情景对话：

A: My father beat me yesterday.

昨天爸爸打了我。

B: I think he only stopped short of hurting you.

我想他只是点到为止，并没有伤害你。

A: Anyways, he taught me a lesson.

不管怎么说，他把我教训了一顿。

B: He hopes you'll behave yourself.

他是希望你能规矩些。

第一， 词海拾贝

stop short of something

exp. Nearly do something but not actually do something. （险些做出某事，差点就做某事）

e.g. She stopped short of calling the president a liar.

她差一点儿就指责校长说谎。

e.g. The manager told her that he was unhappy with her work, but he stopped short of dismissing her from her job.

经理告诉她——他对她的工作不满意，但他并没有解雇她。

e.g. He can be ruthless in getting what he wants but I believe he would stop short of blackmail.

他这个人为达到目的是心黑手辣的, 但我认为他还不至于使用敲诈手段。

第二， 语汇积累

1. stop short：突然停止，中途停下

e.g. The sudden blaring of the alarm caused me to stop short on my way down the hall.

突然的警报声使我在下楼时突然停住了脚步。

When I read how many people had died, I stopped short and stared in disbelief at the newspaper.

当我看到死亡人数时，我突然停了下来，难以置信地盯着报纸。

2. behave oneself：遵守规矩

e.g. The mother bade the child behave himself.

妈妈叮咛孩子要守规矩。

e.g. He seems to have a wife with him, so I imagine he has to behave himself.

他现在似乎有老婆随行，所以我想他得收歛他的行为了。

e.g. Can't you make your boy behave himself?

你不能教你的小孩规规矩矩些吗？

3. teach someone a lesson：教训某人

e.g. If he did not stop his nonsense, they would teach him a lesson he would never forget.

如果他再不停止胡言乱语，他们就要狠狠地教训他一番，叫他终身难忘。

e.g. They taught the governor a lesson by giving him a good beating.

他们狠狠地揍了总督一顿，给了他一个教训。