Cross that bridge when one comes to it 字面的意思是“到了桥边再过桥”，其实就是指“等事情发生了再应对”，“船到桥头自然直”。我侄女的父母就是这个态度，They don't want to start thinking about how to finance their daughter's veterinarian training yet. They prefer to cross that bridge when they come to it. 他们不要现在就开始为孩子上兽医学校准备学费，而是打算等孩子真上了再说。在下面的例子中，有个女孩为自己的未来做打算，嗯，其实也可以说是没做什么打算。我们来听一听:

"Carrie is determined to move to New York City next fall. At the moment, she doesn't know what she's going to do for a job once she gets there. Still, she's not worried. She says that she will CROSS THAT BRIDGE WHEN SHE COMES TO IT. The way she figures it, she'll be able to find work after she gets settled."

这段话意思是说：[Carrie下决心秋天到了就搬到纽约去住。现在，她还不知道搬过去之后要做什么工作。不过，她也不担心。她说，船到桥头自然直。等她到了纽约，一切都安顿好了，再找工作也不迟。]

这种随遇而安的心态真不错，不过，很多人都没Carrie这么大松心，不愿意走一步算一步。很多人都是尽量避免可能出现的问题，这样的话，They don't have to cross that bridge when they come to it. 他们就不用等问题发生了，再急切着想法子应对了。

企业家常被人们认为是务实、有远见、有计划的人，可实际上真是这样么？咱们来听听下面这段话：

"So far, the company presidents have agreed that they'll sign the contract with Mexico. Beyond that, they haven't really decided what they'll do next. The reality is that they'll deal with the situation when it happens. They're CROSSING THAT BRIDGE WHEN THEY COME TO IT."

这段话是说：[到目前为止，公司总裁已经同意和墨西哥方面签合同，可除此之外，公司决策层并没有决定下一步的工作。事实上，他们打算走一步算一步。他们的态度就是等问题出来了再去想怎么办。]

Cross the bridge when one comes to it 在口语里的另外一个说法是Wing it. Wing it，也是“到时候再说”、“随机应变”的意思。

更多信息请查看生活口语