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【英语习语】 bark up the wrong tree 找错了人、弄错了地方
佳中
有一天，John 去问Tom借钱，Tom不肯借。John很生气，跑来告诉你这件事。你知道Tom
这个人特别小气，从不肯借钱给别人，于是你回答John说：If you expect to borrow money from him,
you are barking up the wrong tree. 句中 bark up the wrong tree 是“找错了人”、“找错对
象”的意思。
bark up the wrong tree是英语中的一个习语。据记载，该习语源于17世纪美国殖民地
时期。当时的美洲人烟稀少，开发西部的拓荒者靠打猎为生。狩猎需要猎狗，不过，再聪明的
猎狗有时也会被猎物耍弄。比如，浣熊常常昼眠夜出，到了夜里，它悄悄爬到别的树上，让猎
狗误认为它还躲在空了的树洞里睡觉。结果，猎狗对着错误的目标狂吠不已 (to bark up the
tree)。
现在这个习语被公众所接受，如果一个人看錯了目标，找錯了对象，以錯誤的判断采取
行动，都可用bark up the wrong tree。汉译时可译成“找错了人”、“找错对象”、
“错怪了人”、“找错了地方”、“弄错了目标”、“走错庙门”、“打错了算盘”、“大
错特错”等等。
1）You are barking up the wrong tree if you ask her to help you,because she never helps
anyone.
如果你要求她帮忙的话，那你就找错人了，因为她一向不帮人的。
2）If he thinks he can fool her by saying so, you are really barking bark up the wrong tree.
如果他认为你这么说就能骗得了我，那你真的找错对象。
3）You have barked up the wrong three. I didn’t say anything against you in the
conversation.
你错怪我了，那次谈话我没有说任何不利于你的话。
4）If you insist that your persuasion can change his decision, you may bark up the wrong
tree.
如果你坚持认为你的劝说能改变他的决定，那你就大错特错了。
5）I may have been barking up the wrong tree, but she does go our a lot with a man.
我也许怪她了，不过她确实经常和一个男人出去。
6）She's barking up the wrong tree if she's interested in Gavin. Doesn't she know he's
gay?
如果她对加文感兴趣真是找错对象，难道她不知道他是同性恋者?
7）I’m afraid that you are barking up the wrong tree. They will never stand up for your
program.
恐怕你们打错了算盘，他们是决不会支持你们的计划的。
8）If she expects me to get her a position, she is barking up the wrong tree.
如果她想让我替她找个职位，那她可真是找错门了。
9）We barked up the wrong tree in the first place. The problem was not as we thought.
从一开始我们就弄错了目标，事情根本不像我们想的那样。
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