Don’t Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch 雞未孵出不要數

楊舟選譯

Today we talk about a proverb2 often used in American English.

A proverb is a short， well-known saying that usually offers a piece of advice. Our example of a proverb takes us to a farm—a chicken farm， to be exact.

Our explanation3 is part science， part folklore4.

First， the science.

You know that chickens come from eggs， of course. A hen lays eggs and then they hatch into chicks. Well， not all of them. Some eggs do not have a baby bird.

So， at our farm， a hen produces 15 eggs. If the farmer counts the eggs， she might expect to have 15 chicks once the eggs are hatched. But then five of those eggs do not hatch. Her expectations5 were not met， so she feels disappointed. She tells her friend how sad she feels. The friend may say to her， “Well， dont count your chicken before they hatch.”

Another way of saying this proverb is “Dont count your chickens until they are hatched.”

So， this proverb means you should not depend on something that has yet to happen. It is unwise to make plans based on something that hasnt happened. Another meaning of this proverb is this： Do not assume6 to have everything you want until you actually have it in your hands.

Now， lets talk about the folklore part of our explanation.

“Dont count your chickens until they are hatched” is a very old saying. Language experts say it appears in different forms and in many different cultures. It is also used in Aesops Fables7， a collection of stories from between 1，300 and 1，400 years ago.

The fable we are talking about is known as The Milkmaid 8 and Her Pail 9. A long time ago， a young woman carried a bucket of milk on her head. As she walked， the milkmaid dreamed of a better life. She wanted to be rich. So， she thought she could sell her milk and then use the money to buy chickens. With chickens she could sell eggs and earn more money！

With lots of money， the milkmaid could shake her head “no” to all the men in her village who wanted her hand in marriage. The young woman was so caught up in her thoughts that she actually shook her head “no”. This caused the pail of milk to fall from her head and crash to the ground. Along with it—her dreams of becoming rich and independent.

When she told her mother what happened， her mother said， “My child， do not count your chickens before they are hatched.”

（英語原文選自：VOA Special English）

今天我們來談談美國英語中一個常用的諺語。

諺語是簡短的、眾所周知的說法，通常會提出一條建議。有條諺語的例子會把我們帶到一個農場——確切地說，是一個養雞場。

我們的解釋一部分和科學有關，一部分和民間傳說有關。

首先是和科學有關的部分。

你當然知道小雞是從雞蛋里孵出來的。母雞下蛋后蛋孵化成小雞。好吧，并不是所有的蛋都可以，有些蛋孵不出小雞。

所以，在我們的農場，一只母雞產15個雞蛋。如果農民數了蛋，她可能會期望這些蛋能孵出15只小雞。但后來有五個蛋沒有孵出來，她的期望沒有達成，所以會感到失望。她告訴朋友她有多難過。朋友可能會對她說：“好吧，雞孵出來之前就別數了。”

這句諺語的另一種說法是“雞孵出來了再數”。

所以，這句諺語意味著你不應該指望那些尚未發生的事情。根據尚未發生的事情制定計劃是不明智的。這句諺語的另一個意思是：在真正擁有你想要的一切之前，不要以為你已擁有了（不要過早樂觀）。

現在來談談我們的解釋中關于民間傳說的部分。

“雞未孵出不要數”是一句很古老的諺語。語言專家說它以不同的形式出現在許多不同的文化中。它在《伊索寓言》這個1300年到1400年前的故事集中也被用到過。

我們要談論的寓言故事是《擠奶女工和她的桶》。很久以前，一個年輕女子頭上頂著一桶牛奶。這位擠奶女工一邊走，一邊夢想著過上更好的生活。她想發財，所以她認為她可以賣掉牛奶，然后用這些錢買雞。有了雞，她可以賣雞蛋，賺更多的錢！

有了很多錢，擠奶女工就可以對村里所有想和她結婚的男人搖頭說“不”。這名年輕女子陷入了自己的思緒，并真的搖了搖頭。這個動作導致牛奶桶從她的頭上掉了下來，摔在地上。和牛奶桶一起摔在地上的還有她變富有和獨立的夢想。

當她告訴母親發生了什么事時，母親說：“我的孩子，不要在小雞被孵出來之前就數數。”