“道听途说”英语怎么说？

Jessica在北京学中文，她的中国朋友要是遇到了不知道用美语怎么说的词，就会来请教她。今天是怡茹要问的：道听途说。

YR: Jessica, Congratulations! And I'm mad at you!

Jessica: What? Why? What's going on?

YR: 我听说你交了个特帅的男朋友！所以当然恭喜你一下喽！不过，咱俩是好朋友，你居然瞒着我，所以我生气啦！

Jessica: What boyfriend? Where did you hear it?

YR: 大家都这么说啊。就是……啊……怎么说来着，street words say...

Jessica: Do you mean "word on the street"?

YR: 对！Word on the street is you've got a new boyfriend! 坊间传言，你交了新男友哦！

Jessica: Gosh! This is pure rumor! Yiru, you must tell me who told you this. I need to dispel this rumor!

YR: 我也是道听途说，这样吧，你告诉我道听途说用美语怎么说，我就告诉你传谣言的人是谁！

Jessica: Deal! 道听途说……Let me see...Okay, you can say "I heard something through the grapevine." Grapevine is spelt g-r-a-p-e-v-i-n-e.

YR: 哦，grapevine是葡萄藤的意思，I heard it through the grapevine 就是“通过葡萄藤听来的消息”，也就是道听途说喽! 还有别的说法么？

Jessica: You can also say "a little bird told me." For example, if you don't want to tell others the source of your information, you can say "Let's just say I know because a little bird told me."

YR: 哈哈，真可爱，A little bird told me, 小鸟告诉我的！

Jessica: 好啦，现在你可以告诉我了吧？Who's spreading the rumor?

YR: Well, let's just say a little bird told me!

Jessica: Hey! That's cheating, Yiru! Besides, if you say "a little bird told me," usually it means both you and I actually know the source of the information, but neither of us wants to say it. 可我现在不知道啊！

YR: 原来，在用a little bird told me的时候，大家对消息来源其实都心知肚明，只是故意不说。好吧，那我告诉你吧，其实---I heard the rumor through the grapevine!

Jessica: Hey!

YR: 今天我们学的内容包括：第一，坊间传言可以说Word on the street is...;

第二，道听途说可以说 I heard it through the grapevine;

第三，大家心照不宣地不挑名消息来源，可以说 A little bird told me.

相关阅读

“Grapevine” 小道消息

英语中这样传播谣言

Chinwag 闲谈

“Ear”的相关英文表达

（来源：VOA英语教学 编辑：旭燕）