Chapter 13 Part Two: From Chinese to English Shattering the Glass Ceiling

Breaking through the Glass Ceilings shattered glass ceiling My friend C always tells me that he thinks the most difficult thing to learn in English are those phrases (phrase), idiom (idiom) and slang (slang).He has been learning English for a long time. Over the years, he has memorized a lot of words. He has almost memorized TOEFL vocabulary and GRE vocabulary handbook. However, when he encounters some idioms while reading newspapers, he still often gets stuck. C said that he tried not to use idioms when talking with people, but found another way to replace the meaning of idioms.In his words, it is to take a detour and replace the most concise idiom with a long sentence explaining the idiom.I told him, I often encounter such a situation.

The number of phrases, idioms and slang in English is too large. A single verb can lead to more than a dozen or even dozens of phrases and idioms. For example, verbs such as do, get, go, make, put, and take can all lead to Dozens of phrases (idioms), as well as a large number of nouns, prepositions, and adverbs, can be combined with other words to form idioms. For example, the noun ground can form the following phrases: break ground break ground (build) break new (fresh) ground innovation common ground common basis, views, interests, interests, etc. cover (the ) ground (conversation) involves the aspect of

cut the ground from under to fail, to ruin its plans fall (be dashed) to the ground gain ground to make progress, get better, (rumour) have a market get off the ground to make initial progress or success have (keep) one's feet on the ground lose ground to retreat, to lose, to deteriorate, to weaken, to lose supporters stand (hold) one's ground suit one down to the ground just what someone needs From this point of view, it is indeed very difficult to remember a large number of idioms.Not only that, because idioms are formed by people's long-term use "habitually", they are permeated with historical and cultural connotations, and they are meaningful in specific environments.Therefore, I never dare to use idioms blindly, let alone take the words literally, always worrying that if I don’t use them well, there will be jokes.For example, in the following dialogue, several idioms are used:

A: I'm furious with John! He's always late. (I'm so sick of John! He's always late.) B: Always? Why don't you talk it over with him? Encourage him to be on time. (Always late? Why don't you have a talk with him? Encourage him to stick to the time.) A: Look! I've talked till I'm blue in the face. It's out of the question. (Look! I've worn my tongue out, but it doesn't work.) B: There must be something you can do. (You must be able to do something.) A: I doubt it. Last night we went to a concert. Do you know what time we got there? Just in time to go out for the intermission!

(I don't believe it. We went to the concert last night. Do you know what time we got there? We were just in time for the intermission!) B: I guess you're just wasting your breath then. Time means nothing to John. (I think you're wasting your time. Time doesn't matter to John.) In this dialogue, the words in boldface are all idioms.in: talk something over refers to discuss, such as: Tom talked his plan over with his father before he bought the car. (Before buying the car, Tom seriously discussed his plans with his father.) on time refers to not before or late of the time arranged, for example:

The train left on time. (The train leaves on time.) till one is blue in the face does not mean that someone's face is blue, but until one can say no more in trying to convincing someone of something, such as: Jane argued with Bill until she was blue in the face. (Jane and Bill argue until she's too out of breath to say anything.) in time to refers to be at a place at the right time to do something; soon enough, such as: We got to Washington in time for the cherry blossoms. (The cherries were in bloom when we arrived in Washington.) Out of the question refers to impossible; beyond consideration; unthinkable, for example:

Your suggestion that we go swimming is out of the question; it's much too cold today. (You suggested that we go swimming today, which is impossible, it is too cold.) waste one's breath refers to speak uselessly, to no purpose: If you tell Jack not to go, you'll just be wasting your breath; he'll go anyway. (If you tell Jack not to go, it's a complete waste of time, he's going anyway.) I think the key to memorizing and using idioms proficiently is to study hard and practice hard to strengthen memory.The most important thing is to accumulate. Through a lot of reading and other forms of learning, such as reading and writing training, gradually turn English idioms into your own idioms.To do this, you must understand the meaning of every idiom you encounter in your studies. Only when you understand it can you remember it firmly.Some of the following idioms are not difficult, I like them very much, and a few sentences are also very interesting when writing letters or calling friends, such as:

