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Have you ever tried to 'dress up' something unappealing in a vain attempt
to make it look better? For instance, that tired old sofa is still looking
tired, even though you've put a 'luxury throw' on it, and that ugly concrete
yard is still a concrete yard, even though you've adorned it with a couple of
pot plants. These attempts to make something unpleasant look more attractive
which, despite our best efforts, are decidedly unsuccessful, are classic
examples of lipstick on a pig.
译文:你有没有曾经“精心装扮”一个看着很不入眼的事物想让它好看一点,结果发现所有努力都是徒劳?比如,就算你在那个破旧的沙发上铺了一个“奢华的布盖”,它看上去还是那么破旧;还有那个难看的水泥地小院子,并没有因为你倾心摆了几个盆栽就变得美丽宜人。所有这些倾尽力量想要把难看的事物变得更加美好,但结局注定失败的行为都是“给猪涂口红”的典型例证。
In fact the idea of vain attempts at converting something from ugly to
attractive, as intended by use of lipstick on a pig, is similar to that of the
famous old proverb “You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear”, which dates
back to the mid-16th century.
译文:其实,“给猪涂口红”跟16世纪中叶很有名的一句谚语“母猪的耳朵做不成丝绸钱包”表达的意思差不多,都比喻想要把丑陋的事物变美好而做的无用功。 |
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