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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.
“In beginning the volatile laboratory experiment before preliminary data were completely analyzed, the chemist risked a Faustian outcome, and perhaps an explosive one.”
「化學家在完全分析初步數據前，就冒險進行揮發性實驗，很可能得到浮士德式的結果，或許還會爆炸。」
Faust was a legendary German man who became so enamored of his learning and of the prestige of scholarship that he was ready to sacrifice everything else to it. The devil accommodated his desire. In return for worldly esteem and constant steeping in knowledge, Faust agreed to give up his soul at the end of his days and be eternally damned. Some versions of the story suggest that Faust was so completely absorbed in his preoccupation with pleasure and knowledge that he didn’t see the inevitable sadness of his choice. He believed he could outwit the devil in the end.
浮士德是德國傳說中的人物，他沉迷於研究學問，迷戀學術地位帶來的威望，願意犧牲一切來交換。魔鬼能完成浮士德的願望，而浮士德同意死後放棄他的靈魂，永遠受到詛咒，以交換世俗的地位、永遠沉浸在知識中。故事的某些版本暗示，浮士德完全沉醉在樂趣與知識中，看不出自己的選擇終將以悲劇收場，還以為自己最後能智取魔鬼。
In the given sentence, a chemist is exhibiting characteristics similar to the legendary figure. He seems impatient to learn and to succeed and is willing to risk all by rushing ahead without thoroughly thinking through the consequences. By saying the scientist is in jeopardy of experiencing a “Faustian outcome,” the writer is signaling that the experiment is apt to turn out unexpectedly and probably unhappily. Furthermore, because the experiment is a “volatile” one, it could be explosive to boot. A future event described in Faustian terms is never a positive one.
例句中，化學家的性格就像傳說中的浮士德，似乎等不及去學習、等不及有所成就，寧願賭上一切匆促追求成功，卻未仔細考慮後果。例句中說化學家將處於危險，得到 “Faustian outcome”（浮士德式的結果），表示實驗結果可能不如人意。此外，因為試驗是 “volatile”（揮發性）的，所以結果也很可能會爆炸。用浮士德來描述的未來事件，通常具有負面意涵。
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.
“In beginning the volatile laboratory experiment before preliminary data were completely analyzed, the chemist risked a Faustian outcome, and perhaps an explosive one.”
「化學家在完全分析初步數據前，就冒險進行揮發性實驗，很可能得到浮士德式的結果，或許還會爆炸。」
Faust was a legendary German man who became so enamored of his learning and of the prestige of scholarship that he was ready to sacrifice everything else to it. The devil accommodated his desire. In return for worldly esteem and constant steeping in knowledge, Faust agreed to give up his soul at the end of his days and be eternally damned. Some versions of the story suggest that Faust was so completely absorbed in his preoccupation with pleasure and knowledge that he didn’t see the inevitable sadness of his choice. He believed he could outwit the devil in the end.
浮士德是德國傳說中的人物，他沉迷於研究學問，迷戀學術地位帶來的威望，願意犧牲一切來交換。魔鬼能完成浮士德的願望，而浮士德同意死後放棄他的靈魂，永遠受到詛咒，以交換世俗的地位、永遠沉浸在知識中。故事的某些版本暗示，浮士德完全沉醉在樂趣與知識中，看不出自己的選擇終將以悲劇收場，還以為自己最後能智取魔鬼。
In the given sentence, a chemist is exhibiting characteristics similar to the legendary figure. He seems impatient to learn and to succeed and is willing to risk all by rushing ahead without thoroughly thinking through the consequences. By saying the scientist is in jeopardy of experiencing a “Faustian outcome,” the writer is signaling that the experiment is apt to turn out unexpectedly and probably unhappily. Furthermore, because the experiment is a “volatile” one, it could be explosive to boot. A future event described in Faustian terms is never a positive one.
例句中，化學家的性格就像傳說中的浮士德，似乎等不及去學習、等不及有所成就，寧願賭上一切匆促追求成功，卻未仔細考慮後果。例句中說化學家將處於危險，得到 “Faustian outcome”（浮士德式的結果），表示實驗結果可能不如人意。此外，因為試驗是 “volatile”（揮發性）的，所以結果也很可能會爆炸。用浮士德來描述的未來事件，通常具有負面意涵。