What does that mean? 你真的瞭解這個慣用語嗎?
很多字詞並非表面所見的意思，字詞的組合會產生不同的解釋。這樣的慣用法，我們稱之為「比喻」。一個成功的比喻，作者本身必須相當瞭解字詞的源起。以下的句子為讀者介紹一個比喻及其來源。
Imagery buries itself in language and takes on new meaning. The transplanted and transformed sets of words are called “figures of speech.” For a figure of speech to be effective, however, a writer must first understand the original meaning of the phrase. The following sentence contains a common figure of speech. Its original meaning is explained.
“As he scanned an audience of peers, the retiring historian gathered his thoughts, culling from a cribful of frustration the kernels of professional delight that might nurture.”
「這位退休歷史學家掃視一眼台下的聽眾，同時整理著自己的思緒，從滿滿的挫折當中挑選出職業生涯中愉快的事蹟。」
“Culling from a cribful ... the kernels” is an agrarian allusion. It refers to corn, which sometimes is stored whole, still on the cob, in a corncrib. When shelled, the actual volume of edible corn is much less than the crib’s volume of ears of corn. While the corncob is useful, it lacks the nutritional value of the kernels embedded in it.
「從玉米穀倉中挑出玉米粒 (Culling from a cribful ... the kernels)」是帶有農業色彩的引喻，其中提到的玉米，有時以整枝玉米的形式保存在玉米穀倉中，剝下來後可食用的玉米粒，份量會比整枝玉米穗少得多，而玉米梗雖然仍有用途，營養價值卻比不上玉米粒。
As used in a paper about an eminent historian, the metaphor denotes a processing of memories by one who knows both the researcher’s episodic joy of discovery and the exhausting labor of digging. In “gathering his thoughts,” the historian chooses to voice selective career highlights, rather than to dwell on necessary struggles preceding them.
在這篇關於著名歷史學家的文章當中，這個隱喻點出作者不但瞭解研究學者在新發現時的欣喜若狂，也非常清楚發掘過程的辛勞，因此寫道這位歷史學家在「整理思緒」時，選擇強調工作的成就，而不著墨於必經的奮鬥過程。
Imagery buries itself in language and takes on new meaning. The transplanted and transformed sets of words are called “figures of speech.” For a figure of speech to be effective, however, a writer must first understand the original meaning of the phrase. The following sentence contains a common figure of speech. Its original meaning is explained.
“As he scanned an audience of peers, the retiring historian gathered his thoughts, culling from a cribful of frustration the kernels of professional delight that might nurture.”
「這位退休歷史學家掃視一眼台下的聽眾，同時整理著自己的思緒，從滿滿的挫折當中挑選出職業生涯中愉快的事蹟。」
“Culling from a cribful ... the kernels” is an agrarian allusion. It refers to corn, which sometimes is stored whole, still on the cob, in a corncrib. When shelled, the actual volume of edible corn is much less than the crib’s volume of ears of corn. While the corncob is useful, it lacks the nutritional value of the kernels embedded in it.
「從玉米穀倉中挑出玉米粒 (Culling from a cribful ... the kernels)」是帶有農業色彩的引喻，其中提到的玉米，有時以整枝玉米的形式保存在玉米穀倉中，剝下來後可食用的玉米粒，份量會比整枝玉米穗少得多，而玉米梗雖然仍有用途，營養價值卻比不上玉米粒。
As used in a paper about an eminent historian, the metaphor denotes a processing of memories by one who knows both the researcher’s episodic joy of discovery and the exhausting labor of digging. In “gathering his thoughts,” the historian chooses to voice selective career highlights, rather than to dwell on necessary struggles preceding them.
在這篇關於著名歷史學家的文章當中，這個隱喻點出作者不但瞭解研究學者在新發現時的欣喜若狂，也非常清楚發掘過程的辛勞，因此寫道這位歷史學家在「整理思緒」時，選擇強調工作的成就，而不著墨於必經的奮鬥過程。
Posted at 2012-04-06 10:57:43
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