在任何语言学习中最困难的一个方面就是，要能理解并运用大量成语。英语有15000多个成语，而且本族语使用者常常在不自觉的情况下频繁使用它们。这就造成了与本族语使用者的沟通不畅.
成语往往是非正式的，最好用于口语，而不要用在非书面表达中。学习成语的最好方法之一是查看它所在的上下文。而这可以通过通读句子其它部分来实现，并试着猜测其意。当把许多成语放在上下文中考虑，理解起来就不那么难了。
除了英语成语，中国的成语的英语表达也很常用，一起来看下吧~
一、英语成语
- pain past is pleasure.
过去的痛苦就是快乐。[无论多么艰难一定要咬牙冲过去，将来回忆起来一定甜蜜无比。] - while there is life, there is hope.
有生命就有希望/留得青山在，不怕没柴烧。 - wisdom in the mind is better than money in the hand.
脑中有知识，胜过手中有金钱。[从小灌输给孩子的坚定信念。] - storms make trees take deeper roots.
风暴使树木深深扎根。[感激敌人，感激挫折！] - nothing is impossible for a willing heart.
心之所愿，无所不成。[坚持一个简单的信念就一定会成功。] - the shortest answer is doing.
最简单的回答就是干。[想说流利的英语吗？那么现在就开口！心动不如嘴动。] - all things are difficult before they are easy.
凡事必先难后易。[放弃投机取巧的幻想。] - great hopes make great man.
伟大的理想造就伟大的人。 - god helps those who help themselves.
天助自助者。 - Four short words sum up what has lifted most successful individuals above the crowd: a little bit more.
四个简短的词汇概括了成功的秘诀：多一点点！
[比别人多一点努力、多一点自律、多一点决心、多一点反省、多一点学习、多一点实践、多一点疯狂，多一点点就能创造奇迹！] - in doing we learn.
实践长才干。 - east or west, home is best.
东好西好，还是家里最好。 - two heads are better than one.
三个臭皮匠，顶个诸葛亮。 - good company on the road is the shortest cut.
行路有良伴就是捷径。 - constant dropping wears the stone.
滴水穿石。 - misfortunes never come alone/single.
祸不单行。 - misfortunes tell us what fortune is.
不经灾祸不知福。 - better late than never.
迟做总比不做好；晚来总比不来好。 - it's never too late to mend.
过而能改，善莫大焉；亡羊补牢，犹未晚也。 - if a thing is worth doing it is worth doing well.
如果事情值得做，就值得做好。 - nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
无热情成就不了伟业。 - actions speak louder than words.
行动比语言更响亮。 - lifeless, faultless.
只有死人才不犯错误。 - from small beginning come great things.
伟大始于渺小。 - 25、one today is worth two tomorrows.
一个今天胜似两个明天。 - truth never fears investigation.
事实从来不怕调查。 - the tongue is boneless but it breaks bones.
舌无骨却能折断骨。 - a bold attempt is half success.
勇敢的尝试是成功的一半。 - knowing something of everything and everything of something.
通百艺而专一长。[疯狂咬舌头] - good advice is beyond all price.
忠告是无价宝。
二、英语中常用的中国成语
- 爱屋及乌
Love me， love my dog. - 百闻不如一见
Seeing is believing. - 比上不足比下有余
worse off than some， better off than many； to fall short of the best， but be better than the worst. - 笨鸟先飞
A slow sparrow should make an early start. - 不眠之夜
white night - 不以物喜不以己悲
not pleased by external gains， not saddened by personnal losses - 不遗余力
spare no effort； go all out； do one’s best - 不打不成交
No discord， no concord. - 拆东墙补西墙
rob Peter to pay Paul - 辞旧迎新
bid farewell to the old and usher in the new； ring out the old year and ring in the new - 大事化小小事化了
try first to make their mistake sound less serious and then to reduce it to nothing at all - 大开眼界
open one’s eyes； broaden one’s horizon； be an eye-opener - 国泰民安
The country flourishes and people live in peace - 过犹不及
going too far is as bad as not going far enough； beyond is as wrong as falling short； too much is as bad as too little - 功夫不负有心人
Everything comes to him who waits. - 好了伤疤忘了疼
once on shore， one prays no more - 好事不出门恶事传千里
Good news never goes beyond the gate， while bad news spread far and wide. - 和气生财
Harmony brings wealth. - 活到老学到老
One is never too old to learn. - 既往不咎
let bygones be bygones - 金无足赤人无完人
Gold can’t be pure and man can’t be perfect. - 金玉满堂
Treasures fill the home. - 脚踏实地
be down-to-earth - 脚踩两只船
sit on the fence - 君子之交淡如水
the friendship between gentlemen is as pure as crystal； a hedge between keeps friendship green - 老生常谈陈词滥调
cut and dried， cliché - 礼尚往来
Courtesy calls for reciprocity. - 留得青山在不怕没柴烧
Where there is life， there is hope. - 马到成功
achieve immediate victory； win instant success - 名利双收
gain in both fame and wealth - 茅塞顿开
be suddenly enlightened - 没有规矩不成方圆
Nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards. - 每逢佳节倍思亲
On festive occasions more than ever one thinks of one’s dear ones far away.It is on the festival occasions when one misses his dear most. - 谋事在人成事在天
The planning lies with man， the outcome with Heaven. Man proposes， God disposes. - 弄巧成拙
be too smart by half； Cunning outwits itself - 拿手好戏
masterpiece - 赔了夫人又折兵
throw good money after bad - 抛砖引玉
a modest spur to induce others to come forward with valuable contributions； throw a sprat to catch a whale - 破釜沉舟
cut off all means of retreat；burn one‘s own way of retreat and be determined to fight to the end - 抢得先机
take the preemptive opportunities - 巧妇难为无米之炊
If you have no hand you can’t make a fist. One can’t make bricks without straw. - 千里之行始于足下
a thousand-li journey begins with the first step–the highest eminence is to be gained step by step - 前事不忘后事之师
