第561期：挑拨离间英文怎么说？

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我家娘子前天问我“挑拨离间”英文怎么说？我被难住了。今天我们来一起学习一下这句汉语成语用英语怎么表达。

如果你查网络的话，会得到很多答案。

make mischief

play sb. off against one another

set at variance

sow discord

sow dissension

…


佛老比较欣赏三种说法：

• Sow discord between…

• Cast a bone between…

• Drive a wedge between…

下面详细讲解一下。

挑拨离间是《三十六计》（Thirty-Six Stratagems）里面第六套败战计（Chapter 6: Desperate Stratagems）中的一计，在整个三十六计里面排第33计：反间计

  • sowing discord among the enemy

Undermine your enemy’s ability to fight by secretly causing discord between him and his friends, allies, advisors, family, commanders, soldiers, and population. While he is preoccupied settling internal disputes, his ability to attack or defend is compromised.

这个官方翻译版本中用的是cause discord between…

*discord是“不和”的意思，disagreement, arguing； sow discord的字面意思是“种下不和的种子“。

  • Cast a bone between…
    这个说法的意思比较形象。想象往一群狗中间扔一根骨头的画面，狗多骨头少，众狗一定开始互相打架争抢那根骨头。记得“二桃杀三士”的典故吗？
  • Dive a wedge between…. 也很形象，意思是：to cause disagreement or anger between (people who had been friendly before.

*wedge是楔子，比喻往一个缝隙里钉一个楔子进去，造成更大的分裂或分歧。这个意象很好。

例句：

A fight over their parents’ estate drove a wedge between the brothers. 争夺父母房产使兄弟反目成仇。

根据上下文语境，选择一个合适的说法就可以了。

附：《三十六计》英文翻译

Chapter 1: Winning Stratagems

• (勝戰計／胜战计, Shèng zhàn jì)

Chapter 2: Enemy Dealing Stratagems

• (敵戰計／敌战计, Dí zhàn jì)

Chapter 3: Attacking Stratagems

• (攻戰計／攻战计, Gōng zhàn jì)

Chapter 4: Chaos Stratagems

• (混戰計／混战计, Hùnzhàn jì)

Chapter 5: Proximate Stratagems

• (並戰計／并战计, Bìng zhàn jì)

Chapter 6: Desperate Stratagems

• (敗戰計／败战计, Bài zhàn jì)

（摘自维基百科 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty-Six_Stratagems）

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