这是周一的早上，你和你的同事以及你的经理坐在一起开会，他们想让她的团队在接下来的一周充满激情。
“We need to strike while the iron is hot!(我们需要趁热打铁!)”你的经理坚持说，她用拳头猛击桌子，不小心把咖啡洒了。“The early bird catches the worm, after all.(毕竟，早起的鸟儿有虫吃。)”
“这需要一些努力，Rome wasn’t built in a day(罗马不是一天建成的)，但当情况变得艰难时，勇者就会勇往直前!”
你说什么铁，蠕虫和罗马?当然，工作时间这么早猜谜语是没用的。其实，这些不是谜语，而是谚语。
什么是英语的谚语?
英语的谚语是一种简短、精辟的陈述，通常提供生活建议、智慧或真理。谚语是如此的普遍，以至于以英语为母语的人可能在对话中使用它们而不自知。
谚语也可以提供解释或传递信息的捷径。例如，与其让你的经理说:“只有在其他营销公司接触客户之前，我们才会成功。”她可以把这个解释简化为“早起的鸟儿有虫吃”。会上的每个人都会知道她的意思。谚语用几句老生常谈、耳熟能详的话语传达一种被理解和接受的信息。
通常，谚语被用来说明一个观点。在文体上，它们不同于常规的言语形式，因为它们在本质上是隐喻或象征的。有些谚语可以反映一种特定的文化或地区，尽管大多数谚语超越了地区障碍，被广泛接受，并经常代代相传。
谚语与成语的区别
谚语和成语很相似，很容易混淆。这两种表达形式对人群来说都是很自然的，短小精悍，对英语学习者来说都是非常具有挑战性的，因为它们包含了与生俱来的意思，并不总是通过阅读单词来识别。但它们确实有一些关键的区别。习语表达一种想法或思想，是包含一组放在一起通常没有意义的单词的短语(例如，it 's raining cats and dogs, pulling someone’s leg, at the skin of your teeth)。它们也经常用于诗歌中。谚语有字面意义，倾向于表达真理或提供建议，比如actions speak louder than words(行动比语言更响亮); all’s well that end’s well;(一切都好，结局都好); a leopard never changes its spots(江山易改本性难移)。
10个英语谚语的例子
1 The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Meaning: Children tend to resemble their parents in appearance and behavior.
2 All that glitters is not gold.
Meaning: Something that appears valuable or true may not be.
3 A picture is worth a thousand words.
Meaning: Artwork or images can convey meanings that go beyond verbal description.
4 Beggars can’t be choosers.
Meaning: People who depend on the generosity of others must be content with what is offered to them.
5 A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Meaning: What you already have in hand is better than what you might get.
6 An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Meaning: If you eat healthily, you will be healthy.
7 Better safe than sorry.
Meaning: It is better to be precautious than to have regrets later on.
8 Blood is thicker than water.
Meaning: Relationships between family members are the strongest of all.
9 When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Meaning: When you visit a new place, leave all judgments behind and embrace the local ways of life.
10 Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
Meaning: Don’t make plans based on events that haven’t happened.