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喜欢比较是人的天性，不知足也是人的天性。这两种天性结合在一起，难怪我们总是觉得别人的东西(或处境)比自己的好。中文里有不少俗语来描述这种情形：这山望着那山高;隔岸风景好，邻家芳草绿;外国的月亮比较圆;吃着碗里的，想着锅里的…… 英文当中也有类似的谚语：The grass is greener on the other side. 这句话的完整版本是：The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.(篱笆那边的草总是比较绿，即“邻家芳草绿”。)虽然这个概念早在1 5世纪就由荷兰神学家Desiderius Erasmus提出过，但它直到20世纪50年代才通过Hugh Williams和Margaret Vyner创作的戏剧The Grass Is Greener《绿苑春浓》正式在英语里亮相。该剧后来还被改编成电影，由著名影星Cary Grant领衔主演。借着戏剧和电影的影响力，这句谚语很快就家喻户晓了。 为了方便，人们经常把它缩略为“The grass is greener on the other side.”，甚至更短的、和戏剧/电影名字一致的“The grass is greener.”。举例如下： Clifford: You llaVc no idea how much I envy you. you went to Harvard you have a great job and you'll probably accomplish more by the time you are 35 than Iwill in my entire lile.(你不晓得我有多羡慕你。你是哈佛的高才生，有一份好工作，35岁时达到的成就可能比我一辈子的还要多。)Jake: Are you serios ? Ihave always envied you.People expect so much.out of me. I've never been about to havc a life becausc of schoolwork.ifI get a B, peoplc frcak out like it's an F.Imay havc a good job.but with all the pressure on me ,I'll probably be inisane by the time i am 35.in so many ways.1 wvish I couledjust be a regular guy ,with nomal epectations and a normal lifc.(你是开玩笑的吧?我一直很羡慕你才是真的。 | 
