Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.

On this program we explore expressions often heard in American English.

现在是VOA学英语《词汇掌故》节目时间。

在本节目中，我们会探讨美式英语里经常会听到的表达。

And sometimes we get it wrong -- very wrong!

But to be fair, there are simply some expressions that most native English speakers understand and use incorrectly.

有时候，人们会理解错这些表达，而且是大错特错！

但公平地说，就是有一些表达绝大部分以英语为母语的人能理解，用法却是错误的。

The problem with these terms is that, over the years, they have been shortened and important words are missing.

Today, we will talk about an idiom that people not only use the wrong way,

下面这些表达就是这个问题，很多年过去了，这些表达被简化了，一些重要的单词消失了。

今天，我们将要谈论一个人们不仅用法错误，

but the original meaning -- the very first usage -- is actually opposite from how we use it today. That idiom is -- Blood is thicker than water.

且本义，也就是最原始的意义，也和人们现在使用的意义完全相反的习语。

这个习语就是：Blood is thicker than water（血浓于水）。

If I ask 100 people what the idiom means, most, if not all, will say that it means family relationships are the most important.

如果我问一百个人这个习语的意思，绝大多数人，即使不是全部的人会说它的意思是家庭关系是最重要的。

The blood you share with your relatives represents a strong relationship.

We call these family ties. "Water" here seemingly represents the connection you have with people with whom you do not share blood ties.

你和你的亲人流着同样的血，这代表一种很亲近的关系。

我们称之为家庭关系，这里的“water”似乎是指你和那些没有血缘关系的人之间的联系，

And those links simply are not as strong. First, let's look at the word "thick."

In this idiom, it does not mean the physical size of something, as in the walls on the house are very thick.

Here, the word "thick" means to have a very close relationship with someone.

且这种联系没有那么亲密。首先，让我们来看看单词“thick”。

在这个习语中，它指的不是某个物体的物理尺寸，如墙壁很厚这种。这里的单词“thick”意思是和某人有着非常亲密的关系。

If you are thick with your best friend, you trust him.

You could even say you guys are 'tight. ' When used this way, "thick" gives us a few other idioms.

如果你和你的好朋友关系好，那你很信任他。

你甚至可以说你们关系很“铁”。这种用法的“thick”还有其他几个习语。

If two friends are thick as thieves, they are very close and trust each other a lot.

When you steal from others and get caught, you will probably go to jail.

如果两个朋友亲密无间（thick as thieves），他们非常亲密且彼此十分信任。

当你偷别人东西被抓时，你很可能要坐牢。

So, it is important to trust the people you steal with.

If one rats out the others, you could all end up in jail!

因此，信任你的偷盗同伙很重要。如果那个人出卖（rat out）了你，你们就都要坐牢。

The bond between thieves goes beyond a normal friendship.

But for us non-thieving people, it's also important to be there for our friends.

窃贼间的关系超出了正常的友谊。

但对于我们这些不是窃贼的人来说，支持朋友也是很重要的。

If you are a supportive friend, you see your friends through good times and bad.

Another way to say this is to see them through thick and thin or be with them through thick and thin.

如果你是一个支持型的朋友，你会见证你朋友美好的时光和低谷的时段。

这个换个说法就是“见证他们起起伏伏”或者“同甘共苦（be with them through thick and thin）”。

So, the idiom blood is thicker than water means family ties are the strongest.

That makes sense, right? Well, it makes sense until you hear the whole idiom as it was first written in the Bible.

因此，习语“ blood is thicker than water”意思是家族间的血缘关系是最亲密的。

这言之有理，对吗？好吧，你得听过它最开始被写进《圣经》时完整的句子，你才能懂得它的意义。

The original saying is "Blood of the covenant is thicker than water of the womb."

The important words in the original version are the ones dropped over the centuries: "covenant" and "womb."

它的原话是“歃盟之血浓于胞衣之水”。

原版中最重要的且随着世纪的变迁而被丢弃的单词是“covenant（契约）”和“womb（子宫）”。

A "covenant" is a serious, official agreement or promise.