I know the answer, but I cant put my finger on it. (I know the answer, but I can't say exactly.) I dont believe Sallys pregnant. Its just coffee talk, just gossip. (I don't believe Sally is pregnant, that's just bullshit.) I'm a little ahead of time, I know, but it would be better to wait here rather than miss the train. (I think I'm a little early, but it's better to wait here than miss the train.) Kathy never has time to be bored. She's as busy as a bee from morning to night. (Kathy never had time to worry. She was as busy as a bee from morning to night.)

I like to live here because people here call a spade a spade, and they have a sense of humor. (I like living here because the people have something to say and they have a sense of humor.) Carol James had done her homework before the tour started, and she knew where to go. (Carol James was well prepared before the trip began, and she knew where she was going.) A silver-tongued salesman sold me this car, but I cant drive! (A articulate salesman sold me this car, but I can't drive!) You'd better get your things together. There's no time to lose. (You'd better pack your things, there's not much time left.)

The movie stars always wanted to be in the spotlight. (Movie stars always want to be the center of attention.) He sailed through his examinations and graduated at the top of his class. (He passed without a hitch, graduating at the top of his class.) He talked my ear off all afternoon but didn't really say a thing. (He babbled my ears all afternoon, but didn't actually say a single useful word.) He doesn't know what he's talking about—why, he's all wet about the issue. (He doesn't know what the hell he's talking about because he's got it all wrong.)

