鼠年話鼠

今年是鼠年，在漢語中老鼠口碑不佳，關于老鼠的成語數以百計，幾乎都帶有貶義色彩，例如，膽小如鼠、鼠目寸光、首鼠兩端、鼠肚雞腸、抱頭鼠竄等，人們常用這些成語形容一些人膽小怯懦、目光短淺、猶豫不決、心胸狹窄、狼狽不堪等不良品質。老鼠在英語中對應的是mouse和rat，兩者在英語中的習語也很多，通過總結這些習語，可以窺見老鼠在西方國家所代表的文化內涵。

1.as poor as a church mouse 一貧如洗，赤貧的

It?蒺s impossible for you to borrow money from him， for he is as poor as a church mouse. 他一貧如洗，你不可能從他身上借到錢。

2.as quiet as a mouse 不聲不響，非常安靜

I?蒺m wondering why Tom was just sitting there as quiet as a mouse.我搞不懂湯姆為什么不聲不響地坐在那里。

3.as timid as a mouse 膽小如鼠

He was as timid as a mouse in real life， andhis cowardice caused his wife to divorce him. 在現實生活中，他膽小如鼠，使得妻子離開了他。

4.to play(a game of ) cat and mouse(with somebody) 玩貓戲老鼠的把戲，欲擒故縱

The police have played cat and mouse with the thief. 警察對小偷采用的是欲擒故縱的策略。

5.mickey-mouse無關緊要的，微小的

We?蒺re talking about a respected organization here—not some mickey-mouse outfit.我們正在討論一個很重要的組織，并不是一個微不足道的機構。

6.to look like a drowned rat（濕的）像落湯雞，渾身濕透

I had to cycle home in the rain and came in looking like a drowned rat. 我不得不冒雨騎自行車回家，結果回來淋成落湯雞。

7.smell a rat 感覺不對勁，感到可疑

She smelled a rat when she phoned his husband at the office where he was supposed to be working late and he wasn?蒺t there. 他丈夫本該在加班，但她往辦公室里打電話他卻不在，她便覺得不對勁。

8.a rat race卑鄙、激烈的競爭（尤其為保住職位或地位）

Jim was the winner in a rat race， and he was promoted to be the director of the marketing department. 吉姆在激烈的競爭中勝出，他被提拔為市場部主任。

9.rat-arsed 酩酊大醉的，爛醉的

He came home totally rat-arsed last night. 昨天晚上他回到家的時候已完全爛醉如泥。

10.a pack rat 囤積狂，收集一大堆自己不需要的東西的人

I was listening to my wife ask me about my fifteen-year-old collection of comic books and I realized I am a pack rat. 當在聽我妻子打聽我15年收集的連環畫書時，才意識到自己是囤積狂。

11.like a rat in a hole 甕中之鱉，陷于絕境

Saddam was caught like a rat in a hole. 薩達姆已成甕中之鱉被捉。

12.to die like a rat被毒死

He would rather take his chances and flee than die like a rat， choking on poisonous gas and ash. 他寧愿孤注一擲逃離而不在毒氣中窒息而死。

13.a rat fink 卑鄙之人，下賤之人（尤指告密者）

If I find the rat fink who informed on me， he will be punished. 如果給我找出哪個卑鄙小人出賣我，他會受到懲罰的。

英語中mouse與rat在基本意義上存在著一定的差別，從以上習語可以看出，兩者所代表的比喻意義也存在較大差異，人們常用mouse比喻膽小怕羞的人，而用rat表示卑鄙之人，言而無信的、狼狽不堪的人，有明顯的貶義色彩。與漢語中老鼠所代表的意義相比，存在著一定的共性，都帶有貶義色彩，都有膽小怯懦、狼狽不堪等含義，但在兩種語言中也存在較大差異，在漢語中可以用老鼠形容人目光短淺、猶豫不決，在英語中，可以用rat來形容人卑鄙下賤，兩者的不同之處也反映了中西文化的差異。