「先禮後兵」用英語怎麼說?
talk softly but carry a big stick
赵约翰和他的女朋友若拉去看电影。
As the film had been running for some time, two people rushed in and took seats right behind John. They began talking loudly and one of them started kicking the back of Zora's seat repeatedly. (电影已经开始了一段时间,却有两个人急匆匆地跑进来,在约翰的后排坐了下来。他们开始大声交谈,并且其中一个人不停地用脚踢若拉的椅背。)
John turned around and politely asked them to stop kicking the seat. The man ceased his actions but resumed kicking after a short while. (约翰回头礼貌地提醒他们不要踢座椅靠背。这个人停下了脚上的动作,但没过多久,又开始了。)
Zora advised John to ignore them and move on. However, John couldn't help but turn around again to caution the men, which led to a temporary halt in their actions. Yet, the man resumed his kicking shortly after. (若拉告诉约翰别在意他们,继续看电影。赵约翰再次回头提醒,那个人又停了下来。可是没一会儿,他又开始了。)
This time John turned to face the two men once more without uttering a word, his gaze intense. In a display of surprising strength, he crushed an unopened can of cola in his hand, his fingers puncturing the aluminum /əˈluːmɪnəm/ effortlessly.(这一次,赵约翰没有说话,只是盯着他们。手中未打开的罐装可乐被他瞬间捏爆,五个手指都插进了易拉罐里。)
Upon witnessing the display of strength, Zora swiftly urged John to stay calm. Nevertheless, John rose to his feet. The two men, who had been observing from behind, were startled by John's response and promptly dashed down the aisle in a hurry to escape.(看到这一幕,若拉赶紧劝约翰冷静点。约翰站起来的时候,后面的两个人见状,顺着走道一溜烟跑了。)
Zora then produced some tissues to clean the cola that had splashed onto John's hand, gently reminding him to let the incident go and not to dwell on it too much.(若拉一边拿出纸巾给约翰擦拭溅出来的可乐,一边告诉约翰不要跟这种人生气。)
John said, "I've warned them twice already. If they don't listen, I have to change my approach. That's what we call 'talk softly but carry a big stick'." (约翰说:我都提醒过他们两次了,既然不听,那我就得换种方式了。这就叫‘先礼后兵’。)
(完)
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常用的三个“先礼后兵”:
1. Diplomacy first, force later. (先外交,后武力)
2. Talk softly but carry a big stick. (说话要温和,但手里要有大棒)
3. Use honey before vinegar. (先甜后酸)