That guy says he’s going to give lots of

money to charity, but so far, he hasn’t given

a dime. Actions speak louder than words!

That dog is really annoying. It barks

at the drop of a hat.

中世纪，在欧洲社会中，流行着决斗的风气。

一些骑士或武士们为了自己的心上人，往往采

取决斗的方式，如俄国的大诗人普希金就死于

决斗之中。这些人们在决斗之前，往往把帽子

狠狠地往地下一摔，这就意味着决斗马上开

始。寓意一有信号马上就可以行动，指脾气很

暴燥的人一触即发。

这个成语有几百年历史了，最早在《圣经》

一文中出现，讲述一个人强调说爱另一个人，

但实际上不做任何彰显爱意的事情。美国林肯

总统于1860年在库珀联合学院演讲中使用该成

语，多指一个人做什么比说什么更重要，最好

是做事而不只是说说。

那个人说他要给慈善团体捐助很多钱，但是到目

前为止他连一毛钱都没有捐。事实胜于雄辩！

那只狗很讨厌，一看到人就马上喊叫。

This idiom means that people’s actions

show their real intentions, not what

they say. Some of the first variations of

this saying are found in the Bible which teaches

that people should show love by their actions and

not just words.

This idiom means at once, without delay.

It is said to come from the practice of

waving a hat to mark the start of a race

or fight. The phrase was further popularized in

the mid-1950s when British entertainers Michael

Flanders and Donald Swann named their debut

album “At the Drop of a Hat.”

Teacher

Josh

Teacher

Josh

Scan for video

Scan for video

6

Actions speak louder than words

事实胜于雄辩

At the drop of a hat

立刻，马上