中式英语之鉴:分寸

356. 你不必担心，他是个知道分寸的人。

[误] You can rest assured. He is a man who knows inches and metres.

[正] You can rest assured. He is a man who knows his distance.

注：“分寸”二字在中文里是指“说话或做事的恰当限度”，它译成英文时不可直译。know one's distance 出自莎士比亚的《终成眷属》，而且准确表达了原文的含义。