I think slang and colloquial expressions are more difficult to master than phrases and idioms.I never thought that slang and colloquialisms were common people's words, which were unrefined.In fact, in formal occasions, people speak with their chests straight and their words carefully, but in daily life, slang and colloquialisms are often used.Slang language originates from people's daily life. It sounds friendly, natural, real and interesting. If slang language can be used properly in daily conversation, it may shorten the distance between people and make communication more harmonious and vivid. . Of course, slang may be more difficult to understand than idioms. For example, once I received a magazine Resourceful Women from a rehabilitation center for disabled women in Chicago, USA. In an article discussing the employment rights of disabled women, there is such a paragraph talk. When you encounter such an unfair treatments and you think your rights are harmed, and then circle your wagons. I can't figure out what this sentence means, "circle your wagons"? Why do you want to circle the wagons?I checked all the idiom dictionaries I could find, but I still didn't understand why the car was circled.I had to send an e-mail to my American friend Judi Rogers, asking her to tell me what circle your wagons is. Judi replied to my letter almost immediately, and she explained it in great detail.It turned out that this is a term used in the western development period of the United States.At that time, people flocked to the west to develop, and the convoys traveling westward were mighty, but the convoys were often harassed and robbed by robbers. When this happened, the people in the convoy formed a circle around the cars. , forming a makeshift fortification, firing from the inside out. So “circle your wagons ” means to prepare a defense and counter-attack. So, the meaning of the above sentence is: When you encounter this kind of unfair treatment and you think your rights have been violated, be prepared to fight back. Also, in an article on women's job promotion, there was such a sentence, which I also found difficult to understand. Now, professional women do not always look at the glass ceilings. They try to break through it. (Now, instead of always staring at the glass ceiling, working women try to smash it.) What is a glass ceiling?Is there really a ceiling made of glass?If so, what does it mean for women's advancement in the professional world? Later, Judi Rogers also told me that glass ceilings have a symbolic meaning.American society promotes equality between men and women on the surface, but in fact, all kinds of discrimination and inequality against women are everywhere.It is very difficult for professional women to get opportunities to be promoted at work. Although they are talented and capable, the distance between them and senior positions is like a glass ceiling, which is out of reach.Although some outstanding women in the United States have entered the top ranks of society in recent years, among the CEOs of large companies, there are many women with outstanding reputations, and some even have entered the government's power structure, but generally speaking, the respect for women Discrimination and inequality persist.In a recent issue of Resourceful Women, an article pointed out that domestic violence against women is on the rise, and the long-standing sexual discrimination and oppression against disabled women has not been eliminated. Many disabled women have launched a campaign to fight for birth The struggle for reproductive rights.It seems that glass ceilings will continue to exist in the United States. Glass ceilings not only exist in social and professional fields, but also in English learning?We always want to learn English well. We have learned a lot of textbooks, memorized vocabulary, memorized grammar, listened to tapes, wrote essays, and tested grades, but the results are still far from our expectations. There seems to be always a gap between us and our beautiful dreams. When will we be able to break through the glass ceilings through a glass ceiling, so that our English will be handy? It is true that idioms and slang can make communication lively, but if they are not learned well, or if they do not seek to understand, or even take the meaning of the words literally, they may cause misunderstandings.I remember one time when I was chatting online with my friend Ernst Friedrich from the University of Leipzig in Germany. We talked about the topic of "the meaning of life". We talked all night: ………… Haidi: As to the meaning of life, I agree with Rousseau, Gandhi and Einstein, ie, the meaning of life is to love, help and serve other people. I believe this will be agreed to by most of the people. (Heidi: When it comes to the meaning of life, I agree with Rousseau, Gandhi and Einstein, that is, the meaning of life is to love others, help others, and serve others. I believe most people will also agree with this view.) Ernst: Except me. I consider that Freud, Kafka and Sartre were right. They claimed that the human life is meaningless, because life and death are all natural processes, and Freud even advocated that life and death were all instincts of human beings. (Ernst: I am not among them. I think Freud, Kafka and Sartre were right. They claimed that human life is meaningless because birth and death are natural processes, Freud It even advocates that life and death are human instincts.) Haidi: As advanced and well evolved creatures, human beings are not merely natural, they are also (and more important) rational. They have their views of the world, of the universe, and on this basis, they build their own ideals. (Heidi: As advanced and fully evolved creatures, human beings are not only natural, but also (and more importantly) rational creatures. They have their own worldview, cosmology, and build their own ideal.) Ernst: The ideals of human beings are all mixed up, and have never been realized. From the primitive society to the contemporary world, all their ideals, no matter how beautiful and persuasive they had been, perished in the merciless wars. So, talking about the meaning of life is nonsense. (Ernst: Human ideals are mixed and never realized. From the primitive society to the contemporary world, all their ideals, however beautiful and attractive, have been lost in the cruel war. Therefore, It is foolish to talk about the meaning of life.) Haidi: What you've said is perhaps of some sense, but since the new century has begun, it turns over a new leaf for human society. (Heidi: There may be some truth in what you say, but since the beginning of the new century, human society has turned a new page.) Ernst: Not any sense of new, I'm afraid. I would rather be in the old times, because all things are more familiar and customized. (Ernst: I am afraid there is nothing new to speak of. I would rather stay in the old age, because everything in the old age is familiar and more used to.) Haid: Oh, sorry. I have a phone call. Let us stop here, but I'll stick to my guns. (Heidi: Oh, sorry, the phone call. Let's stop talking here, but I'm going to stick to my guns.) Ernst: What? You'll stick your guns at me? Fortunately I'm online, otherwise… (Ernst: What? You're going to point your gun at me! It's a good thing I'm online, otherwise...) Haidi: Ha…ha…ha! I know you've misunderstood me. “I'll stick to my guns” means I'll hold on to my views. (Heidi: Hahaha! I know you're going to misinterpret my words. "I'll stick to my guns", meaning, I'll stick to my point of view.) Ernst: Ah...Well, I'll stick to my guns too... (Ernst: Ah - well, then I will stick to my guns too!) At that moment, I thought that it is not easy to learn and use idioms, slang and other idioms in English well. Communication with others is essential in life. Accurate mastery and use of language is the most important.Phrases, idioms and slang are like delicious condiments in the feast of English, so be sure to put them properly when using them!