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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.
“The surface of the moon is cratered because it is unprotected by an atmosphere, and unchanging because it is swept by neither wind nor water, a victim of its nature.”
「月球表面沒有大氣層保護，沒有氣流與水分，所以佈滿凹凸不平的坑洞，無法改變，這是月球的宿命。」
Saying the moon is “a victim of its nature” is an allusion to the animal kingdom, wherein animals, including human beings, become entrapped in regrettable situations. Sometimes it is a result of instinct, the natural impulse that drives a thirsty gazelle to drink from a pool too close to a stalking crocodile. Sometimes it is a conscience misjudgment, the decision by a teenage driver to speed or otherwise take foolish risk. These are willful victims of “nature” who have chosen unwisely for one reason or another.
以月球的「宿命」來形容，令人聯想到人類等動物都會陷入困境，有時肇因於本能，像口渴的羚羊到池邊喝水，卻離虎視眈眈的鱷魚太近；有時肇因於無法明辨是非，像青少年會飆車或做出危險的傻事。明知後果，卻還是偏要去做，這就是動物的「宿命」。
To give the moon the attributes of instinct and will is animistic or anthropomorphic writing, attributing life to nonliving objects. The fact is, the moon is assaulted by asteroids because it has no choice. Nor does it have wind to tidy up its cratered face. As an inanimate part of the universe, the moon is always acted upon, never acting of its own accord. So why does the writer subtly make the moon a victim? It is an attempt to elicit empathy. Every writer must emotionally connect, so that a reader (i.e. professor) will care enough to embrace the author’s writing project.
月球沒有生命，是被賦予其本能或意志表現了萬物有靈或擬人化的寫作技巧。其實月球別無選擇，運行時必然會遭小行星撞擊，也沒有氣流可用以打磨被撞擊的坑洞。沒有生命的月球只能承受結果，無法自主行動。那麼何以作者巧妙地用「宿命」形容月球的處境呢？因為作者想引發讀者的同情心，讓讀者（也就是教授）投入感情，文章所言才會為讀者欣然接受。
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.
“The surface of the moon is cratered because it is unprotected by an atmosphere, and unchanging because it is swept by neither wind nor water, a victim of its nature.”
「月球表面沒有大氣層保護，沒有氣流與水分，所以佈滿凹凸不平的坑洞，無法改變，這是月球的宿命。」
Saying the moon is “a victim of its nature” is an allusion to the animal kingdom, wherein animals, including human beings, become entrapped in regrettable situations. Sometimes it is a result of instinct, the natural impulse that drives a thirsty gazelle to drink from a pool too close to a stalking crocodile. Sometimes it is a conscience misjudgment, the decision by a teenage driver to speed or otherwise take foolish risk. These are willful victims of “nature” who have chosen unwisely for one reason or another.
以月球的「宿命」來形容，令人聯想到人類等動物都會陷入困境，有時肇因於本能，像口渴的羚羊到池邊喝水，卻離虎視眈眈的鱷魚太近；有時肇因於無法明辨是非，像青少年會飆車或做出危險的傻事。明知後果，卻還是偏要去做，這就是動物的「宿命」。
To give the moon the attributes of instinct and will is animistic or anthropomorphic writing, attributing life to nonliving objects. The fact is, the moon is assaulted by asteroids because it has no choice. Nor does it have wind to tidy up its cratered face. As an inanimate part of the universe, the moon is always acted upon, never acting of its own accord. So why does the writer subtly make the moon a victim? It is an attempt to elicit empathy. Every writer must emotionally connect, so that a reader (i.e. professor) will care enough to embrace the author’s writing project.
月球沒有生命，是被賦予其本能或意志表現了萬物有靈或擬人化的寫作技巧。其實月球別無選擇，運行時必然會遭小行星撞擊，也沒有氣流可用以打磨被撞擊的坑洞。沒有生命的月球只能承受結果，無法自主行動。那麼何以作者巧妙地用「宿命」形容月球的處境呢？因為作者想引發讀者的同情心，讓讀者（也就是教授）投入感情，文章所言才會為讀者欣然接受。