Past experience， if not forgotten， is a guide for the future. - 前人栽树后人乘凉
One generation plants the trees in whose shade another generation rests.One sows and another reaps. - 前怕狼后怕虎
fear the wolf in front and the tiger behind hesitate in doing something - 强龙难压地头蛇
Even a dragon (from the outside) finds it hard to control a snake in its old haunt – Powerful outsiders can hardly afford to neglect local bullies. - 强强联手
win-win co-operation - 瑞雪兆丰年
A timely snow promises a good harvest. - 人之初性本善
Man’s nature at birth is good. - 人逢喜事精神爽
Joy puts heart into a man. - 人海战术
huge-crowd strategy - 世上无难事只要肯攀登
Where there is a will， there is a way. - 世外桃源
a fictitious land of peace away from the turmoil of the world； - 死而后已
until my heart stops beating - 岁岁平安
Peace all year round. - 上有天堂下有苏杭
Just as there is paradise in heaven， ther are Suzhou and Hangzhou on earth - 塞翁失马焉知非
福Misfortune may be an actual blessing. - 三十而立
A man should be independent at the age of thirty.At thirty， a man should be able to think for himself. - 升级换代
updating and upgrading (of products) - 四十不惑
Life begins at forty. - 谁言寸草心报得三春晖
Such kindness of warm sun， can’t be repaid by grass. - 水涨船高
When the river rises， the boat floats high. - 时不我待
Time and tide wait for no man. - 杀鸡用牛刀
break a butterfly on the wheel - 实事求是
seek truth from facts； be practical and realistic； be true to facts - 说曹操，曹操到
Talk of the devil and he comes. - 实话实说
speak the plain truth； call a spade a spade； tell it as it is - 实践是检验真理的唯一标准
Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. - 山不在高，有仙则名
No matter how high the mountain is， its name will spread far and wide if there is a fairy； - 韬光养晦
hide one’s capacities and bide one’s time - 糖衣炮弹
sugar-coated bullets - 天有不测风云
Anything unexpected may happen. a bolt from the blue - 团结就是力量
Unity is strength. - 跳进黄河洗不清
eve if one jumped into the Yellow River， one can not wash oneself clean–there’s nothing one can do to clear one’s name - 歪风邪气
unhealthy practices and evil phenomena - 物以类聚，人以群分
Birds of a feather flock together. - 往事如风
The past has vanished (from memory) like wind.； What in past， is pas - 望子成龙
hold high hopes for one’s child - 屋漏又逢连阴雨
Misfortunes never come singly. When it rains it pours. - 文韬武略
military expertise； military strategy - 唯利是图
draw water to one’s mill - 无源之水，无本之木
water without a source， and a tree wiithout roots - 无中生有
make create something out of nothing - 无风不起浪
There are no waves without wind. There’s no smoke without fire. - 徇私枉法
bend the law for the benefit of relatives or friends - 新官上任三把火
a new broom sweeps clean - 虚心使人进步，骄傲使人落后
Modesty helps one go forward， whereas conceit makes one lag behind. - 蓄势而发
accumulate strength for a take-off - 心想事成
May all your wish come true - 心照不宣
have a tacit understanding； give tacit consent； tacit understanding - 先入为主
First impressions are firmly entrenched. - 先下手为强
catch the ball before the bound - 像热锅上的蚂蚁
like an ant on a hot pan - 现身说法
warn people by taking oneself as an example - 息事宁人
pour oil on troubled waters - 喜忧参半
mingled hope and fear - 循序渐进
step by step - 一路平安，一路顺风
speed somebody on their way； speed the parting guest - 严以律己，宽以待人
be strict with oneself and lenient towards others - 鱼米之乡
a land of fish and rice； a land of abundance； a natural or grand granary；a land of milk and honey - 有情人终成眷属
Jack shall have Jill， all shall be well. - 有钱能使鬼推磨
Money makes the mare go. Money talks. - 有识之士
people of vision - 有勇无谋
use brawn rather than brain - 有缘千里来相会
Separated as we are thousands of miles apart， we come together as if by predestination. - 与时俱进
advance with times - 以人为本
people oriented； people foremost - 因材施教
teach students according to their aptitude - 欲穷千里目，更上一层楼
to ascend another storey to see a thousand miles further； Ascend further， were you to look farther； Would eye embrace a thousand miles？ Go up， one flight. - 欲速则不达
Haste does not bring success. - 优胜劣汰
survival of the fittest - 英雄所见略同
Great minds think alike. - 冤家宜解不宜结
Better make friends than make enemies. - 冤假错案
cases in which people were unjustly， falsely or wrongly charged or sentenced； unjust， false or wrong cases - 一言既出，驷马难追
A real man never goes back on his words. - 招财进宝
Money and treasures will be plentiful - 债台高筑
become debt-ridden - 致命要害
Achilles’ heel - 众矢之的
target of public criticism - 知己知彼，百战不殆
Know the enemy and know yourself， and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat. - 纸上谈兵
be an armchair strategist - 纸包不住火
Truth will come to light sooner or later. - 左右为难
between the devil and the deep blue sea