Usually, we only use the word "covenant" when the agreement is important,

“covenant”是一份严肃的、正式的协议或是承诺。

通常，只有协议很重要的时候，我们才用到单词“covenant”，

such as a "covenant with God" or "the covenant of marriage."

Covenants often involve legal requirements, such as an "international covenant on human rights."

如“与上主的盟约”或“婚姻契约”。“covenant”往往涉及法律要求，如《国际人权公约》。

In our Bible-based idiom, the covenant is between soldiers on the battlefield.

So, we don't use the term lightly.

圣经中的“covenant”指的是战场上士兵之间的契约。所以，我们使用这个表达的时候不能轻率。

Now, the other important word is "womb." A womb is the uterus, an organ where a woman carries an unborn baby.

现在，另一个重要的单词是“womb（子宫）”。子宫是女人孕育胎儿的器官。

The water in the womb protects the fetus as it grows during pregnancy.

And when a pregnant woman's water breaks, she will soon give birth.

羊水能保护胎儿在子宫中生长发育。当孕妇羊水破了的时候，那她很快就要生产了。

The English language has other idioms with the word "womb."

For example, womb-to-tomb means from birth to death.

英语中还有其他含有单词“womb”的习语。例如，“womb-to-tomb”意思是从生到死。

A tomb is a building above or below the ground where we keep dead bodies.

We often use "womb-to-tomb" when talking about government policies that protect a person for their entire life.

坟墓是存放尸体的，位于地上或者地下的建筑。

我们经常在谈论保障一个人一生的政策时，会用到“womb-to-tomb”。

Another way we say this is "from cradle to the grave."

A cradle is a bed for a baby. And a grave is a hole in the ground for burying a dead body.

“从生到死”的另一种说法是“from cradle to the grave（从摇篮到墓穴）”。

摇篮是婴儿的床。墓穴是埋葬尸体的地上的一个洞。

So, womb-to-tomb or cradle-to-grave are both ways to refer to a person's entire life but in a more dramatic way. And drama is probably what the rock band U2 was going for in their song "All I Want Is You."

因此，“womb-to-tomb”或者“cradle-to-grave”都是指代一个人的一生，只是更戏剧化了，而这种戏剧可能正是U2摇滚乐队在他们的歌曲《我只想要你》中所要追求的。

But all the promises we make From the cradle to the grave

但是我们所有的誓言呢 由生到死

When all I want is you . . .

So, "blood is thicker than water" actually means that bloodshed on the battlefield

你是我所要的全部。

那么，“blood is thicker than water”的意思实际上是战友们在战场上的共存亡

creates stronger ties than the water of the womb does, or family ties.

Not only are we using "blood is thicker than water" incorrectly,

创造了比血缘关系或者家庭关系更亲密的连结。

我们不仅没有正确运用这个表达，

the current usage is opposite from the original meaning.

But here's the thing, we ALL use this idiom incorrectly.

目前的用法和其原意完全相反。

但事情是这样的，我们全部都没有用对这个表达。

So, if you want people to understand your actual meaning, you may want to use it the way everyone else does.

You mean, incorrectly?

因此，如果你想让人们明白你的实际意义，你也许想和其他人一样使用这个表达。

你意思是，错误地使用？

Yes, I do. And then you can impress them with your knowledge of the original meaning of the idiom. Yes. That would be a great dinner party story.

是的。然后你就可以用你对这个习语本义的了解来给他们留下深刻的印象。

是的，那将是一个很棒的晚宴故事。

That's a great idea. And that's our program for this week. But it is not the end of the expressions that we use incorrectly.

这主意不错。

这就是我们本周的节目，但这不是我们错误使用的那些表达的结束。

There are several of those.

So, don't forget to listen next week for another Words and Their Stories to learn more.

I'm Bryan Lynn.

还会有几期这样的节目。

所以，不要忘记收听我们下周的节目，学习更多的知识哦！我是布莱恩·林恩。

And I'm Anna Matteo.

我是安娜·马特奥。