the greatest danger; to beard the lion in his den： 你这么做无异于～ what you are doing is but picking up nickels in front of steamrollers

3.7 虎口余生  <idiom> （to escape from a tiger’s den） to have a narrow escape from death; to survive a close call; to experience a near shave

3.8 虎里虎气  <colloq> spirited; vigorous; tigerish： ～的小伙子 a strong and sanguine young man

3.9 虎皮羊质  <idiom> （a sheep in tiger’s skin） outwardly strong， but inwardly weak; fierce of mien but faint of heart

3.10虎入羊群  <idiom> （a tiger running into a flock of sheep） wanton slaughter of the weak by the strong

3.11 虎声虎气  <colloq> loud and commanding; rude; impolite; unmannerly

3.12 虎视眈眈  <idiom> （to glare like a tiger eyeing its prey） to stare at sth ma-liciously and covetously; to eye sth covetously and menacingly

3.13 虎头虎脑  <idiom> robust and good-natured （usu of child）： 这孩子长得～的 the child looks robust and lovely

3.14 虎头蛇尾  <idiom> （the head of a tiger and the tail of a snake） to have a strong beginning but a weak ending; to start with a bang and end with a fizzle; in like a lion， out like a lamb： 工作不能～ we should not let the work tail off anticlimatically once it gets started

3.15 将门虎子  <idiom> worthy son of a distinguished （military） family

3.16 如虎添翼  <idiom> （like a tiger with wings added） even more powerful

3.17 燕颔虎颈  <idiom> （with a swallow’s pointed chin and a tiger’s neck） ma-jestic appearance （esp of a warrior）

3.18 鹰扬虎视  <idiom> （the eagle flies and the tiger gazes） mighty and intrepid

四、五字表达法

4.1 伴君如伴虎  <idiom> （attending upon a sovereign is like keeping company with a tiger） the ruler’s whims flip-flop

4.2 虎毒不食子  <idiom> （even a cruel tiger never eats its own cubs） no man， good or bad， will ill-treat his own children

4.3 虎父无犬子  <idiom> （tigers do not father dogs） the brave do not father a coward; like father， like son

4.4 虎虎有生气  <familiar> to be full of vigour; to be bursting with vim and vigour

4.5 虎老雄心在  <idiom> （though old， the tiger is still full of ambitions） one remains ambitious though in old age

4.6 虎门无犬种  <idiom> prestigious family will have outstanding children

4.7 苛政猛于虎  <idiom> （harsh government is fiercer than a tiger） despotism devours man

4.8 养虎自遗患  <idiom> （to raise a tiger is to court calamity for oneself） to allow an enemy to grow strong; to appease an enemy is to invite trouble

4.9 坐山观虎斗  <idiom> （to sit on a mountain and watch tigers fight） to watch a fight from a safe distance， then reap the spoils when both sides are exhausted; to play one off against another

五、六字表达法

5.1 风从虎，云从龙  <idiom> （winds follow the tiger， and clouds the dragon） things of a similar nature interact with one another

5.2 九牛二虎之力  <idiom> （strength of nine oxen and two tigers） tremendous strength; herculean effort or labour; most strenuous exertion： 费尽～ do something with all one’s might and main

5.3 拉大旗作虎皮  <idiom> （to cover one’s body with a flag as if it were tiger’s hide） to make an empty show; to bluff

5.4 老虎頭上搔痒  <familiar> （to scratch oneself against a tiger’s head） to invite trouble

5.5 前怕狼， 后怕虎  <idiom> （to fear the wolf in front and the tiger behind） full of fears

5.6 一山难容二虎  <familiar> （no two rival tigers can co-exist in the same mountain） when Greek meets Greek， then comes the tug of war

六、七字表达法

6.1 初生牛犊不怕虎  <idiom> （a newborn calf does not fear tigers） the young are intrepid daredevils; fools rush in where angels fear to tread

6.2 虎落平阳被犬欺  <idiom> （a tiger out of a mountain will even be bullied by a dog） a man who has lost power or influence may be insulted by an underling

6.3 画虎不成反类犬  <idiom> （to try to paint a tiger but end up with the likeness of a dog） to attempt sth beyond one’s ability and fail; to attempt sth over-ambitiously and end in failure

6.4 画虎画皮难画骨  <familiar> （it is harder to paint the bones of a tiger than his skin） it is difficult to know a person’s true nature or innermost feelings

6.5 老虎屁股摸不得  <familiar> （like a tiger who cannot be patted on the rear） dangerous to approach （of person）

6.6 老虎头上扑苍蝇  <idiom> （to swat a fly on the head of a tiger） to invite trouble; to court disaster; to ask for trouble

七、八字以上表达法

7.1 不入虎穴，焉得虎子  <idiom> （how can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger’s den） nothing venture， nothing gain/have/win; nothing ventured， nothing gained

7.2 二虎相斗，必有一伤  <idiom> （when two tigers fight， one of them is bound to be injured） when two big powers fight each other， there comes an irreconcilable battle

7.3 关门养虎，虎大伤人  <familiar> （to close the door and raise a tiger which hurts people when grown-up） to leave or breed trouble for the future

7.4 虎落平原，插翅难逃  <familiar> （a tiger on the plain cannot escape even though he had wings） to meet a dead end; to be confronted with an inescapable predicament

7.5 虎生三子，必有一彪  <idiom> （of three tiger cubs， one will be a fiendish） not all children turn out excellent

7.6 虎死留皮，人死留名  <familiar> （a tiger leaves its skin after death， while a man leaves behind his fame after death） a man should leave behind a good reputation

7.7 老虎不吃人——恶名在外  <familiar> （the tiger never eats humans—it has already had an evil reputation） one who has an evil reputation is easily misunderstood by outsiders

7.8 老虎借猪，相公借书  <familiar> （a tiger borrows pigs， and a scholar books） ①one tends to take possession of sth that is after one’s own heart ②tastes differ

7.9 老虎头上捉虱子——不怕死  <familiar> （to catch lice on a tiger’s head—never fear death） it is a bold mouse that nestles in the cat’s ear

7.10 老虎推磨——不听那套  <familiar> （a tiger turning a millstone—refuses to be harnessed） don’t accept or care about what others do or say

7.11 老虎嘴上拔胡采——不是好惹的  <familiar> （no one dare pull up a tiger’s moustache—it is not to be provoked） you cannot easily offend the vicious and powerful

7.12 前门拒虎，后门进狼  <idiom> （to drive the tiger away from the front door and let the wolf in through the back door） to fend off one danger only to fall prey to another; out of the frying pan into the fire; to go from bad to worse

的確，汉语中与“虎”有关的表达法实在太丰富了。诸如“虎彪”“虎戟”“虎闱”“虎校”“虎翼”“暴虎冯河”“春冰虎尾”“饿虎扑食”“风虎云龙”“狐假虎威”“照猫画虎”等众多表达法的英文翻译，更待我们共同探索。