7.1 动物明喻
人们为了更生动地表达自己的思想，在语言中常常打比方，把所要刻画或描述的事物用比喻词与另一事物联系起来，从而使事物的形象更生动、逼真，说理更加深刻，这就是比喻。
汉语明喻常用的词有“如、像、若、似”等。英语中常用的明喻引导词有“like”“as”“as if”“seem”等，“as+形容词+ as+动物词”是英语明喻的一种典型表达法之一。
英语里的有些动物明喻和汉语相似，比较容易理解。
as graceful as a swan姿态像天鹅一样优美
as ugly as a toad外貌像癞蛤蟆一样丑
as proud as a peacock像只孔雀一样骄傲
as sly as a fox像狐狸般狡猾
as fat as a pig胖得像猪
as slow as a tortoise慢得像乌龟
由于英语文化对动物的认识和汉语文化不同，英语里的有些动物明喻中国人难以理解。
as poor as a church mouse像教堂里的老鼠一样一贫如洗(www.xing528.com)
as slippery as an eel像鳝鱼一样狡猾
as mad as a wet hen像淋湿的母鸡一样生气
as stupid as an owl像猫头鹰一样愚蠢
as mild as a dove像鸽子一样温和
as lively as a cricket像蟋蟀一样活泼
as brave as a lion像雄狮般勇敢
明喻用在句子中的例子：
The cheque fluttered to the floor like a bird with a broken wing.支票像折断翅膀的小鸟飘落到地上。
He took his medicine like a lamb.他顺从地服下了药。
I felt like a fish out of water at Tom's birthday party last week.我觉得自己上周在汤姆家举行的生日晚会上很别扭。
a fish out of water（离水之鱼），比喻格格不入、局促不安。而在汉语文化里，“鱼离开了水”，我们想到的是死亡。
免责声明：以上内容源自网络，版权归原作者所有，如有侵犯您的原创版权请告知，我们将尽快删除相关内容。
