Piece of cake
American Slang Term
American
★★★★★ Very Common
Casual
의미: Something that is very easy to do.
非常容易做的事。小菜一碟。
Algo que es muy fácil de hacer.
非常に簡単にできること。朝飯前。
매우 쉬운 일. 누워서 떡 먹기.
'Piece of cake' is one of the most widely known American idioms for describing an easy task. The logic is simple — eating cake is effortless and pleasant. It's often said after completing something that was expected to be difficult, or as reassurance before a challenge.
'Piece of cake'是最广为人知的美式英语习语之一,用来形容很容易的事。逻辑很简单——吃蛋糕是毫不费力又愉快的事。通常在完成预期会很困难的事之后说,或者在挑战之前作为安慰。
'Piece of cake' es una de las expresiones americanas más conocidas para describir una tarea fácil. La lógica es simple: comer tarta no cuesta ningún esfuerzo y es agradable. Se suele decir después de completar algo que se esperaba que fuera difícil, o como forma de tranquilizar antes de un reto.
「Piece of cake」は、簡単な作業を表すアメリカの慣用句として最も広く知られているものの一つ。ケーキを食べるのは楽で心地よい、という単純な理屈から来ている。難しいと思われていたことを達成した後や、挑戦の前に安心させる場面でよく使われる。
'Piece of cake'는 쉬운 일을 표현하는 가장 널리 알려진 미국 관용구 중 하나다. 논리는 간단하다 — 케이크를 먹는 것은 아무 노력도 들지 않고 즐겁다. 어렵다고 예상했던 일을 끝낸 후 또는 도전 앞에서 안심시킬 때 자주 사용된다.
예문
- The driving test was a piece of cake — I passed on my first try. 驾照考试太简单了——我一次就过了。El examen de conducir fue pan comido: aprobé a la primera.運転免許の試験は楽勝だった — 一発で受かったよ。운전면허 시험은 식은 죽 먹기였어 — 한 번에 붙었어.
- Don't worry about the interview. It'll be a piece of cake. 别担心面试的事。小菜一碟。No te preocupes por la entrevista. Será coser y cantar.面接のこと心配しないで。朝飯前だから。면접 걱정하지 마. 누워서 떡 먹기일 거야.
- Fixing the sink? Piece of cake. It just needed a new washer. 修水龙头?小菜一碟。换个垫圈就行了。¿Arreglar el grifo? Pan comido. Solo había que cambiar la arandela.水道の修理?楽勝だよ。パッキンを替えるだけだった。싱크대 수리? 식은 죽 먹기야. 패킹만 갈면 됐어.
발음
사용 가이드
맥락: describing easy tasks, reassurance, boasting
어조: confident, reassuring
✓ 올바른 표현
- That was a piece of cake!小菜一碟!¡Eso fue pan comido!That was a piece of cake!완전 식은 죽 먹기였어!
- Don't stress — it's a piece of cake.别紧张——小菜一碟。No te agobies, es coser y cantar.Don't stress — it's a piece of cake.걱정 마 — 누워서 떡 먹기야.
✗ 잘못된 표현
- Saying it about something another person struggled with can sound dismissive — 'Oh, that test was a piece of cake' to someone who failed it对别人觉得很难的事说这个会显得轻蔑——对考试没过的人说'那考试太简单了'Decirlo sobre algo con lo que otra persona ha tenido dificultades puede sonar despectivo: 'Ese examen era pan comido' a alguien que ha suspendido他の人が苦労したことについて使うと、軽視しているように聞こえる — 不合格だった人の前で「あのテスト楽勝だったよね」と言うのは避けよう다른 사람이 고전한 일에 대해 말하면 무시하는 것처럼 들릴 수 있다 — 시험에 떨어진 사람 앞에서 '그 시험 완전 쉬웠는데'라고 말하는 것
기원과 역사
The phrase originated in 1930s-40s American English. Likely connected to 'cakewalk,' a 19th-century dance competition where the prize was a cake, which came to mean something easy. The Royal Air Force also used 'piece of cake' for easy missions in WWII.
문화적 배경
Era: 1930s-40s onwards
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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