Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.
这里是美国之音慢速英语词汇掌故节目。

Many expressions in American English come from the world of religion. Some common idioms are based on high, religious ideals. But today we look at the bad or evil side of religion.
美语中有很多词汇来自于宗教界。一些常用习语都是基于崇高的宗教理想。但今天我们要来看看宗教不良或邪恶的一面。

The Devil is the most powerful spirit of evil in Christianity, Islam and other religions. The devil is clearly at work in these idioms and expressions.
魔鬼是基督教、伊斯兰教和其它宗教中最强大的恶灵。魔鬼显然会出现在这类习语和短语中。

Speaking of the devil, to speak of the devil means to talk about someone at the same time the person appears. Here's an example,
谈到魔鬼， to speak of the devil意思是说曹操曹操到。举例如下，

"John and I are going to the movies tonight and ... hey, speak of the devil! Here comes John now.
“约翰和我今晚要去看电影，嘿，说曹操曹操到，约翰来了。”

"Hey John! We were just talking about you ... and speak of the devil you appear."
“嘿，约翰，我们正说你呢，说曹操，曹操到，你就出现了。”

Keep in mind, this expression does not mean that you think the individual is bad or evil.
请记住，这种表达并不意味着你认为这个人是坏人或恶人。

It's just an issue of timing. But there are many devil expressions that do refer to bad behavior.
它只是一个时机问题。但还有很多说法就是指的不好的行为。

And sometimes when we behave badly, we blame the devil. We say the devil made me do it.
有时候我们表现不好，我们归咎于魔鬼。我们就说，我是鬼迷心窍。

Or we say something or someone brings out the devil in us. This means we blame someone else for our bad behavior. Let's use it in a sentence.
或者我们说某事或某人给我们召来了魔鬼。意思是我们把自己的不良行为归咎于某人。让我们在句子中应用一下。

"Boy, you are like a different person when your old friend from college comes around."
“小伙子，当你大学老同学在你身边你就像变了一个人。”

"I know. I just can't behave when he's around. He really brings out the devil in me."
“我知道。他一来我就规矩不了。他确实给我召来了魔鬼。”

When we use this idiom, we really don't mean evil behavior –more like being mischievous or causing light-hearted trouble. This is different than having a devil-may-care attitude.
当我们使用这个习语时，并不是说指的恶行，它更像是有点恶作剧或小捣蛋。这和无所顾忌（devil-may-care）的态度还不一样。

Having a devil-may-care way of thinking means you are willing to push the limits more than most people. And you really don't care what others think.
无所顾忌的想法意味着你会挑战大多数人的忍耐限度。而你并不在乎别人怎么想。

There is also the daredevil. A daredevil is a wild person who likes acting dangerously. A daredevil is, well, daring the devil – which can get you into trouble.
还有种说法是冒失鬼（daredevil）。冒失鬼是指喜欢剑走偏锋的狂人。冒失鬼敢于挑战魔鬼，这会让你陷入困境。

So, it's good to keep busy and out of trouble. And this is where the expression idle hands are the devil's workshop comes from. The word idle means inactive or not working. And some people believe that keeping busy keeps you out of trouble.
所以，忙忙碌碌不惹麻烦就好。这就是“游手好闲惹是生非”这种表达的由来。Idle的意思就是游手好闲无所事事。有人认为，忙忙碌碌就能使你远离麻烦。

But there are some people who team up with the devil. They play devil's advocate. To play devil's advocate is a very useful expression. It has a lot of meaning in just two words.
但是也有人会和魔鬼为伍。他们故意唱反调。To play devil's advocate是种非常实用的表达。短短两个单词却含义多多。

When you play devil's advocate you say things you do not really believe just to start an argument or discussion. And, actually, this is often used in a good way.
当你故意唱反调时，你所说的并非出于真心，而只是为了引发辩论或讨论。实际上这通常是褒义。

Exactly. I could say, "Let me play devil's advocate for a minute so we can see the other side of this issue."
没错，我可以说，“让我故意唱下反调，这样我们就能看到问题的另一面。”

And teachers often play devil's advocate to create interesting discussions in the classroom.
老师们就经常在教室中故意唱反调以制造有趣的讨论。

But to make a deal with the devil is usually a bad idea. It means you want something so badly that you are willing to sacrifice something important for it – like your soul.
但与魔鬼交易通常是个坏主意。它的意思是你非常想要得到某些东西，甚至愿意为此牺牲一些重要的东西。比如你的灵魂。

Often what you sacrifice is not really your soul but rather your morals or self-esteem. But you don't have to sell your soul or make a deal with the devil to improve your English. Simply listen to VOA Learning English.
往往你牺牲的并不是你的灵魂，而是你的道德或自尊。但是你想提高英语可不用出卖灵魂或与魔鬼交易。只要听美国之音英语学习节目就行。

I'm Jonathan Evans.
我是乔纳森·埃文斯。