形容一件事情遥遥无期，我们总是会说“要等到猴年马月啊？”，可是大家知道吗？猴年马月真的来了！有网友表示：终于等到你！还好没放弃！

实际上，猴年马月并不是真的遥遥无期，而是每逢12年就有一次，今年的猴年马月开始于2016年6月5日，结束于2016年7月3日。

我们都知道老祖宗的12生肖纪年法，而12生肖不光能纪年，还可以纪月。每年农历正月到腊月对应的属相依次是：虎、兔、龙、蛇、马、羊、猴、鸡、狗、猪、鼠、牛。

因此，每年都会有一个马月，而正巧遇到了猴年，就有了猴年马月。

虽然我们中国人说猴年马月，而在英语中，却是“驴年”：donkey's years。“驴年”是个啥？让老外给你们解释一下吧！

A query¹ asked if the British slang term for 'a very long time' was donkey's years or donkey's ears. My first thoughts were, "donkey's years of course - what would ears have to do with it?". It turns out that I was being rather hasty. Donkey's years is now the more commonly used slang term when meaning 'a long time', but donkey's ears, although used little in recent years, has been a jokey alternative for some time - from the early 20th century.

一份问卷调查了英国描述“很长时间”的俚语俚语是donkey's years还是donkey's ears。我的第一反应就是：“当然是donkey's years”，这和耳朵有什么关系？但事实证明我还是太草率了。donkey's years在现在，普遍被用作表示“很长时间”，donkey's ears虽然如今用的很少，但从20世纪初期开始，被用作一种滑稽的替代。

Donkey's ears works as rhyming slang whereas donkey's years doesn't. In rhyming slang the last word of a short phrase is rhymed with the word that gives the slang meaning.

donkey's ears作为一种同韵俚语，然而donkey's years却不是。在同韵俚语中，短语中的最后一个词和俚语意思的词押韵。

注：为什么老外形容时间长用的是驴子呢？因为驴走路总是缓慢拖着步子，要完成一段旅程实在要花上太长的时间了！于是这个词就应运而生了！

例句：I haven't heard that one for donkey's ears.（我已经很久没听说过这事儿了）

猴和马作为十二生肖中的成员，总会被用到表示时间的短语中，下面让我们来看一下十二生肖的英文翻译吧！

鼠（rat）

Chinese see rats as dirty, but they also think laoshu are smart and agile². Most people in the West, however, see little good in the creatures. Mice, on the other hand, are more likeable.

中国人认为rats的形象很脏，但也认为他聪明敏捷。但大多数西方人认为这种生物也有好的一面。而另一方面，mice更可爱一些。

牛（ox）

Westerners respect the ox for its strength and hardworking spirit. However, bulls are generally viewed negatively, thanks to their aggressivenature. Cows are considered the "cutest" of the three.

西方人因为牛的力量和不辞辛劳的精神而尊重它。但是，bulls常常因为其具有侵略性，而被看做带有负面意义的。Cows在这三个词中意思最可爱。

虎（tiger）

Simply put, if you see a tiger, you'd better run. In the West, a tiger may be a beautiful woman, or it may be handsome man. Calling someone a tiger means you understand that they can be dangerous.

简单说来，如果你看到老虎，最好快跑。在西方，老虎可以是漂亮的女人，或者帅气的男士。把某人称作老虎，意味着你知道他们可能很危险。

兔（rabbit）

Many Chinese think the rabbit is cute and docile³. However, few Americans can say the word rabbit without thinking of the clever cartoon character Bugs⁴ Bunny.

许多中国人认为兔子可爱温顺。但是，几乎所有美国人一说到兔子这个词，就能够想到那个聪明的卡通角色兔八哥。

龙（dragon）

The dragon has come to be a political symbol associated with China. Many people see China as a great dragon: ancient and beautiful, but also mysterious.

龙已经成为了一个与中国相关的政治象征。许多人认为中国是一条巨龙：古老，美丽，但也很神秘。

蛇（snake）

The snake is often seen as a dangerous or wicked creature, though serpent is more often used in contexts discussing evil. The Western image of an evil serpent calls up the Bible's depiction⁵ of Satan as a serpent.

蛇经常被看做是危险邪恶的生物，虽然serpent更多用于在谈论邪恶的情况下。西方邪恶蛇的形象让人想起圣经中对于撒旦——邪恶之蛇的描述。

马（horse）

They are known for their beauty and strength. In the US, they may be kept as pets by people who can afford their upkeep and have enough land for them to graze.

马因美丽和富有力量而名。在美国，能够养得起马，并有足够的草场让马驰骋的人会把马当做宠物来养（爱上一匹野马~而我心中没有草原……）。

羊（sheep/goat）

The word "sheep" has also been used to describe people who buy into the latest commercial fads⁶. The words "goat" has no special meaning.

Sheep这个词经常用来指赶商业潮流的人，而goat却没有特殊含义。

猴（monkey）

Throughout the world, monkeys are known to be clever, agile and more than a little impatient.

世界各地，人们都认为猴子聪明敏捷，还有点急躁。

鸡（rooster）

To Chinese, a rooster is strong and proud. The chicken, on the other hand, is viewed as weak, or even stupid. These definitions also apply in the West.

对于中国人来说，rooster这个词雄壮而骄傲。而另一方面，chicken被看做虚弱或者愚笨的。对于西方人来说，这种定义也同样适用。

狗（dog）

Dogs are called "man's best friend" in the West.

在西方人眼中，狗是人类的朋友。

猪（pig）

The word "boar" usually refers to a wild pig. These animals are often difficult to capture and extremely ugly. The word "pig" most often refers to the farm-raised animal.

Boar这个词常常指野猪。这种动物又难驯服，又丑。而pig这个词常指家养的动物。