雞年話說漢英詞典中的“雞”

文/肖福壽

雞年話說漢英詞典中的“雞”

文/肖福壽1

在源遠流長的中華文化中，雞占據了特殊的一席，象征著光明與吉祥、生命力與繁殖力，也象征著保護神與神力等，具有深刻與豐富的文化內涵。

《太平御覽》云“黃帝之時，以鳳為雞”，說明雞是一種身世不凡的靈禽；《儀禮·士婚禮》云“女子許嫁，笄而醴之，稱字”，說明雞與繁衍之神的聯系；《史記·孝武本紀》云“乃令越巫立越祝祠，安臺無壇，亦祠天神上帝百鬼，而以雞卜”，說明了古人對雞超自然神秘力量的崇拜；《尚書·堯典》云“日中，星鳥，以殷中春”，說明了雞作為太陽神在古人心目中的崇高地位。

在商周時期，就有“雞彝”祭祀天地、祖先的風俗，而周亮工《書影》中記述：“正月一日，貼畫雞。今都門剪以插首，中州畫以懸堂，中州貴人尤好畫雞于石，元旦張之，蓋此地乎雞為吉，俗云室上大吉也。”這說明了雞在民間扮演的保護神的角色，難怪人們在過年時不但在門上貼雄雞圖，而且也把農歷新年的首日定為雞日。民間藝術中有雞剪紙、雞頭鞋、雞圍裙、雞香袋、雞煙荷包、雞枕等，則說明雞為吉祥、吉慶之象征。

2017年，是中國干支紀年的農歷丁酉年，即民間生肖紀年的雞年。在這吉（雞）年之際，重新檢閱一下漢英詞典中一些與雞相關的種種說法，可謂樂趣無窮。

本文選取了《中華漢英大詞典》編纂者自以為迻譯尚有特點的與雞典、雞饌與雞文有關的表達法，其目的在于與廣大讀者共享并敦請廣大讀者質疑與指謬。

一、“雞”字的界定

1. “家禽”之意 =[Zool] chicken; Gallus domestica: 雛～ a chick | 公～ a cock/ rooster | ～毛房 〈old〉 a low-class inn | ～食 chicken feed | ～窩 a chicken coop | ～鴨房 a fowl coop | 家～ a domestic chicken | 金～ a golden rooster |母～ a hen | 野～ a pheasant | 養～場 a chicken farm ｜～棲于塒，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]: 他是屬～的 he was born in the year of the rooster | 雄～報曉 the rooster heralds the dawn

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

4. “姓”之意 =Ji [surname]

二、與雞有關的典故

漢語中有大量與雞有關的典故。比如，“雞窗”（study; reading room）表示鳴窗攻讀的典故，“山雞起舞”用于形容“顧影自憐”與“孤芳自賞”的人，“淮南雞犬”則形容攀附權貴的人，“聞雞起舞”則表達報國之赤誠。類似的典故，請見下文：

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

2. 鶴立雞群 〈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. 雞腸狗肚 〈idiom〉 (chicken guts and dog stomach) ①small or narrow-mindedness②evil or malicious intentions

4. 雞吵鵝斗 〈idiom〉 (chickens quarreling and goose squabbling) noisy quarreling and verbal abuse

5. 雞蟲得失 〈idiom〉 (gains and losses of worms to a chicken) tri fl ing gains and losses: ～無了時 piddling gains and losses will never cease

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

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

8. 雞口牛后 〈idiom〉 (better to lead as a chicken than follow as an ox) better to reign in hell than serve in heaven: 寧為雞口，無為牛后 better to reign in hell than serve in heaven |雞口雖小，猶進食；牛后雖大，乃出糞也 a chicken’s beak, though small, can take food; a cow’s rump, though big, just discharges dung

9. 雞零狗碎 〈idiom〉 (bits of chicken and pieces of dog) bits and pieces; odds and ends: 那～的事，恕不細說 such a trivial thing is hardly worth elaborating

10. 雞毛蒜皮 〈idiom〉 (chicken feathers and garlic peels) tri fl es; worthless things:提出些～的意見 offer some tri fl ing suggestions |為～的芝麻粒小事兒而吵鬧 squabble over insigni fi cant and trivial matters

11. 雞鳴而起 〈idiom〉 (to rise at cock’s crow) to be diligent and industrious |雞鳴狗盜 〈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 | 雞鳴狗吠 〈idiom〉 (the crowing of cocks and the barking of dogs) ①people live and work in peace and contentment ②war; turmoil; social upheaval: 無～之驚 have no fear of war | 雞鳴馌耕 〈idiom〉 (to cook food at cock’s crow for those working in the field) hardworking and thrifty (of a woman, esp a housewife) | 雞鳴之助 〈idiom〉 (help from a crowing cock) help from one’s wife

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

13. 雞犬不驚 〈idiom〉 (neither the chickens nor the dogs are alarmed) ①peace and tranquility ② fi ne military discipline: 不許一人擄掠，～ the strict military discipline dictates that no one engage in looting | 雞犬不留 〈idiom〉(not even a chicken or a dog is left) mass slaughter; total extermination: 殺了個～ engage in mass killing | 雞犬不寧 〈idiom〉 (not even the chickens and dogs are left in peace) great disturbance; pandemonium: 鬧得～ run riot or raise an uproar | 雞犬桑麻 〈idiom〉 (cocks crow, dogs bark, mulberry and hem trees grow densely) peaceful and tranquil rural life | 雞犬升天 〈idiom〉 (one’s dogs and chickens rise to heaven with one) followers gain (when their leader gainspower): 古話說的好：一人得道，～ as the old saying goes, “when a man attains the Tao, even his pets ascend to heaven.” | 雞犬相聞 〈idiom〉 (to hear each other’s cocks crow and dogs bark) ①dense population: 這兒已是～的村落了 it has now become a densly populated village ②to live nearby or in the neighbourhood | 雞犬之聲相聞, 老死不相往來 〈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. 雞窩里飛出金鳳凰 〈idiom〉 (a golden phoenix fl ying out of a henhouse) a person of humble origin rising to prominence

