Put the cart before the horse
●词源典故 Etymology and Origin
“将车放在马的前面”，形容本末倒置。
在古代，货运差旅必不可缺的就是马车。大家都知道，马车要放在马的后面，而不是前面，这样才能驱使马车前进，这是很浅显易懂的道理。
这个短语可以追溯到古代，古罗马的人经常说：Currus bovem trahit praepostere，直译过来就是“用犁拉牛是错误的”。因此，在后来的很多拉丁语系语言中都能找到类似的表达法。
威尔提（Eudora Welty）曾经在《失败的战争》（Losing Battles）中说：Use your head. Find out who you are. And don’t get married first. That’s putting the cart before the horse（动动脑子，先搞懂你自己是谁，而不是糊里糊涂就结婚，这完全是本末倒置了）。
而剧作家考夫曼（George Kaufman）对这个说法做了有趣的改动。据说他当时听说女儿的大学同学和一个男人私奔了，随口说道：“She put her heart before the course.（她把感情放在了学业前面）”
而海伍德（John Heywood）在他的作品中也写到：To tourne the cat in the pan, or set the cart before the hors.其实海伍德在这里是在比较两种同样没有道理的事情。
●例句和翻译 Examples and Translation
1. Creating large numbers of schools before we've improved school management is putting the cart before the horse. (CoBuild)
在改善学校管理制度之前，就建立大量分校，这是本末倒置的。
2. Don’t plan the menu before deciding how many people to invite — it’s like putting the cart before the horse. (Farlex)
还没计划好邀请多少人过来，就去计划菜单，这简直就是本末倒置。
3. The government put the cart before the horse by investing heavily before making major reforms. (Collins)
政府在还没进行重大改革之前就进行大量投资，这是本末倒置。
4. Aren't you putting the cart before the horse by deciding what to wear for the wedding before you've even been invited to it?(Cambridge)
你还没受邀请去婚礼之前就决定穿什么衣服，这不是本末倒置吗。
5. People are putting the cart before the horse by making plans on how to spend the money before we are even certain that the money will be available. (Merriam-Webster)
人们都还没确定有没有钱之前，就决定怎么去花钱了，这简直就是本末倒置。
●延伸 See Also …
Don’t cast your pearls before the swine.也可以说，Cast not pearls before swine.直译过来是，不要把你的珍珠投到猪的前面。意即不要对牛弹琴，别给不懂得欣赏的人表现自己的本事之类。这句话实际上来自《圣经》（Matthew 7:6）中耶稣的语录。
●例子 Example
1. He explained the beauty of the music to her but it was just casting pearls before swine.
他向她解释了音乐的美，但这只是在猪面前撒珍珠。
2. I'm afraid you're casting pearls before swine with your good advice - he won't listen.
我担心你的好建议只是对牛弹琴，他是不会听的。
3. I won't waste good advice on John anymore because he never listens to it. I won't cast pearls before swine.
我不会再在约翰身上浪费好建议了，他从来不听。我不会再对牛弹琴。
●练习 Exercise
好了，同学们，谢谢阅读本期内容，有兴趣的话，试试将下列内容翻译一下？
1. Increasing the private patient income cap as a percentage of total patient related income is to put the cart before the horse. (Times, Sunday Times)
2. 1998 Spectator It's putting the cart before the horse. All history shows that if you want to create a political union, you do that first and the single currency follows. (Farlex)
3. These kids are encouraged to compete before they actually have the skills to win. We've got ourselves a cart-before-the-horse situation.(CoBuild)
4. Starting the fundraiser before we know how much we need is putting the cart before the horse. (Farlex)
●词源典故 Etymology and Origin
“将车放在马的前面”，形容本末倒置。
在古代，货运差旅必不可缺的就是马车。大家都知道，马车要放在马的后面，而不是前面，这样才能驱使马车前进，这是很浅显易懂的道理。
这个短语可以追溯到古代，古罗马的人经常说：Currus bovem trahit praepostere，直译过来就是“用犁拉牛是错误的”。因此，在后来的很多拉丁语系语言中都能找到类似的表达法。
威尔提（Eudora Welty）曾经在《失败的战争》（Losing Battles）中说：Use your head. Find out who you are. And don’t get married first. That’s putting the cart before the horse（动动脑子，先搞懂你自己是谁，而不是糊里糊涂就结婚，这完全是本末倒置了）。
而剧作家考夫曼（George Kaufman）对这个说法做了有趣的改动。据说他当时听说女儿的大学同学和一个男人私奔了，随口说道：“She put her heart before the course.（她把感情放在了学业前面）”
而海伍德（John Heywood）在他的作品中也写到：To tourne the cat in the pan, or set the cart before the hors.其实海伍德在这里是在比较两种同样没有道理的事情。
●例句和翻译 Examples and Translation
1. Creating large numbers of schools before we've improved school management is putting the cart before the horse. (CoBuild)
在改善学校管理制度之前，就建立大量分校，这是本末倒置的。
2. Don’t plan the menu before deciding how many people to invite — it’s like putting the cart before the horse. (Farlex)
还没计划好邀请多少人过来，就去计划菜单，这简直就是本末倒置。
3. The government put the cart before the horse by investing heavily before making major reforms. (Collins)
政府在还没进行重大改革之前就进行大量投资，这是本末倒置。
4. Aren't you putting the cart before the horse by deciding what to wear for the wedding before you've even been invited to it?(Cambridge)
你还没受邀请去婚礼之前就决定穿什么衣服，这不是本末倒置吗。
5. People are putting the cart before the horse by making plans on how to spend the money before we are even certain that the money will be available. (Merriam-Webster)
人们都还没确定有没有钱之前，就决定怎么去花钱了，这简直就是本末倒置。
●延伸 See Also …
Don’t cast your pearls before the swine.也可以说，Cast not pearls before swine.直译过来是，不要把你的珍珠投到猪的前面。意即不要对牛弹琴，别给不懂得欣赏的人表现自己的本事之类。这句话实际上来自《圣经》（Matthew 7:6）中耶稣的语录。
●例子 Example
1. He explained the beauty of the music to her but it was just casting pearls before swine.
他向她解释了音乐的美，但这只是在猪面前撒珍珠。
2. I'm afraid you're casting pearls before swine with your good advice - he won't listen.
我担心你的好建议只是对牛弹琴，他是不会听的。
3. I won't waste good advice on John anymore because he never listens to it. I won't cast pearls before swine.
我不会再在约翰身上浪费好建议了，他从来不听。我不会再对牛弹琴。
●练习 Exercise
好了，同学们，谢谢阅读本期内容，有兴趣的话，试试将下列内容翻译一下？
1. Increasing the private patient income cap as a percentage of total patient related income is to put the cart before the horse. (Times, Sunday Times)
2. 1998 Spectator It's putting the cart before the horse. All history shows that if you want to create a political union, you do that first and the single currency follows. (Farlex)
3. These kids are encouraged to compete before they actually have the skills to win. We've got ourselves a cart-before-the-horse situation.(CoBuild)
4. Starting the fundraiser before we know how much we need is putting the cart before the horse. (Farlex)
