動物也能教英文？必學的 30+ 動物片語
英文裡有許多與動物相關的諺語或片語，它們生動有趣，不僅能幫助你理解文化，也能增添日常對話和職場英文的趣味。這些片語經常出現在電影、影集、新聞或考試中，而且字面意思與實際意思經常不同。
學會動物片語的好處：
生動表達複雜概念（例如 elephant in the room 表示明顯卻被忽略的問題）
增加口語與寫作趣味性（用 top dog 形容領頭人物，比直接說 “the leader” 更生動）
方便記憶（圖像化比喻容易印象深刻）
鳥類
Birds of a feather flock together：物以類聚
They always hang out together—birds of a feather flock together.
→ 他們總是一起活動，物以類聚。Kill two birds with one stone：一箭雙鵰
By going to the conference, I killed two birds with one stone—networking and learning new skills.
→ 參加這場會議，一舉兩得——拓展人脈又學新技能。A little bird told me：我聽說（消息來源保密）
A little bird told me you got a promotion.
→ 我聽說你升職了。Free as a bird：自由自在
After quitting his job, he felt free as a bird.
→ 辭職後，他感覺自由自在。
狗
Dog days：炎熱或萎靡的時期
The dog days of summer are exhausting.
→ 夏天的炎熱日子令人筋疲力盡。Work like a dog：拼命工作
I’ve been working like a dog all week.
→ 我整週都在拼命工作。Dog eat dog：殘酷競爭
The advertising industry is dog-eat-dog.
→ 廣告業競爭非常激烈。Let sleeping dogs lie：別惹麻煩
Don’t mention the argument again—let sleeping dogs lie.
→ 別再提那次爭吵，免惹麻煩。
貓
Fight like cats and dogs：大吵大鬧
The siblings fight like cats and dogs every day.
→ 這對兄妹每天都大吵大鬧。Not enough room to swing a cat：空間狹小
This apartment is tiny—not enough room to swing a cat.
→ 這間公寓非常小。Curiosity killed the cat：好奇心可能帶來麻煩
Curiosity killed the cat, so don’t snoop around.
→ 好奇心害死貓，所以別亂探聽。
魚
Big fish in a small pond：小圈子裡的大人物
He’s a big fish in a small pond at his company.
→ 他在公司裡是小圈子裡的大人物。Fish out of water：不自在／格格不入
I felt like a fish out of water at the formal dinner.
→ 在正式晚宴上，我感到很不自在。There are plenty of fish in the sea：天涯何處無芳草
Don’t worry about your breakup—there are plenty of fish in the sea.
→ 別擔心分手，還有很多機會。
馬
Straight from the horse’s mouth：可靠消息來源
I heard it straight from the horse’s mouth.
→ 我是從可靠消息來源聽到的。Hold your horses：等一下、慢著
Hold your horses! We need a plan first.
→ 慢著，我們先得有個計畫。
豬
Happy as a pig in mud：非常快樂
She was happy as a pig in mud playing with her dog.
→ 她玩狗玩得非常開心。Pig out：大吃特吃
We pigged out on pizza and ice cream after the game.
→ 比賽後我們大吃披薩和冰淇淋。Sweat like a pig：汗流浹背
I was sweating like a pig during the summer marathon.
→ 我在夏天的馬拉松中汗流浹背。
大象 & 其他動物
Elephant in the room：明顯卻被忽略的問題
We need to acknowledge the elephant in the room—our declining sales.
→ 我們得正視明顯卻被忽略的問題——銷售額下滑。Put the cart before the horse：本末倒置
Planning the party before booking a venue is putting the cart before the horse.
→ 在訂場地前就規劃派對是本末倒置。Every dog has its day：誰都有走運的時候
Don’t worry—you’ll succeed someday. Every dog has its day.
→ 別擔心，你總會成功的，每個人都有走運的時候。Top dog：領頭人物
After years of hard work, he finally became the top dog in the company.
→ 經過多年努力，他終於成了公司的領頭人物。Cash cow：搖錢樹
The new app turned out to be a real cash cow.
→ 這款新應用成了公司的搖錢樹。Bear with me：請耐心等一下
Bear with me while I finish this report.
→ 請耐心等我完成這份報告。Make a beeline for：直奔
She made a beeline for the dessert table.
→ 她直奔甜點桌。Like a bull in a china shop：粗心魯莽
He’s like a bull in a china shop when handling delicate items.
→ 他處理精細物品時非常粗心。Take the bull by the horns：勇敢面對困難／直接處理問題
Instead of avoiding the conflict, she decided to take the bull by the horns and talk to her manager.
→ 她沒有逃避衝突，而是勇敢面對問題，直接和經理談。Wolf in sheep’s clothing：披著羊皮的狼（偽善者）
Be careful of him—he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
→ 小心他，他是披著羊皮的狼。Cry wolf：虛報危機
Don’t cry wolf or no one will believe you.
→ 別亂說謊，否則沒人會相信你。Eager beaver：非常積極的人
She’s an eager beaver, always finishing tasks ahead of time.
→ 她非常積極，總是提前完成工作。
英文示範段落
At work, I noticed the elephant in the room: our sales numbers were falling. I told my team to hold their horses and stay focused. Even though I sometimes feel like a fish out of water in meetings, I know that every dog has its day. We need to kill two birds with one stone by improving our marketing strategy and training new staff at the same time. Remember, top dogs don’t achieve success alone—they cooperate with their team. While working hard, it’s also important to be free as a bird during breaks to recharge our energy. And after lunch, we all pigged out, laughing and joking together.
中文翻譯
在工作中，我注意到一個明顯卻被忽略的問題：我們的銷售額下滑。我告訴我的團隊要慢慢來，保持專注。雖然我有時在會議中感到格格不入，但我知道每個人都有走運的時候。我們需要一箭雙鵰，同時改善行銷策略並培訓新員工。記住，領頭人物不是孤軍奮戰——他們會與團隊合作。努力工作之餘，在休息時間也要像自由自在的鳥一樣放鬆充電。午餐後，我們還大吃一頓，邊吃邊笑著聊天。
動物片語不僅有趣，也能讓你的英文表達更生動、口語化。學會這些片語後，不論在日常對話、寫作或職場溝通中，都能增加趣味性與文化感知。建議先記住片語意思，再透過例句理解用法，最後多用在口語與寫作中，英文會更自然，也更容易被理解。