由于“坑”有“掩埋”的功能，汉语中很早就由名词变为一个动词，其意思是“坑杀”或“活埋”。秦始皇焚书坑儒，就是最好的例证。英语可以译为 to bury sb alive, to have sb buried alive，例如：
17. 秦始皇统一中国后下令焚书坑儒，以巩固中央集权统治。After the unification of China, Qinshihuang, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, had classic books burned and Confucian scholars buried alive so as to consolidate his centralized domination.
18. 史书记载这个将军如何下令他的部下坑杀降兵。The history book recorded how the general ordered his subordinates to bury those surrendered soldiers alive.
19. 这位老农回忆了日本鬼子如何坑杀他村子里的无辜百姓。This old farmer recalled how the Japanese soldiers buried alive the innocent people of his village.
“坑”的另一个功能是“充当陷阱”。挖个坑，可以使人落入其中。古战场上的“绊马坑”就是一种使奔跑的战马掉入的陷阱。英语可以译为 horse trap，例如：
20.由于毫无戒备，这个士兵和他的战马陷入绊马坑。Unsuspecting, the soldier and his battle steed fell into a horse trap.
注意trap 还有a light carriage with two wheels pulled by a horse的意思，即“两轮轻便马车”。因此，horse trap另有“两轮轻便马车”的意思。我们要根据上下文判断其准确意义，例如：
21. A man travelling in a horse trap was reported to have died after the animal bolted, throwing him into the road. 据报道，一个乘坐两轮轻便马车的男子因马匹脱缰把他抛在道路上而使他摔死。
pony 是“小马”。但是，pony trap没有“绊马坑”的意思，只指“小马拉的两轮轻便马车”，例如：
22. We took a 45-minute tour around the small town in a pony trap.我们乘坐马拉两轮轻便马车围绕这个小镇游览了45分钟。
23. The tourists all enjoyed a pony-and-trap ride in the countryside.这些旅游者都很喜欢在乡下乘坐两轮轻便马车兜风。
作为动词，“坑”现在更常见的意思是“设个骗局或利用狡诈手段使人上当受骗”。英语可以译为 to cheat, to swindle, to deceive, to hoodwink, to defraud, to trick, to entrap。“被坑”或“挨坑”的意思是“上当”或“受骗”，英语可以译为 to be cheated, to be deceived, to be tricked, to fall into a trap，例如：
24. 这个不法商人销售伪劣商品坑骗消费者。The unlawful trader cheated the consumers by selling them fake and inferior commodities.
25. 这个老太太发现这个骗子坑了她几百美元。The old woman found that the cheat had swindled her out of hundreds of dollars./The old woman found that the cheat had swindled hundreds of dollars out of her.
26. 这个游商以次充好，坑蒙顾客。The hawker deceived the customers by selling them substandard products as good-quality ones.
27. 有的小贩漫天要价，坑骗外地游客。Some vendors hoodwink outside tourists by charging them exorbitant prices.
28. 他坑骗了这家公司一百万美元。He defrauded the company of one million dollars.
29. 这伙骗子提供假信息坑害顾客。The group of swindlers provided false information to entrap customers.
30. 当这个买主发现他以低价从小贩那里买的戒指实际上是个假货时，意识到自己被坑了。The buyer realized that he had been tricked when he found the ring he had bought at a low price from the pedlar was actually a fake.
