成语是语言外事实的一种反映形式,通过具体的表达抽象的,通过可感觉、可触摸的表达无形的。下面是本站小编为您整理的英语成语故事带翻译，希望对你有所帮助!
英语成语故事带翻译篇一： within an ace of winning功亏一篑
Once a man planned to build a terrace.
古时，有一个人要筑一座九仞(八尺=一仞)高的山。
He worked very hard and spent a lot of time digging and carrying earth.
他十分努力的建造这座山，并且花了很多时间挖土、搬运泥土。
When the mound was almost completed and only one more basket of earth was needed, the man gave up.
终于当山快要建成的时候，几乎只差最后一篮子的泥土就行了的时候，他放弃了。
The terrace was never completed.
这座山便永远无法完工。
This idiom means to fail to succeed for lack of final effort.
这个典故用以形容“离成功只有一步之遥，但最终失败告终”的意思。
英语成语故事带翻译篇二：a drop in the bucket九牛一毛
li ling was a great general during the time of emperor han wu-di (hàn wǔ dì汉武帝). he was a very good fighter, and he won every battle.
西汉时代有个很有名的大将军名叫李陵，他骁勇善战，百战百赢。
one time, however, li ling's troops were so hopelessly outnumbered by the huns that although they fought bravely, the whole army was soon taken captive.
有一次，虽然李陵的军队奋勇杀敌，因为兵力不足而战败投降。
li ling shamefully surrendered for the moment, planning to wait for an opportunity to strike back.
李陵打算暂时先忍辱投降，以便伺机等待机会反击。
but when news of the surrender reached the capital, the emperor's jealous ministers began to degrade li ling in front of the emperor.
但当李陵投降的消息传到首都，皇上身边嫉妒的大臣们都开始指责李陵。
what he heard made the emperor so angry that he had li ling's wife and mother put to death.
皇上十分气愤，他将李陵的妻子与母亲都赐死了。
ze-ma chian, who had always respected li ling, believed that he wouldn't surrender without a reason, and urged the emperor not to believe rumors.
司马迁一直很敬重李陵，他不信李陵会无缘无故投降，便谏言皇上不要听信谣言。
this time, the emperor grew angry at sz-ma chian, and locking him up, punished him severely.
但就因为这样，皇上便迁怒司马迁，并将他囚禁，进行严惩。
sz-ma chian then wrote a long letter to a friend, saying, "i am now in the middle of writing a history book. if i die, it will be as if one ox in a group on nine were to lose a single hair. i am willing to withstand punishment in order to complete this book." sz-ma chian finally did finish his book - the very famous shr-ji.
司马迁随后写了一封长信给他的朋友，说道：“我现在在写一部历史长篇，如果我死了，就如同九牛一毛般微不足道，但我愿意承受住这般的惩罚，来完成这部书。”最终，司马迁完成了这部名流千古的史学著作——《史记》。
英语成语故事带翻译篇三：do not burn you house to get rid of a mouse投鼠忌器
there is a story in "hanshu" telling of a rich man, who being a lover of s and had a large collection. among them was a rare vase made of jade. the vase of exquisite workmanship and of historical value and he loved it dearly. one night he noticed a mouse passing near the precious vase. the mouse jumped into the vase and was trying to eat some food which the man had carelessly left there. the sigh infuriated the man and in a fit of rage he threw a stone at the mouse.
《汉书》中有这么个故事：有个富人，很喜欢古董并收藏了很多。其中有一件稀有的玉盂，工艺精湛，具有很高的历史价值，深受这个富人的喜爱。一天晚上，一只老鼠跳进了这个玉盂，想去吃里边的一些剩菜，正巧被这个富人看到了。他非常恼火，盛怒之下，他拿了块石头砸向老鼠。
for sure, the mouse was killed, but the precious vase was broken also. the loss of the vase pained the man greatly and he deeply regretted his own thoughtlessness, which bought him this unrecoverable loss. he now realized that any one, who cares for the present and overlooks consequences is apt to bring disasters upon himself. so he exclaimed to warn people by saying do not burn you house to get rid of a mouse.
当然，老鼠是被砸死了，可是那个珍贵的玉盂也被打破了。这件事使富人非常难过，他深深后悔自己的鲁莽带来的不可挽回的损失。他认识到只考虑眼前，而忽视后果，将给自己带来灾难。他向世人发出警告，不要为了除掉一只老鼠而烧毁自己的房子。