一、简要说明

Metaphor的意思是“隐喻”“暗喻”，指的是用甲事物来指代与其所指事物有相似特点的乙事物。隐喻是一种蓄的比喻，是利用不同事物的抽象的“相似点”来“打比方”，它不需要借助比喻词，而是直接将甲事物当作乙事物来描写，甲乙两事物之间的联系和相似之处是隐含的。

隐喻所涉及的“相似点”可以是多方面的――可以是外在的，也可以内在的；可以是具体的，也可以是抽象的，等等。适当地运用隐喻，效果会非常明显――用于说明事理则趣味盎然，用于状事则事情昭然，用于绘物则物态宛然，用于抒情则情意剀然，所以通常被誉为修辞格中的“巨无霸”（聂炎，2006）。

二、基本格式

基本格式：本体 + is / are / have / has...+ 喻体

三、典型实例

1. 形容词类

The palace was ablaze with lights. 那座宫殿灯火辉煌。

His remarks were rather acid. 他的话有些尖酸刻薄。

Their faces were alight with joy. 他们因喜悦而容光焕发。

2. 动词类

Clever children absorb knowledge easily. 聪明孩子容易吸收知识。

It makes my heart ache to see her suffer. 看到她受罪使我痛心。

Poverty bars the way to progress. 贫穷妨碍了进步。

Abuse rained down on the noisy students from the open windows. 穿过敞开的窗户传来对那些喧闹学生的责骂声。

German guns and German planes rained down bombs, shells and bullets. 德国人的枪炮和飞机将炸弹、炮弹和子弹像暴雨一样倾泻下来。

Some books are to be tasted, others swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. 一些书可以浅尝辄止；一些书可以狼吞虎咽；而有些书则需要细嚼慢咽，好好消化。

3. 名词类

The ancestor of the modern bicycle was called a penny farthing. 现代自行车的原型叫做“前轮大后轮小的自行车”。

The holiday was a marvellous antidote to the pressures of office work. 那个假日是消除上班工作压力的灵丹妙药。

 

He was one of the principal architects of the revolution. 他是那次革命的一位发动者。

Such people are the backbone of the country. 这样的人是国家的栋梁。

Poor health may be a bar to success in life. 健康不佳可能成为人一生中取得成功的障碍。

Poor health may be a barrier to success. 健康欠佳可能成为取得成功的障碍。

He is the soul of discretion. 他为人极为谨慎。

She has a heart of stone. 他有一颗铁石心肠。

Let’s avoid the minor topics and get to the heart of the matter. 让我们避开不重要的话题，直接谈论问题的实质吧。

The insurance company occupies a 20-story building in the heart of the city. 保险公司在市中心占有一栋20层的大楼。

Necessity is the mother of invention. 需要是发明之母。

Professor Jenkins is the head of the English Department. 詹金斯教授是英语系主任。

We received an avalanche of letters in reply to our advertisement. 广告登出后，我们收到雪片般涌来的大批信件。

We had to overcome mountains of difficulties. 我们不得不克服重重因难。

A rain of abuse has been heaped upon him. 他遭到好一顿咒骂。

The lecturer looked down at the sea of faces beneath him. 讲演的人俯视着下面无数的面孔。

Shakespeare says, “All the world is a stage.” 莎士比亚说：“整个世界是一个舞台。”