摘要:该短语的起源与19世纪初西方马车及骑兵文化深度绑定。在汽车未普及的年代,马匹是主要代步工具和作战装备——赶路时若急于催马,易导致马匹失控、马车翻车;作战时若未等指令就策马冲锋,会暴露阵型、陷入敌围。因此,“hold your horses”(字面意为“驾驭好、
该短语的起源与19世纪初西方马车及骑兵文化深度绑定。在汽车未普及的年代,马匹是主要代步工具和作战装备——赶路时若急于催马,易导致马匹失控、马车翻车;作战时若未等指令就策马冲锋,会暴露阵型、陷入敌围。因此,“hold your horses”(字面意为“驾驭好、控住好、拉住你的马”)成为骑手间的常用提醒,意为“别催马、慢下来”。随着语言演变,它逐渐脱离“马匹”的字面含义,引申为“劝人耐心、勿急于行动”的通用口语,至今仍是英语日常对话中的“高频劝诫短语”。常常译为:别着急,耐心点;慢慢来,不要急于行动,稍安勿躁,耐心等待。它专门用于劝阻他人因急躁、冲动而仓促行事,强调“放缓行动节奏、等待合适时机”,与“keep your shirt on”(侧重“安抚愤怒情绪”)的核心差异在于:前者针对“行动上的冒进”,后者针对“情绪上的失控”。(小编有专门文章论述keep your shirt on用法,欢迎查阅)
请看精彩例句:
Hold your horses, class. Read the question carefully before you start writing the answer.
同学们,别着急。开始写答案前先仔细读题。
Hold your horses before signing the contract—you should consult a financial advisor first.
签合同前别着急,你应该先咨询一下财务顾问。
Babe, hold your horses—don’t rush to say ‘I love you’ until you’re sure about your feelings.
宝贝,别着急,等你确定自己的心意了再说出“我爱你”。
Hold your horses, honey. He just texted you back—no need to reply immediately.
亲爱的,耐心点。他刚给你回消息了,没必要马上回复。
I know you are excited about the new project, but hold your horses; we need to complete the current one first.
我知道你对新项目很兴奋,但先别急;我们得先完成当前这个项目。
When she wanted to meet my parents after only two dates, I said ‘hold your horses’ and suggested we take it step by step.
才约会两次她就想见我父母,我说“别着急”,建议我们一步一步来。
Hold your horses, dear—let’s not argue about this now; we can talk when we’re both calm.
别着急,亲爱的,咱们现在别为这事吵架,等两人都冷静了再谈。
The diplomat told his team to hold their horses and not make any hasty statements during the negotiation.
外交官让团队别着急,谈判期间不要发表任何仓促的声明。
The general ordered the soldiers to hold their horses and wait for the signal before advancing.
将军命令士兵们别着急,等待信号再前进。
Hold your horses, Rachel! You can’t just quit your job without having another one lined up. 《老友记》
别着急,瑞秋!你不能还没找好下家就辞职啊。
Hold your horses, Alicia. We need more evidence before we file the lawsuit. 《傲骨贤妻》
别着急,艾丽西亚。提起诉讼前我们需要更多证据。
来源:翅膀英语一点号
