《前言》英译

成语词典的功用在于解释成语的确切含义及其用途，以帮助读者在语言交流和写作时，应用恰当的成语表情达意，增强语言文字的表现力。现已问世的各种成语词典数量不少，但读者在学习或写作过程中常为遇到一些情况难以解决而苦恼：一是读者想运用某条成语描述或表达某种情形、事态或事物，但不知或一时想不起有何成语适用；再者是在写作时作者虽已有一成语可以表达某种意思，但不甚满意，而想参考其他同义或近似的成语以供选择；第三种情况是，写作者现有的成语已是司空见惯，缺乏新鲜活力，因而想用另一含义相同或近似的成语取而代之。遇到诸如此类的情况时，现已出版的成语词典则无能为力，需要的是一系列同义或相近词义的成语以便参考、选择和应用。本词典即针对这种实际需要而编纂，将选人的3000余条成语按照其含义分门别类，以便读者可以从这些分类中“从义求词”，寻找到需要的成语，并得到汉英双语的释义和用法例句。

本词典在编写过程中，获得了许多朋友的关注、支持、鼓励和帮助，特别是周湘玟、陈小曼、李元等先生女士，为此特致以衷心的感谢。

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编者

选自施正信等编《汉语成语分类英译辞典》

Introduction

The purpose of an idiom dictionary is to explain precisely the meanings of idioms and metaphors and explain their uses, so that the user may employ them in speaking or writing to more succinctly and eloquently express an idea. A number of Chinese idiom dictionaries of different kinds have already appeared on the market, but when the student of Chinese meets with certain problems in the course of writing or studying the language, they are of little help. For instance, he may wish to use an idiom to express an idea, describe a condition, an event, or a situation but does not know if any such idiom exists, or he may have an idiom that he can use but is not satisfied with and wishes to find a few others with similar or allied meaning to replace it. Again, he may wish to substitute a hackneyed or stale idiom with another but is unable to think of any. Existing Chinese-English dictionaries will be of little assistance in such cases, for what is needed is a list of synonyms idioms readily available for reference, consultation, choice, and use. The present dictionary is compiled with a view to meeting these needs. Thus the 3000-odd idioms collected here are classified according to their meanings, implied or otherwise, and listed under different subject headings. By finding the appropriate subject heading, the user can obtain a number of idioms to choose from, as well as bilingual explanations and translation models.

The editors would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to all those who provided their comments, support, encouragement, and help, especially to Zhou Xiangwen, Chen Xiaoman, and Li Yuan.

The Editors

Adapted from A Thesaurus of Chinese Idioms