摘要：cry sb a river是英语中极具讽刺色彩的口语固定短语，核心结构为“cry（哭泣/抱怨）+ sb（间接宾语，sb常用宾格me/him/her/them）+ a river（直接宾语，表“夸张的眼泪量”）”，字面意为“为某人哭出一条河”，实际语义却完全相

cry sb a river是英语中极具讽刺色彩的口语固定短语，核心结构为“cry（哭泣/抱怨）+ sb（间接宾语，sb常用宾格me/him/her/them）+ a river（直接宾语，表“夸张的眼泪量”）”，字面意为“为某人哭出一条河”，实际语义却完全相反——对他人过度、矫情的哭泣、抱怨或自怜情绪表示强烈的不耐烦、不屑与嘲讽，暗指“你的眼泪/抱怨毫无价值，纯属小题大做，别在我（或sb指代的人）面前卖惨”。中文翻译需贴合“讽刺”核心，根据“sb”的指代灵活调整，最常用译法为“别在（他/她/我）面前哭哭啼啼的\叽叽歪歪”“少在（某人）这儿卖惨”，也可译为“（他/她）哭什么哭，至于吗”“收起你对着（某人）的眼泪攻势”“别小题大做啦、别在这儿装可怜”。其本质是用“哭出一条河”的夸张修辞反讽“情绪过剩”，传递“对sb指代对象而言，你的情绪既不值得同情，甚至有点可笑”的态度。侧重“客观上情绪过剩，显得矫情”。如：

She cried because he forgot her anniversary, and he just said, "Cry me a river—it’s not that big of a deal."

她因为他忘了周年纪念日而哭，他却只说：“哭什么哭，至于吗——多大点事儿啊。”

He left me, and I’ve been crying to him all day!"

Cry him a river—he never cared about you anyway."

他甩了我，我哭了一整天给他看！

别在他面前哭哭啼啼的——他根本就不在乎你。

He broke up with me and I can’t stop crying!

Cry me a river—you were the one who cheated on him first.

他和我分手了，我忍不住哭！

少在那哭哭啼啼的——明明是你先出轨的。

She cried him a river because he didn’t buy her a birthday gift, but he just walked away annoyed.

她因为他没买生日礼物，对着他哭个没完，可他只是不耐烦地走了。

The politician cried the public a river about his "hardships," but everyone knew he was just seeking sympathy for votes.

那位政客对着公众哭诉说自己“有多艰难”，可所有人都知道他只是为了拉票博同情。

The politician cried about "unfair media coverage," but his opponent laughed and said, "Cry me a river—you’ve lied to the public many times."

那位政客为“媒体报道不公”而哭诉，但他的对手笑着说：“别在这儿装可怜了——你已经对公众撒谎无数次了。”

I cried her a river after our fight, but she said I was being too dramatic.

吵架后我对着她哭个不停，可她却说我太矫情了。

When he forgot their wedding anniversary, she cried him a river, but he reminded her she’d forgotten his last year.

他忘了结婚纪念日，她对着他哭哭啼啼，可他提醒她去年也忘了他的。

My friend lost her concert ticket and cried me a river, so I had to say, "It’s okay—I’ll get you another one.

我朋友丢了演唱会门票，对着我哭个没完，我只好说：“没事，我再给你弄一张。”

The boy cried the teacher a river because he couldn’t solve the math problem, but the teacher told him to stop complaining and focus.

那个男孩因为解不出数学题，对着老师哭哭啼啼，可老师让他别抱怨，专心做题。

The manager cried the team a river over the lost deal, but his employees thought he was overreacting.

经理因为丢了单子，对着团队哭哭啼啼，可员工们都觉得他反应过度了。

The businessman cried about losing a small contract, and his partner said, "Cry me a river—we have bigger deals coming up."

那位商人因为丢了个小合同而抱怨，他的伙伴说：“别卖惨了——我们有更大的单子要来了。”

The country cried the international community a river about "victimhood," but it ignored its own violations of international law.

该国对着国际社会哭诉说自己“是受害者”，却无视自身违反国际法的行为。

The country complained about "trade unfairness" and asked for sympathy, but other nations replied, "Cry me a river—you’ve imposed high tariffs on us for years."

该国抱怨“贸易不公”并寻求同情，但其他国家回应：“别在这儿装可怜——你们多年来一直对我们征收高额关税。”

The recruit cried his sergeant a river about the cold weather, so the sergeant shouted, "Stop crying—this is basic training!

那个新兵对着中士哭哭啼啼说天气太冷，中士吼道：“别哭了——这只是基础训练！”

The soldier cried about the tough training, so his sergeant shouted, "Cry me a river—this is nothing compared to real combat!"

那个士兵为艰苦的训练哭哭啼啼，中士吼道：“收起你那套！这和真正的战斗比起来根本不算什么！”

来源：翅膀英语一点号