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国人于牛，大都颇有好感，尤为器重。一则牛的性格温和，不欺弱小;一则牛的能力非凡，总能以孺子牛精神服务他人。难怪乎，鲁迅先生用“横眉冷对千夫指，俯首甘为孺子牛”来表白忠诚于人民的坚定信念。
其实，牛在中华文化中具有特殊重要性。《周礼·月令》记载的“出土牛以送寒气”体现的是立春鞭土牛迎春的文化传统，这一传统在清朝乾隆年间被列为国家庆典。炎帝牛首人身的形象体现了先祖以牛为图腾的文化传统，秦代已有的祭牛神风俗体现了牛作为民间的保护神，《礼记·王制》记载的“天子社稷皆太牢，诸侯社稷皆少牢”体现了牛作为神灵及祭神的牺牲品，而《丑年生人图例》的画册则体现了牛年生牛人的民间风俗。
2021年是中国农历辛丑年，即民间生肖纪年的牛年。在牛年来临之际，让我们重新检阅一下汉英词典中一些与牛相关的习语、俗语及其他有趣的表达法，聊作一种新年之乐吧。
本文的语料主要取自陆谷孙教授主编的《中华汉英大词典》，均为该词典的编纂者自以为迻译尚有特点的与牛有关的表达法，其目的在于与广大读者共享并敦请广大读者质疑与指谬。
1. 牛鼻子 ①ox muzzle ②〈fig〉 key （to sth）; crux; crucial point： 抓住市场这个～ focus on the key issue of the market ③〈sarc〉 Daoist priest： ～老道 an old fox or a sly old fellow
2. 牛不喝水强按头 〈familiar〉 （to try to make an ox drink by forcing its head into the water） to try vainly to dictate to others： 他爱咋样就咋样， 干吗～呢？ Take him as you find him; why should you force him against his will？
3. 牛吃蟹 〈dial〉 （to let a cow to swallow a crab） ①to act foolishly or recklessly ②〈humble〉 to undertake a difficult task beyond one’s ability or power： 做这个对我来说实在是～ it’s really not within my ability to do it
4. 牛刀割鸡 〈idiom〉 （to kill a chicken with an ox knife） to assign trivial tasks to talented people
5. 牛刀小试 〈idiom〉 great talent tested in a small task; master hand’s first small display
6. 牛鼎烹雞 〈idiom〉 （to boil a chicken in a cauldron big enough for an ox） ①to use a talented person on an insignificant task ②waste of talent
7. 牛鬼蛇神 〈idiom〉 （ghost with a cow’s head and ghost with a snake’s body） ①monsters and freaks ②〈fig〉 forces of evil; bad elements ③〈lit〉 unreal and weird， illusory and absurd （of works） ④〈lit〉 unreal and weird work ⑤ugly
8. 牛黄狗宝 〈idiom〉 （bezoar of ox and dog） ①ill intention; malevolence ②things of great value [even when of lowly origin]
9. 牛骥同槽 also 牛骥同牢 /- - - láo/， 牛骥同皂 /- - - zào/ 〈idiom〉 （ox and thoroughbred horse in the same manger） no distinction made between the worthy and the unworthy or the wise and the foolish
10. 牛角挂书 〈idiom〉 （to hang a book on an ox horn） studious， diligent [from the story of Li Mi （李密） in the Sui Dynasty， who did his reading while herding cattle with a copy of The Book of Han or History of the Former Han Dynasty （汉书 /hàn -/） hung on the ox horn]
11. 牛角尖儿 ①tip of an ox horn ②〈fig〉 sth very difficult or too trivial to be worth doing [usu preceded by the verb 钻 /zuān/]： 别在这件事上钻～了 don’t split hairs on the issue
12. 牛劲儿 ①great strength or effort： 他费了～才找着一个工作 he had a hard time finding the job ②stubbornness; obstinacy： ～十足的男孩 a stiff-necked boy | 甭犯～ don’t be mulish 13. 牛口之下 〈fig〉 low or humble position
14. 牛郎织女 ①[Chin Myth] the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden ②[Chin Astron] Cowherd Star and Weaving Maiden Star; the stars Altair and Vega ③〈fig〉 separated lovers; husband and wife living apart： 两人一直过着～的生活 they have been living away from each other
