文革时期常用词汇的英译

蒋割荆

Y（1）

压倒一切: all-conquering/overriding
奄奄一息: scarcely a breath left/on the point of dying
阉割: cut... out of.../emasculate
言必信，行必果: Promise must be kept and action must be resolute.
言必称……: cannot open their mouths without citing...
言必行: be true in word
言行不一: One's words and deeds are at complete variance./say one thing and do another
言者无罪，闻者足戒: Blame not the speaker but be warned by his words.
严惩: punish with the utmost severity/be severely punished
严防: strict precautions against
严禁乱打乱杀: strictly forbid beating and killing without discrimination
严阵以待: stand in battle array/remain in combat readiness
严格控制: exercise strict control over
严格区别: be sharply differentiated from
阎王殿: palace of Hell
掩耳盗铃: run away from one's shadow/stuff one's ears when stealing a bell
演正派人物总是不大像: Some actors are never so life-like in positive roles.
演双簧: put on a puppet show/joint performance with one acting in front and another dictating behind
“阳春白雪”: "The Spring Snow"
阳奉阴违: comply in public but oppose in private/overtly agree to but covertly oppose
洋八股: foreign stereotyped writing
“洋包子”: "Westernized Chinese"
洋框框: foreign conventions/foreign restrictions
洋里洋气: exotic flavor/outlandish
洋奴: foreigners' slaves
洋奴哲学: philosophy of servile dependence on foreigners for everything
洋为中用: make foreign things serve China
洋学堂: Westernized school
扬眉吐气: be elated/feel proud/hold one's head high
养尊处优: revel in a high position and indulge in comfort/lead a comfortable life
样板田: demonstration fields
样板戏: model opera
妖风: evil winds/evil flurry of
妖魔鬼怪: monsters and ghosts
腰杆硬起来: put some stiffening into
摇旗呐喊，鸣锣开道: sound the clarion to clear the way for
摇钱树: milch cow/ready source of income
摇身一变: suddenly changed
摇羽毛扇的人物: the idea man
咬牙切齿，恨之入骨: bare one's fangs and show one's inveterate hatred
要扩大教育面，缩小打击面: Help more people by educating them and narrow the target of attack.
要立新功: Make new contributions.
要允许失败、允许犯错误，还要允许改正错误: There should be no fear of failures or mistakes. Allowance should be made for them, and people must be permitted to correct their mistakes.
要文斗，不要武斗: struggle by reasoning and not by coercion or force
“野火烧不尽，春风吹又生”: "The grass cannot be burned out by a prairie fire but grows again with the spring breeze."
“业务挂帅”: "put vocational work first"
“业务至上”: "put professional skill above all"
业余闹革命: carry out revolution after working hours
野心家: careerist/ambitious climbers
叶公好龙: Lord Ye who claimed to be fond of dragons but in fact was mortally afraid of them.
夜郎自大，利令智昏: be blinded by one's presumptuous self-conceit and overweening ambition