| 词条 | Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater |
| 释义 |
"Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater" is an idiomatic expression for an avoidable error in which something good is eliminated when trying to get rid of something bad, or in other words, rejecting the favorable along with the unfavorable.[1][2][3] A slightly different explanation suggests this flexible catchphrase has to do with discarding the essential while retaining the superfluous because of excessive zeal.[4]{{efn-ua| In other words, the idiom is applicable not only when throwing out the baby with the bathwater, but also when someone might throw out the baby and keep the bathwater.[5]}} HistoryThis idiom derives from a German proverb, das Kind mit dem Bade ausschütten. The earliest record of this phrase is in 1512, in Narrenbeschwörung (Appeal to Fools) by Thomas Murner; and this book includes a woodcut illustration showing a woman tossing a baby out with waste water. It is a common catchphrase in German, with examples of its use in work by Martin Luther, Johannes Kepler, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Otto von Bismarck, Thomas Mann, and Günter Grass.[6][7] Thomas Carlyle adapted the concept in an 1849 essay on slavery:[7]{{Quote|And if true, it is important for us, in reference to this Negro Question and some others. The Germans say, "you must empty-out the bathing-tub, but not the baby along with it." Fling-out your dirty water with all zeal, and set it careening down the kennels; but try if you can keep the little child![8]}}Carlyle is urging his readers to join in the struggle to end slavery, but he also encourages them to be mindful of the need to try to avoid harming the slaves themselves in the process.[8] Alternative expressionsThe meaning and intent of the English idiomatic expression is sometimes presented in different terms.
ReferencesNotes1. ^Cheng Lim Tan. (2002). [https://books.google.com/books?id=3xn6ozLcPsAC&pg=PA524&dq= Advanced English Idioms for Effective Communication, p. 52.] 2. ^{{cite web |url=http://www.wisegeek.org/what-does-throwing-the-baby-out-with-the-bath-water-mean |title=What Does "Throwing the Baby out with the Bath Water" Mean? |publisher=Wisegeek.com |accessdate=May 31, 2013}} 3. ^Jewell, Elizabeth, ed. (2006). [https://books.google.com/books?id=fUE0bazkcxAC&pg=PA53&dq= The Pocket Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus (2nd edition), p. 53.] 4. ^[https://books.google.com/books?id=KkWR2TV_O8sC&pg=RA2-PA146&dq=throw+out+the+baby+with+the+bath+water&lr=&client=firefox-a#v=onepage&q=&f=false The World Book Dictionary,' Vol. 1, p. 146.] 5. ^Nichols, James. (1995). [https://books.google.com/books?id=Fp5CbBh0JTgC&pg=PA16&dq=throw+out+the+baby+with+the+bath+water&lr=&client=firefox-a#v=onepage&q=throw%20out%20the%20baby%20with%20the%20bath%20water&f=false Assessment Case Studies: Common Issues in Implementation with Various Campus Approaches to Resolution, p. 16.] 6. ^Wilton, David. (2004). [https://books.google.com/books?id=cp0r3aa8EM8C&pg=PA66&dq= Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends, pp. 66-67.] 7. ^1 {{cite web |first1=Michael |last1=Quinion |authorlink=Michael Quinion |url=http://www.worldwidewords.org/nl/ohfq.htm |title=Don't throw the baby out with the bath water |publisher=World Wide Words |work=Newsletter |number=826 |date=6 April 2013 |accessdate=6 April 2013}} 8. ^1 Wilton, [https://books.google.com/books?id=cp0r3aa8EM8C&pg=PA67&dq= p. 67.] 9. ^Shaw Bernard and Edwin Wilson. (1961). [https://books.google.com/books?id=kUM6EJao0KMC&pg=PR17&dq= Shaw on Shakespeare: an Anthology of Bernard Shaw's Writings on Plays and Production of Shakespeare, p. xvii.] 10. ^Kirkpatrick, Betty. (1999). [https://books.google.com/books?id=9JhtQx3lXJ8C&pg=PA180&dq= Clichés: Over 1500 Phrases Explored and Explained, pp. 180-181], citing George Bernard Shaw's "Parent's and Children" (1914). Citations{{reflist|30em}}Bibliography{{refbegin}}
External links{{wiktionary|throw the baby out with the bathwater}}
2 : English-language idioms|Bathing |
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