VOA慢速英语2018--血浓于水吗？

Is Blood Thicker Than Water?

Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.

On this program we explore expressions often heard in American English. And sometimes we get it wrong -- very wrong!

But to be fair, there are simply some expressions that most native English speakers understand and use incorrectly. The problem with these terms is that, over the years, they have been shortened and important words are missing.

Today, we will talk about an idiom that people not only use the wrong way, but the original meaning -- the very first usage -- is actually opposite from how we use it today.

That idiom is -- Blood is thicker than water.

If I ask 100 people what the idiom means, most, if not all, will say that it means family relationships are the most important. The blood you share with your relatives represents a strong relationship. We call these family ties.

"Water" here seemingly represents the connection you have with people with whom you do not share blood ties. And those links simply are not as strong.

First, let's look at the word "thick." In this idiom, it does not mean the physical size of something, as in the walls on the house are very thick.

Here, the word "thick" means to have a very close relationship with someone. If you are thick with your best friend, you trust him. You could even say you guys are ‘tight.’

FILE - Spc. Jhon Sandoval (left), and Spc. Evgenig Famenev (right), infantrymen assigned to 1st Squadron, 2nd Cavalry¹ Regiment², search for enemy troops during the Bull Run V training exercise with Battle Group Poland in Olecko, Poland, on May 22, 2018. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Hubert D. Delany III)

When used this way, "thick" gives us a few other idioms. If two friends are thick as thieves, they are very close and trust each other a lot. When you steal from others and get caught, you will probably go to jail. So, it is important to trust the people you steal with. If one rats out the others, you could all end up in jail!

The bond between thieves goes beyond a normal friendship. But for us non-thieving people, it’s also important to be there for our friends. If you are a supportive friend, you see your friends through good times and bad. Another way to say this is to see them through thick and thin or be with them through thick and thin.

So, the idiom blood is thicker than water means family ties are the strongest. That makes sense, right?

Well, it makes sense until you hear the whole idiom as it was first written in the Bible. The original saying is "Blood of the covenant³ is thicker than water of the womb."

The important words in the original version are the ones dropped over the centuries: "covenant" and "womb."

A "covenant" is a serious, official agreement or promise. Usually, we only use the word "covenant" when the agreement is important, such as a "covenant with God" or "the covenant of marriage." Covenants⁴ often involve legal requirements, such as an "international covenant on human rights."

In our Bible-based idiom, the covenant is between soldiers on the battlefield. So, we don't use the term lightly.

Now, the other important word is "womb."

A womb is the uterus, an organ where a woman carries an unborn baby. The water in the womb protects the fetus⁵ as it grows during pregnancy⁶. And when a pregnant woman's water breaks, she will soon give birth.

The English language has other idioms with the word "womb."

For example, womb-to-tomb means from birth to death. A tomb is a building above or below the ground where we keep dead bodies. We often use “womb-to-tomb” when talking about government policies that protect a person for their entire life.

Another way we say this is “from cradle to the grave.” A cradle is a bed for a baby. And a grave is a hole in the ground for burying a dead body. So, womb-to-tomb or cradle-to-grave are both ways to refer to a person’s entire life but in a more dramatic way. And drama is probably what the rock band U2 was going for in their song “All I Want Is You.”

But all the promises we make

From the cradle to the grave

When all I want is you ...

So, "blood is thicker than water" actually means that bloodshed on the battlefield creates stronger ties than the water of the womb does, or family ties. Not only are we using "blood is thicker than water" incorrectly, the current usage is opposite from the original meaning.

But here’s the thing, we ALL use this idiom incorrectly. So, if you want people to understand your actual meaning, you may want to use it the way everyone else does.

You mean, incorrectly?

Yes, I do. And then you can impress them with your knowledge of the original meaning of the idiom.

Yes. That would be a great dinner party story.

That’s a great idea.

And that's our program for this week. But it is not the end of the expressions that we use incorrectly.

There are several of those. So, don’t forget to listen next week for another Words and Their Stories to learn more.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

And I'm Anna Matteo.

Don't let the shine leave your lights

Rivers don't run in a straight line

A friend of mine

Blood's thicker than water

Don't fall from grace with open skies

Leading the blind with open eyes

No compromise

Blood's thicker than water

Blood's thicker than water

Words in This Story

idiom – n. an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate meaning of its own

original – adj. happening or existing first or at the beginning

rat – v. to betray, desert, or inform on one's associates

tight – adj. having a close personal or working relationship

Bible – proper noun the book of sacred writings used in the Christian⁷ religion

thick – adj. having a close and friendly relationship

dramatic – adj. often showing a lot of emotion : tending to behave and react in an exaggerated way

bloodshed – n. the killing⁸ of people especially in a war

impress – v. to cause (someone) to feel admiration or interest

1 cavalry   

n.骑兵；轻装甲部队

参考例句：

• We were taken in flank by a troop of cavalry. 我们翼侧受到一队骑兵的袭击。
• The enemy cavalry rode our men down. 敌人的骑兵撞倒了我们的人。

2 regiment   

n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制

参考例句：

• As he hated army life,he decide to desert his regiment.因为他嫌恶军队生活，所以他决心背弃自己所在的那个团。
• They reformed a division into a regiment.他们将一个师整编成为一个团。

3 covenant   

n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约

参考例句：

• They refused to covenant with my father for the property.他们不愿与我父亲订立财产契约。
• The money was given to us by deed of covenant.这笔钱是根据契约书付给我们的。

4 covenants   

n.（有法律约束的）协议( covenant的名词复数 )；盟约；公约；（向慈善事业、信托基金会等定期捐款的）契约书

参考例句：

• Do I need to review the Deed of mutual Covenants (DMC)? 我是否需要覆核公共契约(DMC)吗？ 来自互联网
• Many listed and unlisted companies need to sell to address covenants. 许多上市公司和非上市公司需要出售手中资产，以满足借贷契约的要求。 来自互联网

5 fetus   

n.胎，胎儿

参考例句：

• In the fetus,blood cells are formed in different sites at different ages.胎儿的血细胞在不同时期生成在不同的部位。
• No one knows why a fetus is not automatically rejected by the mother's immune system. 没有人知道为什么母亲的免疫系统不会自动排斥胎儿。

6 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

7 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

8 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。