Expressions about water are almost as common as water itself. But many of the expressions using water have unpleasant meanings.

关于水的表达几乎和水本身一样常见，但很多含有水的表达却有不愉快之意。

The expression to be in hot water is one of them. It is a very old expression. Hot water was used five hundred years ago to mean being in trouble. One story says it got that meaning from the custom of throwing boiling water down on enemies attacking a castle.

英语中有to be in hot water(遇到麻烦;陷于困境)的表达。实际上，早在500年前，英文中便出现了hot water的说法，用来指“困境”。据说这样的用法起源于古代，当敌人袭击一座城堡时，城堡里的人会将滚烫的开水泼向敌人。

That no longer the custom. But we still get in hot water. When we are in hot water, we are in trouble. It can be any kind of trouble--serious, and not so serious. A person who breaks a law can be in hot water with the police. A boy can be in hot water with his mother, if he comes into the house with dirty, wet shoes.

现在这样的传统不复存在了，但我们仍会get in hot water(惹上麻烦)。当我们使用in hot water的表达方式时，表明我们遇到了麻烦。它可能是任何种类的麻烦：严重的、没那么严重的。违法者可能会与警察闹纠纷;一个男孩子如果穿着脏兮兮、湿漉漉的鞋子进家门，会给妈妈惹很多麻烦。

Being in deep water is almost the same as being in hot water. When you are in deep water, you are in difficulty. Imagine a swimmer in water over his head who cannot reach the shore.

Being in deep water(陷入困境)与being in hot water意思相近。当你in deep water时，表明你陷入困境了。设想一个水没过了头顶、却游不到岸的游泳者，你就会有所体会。

You are in deep water when you are facing a problem that you do not have the ability to solve. The problem is too deep for you. You can be in deep water, for example, if you invest in stocks without knowing anything about the stock market.