众所周知，谚语乃是一种语言的精华，寓意深刻，表达隽永。在考研写作中如能适当地引用一些谚语，可以为文章增辉添彩。一些同学在平时的学习中积累了一些谚语，但在写作时不知道该如何将它们恰当地引用到文章中去，本文拟根据近年来《纽约时报》引用谚语的情况，总结出英语中常见的引用谚语的地道表达法，供同学们写作时模仿使用。
谚语在英语中叫proverb，引用时经常会在其前面酌情加上old, Chinese, English, Russian之类的形容词;动词一般用go, say, state, has it, put it等，在这些动词后面用逗号或冒号皆可。谚语可加双引号(这时谚语的第一个字母要大写)，也可不加双引号(这时第一个字母一般不大写)。引用谚语的表达方式常见的有如下十种：
1) A proverb goes / says, ---
2) As a / the proverb goes / says, ---
A Yiddish proverb goes, “Better to lose with a wise man than win with a fool.”
有一句依地语谚语说得好，“宁输智者，不赢傻子。”(August 14, 2000)
A proverb says, “Medicine cures the man who is fated not to die.
有一句谚语说，“命不该死有药救。”(July 16, 2009)
As a Chinese proverb goes, “Don’t climb a tree to look for fish.”
正如中国的一句谚语所说，“不要缘木求鱼。”(April 24, 2000)
As the old Chinese proverb says, “If you do not enter a tiger’s den, you cannot get her cubs.”
正如中国的一句谚语所说，“不入虎穴，焉得虎子。”(November 15, 1993)
3) As a / the proverb has it / puts it,
4) A proverb has it that ---
As a Spanish proverb has it, “Flies don’t enter a closed mouth.”
正如一句西班牙谚语所说，“祸从口入。”(July 26, 1992)
As a Navajo proverb puts it, “What comes around goes around.”
正如纳瓦霍族的一句谚语所说，“一报还一报。”(May 28, 1987)
As a local proverb here in Chad puts it: A woman who is pregnant has one foot in the grave.
正如乍得当地的一句谚语所说：女人怀宝宝，鬼门关上走一遭。(March 20, 2004)
An old proverb has it that “if the thorn doesn’t scratch when it first emerge, it will never scratch.”
有一句古老的谚语说，“如果荆棘刚长出时不扎手，那么它就永远不扎手。”(March 26, 2006)
5) There is a proverb: ---
6) There is a / the proverb that goes / states, ---
There’s an African proverb: “Educate a boy, and educate an individual. Educate a girl, and you educate a community.”
有一句非洲的谚语说：“教育好一个男孩，仅教育好一人。教育好一个女孩，则教育好一群人。”(August 19, 2009)
There’s a Russian proverb that goes: you must support the most talented people because untalented people will support themselves.
有一句俄罗斯谚语说，你须拥戴贤人，庸者仅会自顾。(December 31, 1995)
There is an old Jewish proverb that states: “A Shekel is always better in my pocket than in yours. “
有一句古老的犹太谚语说：“金币在我口袋里总比在你口袋里强。”(August 10, 2009)
7) ---, a / the proverb goes, ---
8) ---, goes a / the proverb, ---
“A river is deep,” an old African proverb goes, “because of its source.”
有一句古老的.非洲谚语说，河有源泉水才深。(September 24, 2008)
To kill a snake, goes an old African proverb, you must first crush the head.
有一句古老的非洲谚语说，打蛇先打头。(September 22, 1985)
9) --- have a proverb that goes, ---
10) There exists a proverb. It goes, ---
The Arabs have a proverb that goes, “When the sultan’s dog died, everyone marched in his funeral. But when the sultan himself died, no one marched at all. “
阿拉伯人有一句谚语是这样说的，“当苏丹的狗死了，人人都为之送葬。而当苏丹死了，却无人为之送葬。”(November 27, 1983)
There exists an old Soviet proverb. It goes, “In the monastery, you don’t offer your own view.”
有一个古老的俄罗斯谚语说，“。”(May 17, 1984)
谚语作为群众集体智慧的结晶，多具有鲜明的民族性和地域特色。由于中西文化的差异，一些在汉语中人们耳熟能详的谚语却未必为西方人所理解。所以在引用汉语谚语时，如果中国特色过于浓厚，则可舍其形而取其意，写成英语中与之意思对等的西方谚语。例如，有的同学想表达这个意思：本性难移，于是写道：As a Chinese proverb goes, a dog cannot change its habit of eating shit. 这样写不但失之粗鄙，还会让爱犬的西方人大惑不解。所以，这个意思宜写成A leopard cannot change its spots. 或者A fox may grow gray, but never good.
be a rascal among rascals.
