What the heart thinks, the tongue speaks.言为心声。
此谚语如果直译应该是“心里想的,就是嘴里讲的”。第一层意思是一个人心里想的,嘴里总要暴露出来,有些人心直嘴快,有什么都讲出来,有些人虽然不愿露真情,但隐瞒是不可能长久的,迟早也会暴露出来。所以还有两句谚语说明这意思:
When the heart is afire, some sparks will fly out.
As a man's heart is, so does he speak.
心里有什么,嘴里总要泄露出来。
谚语第二层意思是:一个人的语言(或文字)可以代表这个人的思想性格,所以听他的言论或读他的文章,可以知其为人,这也有两句谚语说明这意思:
A bird is known by its note, and a man by his talk.
鸟以声闻,人以言知。
The style is the man.
文如其人。
因此,口所说的往往反映心所想的:
Speech is the picture of the mind.