"Once bitten twice shy" is an idiom that is derived from an old English proverb.

短语“Once bitten twice shy”来源于古英语的一句俗语。

The general intent of the saying is to convey the concept that once an individual has been hurt in some manner, he or she is likely to be very cautious of any situation that contains elements of that previous bad experience.

这个短语意味某些人曾经因为某事受到过伤害，所以他们在今后相似的场景中就会格外小心。

A similar saying, "once burned twice shy," conveys the same general sentiment, noting the caution that people will employ when facing a similar situation.

短语“once burned twice shy”有着与之相同的意思，意味人们在面对与曾经类似的情景时，都会有些发怵。

The imagery associated with the term usually conjures up a scene in which someone sustains a dog bite or a snake bite.

这个词的含义总不免让人联想到有人被狗或者是蛇咬了的场景。

Both types of bites can be extremely painful and leave emotional as well as physical scars.

这两种咬伤不仅会给受伤者带来疼痛，还会形成身体与心灵上的伤疤。

As a result, the injured party may be extremely cautious when around a dog or snake in the future, taking care to not do anything that would prompt another bite.

因此，受伤者在以后会非常警惕这两种动物，以免再受到咬伤。

In general usage, "once bitten twice shy" can be applied to a number of scenarios.

在日常生活中，“once bitten twice shy”是经常被广泛应用的。

When referring to a romantic situation, someone who was deeply hurt in a previous relationship may be very reluctant to enter into a new one.

在爱情中，一方被前任狠狠伤过心，那么可能他在接受一段新的感情时就会十分谨慎。

This is especially true if the new person of interest exhibits certain qualities or habits that remind the injured party of that previously failed relationship.

如果现任的某些品质或生活习惯会让这个人想起前任，那么“Once bitten twice shy”这个短语就十分应景了。

As a result, opportunities to start a relationship with someone new may be few and far between, until that old hurt is healed sufficiently that it no longer affects the perception of new potential partners.

因此，在旧伤疤愈合或是不会再影响现在的交往之前，可能不会再接受过多的新关系。

At work, employees may be careful when interacting with a coworker who has caused difficulties in the past.

在工作中，上司会很小心那些给自己曾经制造过麻烦的合作伙伴。

Due to the past history, it may be considered wise to refrain from discussing certain matters or sharing information that is not directly relevant to carrying out some assigned task.

由于过去的经历或经验，比较明智的选择是避免讨论那些与当下不相关的事情，以便引起不必要的麻烦。

Only once the co-worker has demonstrated his or her ability to not repeat the actions that caused problems in the past will others begin to let down their guard and be more accepting of that individual.

只有当同事证明了他或她有能力不再重复那些在过去造成错误的行为时，其他人才会开始放松警惕，接受那个人。

Generally, someone who is "once bitten twice shy" feels the need to move forward with a great deal of caution, at least until any fears surrounding that movement have been addressed and resolved.

总的来说，这些有着“Once bitten twice shy”的性格的人，都是会对某些事情十分小心的，至少是直到那些让他们踌躇不安问题被解决，这些人才会舒一口气。

A natural predilection of human nature, it boils down to personal preservation, avoiding injury and hurt by taking into account what has happened in the past and using that information to avoid a repetition of undesirable events.

人类天性的自然偏好，归结为自我保护，避免伤害，考虑到过去发生的不愉快，利用自己对于现有信息的把握来避免不必要的事件的再一次发生。

In this manner, just about everyone has lived the concept, even if they have not actually used those words.

即使有人没用过“Once bitten twice shy”，大部分人都有过这种类似情形的经历。

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