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 word or set of words is called a “figure of speech.” For a figure of speech to be effective, however, a writer must first understand the original meaning of the word or phrase. The following sentence contains a common figure of speech. Its original meaning is explained.
“The branch’s grip on the river oak leaves was loosened by wind gusts, and first one, then 100, then 500 cartwheeled through the sky to smother the ground.”
「陣陣狂風把千頭木麻黃的葉片吹離枝頭，先是一片，接著一百、五百片葉子打著轉捲入空中，再厚厚覆蓋地面。」
Cartwheels are relatively tall, slender wheels with long, slender spokes emanating from the axle. When a cart moves forward, the wheels turned and the spokes rotated with increasing speed as the cart moved faster. This motion of revolving spokes is replicated by the arms and legs of children and acrobats who move laterally by alternately standing on their feet and then their hands and then their feet and so on. The circular sweep of the extended arms and legs catches the eye, just as the spokes of a wheel do, with the center part of the torso functioning as an axle.
車輪的形狀又高又窄，並從車軸向外輻射出細長的輻條；車子前進，車輪跟著轉動，車速愈快，輻條轉動的速度愈快。孩童與體操選手做側手翻時，手掌和腳輪流接觸地面，手臂和雙腿的動作就像輻條的轉動。做側手翻時手臂和雙腿伸直，揮動成迴圈，看起來就像車輪的輻條，而軀幹的作用就好比車軸。
By saying that the leaves “cartwheeled” to the ground, carried along by gusts of wind, the writer calls upon the image of spinning wheels (and similarly spinning acrobats). Many leaves float gently, rocking slightly from side to side, when they ride a gentle breeze to the turf below, a movement commonly described as “fluttering.” But when the leaves are yanked from a branch by a more violent wind, they often are seen spinning end over end, the stem acting like a single axle in its rotation. Choosing descriptive words carefully separates spirited writers from ho-hum ones.
本句形容樹葉被狂風捲起，「cartwheeled」（打著轉）捲到地面，就運用了車輪轉動的意象，以及類似的體操選手轉圈的意象。如果葉子乘著微風，多半輕飄飄地微微左右擺盪，落到地面草皮上，這種動作常稱為「fluttering」（飄盪）。但葉子如果讓狂風由枝頭扯下，多半會以葉柄為單一軸心，頭上腳下地打轉。精心選擇敘述的詞彙，能讓文章生氣勃勃，不再無精打采。
Imagery buries itself in language and takes on new meaning. The transplanted and transformed word or set of words is called a “figure of speech.” For a figure of speech to be effective, however, a writer must first understand the original meaning of the word or phrase. The following sentence contains a common figure of speech. Its original meaning is explained.
“The branch’s grip on the river oak leaves was loosened by wind gusts, and first one, then 100, then 500 cartwheeled through the sky to smother the ground.”
「陣陣狂風把千頭木麻黃的葉片吹離枝頭，先是一片，接著一百、五百片葉子打著轉捲入空中，再厚厚覆蓋地面。」
Cartwheels are relatively tall, slender wheels with long, slender spokes emanating from the axle. When a cart moves forward, the wheels turned and the spokes rotated with increasing speed as the cart moved faster. This motion of revolving spokes is replicated by the arms and legs of children and acrobats who move laterally by alternately standing on their feet and then their hands and then their feet and so on. The circular sweep of the extended arms and legs catches the eye, just as the spokes of a wheel do, with the center part of the torso functioning as an axle.
車輪的形狀又高又窄，並從車軸向外輻射出細長的輻條；車子前進，車輪跟著轉動，車速愈快，輻條轉動的速度愈快。孩童與體操選手做側手翻時，手掌和腳輪流接觸地面，手臂和雙腿的動作就像輻條的轉動。做側手翻時手臂和雙腿伸直，揮動成迴圈，看起來就像車輪的輻條，而軀幹的作用就好比車軸。
By saying that the leaves “cartwheeled” to the ground, carried along by gusts of wind, the writer calls upon the image of spinning wheels (and similarly spinning acrobats). Many leaves float gently, rocking slightly from side to side, when they ride a gentle breeze to the turf below, a movement commonly described as “fluttering.” But when the leaves are yanked from a branch by a more violent wind, they often are seen spinning end over end, the stem acting like a single axle in its rotation. Choosing descriptive words carefully separates spirited writers from ho-hum ones.
本句形容樹葉被狂風捲起，「cartwheeled」（打著轉）捲到地面，就運用了車輪轉動的意象，以及類似的體操選手轉圈的意象。如果葉子乘著微風，多半輕飄飄地微微左右擺盪，落到地面草皮上，這種動作常稱為「fluttering」（飄盪）。但葉子如果讓狂風由枝頭扯下，多半會以葉柄為單一軸心，頭上腳下地打轉。精心選擇敘述的詞彙，能讓文章生氣勃勃，不再無精打采。
Posted at 2012-11-30 12:59:31
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