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What does that mean? 你真的瞭解這個慣用語嗎?
【英文學習】
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.
“Double Ten Day is awash with lion dances, fireworks displays, and the natal feeling that the Republic’s heritage is as noble as its future is challenging.”
「雙十節時，舞獅、煙火表演一波波湧起，以及值此誕辰的體認，感受中華民國的傳統命脈不僅珍貴輝煌，同時也未來艱鉅。」
“Awash” is a condition of total immersion, as when a wave breaks across a ship’s deck and completely covers it with water, though shallowly. It describes a relatively brief moment of immersion, with a surface quickly reemerging, not yet dry but no long submerged. This contrasts with a situation in which an object is submerged for a relatively long time, or permanently, a condition known as sinking. Sunken items are not expected to rise from their immersion, whereas objects that are awash are not presumed to be in danger of sinking.
“Awash” 是指物體完全沒入水中，就像海浪沖過船的甲板，完全被水覆蓋，不過水並不深，浸入水中的時間不長，物體表面很快又露出水面，還未風乾，但也不再位於水中。相較之下，“sinking” 則指物體浸入水中一段長時間，甚至永遠浸在水裡。一般推測，物體浸在水中表示不會再露出水面，但物體被湧起的水覆蓋，表示不會一直沉沒在水裡。
In saying that Taiwan on Double Ten Day is “awash” with celebrations, the writer infers that the activities of that day will not continue for days and weeks and months. Rather, they are a brief, if annual, flurry of activity, a short dunking of the Republic in celebrations and gala events. In the context of the Republic’s history, the use of the word “awash” also connotes buoyancy and permanency. The word choice might further allude to the Republic’s maritime situation and to its political seaworthiness in rough seas or smooth.
本句形容台灣過雙十節時，“awash”（湧起）一波波的慶祝活動，作者推斷國慶日的活動不會持續好幾天，甚至幾周或幾個月，相反的，只在每年一小段時間舉行一波熱鬧的活動，只是一時沉醉在儀式與慶祝大會中。從中華民國的歷史來看，用 “awash” （湧起）這個字也隱含了國家的浮沉，可能進一步暗指中華民國海上的處境，以及在波濤洶湧或風平浪靜時的政治航程。
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.
“Double Ten Day is awash with lion dances, fireworks displays, and the natal feeling that the Republic’s heritage is as noble as its future is challenging.”
「雙十節時，舞獅、煙火表演一波波湧起，以及值此誕辰的體認，感受中華民國的傳統命脈不僅珍貴輝煌，同時也未來艱鉅。」
“Awash” is a condition of total immersion, as when a wave breaks across a ship’s deck and completely covers it with water, though shallowly. It describes a relatively brief moment of immersion, with a surface quickly reemerging, not yet dry but no long submerged. This contrasts with a situation in which an object is submerged for a relatively long time, or permanently, a condition known as sinking. Sunken items are not expected to rise from their immersion, whereas objects that are awash are not presumed to be in danger of sinking.
“Awash” 是指物體完全沒入水中，就像海浪沖過船的甲板，完全被水覆蓋，不過水並不深，浸入水中的時間不長，物體表面很快又露出水面，還未風乾，但也不再位於水中。相較之下，“sinking” 則指物體浸入水中一段長時間，甚至永遠浸在水裡。一般推測，物體浸在水中表示不會再露出水面，但物體被湧起的水覆蓋，表示不會一直沉沒在水裡。
In saying that Taiwan on Double Ten Day is “awash” with celebrations, the writer infers that the activities of that day will not continue for days and weeks and months. Rather, they are a brief, if annual, flurry of activity, a short dunking of the Republic in celebrations and gala events. In the context of the Republic’s history, the use of the word “awash” also connotes buoyancy and permanency. The word choice might further allude to the Republic’s maritime situation and to its political seaworthiness in rough seas or smooth.
本句形容台灣過雙十節時，“awash”（湧起）一波波的慶祝活動，作者推斷國慶日的活動不會持續好幾天，甚至幾周或幾個月，相反的，只在每年一小段時間舉行一波熱鬧的活動，只是一時沉醉在儀式與慶祝大會中。從中華民國的歷史來看，用 “awash” （湧起）這個字也隱含了國家的浮沉，可能進一步暗指中華民國海上的處境，以及在波濤洶湧或風平浪靜時的政治航程。