中国人在形容某人胆小时常用“鼠胆”这个词,而在英语里人们用coward指胆小懦弱的人。coward跟cow(牛)没有关系,跟动物的尾巴却大有关系。人们经过长期观察,发现动物受惊后多会夹着尾巴转头逃跑。尾巴在拉丁文中是cauda,英文coward就是从这个字发展而来。勇气与胆量是西方人心目中的宝贵品质,任何人被指为coward,都会感到羞辱,少有不恼火 Chinese people describe the word “rat gall” when someone uses it choked, and people use cowards in English to refer to people who are timid. Coward has nothing to do with cow, but it has a lot to do with the animal’s tail. After a long period of observation, people found that after the animals were frightened, they would turn around with their tails to escape. The tail is cauda in Latin, and English cowards developed from this word. Courage and guts are the precious qualities of Westerners. Anybody who is accused as a coward will feel shame and will not be annoyed.