a leopard cannot change its spots
英語
[编辑]詞源
[编辑]源自耶利米書13:23：Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.（古實人豈能改變皮膚呢？豹豈能改變斑點呢？若能，你們這習慣行惡的便能行善了。）
諺語
[编辑]a leopard cannot change its spots
- 江山易改，本性難移。字面意思为“豹不能改變它的斑點”。
- 1595 December 9 (first known performance)，William Shakespeare，「The life and death of King Richard the Second」，收錄於Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies（First Folio），London： […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount，1623 出版，→OCLC，「[Act I, scene i]」，24頁，第2列：
- King. […] Lyons make Leopards tame. / Mo[wbray]. Yea, but not change his ſpots:
- 理查王： […] 雄狮的神威可以使豹子慑伏。毛[勃雷]：是的，可是不能改变它身上的斑点。
- 1611，The Holy Bible, […]（King James Version），London： […] Robert Barker, […]，→OCLC，「Jeremiah 13:23」，第1列：
- Can the Ethiopian change his ſkinne? or the leopard his ſpots?
- 古實人豈能改變皮膚呢？豹豈能改變斑點呢？
- 1820，沃尔特·司各特，第II章，收錄於艾凡赫，第III卷，爱丁堡： […] Archibald Constable and Co.；伦敦：Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […]，→OCLC，60頁：
- End now all unkindness. Let us put the Jew to ransom, since the leopard will not change his spots, and a Jew he will continue to be.
- 讓我們言歸於好。現在得給猶太人的贖金定個價錢了，因爲豹子身上不會沒有斑點，猶太人也永遠是猶太人。
近義詞
[编辑]- the wolf may lose his teeth but never his nature
- the fox may grow grey but never good
- you can take the person out of the place, but you can't take the place out of the person