The pot calling the kettle black.
something you say that means people should not criticise someone else for a fault that they have themselves
五十步笑百步,半斤八两,彼此彼此
- Elliott accused me of being selfish. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!艾利特责备我自私,真是以五十步笑百步。
- Don't tell me I should stop smoking when you smoke, too! That's the pot calling the kettle black!你自己明明就有抽烟,就不要叫我戒烟了!咱们俩其实是半斤八两!
【来源解析】
在过去,无论是锅还是水壶,都要放在炉子上面,所以难免两者都变得黑乎乎的。所以还是很好理解的啦。
【引申】
英文惯用语里面类似"以五十步笑百步"的成语也很多。我总喜欢吐槽Mr F一有时间就抱着手机玩游戏,他每次都愤愤不平,说我无时无刻不玩手机。然后,他就会说他最喜欢的一句格言来"教导"我:
People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
要批评别人之前要先检讨自己是不是也有过失,以五十步笑百步
- Zac told me I had a bad taste in music. I replied by telling him that people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.Zac 认为我对音乐的品味很差,我回复他说你也没有好到哪里去。
- You should have invested your time wisely, but I am one who lives in a glass house so I ought not to criticize.你应该好好善用时间,但是我自己也是一样,所以我没有资格说你。
【解析】
看字面意思的话,这句话的意思是:住在玻璃屋里的人不要砸石头。你如果想用石头攻击别人,那肯定会把自己的玻璃屋打碎。隐喻为:既然你自己也好不到哪里去,就不要再去厚着脸皮对别人指手画脚了。