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.
“When the book-selection committee announced its choice, bitterly disappointed library staff members huddled around the Jotul stove, stoking their resentment.”
「書籍評委會公布書單後，失望的圖書館員圍在火爐旁，煽動不滿的情緒。」
Wildfires sweep across vast regions of open land without much encouragement, a small spark getting caught up in a wind and turning into a conflagration. But smaller, contained fires usually are not as spontaneous. They need nurturing. This is when a fire-tender “stokes” a fire. If the fire has died down, he stirs its red-hot embers until air can encircle them and cause them to flare again. Then he introduces new fuel that is small enough in diameter to be ignited by the embers and smoldering ash. In this way, a dying fire is given new life and heat again is produced.
野火無須煽動就能燎原，火星經風勢助長也會化成熊熊烈焰。但爐內微小的火焰通常不會自發性的燃燒，需要培育。因此顧火的人必須「stoke」（煽動）火焰。若火焰已經熄滅，就需翻動熾熱的餘燼，直到包圍的空氣讓火焰再度燃起。接著還要加入柴薪，柴薪必須夠細，才能讓餘燼點燃。這樣一來，即將熄滅的火焰就能復燃，再度發熱。
When the writer talks about a group of disappointed people “stoking their resentment,” he is using the fire-building metaphor. Singly, the individuals are smoldering with bad feeling. When they gather—symbolically around a wood-burning stove—they figuratively blow on each other’s embers until they together become a hot, open flame of dissatisfaction. The usual conclusion in such situations is that the disgruntlement consumes some of the people, just as a fire consumes a log, and they are destroyed by the experience. The metaphor works beautifully clear to the end.
文章寫到一群失望的人「煽動不滿的情緒」，使用了生火的比喻。個人不滿的情緒獨自鬱積，等他們聚集在一起，象徵性地圍繞著燒柴的火爐，每個人心中的不快受到比喻性的煽動，最後燒成不滿的怒火。在這種情況下，結局通常就像火焰燒掉柴薪，不滿也會「燒」掉、毀滅一些人。這個比喻直到最後都很貼切。
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.
“When the book-selection committee announced its choice, bitterly disappointed library staff members huddled around the Jotul stove, stoking their resentment.”
「書籍評委會公布書單後，失望的圖書館員圍在火爐旁，煽動不滿的情緒。」
Wildfires sweep across vast regions of open land without much encouragement, a small spark getting caught up in a wind and turning into a conflagration. But smaller, contained fires usually are not as spontaneous. They need nurturing. This is when a fire-tender “stokes” a fire. If the fire has died down, he stirs its red-hot embers until air can encircle them and cause them to flare again. Then he introduces new fuel that is small enough in diameter to be ignited by the embers and smoldering ash. In this way, a dying fire is given new life and heat again is produced.
野火無須煽動就能燎原，火星經風勢助長也會化成熊熊烈焰。但爐內微小的火焰通常不會自發性的燃燒，需要培育。因此顧火的人必須「stoke」（煽動）火焰。若火焰已經熄滅，就需翻動熾熱的餘燼，直到包圍的空氣讓火焰再度燃起。接著還要加入柴薪，柴薪必須夠細，才能讓餘燼點燃。這樣一來，即將熄滅的火焰就能復燃，再度發熱。
When the writer talks about a group of disappointed people “stoking their resentment,” he is using the fire-building metaphor. Singly, the individuals are smoldering with bad feeling. When they gather—symbolically around a wood-burning stove—they figuratively blow on each other’s embers until they together become a hot, open flame of dissatisfaction. The usual conclusion in such situations is that the disgruntlement consumes some of the people, just as a fire consumes a log, and they are destroyed by the experience. The metaphor works beautifully clear to the end.
文章寫到一群失望的人「煽動不滿的情緒」，使用了生火的比喻。個人不滿的情緒獨自鬱積，等他們聚集在一起，象徵性地圍繞著燒柴的火爐，每個人心中的不快受到比喻性的煽動，最後燒成不滿的怒火。在這種情況下，結局通常就像火焰燒掉柴薪，不滿也會「燒」掉、毀滅一些人。這個比喻直到最後都很貼切。
Posted at 2012-10-19 10:25:46
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