15. 牛马 ①oxen or cattle and horses： 视奴隶如～ level the slaves with the brute creation ②〈fig〉 people treated like beasts of burden; slave; workhorse： ～生活 beastly existence or life of drudgery | 过着～不如的生活 lead a dog’s life | 这些年他一直在为儿女们做牛做马 he has been slaving for his children all these years ③〈fig〉 forced labour; servitude
16. 牛马风 〈familiar〉 without any connection; absolutely unrelated; totally irrelevant see 风马牛不相及 /- - - bù xiāng jí/
17. 牛马走 ①〈self-depreciatory〉 your servant; ②〈lit〉 as busy and hardworking as oxen and horses
18. 牛眠地 〈lit〉 auspicious burial place
19. 牛眠吉壤 〈idiom〉 （ox sleeping on auspicious soil） auspicious burial place
20. 牛年马月 〈idiom〉 （the Year of the Ox and the Month of the Horse） Lord knows when; never： 谁知道下次打仗会在～？ Who knows when the next war will take place？
21. 牛皮大王 boaster; bragger; braggart： 她是个～ she is full of bull
22. 牛皮灯笼 〈familiar〉 （oxhide lamp） ①dull and stupid person ②wise person who appears dull and stupid： ～肚里亮 know very well in one’s mind or know in one’s heart
23. 牛皮臉 〈fig〉 thick-skinned; shameless
24. 牛皮市 [Stock] choppy market
25. 牛脾气 stubbornness; obstinacy; pigheadedness： 老张是个～ Lao Zhang is a headstrong man
26. 牛去一毛， 仓去一粟 〈idiom〉 （to pluck a single hair off an ox hide， to take a grain of rice from a full barn） to lose almost nothing
27. 牛人 ①〈colloq〉 genius; hot stuff： 校园～ a big man on campus | 咱们公司～真多啊！ So many cool people in our company！ ②[Hist] oxen man [official in charge of raising national oxen] ③〈old〉 tenant （farmer）
28. 牛山濯濯 〈idiom〉 （Mt Niu being deforested） balding on top （of sb）
29. 牛事不发马事发 〈familiar〉 one damn thing after another
30. 牛溲马勃 〈idiom〉 （plantain or cow-urine and calvatia） cheap but useful thing
31. 牛蹄中鱼 〈idiom〉 （fish in the water of the footprint of an ox） to be in a hopeless situation; to be driven to the wall; to face an impasse
32. 牛蹄子两半子 〈dial〉 （Beijing） （split like a cow’s hoof） disagreement
33. 牛听弹琴 〈idiom〉 （like a cow listening to lute playing） to be dull-witted; to be unable to catch the meaning see 对牛弹琴 /duì - - -/
34. 牛童马走 〈idiom〉 （cowherd boys and servants） person of low or humble position 35. 牛头不对马嘴 〈familiar〉 （an ox head not matching a horse mouth） irrelevant; far-fetched： 他的回答显然～ obviously he answered the wrong thing
36. 牛头阿旁 ①[Budd] ox-headed demons [in hell] ②〈fig〉 evil villains
37. 牛头马面 〈idiom〉 （ox-headed and horse-faced demons in Buddhist hell） fiendish or insidious people; evil villains
38. 牛羊何擇 〈idiom〉 （what is the difference between choosing a cow and choosing a sheep as a sacrifice） there is no difference
39. 牛衣对泣 also 牛衣夜哭 /- - yè kū/ 〈idiom〉 （to weep while sleeping together under a straw or hempen ox blanket） to live in extreme poverty （of man and wife）
40. 牛渚怪 〈familiar〉 （to burn a rhino horn to shine on the water monsters） to have insight into the profound and exquisite meaning see 犀照牛渚 /xī zhào - -/
的确，汉语中与“牛”有关的表达法实在太丰富了，诸如“喘月吴牛”“带牛佩犊”“对牛鼓簧”“对牛弹琴”“多如牛毛”“风牛马不相及”“服牛乘马”“放牛归马”“饭牛屠狗”“割鸡焉用牛刀”“隔山买老牛”“汗牛充栋”“呼牛呼马”“襟裾马牛”“鸡口牛后”“九牛二虎之力”“九牛一毫”“茧丝牛毛”“鲸吸牛饮”“老牛破车”“老牛舐犊”“犁牛之子”“猕猴骑土牛”等表达法的英文翻译，更待我们共同探索。 □