—— plautus
近墨者黑。
—— 普劳图斯
man is the only animal that blushes. or needs to.
—— mark twain.
人是惟一会脸红的动物，或者说是惟一需要脸红的动物。
—— 马克·吐温
to a few,rashness brings luck, to most misfortune.
—— phaedrus
鲁莽也许给少数人带来运气， 但给大多数人带来的是不幸。
—— 费德鲁斯
eat to please yourself, but dress to please others.
—— benjamin franklin
吃为了满足自己，穿则为了取悦他人。
—— 本杰明·富兰克林
everything passes-even regret.
—— james huneker
一切都会成为过去-遗憾也是如此。
—— 詹姆斯·亨内克
time partially reconciles us to anything.
—— charles lamb
时间在一定程度上让我们对任何事都习以为常。
—— 查尔斯·兰姆
my honor is my life, both grow in one; take honor from me, and my life is done.
——shakespeare
我的荣誉就是我的生命，两者共长一体；若取走我的荣誉， 我的生命也就结束了。
——莎士比亚
nothing is more fatal to happiness than the remembrance of happiness.
——andre gide (1869-1951)
没有什么比回忆幸福更令人痛苦的了。
——安德烈·纪德
we have no more right to consume happiness without producing it than to consume wealth without producing it.
——george bernard shaw (1856-1950)
不创造幸福的人无权享用幸福，正如不创造财富的人无权享用财富一样。
——萧伯纳
if a man empties his purse into his head, no one can take it from him.
—— benjamin franklin
如果一个人倾其所有以
—— 本杰明·富兰克林
a fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees.
——william blake
智者见到树木，和蠢者看到的是不一样的。
——威廉·布莱克
everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects.
——will rogers
所有人只是在某些方面无知。
——威尔·罗杰斯
nothing is more deceitful than the appearance of humility.
——francis bacon
谦恭的外表最易使人上当。
——培根
content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor.
——benjamin franklin.
知足使贫穷的人富有；而贪婪使富足的人贫穷。
——本杰明·富兰克林
all books are divisible into two classes: the books of the hour, and the books of all time.
—— john ruskin
一切书籍都可以分为两类，即：一时之书与永久之书。
—— 约翰·罗斯金
A friend is never known till a man has need.
需要之时方知友。
A friend without faults will never be found.
没有十全十美的朋友。
‘After you’ is good manners.
“您先请”是礼貌。
A good beginning is half done.
良好的.开端是成功的一半。
A good beginning makes a good ending.
善始者善终。
A good book is a good friend.
好书如挚友。
A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever.
一本好书，相伴一生。
A good conscience is a soft pillow.
不做亏心事，不怕鬼叫门。
A good fame is better than a good face.
美名胜过美貌。
A good husband makes a good wife.
夫善则妻贤。
A good medicine tastes bitter.
良药苦口。
A good wife health is a man’s best wealth.
妻贤身体好是男人最大的财富。
Actions speak louder than words.
事实胜于雄辩。
Adversity leads to prosperity.
穷则思变。
Adversity makes a man wise, not rich.
逆境出人才。
A fair death honors the whole life.
死得其所，流芳百世。
A faithful friend is hard to find.
知音难觅。
A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit.
吃一堑，长一智。
A fox may grow gray, but never good.
江山易改，本性难移。
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
患难见真情。
A friend is easier lost than found.
得朋友难，失朋友易。
A great talker is a great liar.
说大话者多谎言。
A hedge between keeps friendship green.
君子之交淡如水。
A joke never gains an enemy but loses a friend.
戏谑不能化敌为友，只能使人失去朋友。
All things are difficult before they are easy.
凡事总是由难而易。
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
只会用功不玩耍，聪明孩子也变傻。
A man becomes learned by asking questions.
不耻下问才能有学问。
A man can do no more than he can.
凡事都应量力而行。
A man cannot spin and reel at the same time.
一心不能二用。
A man is known by his friends.
什么人交什么朋友。
A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds.
光说空话不做事，犹如花园光长刺。
A man without money is no man at all.
一分钱难倒英雄汉。
A merry heart goes all the way.
心旷神怡，事事顺利。
A miss is as good as a mile.
失之毫厘，差之千里。
A mother’s love never changes.
母爱永恒。
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
一天一苹果，不用请医生。
A new broom sweeps clean.
新官上任三把火。
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
以眼还眼，以牙还牙。
An hour in the morning is worth two in the evening.
一日之计在于晨。
An old dog cannot learn new tricks.
老狗学不出新把戏。
An ounce of luck is better than a pound of wisdom.
聪明才智，不如运气。
Easy come, easy go.
易得者亦易失。
Nothing is impossible for a willing heart.
心之所愿，无所不成。
East or west, home is best.
东好西好，还是家里最好。
