1. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
1.患难见真情

A friend that sticks with you and helps you when you’re in trouble is a true friend. For example, if you have a friend who helps you even when you have nothing to give back to them at that moment, they are a true friend.
当你遇到困难时,一个愿意支持你并帮助你的朋友才是真正的朋友。如果在你一无所有,穷途末路的时候,还有人愿意帮助你,那他则是真心的患难之交。

2. A friend to all is a friend to none.
2.滥交友者无朋友

A friendship with a person who is friends with everyone is not unique or truly valuable. You can’t count on them. They won’t protect you or stick up for you when you have problems with others because they’re also friends with the other people too.
和每个人都是好朋友的朋友不是独一无二的,也不是真正有价值的。你不能指望他们。当你和别人有冲突的时候,他们不会保护你,也不会支持你,因为他们也是别人的朋友。

3. A friend’s eye is a good mirror.
3.朋友是最好的镜子

Sometimes we don’t see ourselves as clearly as we do others. A good friend will truthfully tell you whether you do something good or bad which is valuable to have.
有时我们并不能像他人看自己一样认清自我,一个好朋友会诚实地告诉你,你做的是好还是坏,这是有价值的。

4. A man is known by his friends.
4.视其友,知其人

People judge you by the company you keep. Others will look at your friends and make assumptions about you based on the friends you choose to have in your life.
人们会通过你结交的朋友来判断你的为人。人们会看你的朋友是怎样的,根据你选择的朋友对你做出预估。

They also mean to say that it’s important who you pick as your friends because it affects your reputation.
他们的意思也是说,你选谁当朋友很重要,因为这会影响你的声誉。

Also known as: “A man is known by the company he keeps.”
这个谚语也可以这样说:“视其友,知其人。”

5. Birds of a feather flock together.
5.物以类聚,人以群分

People who like the same things and have similar personalities tend to enjoy spending time together. For example, different teenagers who like listening to rock music and skateboarding will all become friends and enjoy spending time together.
喜欢相同事物、性格相似的人喜欢在一起欢度时光。例如,喜欢听摇滚乐和玩滑板的青少年会成为朋友,一起享受时光。

6. False friends are worse than open enemies.
6.明枪易躲,暗箭难防

It’s better to at least know who your enemy is, instead of believing someone is your friend only to find out that they aren’t.
至少知道你的敌人是谁,而不是一味地相信所谓的朋友,最终却发现他们并不可信。

At least when you know who your enemy is, you know not to trust them. Whereas if the person you are counting on won’t be there when you need them, it would be better to know you can’t count on them sooner rather than later.
当你知道你的敌人是谁时,至少你清楚地明白不能相信他们。然而,如果你信任的人在你需要的时候不会在你身边,那么你最好知道早点就看清你不能指望的朋友是谁。

7. Friendship is like money, easier made than kept.
7.友谊如金钱,得来容易保持难

It’s easy to make friends when you first meet someone. But over time to develop a real friendship takes effort and hard work. Similarly to how keeping money is harder than making it.
初次见面时交朋友很容易。但随着时间的推移,建立真正的友谊需要用心和努力。同样,存钱比赚钱更难。

8. A friend at hand is better than a relative at a distance.
8.远亲不如近邻

Close companions in your life are more valuable than your family if you are not close to them.
如果你离家人较远的话,生命中的挚友有时候比你的家人更可贵。

This phrase is similar to the idea that your neighbor is more important in your life than your parents if they life far away. Because, if something happened to you, your neighbor could be there to help you.
这句话类似于如果你父母住的离你比较远,那么你的邻居在生活中比你的父母更重要。因为,一旦你发生了什么事,你的邻居可能很快就能帮到你。

9. Lend your money. Lose your friend.
9.赔了夫人又折兵

You should never let your friends borrow your money. If you do lend them money, there is a big chance that you will either have problems with them paying you back, or they may become upset with you when you ask for your money back.
你永远不应该让你的朋友借你钱。如果你借钱给他们,要么很有可能他们没办法还钱,要么当你要求还钱时,他们可能会对你不满。

10. A man who has friends must himself be friendly.
10.想要交朋友,先要以诚待人

Friendship is created through two people. A friendship won’t last long if only one person makes an effort. Just like any relationship, both sides of a friendship must actively work at the friendship for it to continue and develop.
友谊是由两个人共同创造的。如果只有一个人努力,友谊便不会长久。就像任何关系一样,朋友双方都必须积极地为保持友谊而付出努力,这样才能让友谊继续发展。