This week on Ask a Teacher , we consider expressions, or idioms, and offer some advice for learning them.
本周在“请教老师”节目中，我们考虑了表达方式或习语，并提供了一些学习它们的建议。
An idiom is an expression formed from two or more words. But an idiom’s meaning often cannot be understood just by knowing each of the words in it.
习语是由两个或多个单词组成的表达方式。但是，仅仅了解成语中的每个单词往往无法理解成语的含义。
Let’s look at the following sentence as an example:
我们以下面的句子为例：
We want our students to think outside the box .
我们希望我们的学生能够跳出框框思考。
Here, the words outside the box form an idiom. If you only heard this one sentence, you might not be sure what it means. But people use idioms in connection to situations. For that reason, they usually say more than one sentence, and this can help you understand the idiom. For example:
在这里，框外的词形成了一个习语。如果您只听到这一句话，您可能不确定这是什么意思。但人们使用习语是与情况相关的。因此，他们通常会说不止一句话，这可以帮助你理解这个成语。例如：
We want our students to think outside the box . That’s why we push them to find creative ways to solve problems.
我们希望我们的学生能够跳出框框思考。这就是为什么我们敦促他们寻找创造性的方法来解决问题。
By looking at these two sentences together, it can be easier to understand the meaning of outside the box . It means to think in new or creative ways.
这两句话放在一起看，可以更容易理解outside the box的意思。它意味着以新的或创造性的方式思考。
In addition to considering the situation to help you understand the meaning of idioms, here is some other advice:
除了结合实际情况来帮助你理解习语的含义外，这里还有一些其他建议：
Digital translation tools continue to improve, but you should avoid translating the idioms directly, word-for-word, into your native language. When you hear a short group of words that seem very unrelated to a subject under discussion, those words will often be an idiom. Be sure to learn the tone, or feeling, an idiom carries with it. The best way to learn about the tone of idioms is to ask native speakers about them. Native speakers might also be able to tell you if an idiom is commonly or rarely used.
数字翻译工具不断改进，但您应该避免直接将习语逐字翻译成您的母语。当您听到一组似乎与所讨论的主题无关的简短单词时，这些单词通常是习语。一定要了解习语所带有的语气或感觉。了解习语声调的最佳方法是向母语人士询问。母语人士也许还可以告诉您某个习语是常用还是很少使用。
When learning English, it will likely be easier for you to understand idioms than to use them in speaking. However, if you can use idioms correctly, that can help deepen your connection to native speakers.
学习英语时，理解习语可能比在口语中使用它们更容易。然而，如果你能正确使用习语，这可以帮助加深你与母语人士的联系。
With thousands of idioms in English, there is a lot to learn. But do not throw in the towel , in other words, do not give up. Instead, knock yourself out , or try hard, and do your best to learn them. And you will feel proud as a peacock !
英语中有成千上万的习语，有很多东西需要学习。但不要认输，换句话说，不要放弃。相反，你应该努力学习，或者努力学习。你会感到像孔雀一样自豪！
You can learn all about idioms by following our Words and Their Stories program or you can download In the Loop , a guide to American English Idioms.
您可以通过关注我们的单词及其故事计划来了解有关习语的所有知识，也可以下载 In the Loop，美国英语习语指南。