其实，牛在中华文化中具有特殊重要性。《周礼·月令》记载的“出土牛以送寒气”体现的是立春鞭土牛迎春的文化传统，这一传统在清朝乾隆年间被列为国家庆典。炎帝牛首人身的形象体现了先祖以牛为图腾的文化传统，秦代已有的祭牛神风俗体现了牛作为民间的保护神，《礼记·王制》记载的“天子社稷皆太牢，诸侯社稷皆少牢”体现了牛作为神灵及祭神的牺牲品，而《丑年生人图例》的画册则体现了牛年生牛人的民间风俗。
2021年是中国农历辛丑年，即民间生肖纪年的牛年。在牛年来临之际，让我们重新检阅一下汉英词典中一些与牛相关的习语、俗语及其他有趣的表达法，聊作一种新年之乐吧。
本文的语料主要取自陆谷孙教授主编的《中华汉英大词典》，均为该词典的编纂者自以为迻译尚有特点的与牛有关的表达法，其目的在于与广大读者共享并敦请广大读者质疑与指谬。
1. 牛鼻子 ①ox muzzle ②〈fig〉 key （to sth）; crux; crucial point： 抓住市场这个～ focus on the key issue of the market ③〈sarc〉 Daoist priest： ～老道 an old fox or a sly old fellow
2. 牛不喝水强按头 〈familiar〉 （to try to make an ox drink by forcing its head into the water） to try vainly to dictate to others： 他爱咋样就咋样， 干吗～呢？ Take him as you find him; why should you force him against his will？
3. 牛吃蟹 〈dial〉 （to let a cow to swallow a crab） ①to act foolishly or recklessly ②〈humble〉 to undertake a difficult task beyond one’s ability or power： 做这个对我来说实在是～ it’s really not within my ability to do it
4. 牛刀割鸡 〈idiom〉 （to kill a chicken with an ox knife） to assign trivial tasks to talented people
5. 牛刀小试 〈idiom〉 great talent tested in a small task; master hand’s first small display
6. 牛鼎烹雞 〈idiom〉 （to boil a chicken in a cauldron big enough for an ox） ①to use a talented person on an insignificant task ②waste of talent
7. 牛鬼蛇神 〈idiom〉 （ghost with a cow’s head and ghost with a snake’s body） ①monsters and freaks ②〈fig〉 forces of evil; bad elements ③〈lit〉 unreal and weird， illusory and absurd （of works） ④〈lit〉 unreal and weird work ⑤ugly
8. 牛黄狗宝 〈idiom〉 （bezoar of ox and dog） ①ill intention; malevolence ②things of great value [even when of lowly origin]
9. 牛骥同槽 also 牛骥同牢 /- - - láo/， 牛骥同皂 /- - - zào/ 〈idiom〉 （ox and thoroughbred horse in the same manger） no distinction made between the worthy and the unworthy or the wise and the foolish
10. 牛角挂书 〈idiom〉 （to hang a book on an ox horn） studious， diligent [from the story of Li Mi （李密） in the Sui Dynasty， who did his reading while herding cattle with a copy of The Book of Han or History of the Former Han Dynasty （汉书 /hàn -/） hung on the ox horn]
11. 牛角尖儿 ①tip of an ox horn ②〈fig〉 sth very difficult or too trivial to be worth doing [usu preceded by the verb 钻 /zuān/]： 别在这件事上钻～了 don’t split hairs on the issue
12. 牛劲儿 ①great strength or effort： 他费了～才找着一个工作 he had a hard time finding the job ②stubbornness; obstinacy： ～十足的男孩 a stiff-necked boy | 甭犯～ don’t be mulish 13. 牛口之下 〈fig〉 low or humble position
14. 牛郎织女 ①[Chin Myth] the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden ②[Chin Astron] Cowherd Star and Weaving Maiden Star; the stars Altair and Vega ③〈fig〉 separated lovers; husband and wife living apart： 两人一直过着～的生活 they have been living away from each other
