一、源自《圣经》（The Bible）

《圣经》是英语典故的最大来源之一，尤其在正式语境中高频出现。

短语	出处	含义	例句
the apple of one’s eye	《申命记》32:10	掌上明珠，最珍爱的人	She’s the apple of her father’s eye.
a drop in the bucket	《以赛亚书》40:15	沧海一粟，微不足道	$100 is just a drop in the bucket for that project.
the writing on the wall	《但以理书》5章	不祥之兆，预示灾难	After the stock crash, the writing was on the wall for the company.
turn the other cheek	《马太福音》5:39	逆来顺受，不报复	He insulted me, but I decided to turn the other cheek.
forbidden fruit	《创世记》	禁果；因被禁止而更诱人之物	Teenagers often see alcohol as forbidden fruit.
salt of the earth	《马太福音》5:13	社会的中坚，品德高尚的人	Nurses are truly the salt of the earth.

二、源自古希腊罗马神话

西方文化根基，大量词汇和隐喻由此而来。

短语	典故	含义	例句
Achilles’ heel	阿喀琉斯之踵	致命弱点	His arrogance is his Achilles’ heel.
Pandora’s box	潘多拉魔盒	灾难之源，一发不可收拾	The new law opened Pandora’s box of legal disputes.
Herculean task	赫拉克勒斯的十二项任务	极其艰巨的任务	Cleaning this mess is a Herculean task.
Midas touch	点石成金的迈达斯王	点石成金的能力（尤指商业成功）	He has the Midas touch—every startup he joins becomes a unicorn.
narcissistic / narcissism	纳西索斯（自恋美少年）	自恋	His narcissism makes teamwork impossible.
titanic struggle	泰坦巨人（Titan）	巨大的斗争	The two companies are locked in a titanic struggle for market share.

三、源自莎士比亚（William Shakespeare）

莎翁贡献了超过1700个英语短语，许多已成为日常用语。

短语	出处	含义	例句
break the ice	《温莎的风流娘儿们》	打破沉默，缓解尴尬	Let’s play a game to break the ice.
wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve	《奥赛罗》	感情外露，喜怒形于色	She’s honest—she wears her heart on her sleeve.
wild-goose chase	《罗密欧与朱丽叶》	徒劳无功的追逐	Searching for him downtown was a wild-goose chase.
all that glitters is not gold	《威尼斯商人》	闪光的未必是金子（表象骗人）	That job looks great, but all that glitters is not gold.
in a pickle	《哈姆雷特》	陷入困境	I’m in a pickle—I forgot my passport!
method in one’s madness	《哈姆雷特》	看似疯狂，实有道理	His chaotic schedule has a method in its madness.

莎士比亚还创造了：eyeball, lonely, swagger, bedazzled 等词！

四、源自英国/欧洲历史与文学

短语	来源	含义	例句
meet one’s Waterloo	拿破仑1815年滑铁卢战败	遭遇决定性失败	The scandal was his Waterloo.
Pyrrhic victory	古希腊皮洛士国王惨胜罗马	惨胜，得不偿失的胜利	Winning the lawsuit cost him $1M—it was a Pyrrhic victory.
ivory tower	19世纪文学批评（圣伯夫）	脱离现实的学术象牙塔	Academics are often accused of living in an ivory tower.
Catch-22	约瑟夫·海勒小说《第二十二条军规》	进退两难的悖论困境	You need experience to get a job, but you need a job to get experience—it’s a Catch-22.
Big Brother	乔治·奥威尔《1984》	极权监控	With facial recognition everywhere, Big Brother is watching.

五、其他经典文学与寓言

短语	来源	含义
sour grapes	《伊索寓言·狐狸与葡萄》	因得不到而贬低（酸葡萄心理）
cry wolf	《伊索寓言·牧童与狼》	虚假报警，失信于人
kafkaesque	卡夫卡小说（如《变形记》）	荒诞、官僚、压抑的噩梦般情境
Orwellian	乔治·奥威尔作品	极权、思想控制、篡改历史

结语

这些典故短语是英语文化的DNA。掌握它们，不仅能提升语言地道度，更能读懂西方文学、电影、新闻中的深层隐喻。正如T.S.艾略特所说：

“Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.”
（拙劣的诗人模仿，成熟的诗人“偷取”典故。）