“let bygones be bygones”作为英语中极具生命力的谚语，不仅是化解矛盾的黄金法则，更承载着跨越语言与文化的智慧。bygones本义为“已然逝去的人或事”，1590年开始被赋予“被遗忘或宽恕的过往纠葛”这一核心义项。该词组的核心语义是“既往不咎、让过去的事过去；冰释前嫌，不纠结过往”，强调主动放下过往的恩怨、分歧或错误，不再纠结于无法改变的过去，转而聚焦当下与未来的和解与发展。中国《论语》的“成事不说，遂事不谏，既往不咎”与之异曲同工；阿拉伯谚语“让沙漠埋葬骆驼的脚印”亦表达相似哲理。其本质是倡导宽容与释然，既适用于个人情感关系，也可用于群体、组织乃至国家间的互动，传递出“和解优于对立”的价值导向。请看精选例句：
After years of misunderstanding, the two diplomats agreed to let bygones be bygones and resume bilateral talks.
经过多年误解，两位外交官同意既往不咎，恢复双边会谈。
I know we've had our fights over the years, but I think it's time we let bygones be bygones.
这些年我们吵过不少次，但我觉得是时候让过去的事过去了。
The king told them to let bygones be bygones; from then on they would start a new account.
国王吩咐他们既往不咎，从此开启新篇章。
She probably met him again by chance through mutual friends and decided to let bygones be bygones for the sake of their marriage.
她或许是通过共同朋友偶然重逢了他，为了婚姻决定放下过往。
The company decided to let bygones be bygones and collaborate with its former rival on the new project.
该公司决定不计前嫌，与昔日竞争对手合作新项目。
Teachers often encourage students to let bygones be bygones and focus on improving rather than regretting mistakes.
老师常鼓励学生放下既往失误，专注于进步而非懊悔。
Isn’t it about time you guys buried the hatchet and let bygones be bygones?
你们该停止争执、既往不咎了吧？
After their big fight, they decided to let bygones be bygones. They realized that holding onto grudges would only make things worse.
激烈争吵后，他们决定既往不咎，意识到记仇只会让事情更糟。
He whispered to her, “I’m sorry for what I said. Can we let bygones be bygones?”
他对她轻声说：“我为我说过的话道歉，我们能既往不咎吗？”）
The military commanders agreed to let bygones be bygones and implement the ceasefire agreement.
军事指挥官们同意既往不咎，执行停火协议。
I'm willing to let bygones be bygones. And if you agree, I think we can settle all this right now with a simple handshake.
我很乐意冰释前嫌。如果你同意，我想我们现在一个简单的握手就能解决所有问题。《风骚律师》
I'm sure T-Dog would like to bury the hatchet, let bygones be bygones.
我确信T仔愿意和解，既往不咎。《行尸走肉》
（用“bury the hatchet”与词组同义替换，体现了其在危机场景中传递“摒弃恩怨、团结协作”的语义内涵。）
The settlement would involve fines and some other measures, but the upshot would be that Binance and the U.S. government would let bygones be bygones.
和解将涉及罚款和其他一些措施，但结果将是币安和美国政府冰释前嫌。（2025.6cet-6）
After years of arguing over trivial things, my best friend and I almost lost contact. But last month, we met at a high school reunion and she said, “Life is too short to hold grudges. Let’s let bygones be bygones.”
经过多年的琐碎争吵，我和我最好的朋友几乎失去了联系。但上个月，我们在一次高中同学聚会上相遇，她说：“人生苦短，不能记仇。让我们既往不咎吧。”（2024年新课标I卷高考）
To promote international cooperation in environmental protection, the two countries decided to let bygones be bygones and establish a joint research center.
为促进环境保护领域的国际合作，两国决定既往不咎，成立联合研究中心。（2023研考）
When Sarah and Tom broke up last year, they said terrible things to each other. But last week, they ran into each other at a café and Tom said, “I’m sorry for my words. Can we let bygones be bygones?” Sarah nodded with a smile.
去年萨拉和汤姆分手时，他们互相说了些可怕的话。但上周，他们在一家咖啡馆偶遇，汤姆说：“我为我的话感到抱歉。我们能冰释前嫌，重修旧好吗？”莎拉笑着点了点头。（2022年北京中考）
核心考点小结
该词组的考查核心集中在语义理解与语境运用两大维度：在中高考、四六级等考试中，常以词义猜测题、完形填空题形式考查基本语义，需掌握“既往不咎、放下过往”的核心内涵；在考研、雅思等高阶考试中，侧重语境适配性考查，需区分正式（外交、政治）与非正式（恋爱、交友）场景的使用差异，同时注意其与同义短语的替换运用；翻译题中需牢记“既往不咎”“冰释前嫌”“让过去的事过去”等译法，匹配原文语体风格。其中forgive and forget与bury the hatchet在考试中出现频率最高，常作为选项与该词组进行同义替换考查。
