《新約。馬太福音》記述:“And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats”
由于《圣經(jīng)》的影響,sheep 和 goat 在英語中的形象截然不同,前者比喻好人,后者比喻壞人。英語中有關(guān) goat 的成語,大多貶義。如:to play the goat=play the fool(瞎胡鬧);to get sb's goat(觸動肝火) ;等等?!妒ソ?jīng)》說牧羊人要分辨綿羊和山羊,“把綿羊安置右邊,山羊左邊”。據(jù)說野山羊?;爝M羊群里,引誘綿羊,故牧養(yǎng)人必須把它們區(qū)分開來,以免混淆。
由此,人們用 to separate the sheep from the goats 這個成語,來比喻 to separate the good from the wicked; to divide good or useful people from bad or useless
Eg: We'll go through the list of members, and separate the sheep from the goats Have faith in me, please. I can separate the sheep from the goats