15. 牛马 ①oxen or cattle and horses： 视奴隶如～ level the slaves with the brute creation ②〈fig〉 people treated like beasts of burden; slave; workhorse： ～生活 beastly existence or life of drudgery | 过着～不如的生活 lead a dog’s life | 这些年他一直在为儿女们做牛做马 he has been slaving for his children all these years ③〈fig〉 forced labour; servitude
16. 牛马风 〈familiar〉 without any connection; absolutely unrelated; totally irrelevant see 风马牛不相及 /- - - bù xiāng jí/
17. 牛马走 ①〈self-depreciatory〉 your servant; ②〈lit〉 as busy and hardworking as oxen and horses
18. 牛眠地 〈lit〉 auspicious burial place
19. 牛眠吉壤 〈idiom〉 （ox sleeping on auspicious soil） auspicious burial place
20. 牛年马月 〈idiom〉 （the Year of the Ox and the Month of the Horse） Lord knows when; never： 谁知道下次打仗会在～？ Who knows when the next war will take place？
21. 牛皮大王 boaster; bragger; braggart： 她是个～ she is full of bull
22. 牛皮灯笼 〈familiar〉 （oxhide lamp） ①dull and stupid person ②wise person who appears dull and stupid： ～肚里亮 know very well in one’s mind or know in one’s heart
23. 牛皮臉 〈fig〉 thick-skinned; shameless
24. 牛皮市 [Stock] choppy market
25. 牛脾气 stubbornness; obstinacy; pigheadedness： 老张是个～ Lao Zhang is a headstrong man
26. 牛去一毛， 仓去一粟 〈idiom〉 （to pluck a single hair off an ox hide， to take a grain of rice from a full barn） to lose almost nothing
27. 牛人 ①〈colloq〉 genius; hot stuff： 校园～ a big man on campus | 咱们公司～真多啊！ So many cool people in our company！ ②[Hist] oxen man [official in charge of raising national oxen] ③〈old〉 tenant （farmer）
28. 牛山濯濯 〈idiom〉 （Mt Niu being deforested） balding on top （of sb）
29. 牛事不发马事发 〈familiar〉 one damn thing after another
30. 牛溲马勃 〈idiom〉 （plantain or cow-urine and calvatia） cheap but useful thing
31. 牛蹄中鱼 〈idiom〉 （fish in the water of the footprint of an ox） to be in a hopeless situation; to be driven to the wall; to face an impasse
32. 牛蹄子两半子 〈dial〉 （Beijing） （split like a cow’s hoof） disagreement
33. 牛听弹琴 〈idiom〉 （like a cow listening to lute playing） to be dull-witted; to be unable to catch the meaning see 对牛弹琴 /duì - - -/
34. 牛童马走 〈idiom〉 （cowherd boys and servants） person of low or humble position 35. 牛头不对马嘴 〈familiar〉 （an ox head not matching a horse mouth） irrelevant; far-fetched： 他的回答显然～ obviously he answered the wrong thing
36. 牛头阿旁 ①[Budd] ox-headed demons [in hell] ②〈fig〉 evil villains
37. 牛头马面 〈idiom〉 （ox-headed and horse-faced demons in Buddhist hell） fiendish or insidious people; evil villains
38. 牛羊何擇 〈idiom〉 （what is the difference between choosing a cow and choosing a sheep as a sacrifice） there is no difference
39. 牛衣对泣 also 牛衣夜哭 /- - yè kū/ 〈idiom〉 （to weep while sleeping together under a straw or hempen ox blanket） to live in extreme poverty （of man and wife）
40. 牛渚怪 〈familiar〉 （to burn a rhino horn to shine on the water monsters） to have insight into the profound and exquisite meaning see 犀照牛渚 /xī zhào - -/
的确，汉语中与“牛”有关的表达法实在太丰富了，诸如“喘月吴牛”“带牛佩犊”“对牛鼓簧”“对牛弹琴”“多如牛毛”“风牛马不相及”“服牛乘马”“放牛归马”“饭牛屠狗”“割鸡焉用牛刀”“隔山买老牛”“汗牛充栋”“呼牛呼马”“襟裾马牛”“鸡口牛后”“九牛二虎之力”“九牛一毫”“茧丝牛毛”“鲸吸牛饮”“老牛破车”“老牛舐犊”“犁牛之子”“猕猴骑土牛”等表达法的英文翻译，更待我们共同探索。 □