喜欢比较是人的天性,不知足也是人的天性。这两种天性结合在一起,难怪我们总是觉得别人的东西(或处境)比自己的好。中文里有不少俗语来描述这种情形:这山望着那山高;隔岸风景好,邻家芳草绿;外国的月亮比较圆;吃着碗里的,想着锅里的……
英文当中也有类似的谚语:The grass is greener on the other side. 这句话的完整版本是:The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.(篱笆那边的草总是比较绿,即“邻家芳草绿”。)虽然这个概念早在1 5世纪就由荷兰神学家Desiderius Erasmus提出过,但它直到20世纪50年代才通过Hugh Williams和Margaret Vyner创作的戏剧The Grass Is Greener《绿苑春浓》正式在英语里亮相。该剧后来还被改编成电影,由著名影星Cary Grant领衔主演。借着戏剧和电影的影响力,这句谚语很快就家喻户晓了。
为了方便,人们经常把它缩略为“The grass is greener on the other side.”,甚至更短的、和戏剧/电影名字一致的“The grass is greener.”。举例如下: Clifford: You llaVc no idea how much I envy you. you went to Harvard you have a great job and you'll probably accomplish more by the time you are 35 than Iwill in my entire lile.(你不晓得我有多羡慕你。你是哈佛的高才生,有一份好工作,35岁时达到的成就可能比我一辈子的还要多。)Jake: Are you serios ? Ihave always envied you.People expect so much.out of me. I've never been about to havc a life becausc of schoolwork.ifI get a B, peoplc frcak out like it's an F.Imay havc a good job.but with all the pressure on me ,I'll probably be inisane by the time i am 35.in so many ways.1 wvish I couledjust be a regular guy ,with nomal epectations and a normal lifc.(你是开玩笑的吧?我一直很羡慕你才是真的。
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