Donny在北京学汉语，他的中国朋友要是遇到了不知道用美语怎么说的词，就会来请教他。今天是Jimmy要问的：火爆脾气。
Donny: Jimmy, 瞧瞧你的熊猫眼!
JIMMY: 哼!这都要怪对门宿舍的一个疯子。夜里不睡觉，在楼道里唱歌! 害得我一宿没法睡!
Donny: Dude, that sucks!
Jimmy: Donny, 你今天可别惹我，我这一肚子火恐怕得点火就着! I'm easy to burn!
Donny: Easy to burn? Jimmy, I have to say, you've got a talent for making up English phrases.
JIMMY: 好，那你说，“火爆脾气”在美语里怎么说？
Donny: You say I have a short fuse. fuse is spelled f-u-s-e. To say someone has a short fuse is to say he or she has a bad temper.
JIMMY: fuse是导火线的意思，a short fuse，很短的导火线，那还真是“一点就着”， 所以have a short fuse就是形容脾气差。
Donny: That's correct. If I were you, I'd go give that guy who sings in the middle of the night a piece of my mind!
JIMMY: give him a piece of your mind?
Donny: Yes! You can also tell him off, 都是“骂他一顿”的意思。
JIMMY: Actually, I was about to rush out of the door and tell him off, but my dorm mates stopped me.
Donny: Why?
JIMMY: 我室友们说，这人平时挺好的，最近失恋了，要靠夜里唱歌来疗伤，让我别往心里去。
Donny: Your dorm mates are so nice not to take it personally.
JIMMY: take it personally? 就是往心里去，计较，对么？
Donny: Exactly. For example, your boss has a short fuse and often yells at people when they make minor mistakes......
JIMMY: 哎，我来猜猜! 你说，老板脾气火爆，人家犯个小错他就大嚷大叫。那...If he gives me a piece of his mind for something minor, 同事们就会说"don't take it personally. " 对不对？
Donny: Bingo! Let's see what you've learned today!
JIMMY: 第一，火爆脾气是have a short fuse;
第二，口头教训别人是 give someone a piece of my mind, 或者tell someone off
第三，别往心里去是Don't take it personally. |