It's Nothing but Trouble to 'Let The Genie out of the Bottle' 
魔仆出瓶，事已发生。让北京翻译公司北京金橄榄外文翻译有限公司与您一起看看以下内容：
And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
现在是美国之音慢速英语《词汇掌故》节目。
The words we say are weightless sounds in the air.
我们说的话在空气里是没有重量的。
But they are powerful.
但话语的力量是强大的。
What we say can greatly affect people, situations -- just about everything.
我们所说的话，在很大程度上会对人和形势产生影响——几乎可以影响一切。
That is why, sometimes, it is a good idea to walk away from a heated argument.
这就是为什么有时候远离激烈的争论是个好主意。
If we feel angry, we might say something we regret.
如果我们感到愤怒，我们可能会说一些令我们后悔的话。
Perhaps anger is not the problem.
也许愤怒不是问题所在。
Maybe your thoughts on a situation or issue are not fully formed.
也许你对某个情况或问题的想法还不够深思熟虑。
But you speak anyway.
但不管怎样，你还是一吐为快。
Or maybe you simply have a secret -- one that you are dying to share!
或者，也许你只是有一个秘密——一个你渴望分享的秘密！
Whatever the reason, sometimes we speak when maybe we shouldn't.
不管是什么原因，有时我们会在可能不该说话的时候说话。
And once those words are out there, there is no taking them back.
一旦这些话流传出去，就再也收不回来了。
The damage is done.
伤害已经造成了。
Or, we could say: the genie is out of the bottle.
或者，我们可以说：魔仆出瓶，事已发生。
Let's take apart this saying.
让我们来分析一下这句谚语。
A genie is a trouble-causing spirit with magical powers from Middle Eastern folktales.
精灵是中东民间故事中的一种具有魔力的、制造麻烦的精灵。
Some experts say this expression may be connected to the centuries-old stories of Aladdin.
一些专家说，这个表达可能与数百年前阿拉丁的故事有关。
He is a young man who releases a genie trapped in a small container.
阿拉丁是一位年轻男性，他释放了一个困在小容器里的精灵。
That's the bottle.
就是那个瓶子。完成Once out, the genie is powerful and tricky.
精灵一旦出瓶，就会变得强大而狡猾。
The result?
结果是什么呢？
A lot of trouble.
一系列麻烦。
So, if you "let the genie out of the bottle," undesirable results, or consequences, will follow.
所以，如果你“把精灵从瓶子里放出来”，不良的结果或后果就会随之而来。
"To let the cat out of the bag" has a similar meaning.
“把猫从袋子里放出来”也有类似的意思。
The cat is in the bag for a reason.
这只猫在袋子里是有原因的。
When you let it out, there will be consequences.
当你把它放出来的时候，会有后果的。
And both the genie and the cat, as well as the words we say, cannot be recaptured.
而精灵和猫，以及我们所说的话，都是无法重新捕获的。
But how do we use these expressions?
但是我们如何使用这些表达呢？
Here is one example:
这里有一个例子：
The politician says she misspoke about her plans to run for president.
这位政治家说，她在竞选总统的计划上说错了话。
But the press had already reported on it.
但媒体已经对此进行了报道。
The genie was out of the bottle and could not be put back in.
话已出口，覆水难收。
Here is another example.
再看另一个例子：
Two co-workers use both expressions.
两个同事同时使用这两种表达方式。
A: Tony really let the cat out of the bag at work today.
A：托尼今天在工作泄露了一个秘密。
He told everyone that Mary found another job and was leaving the company next month.
他告诉大家玛丽找到了另一份工作，下个月就要离开公司了。
B: What? But she hasn't told management yet!
B：什么？但是她还没有告诉领导！
A: I know. So, they fired her.
A：我知道。所以他们解雇了她。
B: That's awful. That means she'll lose a whole month's pay.
B：那太可怕了。这意味着她将失去整整一个月的工资。
A: He apologized but there is no putting THAT genie back in the bottle.
A：他道歉了，但话已经收不回来了。
B: I bet Mary would like to put Tony in a bottle.
B：我打赌玛丽想把托尼装进瓶子里。
A: Ha!
A：哈哈！完成A genie is far more dangerous than a cat and harder to catch.
精灵比猫危险得多，也更难抓到。
So, the two sayings are not always interchangeable.
因此，这两句话并不总是可以互换的。
Here is an example:
下面是一个示例：
Some experts say social media is damaging users, especially children.
一些专家表示，社交媒体对用户产生了极坏的影响，特别是儿童。
But the technology and its appeal is here to stay.
但这些媒体和吸引力已然存在了。
No one can put that genie back in the bottle.
一切已成现实，无法让它消失。
In that example, you would not use "let the cat out of the bag."
在该示例中，你不会使用“let the cat out of the bag”。
Instead, use it when someone has said something that was supposed to remain a secret.
相反，当某人说了一些本应保密的话时，使用它。
You can't take words back and you can't re-hide a secret.
你不能收回你说的话，你也不能再隐藏一个秘密。
Something has been done and can't be undone.
有些事情已经做了，无法挽回。
And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories.
以上就是本期《词汇掌故》的全部内容！
Thanks for listening!
感谢您的收听！
来源：iyuba |