15. 雞爭鵝斗 〈idiom〉 (chickens quarreling and geese squabbling) noisy quarreling and verbal abuse

16. 嫁雞隨雞, 嫁狗隨狗 〈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. 牝雞司晨 〈idiom〉 (the hen announcing the morning) female rule; woman as head of the family

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

19. 殺雞取卵also殺雞求蛋 /- - qiú dàn/ 〈idiom〉 (to kill the chicken for its eggs) to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs | 殺雞問客 〈idiom〉 (to ask the guest whether to kill a chicken) to put the burden of acceptance and refusal on the guest | 殺雞嚇猴also殺雞儆猴 /- - jǐng -/ 〈idiom〉 (to kill the chicken to frighten the monkey) to punish one to deter others | 殺雞焉用牛刀 〈idiom〉(why use an ox-knife to kill a chicken) why break a butter fl y on the wheel

20. 偷雞不成蝕把米 also偷雞不著蝕把米 /- - - zháo - - -/ 〈idiom〉 (fail to steal the chicken and lose the rice—the bait) to go for wool and come back shorn | 偷雞盜狗 〈idiom〉 (to steal dogs and chickens) low-life | 偷雞摸狗 ①〈idiom〉(to steal dogs and chickens) to be a petty thief ②to be a lecher; to have illicit sex with women

21. 聞雞起舞 〈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、與雞有關的美饌

在文學作品中，有關各種雞饌可謂不勝枚舉。比如，《楚辭·招魂》載有“露雞”； 《齊民要術》載有雞“五味脯”“雞羹”“蒸雞”；《禮記》中載有“雞羹”“弗食……雞肝”； 清代《隨園食單》已載有雞饌30款；《武林舊事》有“潤雞”；《新唐書》有“雞球”。白居易更有“雞球餳粥屢開筵”的名句。

在民間，就有“無雞不成席”之說，不同地方的雞饌名目繁多。比如，廣東有“白切雞” “蔥油雞”“脆皮雞”“清平雞”“手撕雞”“太爺雞”“文昌雞”“鹽焗雞”，河南有“道口燒雞”， 湖南有“東安雞”， 江蘇有“芙蓉雞片”“叫花雞”，四川有“宮保雞丁”“怪味雞”， 西安有“葫蘆雞”，浙江有“醉雞”。 這些雞饌，從一個側面反映了中國豐富的飲食文化。

那么，漢英詞典是如何表達諸如此類的雞饌呢？請見以下例子：

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

2. 蔥油 [Culin] scallion or onion oil: ～雞 steamed chicken with scallion oil

3. 雞腸 chicken guts | 雞肝 chicken liver | 雞絲 shredded chicken | 雞松 chicken

fl oss | 雞血 chicken blood | 雞雜 〈colloq〉 chicken giblets

4. 雞丁 diced chicken: 宮保～ kung pao chicken

5. 雞公煲 chicken hot pot [Sichuan cuisine]

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

7. 雞胗肝兒 chicken gizzard [as a food item]

8. 雞爪 chicken feet [as a food item]

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

10. 手撕雞 [Culin] shredded chicken

11. 醉雞 steamed chicken with distilled grain

四、與雞有關的詩文

唐代詩人李賀的千古名句“雄雞一聲天下白”和毛澤東的“一唱雄雞天下白”都是膾炙人口的詩句，為中國百姓喜聞樂見。

其實，雞作為中華民族喜愛的動物，曾被寫入無數詩文中，關于雞的描述不絕于書。《詩經》中的“風雨瀟瀟，雞鳴膠膠”“風雨如晦，雞鳴不已”，其他詩句包括“雞聲茅店月，人跡板橋霜”“秦臺一照山雞后，便是孤鸞罷舞時”“詩成一夜月中題，便臥松風到曉雞”“三更燈火五更雞，正是男兒讀書時”。據不完全統計, 僅一部《全唐詩》，標題中帶有“雞”字的就有48首，內容中含有“雞”字的則多達992首。在唐代著名詩人中，白居易詩中帶“雞”字最多，為68首，其次為李白（49首）和杜甫（38首）。拿以下詩文來說吧。

1. 《孟子》：雞鳴而起，孳孳為善者，舜之徒也；雞鳴而起，孳孳為利者，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. 《詩經》：風雨如晦，雞鳴不已。既見君子，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. 《詩經》：風雨瀟瀟，雞鳴膠膠。既見君子，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. 《詩經》：雞既鳴矣，朝既盈矣。匪雞則鳴，蒼蠅之聲。 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. 陶淵明：狗吠深巷中，雞鳴桑樹顛。 In the long lane bark the dogs, and atop mulberry trees crow the cocks.

6. 毛澤東：一唱雄雞天下白，萬方樂奏有于闐，詩人興會更無前。 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.

的確，漢語中與“雞”有關的表達法實在太豐富了，諸如“雞碑”“雞鵠”“雞距”“雞盲”“雞夢”“雞齊”“雞鶩”等詞語的英文翻譯，更待我們共同探索。

1南京大學博士，哈佛大學訪問學者，現為上海大學教授、英語系主任，主要從事英語詞塊學、ESL寫作以及詞典編纂研究。