酸葡萄

酸葡萄

Literally means:

sour grapes

Actually means:

According to the fable story, the fox soothes himself with the assertion that the grapes beyond his reach are sour, so his desire for the grapes vanishes.

It figuratively means that if one cannot get something, it will be labeled bad or lousy for the sake of soothing oneself. In psychology, this is termed "sour grape effect", that is, if a person cannot reach his aim, he will try to alleviate his desire and reduce his sadness by decrying the aim.

寓言故事说，狐狸吃不到它所渴望的葡萄，就自我安慰地说葡萄是酸的，不好吃，并打消吃葡萄的欲望。

比喻得不到某物时，为了自我安慰就说它不好。在心理学上，叫作“酸葡萄心理”即当一个人追求的目标无法实现时，便贬低原有目标，借以冲淡内心欲望，减轻心中的不适。