一旦我們說誰“捅了馬蜂窩”，或者在談話中不識時務的“哪壺不開提哪壺”，也就是指do or say something that results in a complicated situation full of problems. 做的事，說的話引出復雜的，不好的結果。英語當中與“捅馬蜂窩”對應的表達法也和蟲子有關，open a can of worms. Can, 在短語中作名詞用，意思是“罐；罐頭”，打開了一個裝滿蟲子的罐子，的確要好好收拾一番了。

小對話：

A: I suggested our teacher to have a test on Chapter Four. You know, it’s a very important chapter of the whole book. But none of my classmates wants a test. A few boys said they would teach me a lesson one day. 我建議老師考考第四章的內容。你知道嗎，第四章是書中最重要的。但是班里沒人想考試。幾個男生說哪天要給我點兒教訓。

B: Wow, that's a tough situation. You really did open a can of worms. Sometimes keeping your mouth shut is the only way to avoid opening a can of worms. 哇，是夠糟了。你真是捅了馬蜂窩。有時候閉嘴是唯一能避免捅馬蜂窩的辦法。

更多例句：

Anyhow, it's difficult to always avoid conversation landmines, so be sensible, watch your steps and try not to open a can of worms. 不管怎樣，在談話中往往難免觸雷，所以頭腦要清醒些，行事要注意些，盡量不要觸及那些忌諱的話。

Mr. Chen has opened a can of worms because of his controversial belief. 因為陳先生具爭論性的信念，使他添加許多問題。

I really opened up a can of worms when I asked him how his marriage was. 我真是哪壺不開提哪壺，問起了他的婚姻狀況。

Look like I opened a can of worms! 我好像捅了一個馬蜂窩！

Tom can’t sit still for a minute —he is a can of worms. 湯姆一分鐘都坐不住，他是一個心神不定的人。