Fish in Troubled Waters直譯是:“渾水里捕魚”,出自《伊索寓言·漁夫》
這篇寓言江的是:有個漁夫在河里張網(wǎng)捕魚,他把魚網(wǎng)橫欄在河道里,然后拿了一條縛著石塊的繩子,不停的拍擊河水,使泥沙泛起,河水渾濁,魚兒在慌亂中紛紛自投羅網(wǎng),漁夫用這個方法捕得了好多魚。但住在附近的人指責漁夫說:“我們飲水全靠這條河,你把水搞得這么渾,叫我們到哪里去找清水飲用呢?” 漁夫回答說: “可是,我若不把水搞渾,那就非餓死不可了”
因此,人們常用to fish in trouble waters 比喻to try to win advantages for oneself from a disturbed state of affairs; to make use of sb's misfortune to serve one's own ends.并因此產(chǎn)生了諺語it’s good fishing in troubled waters(混水好摸魚)。
在英語中,to fish in troubled waters 也可寫成to fish in the muddy waters,而且water必須做waters。
eg:The man who interferes in South American politics is fishing in troubled waters
I refused to let them come here because i knew they only wanted to fish in troubled waters
Those who made large profits out of illegally selling rationed goods during World War II were fishing in troubled waters.