【原】a cat may look at a king 人人平等

英语中存在很多的习语是跟动物有关系的，但其实它们都不是用来表示本意的，例如 turn turtle，不得不说有的时候习语的寓意真是让人大开眼界，除非是之前学习过，否则真的很难猜到 a cat may look at a king 的寓意，它比喻小人物也有权力，人人平等，寓意：

Someone who is inferior in any form is not totally restricted in how they behave in front of a superior.

任何形式的低人一等的人在上级面前的表现都不会受到完全的限制。

It refers to some freedom that minions take in front of their masters.

它指的是奴仆在主人面前获得的一些自由。

The phrase talks about the boldness that cats shows even in front of their masters and get them to stroke them.

这句话讲的是猫在主人面前表现出的勇敢，让它们抚摸它们。

例如：

Her boss had just entered but she still went on break. This cat looks at the king on a daily basis.

她的老板刚进来，但她仍在休息。人人平等，员工也有休息的权力。

He talks to his wife in a way that a cat may look at a king.

他以平等的方式和妻子谈话。

A cat may look at a king but for you to tell your boss that he is not being fair to you seems impossible.

虽然人人平等，但要你告诉你的老板他对你不公平似乎是不可能的。

英语学习虽然有规律，但是还是要有长期的积累，对于习语这种特殊的存在，它没有太多的规律，所以只能牢牢记住它们，对于母语有深厚功底的人而言，他们偶尔是可以猜到它们的意思。