【英语时差8,16】改过自新；洗心革面；重新开始

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In latitudes¹ that have four seasons, springtime means the rebirth of nature. Flowers bloom and trees grow new leaves. So it is easy to imagine this idiom, which indicates renewal², as having a springtime association. After all, isn't "trying to improve one's behavior or attitude" (which is the meaning of this idiom) similar to a tree growing new leaves? It turns out that is only part of the story. The reference to "turning over a new leaf" actually refers to a blank page in a book, such as a diary in which you write the story of your life. Long ago, book pages were called "leaves" because pages are flat and broad like the leaves of trees. A "new leaf" would be an empty page, not written on yet. "Turning it over" means that a fresh start is possible. An empty page indicates unlimited³ possibilities. to shake like a leaf 是指「吓得发抖」的意思。 fig⁴ leaf 是指「用来遮掩问题的东西」。 to take a leaf out of someone's book 是指「模仿某人的行为」的意思。

 

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