『天生註定』(17)

英語漫談系列(17)

英語的『天生註定』該怎麼說?

可以用born表示：He is a born musician. 他是天生音樂家= He is a

musician by birth.。【比較】：

He is gifted with music. = He has a gift (talent) for music.他有音樂天分。

除了born以外也可以用：He is destined for high office. 他註定要當大官。有時可以用較簡易的字mean表示，但都用被動式- be meant for+ n. 或 be meant to +V：

They are meant for each other.他們是天作之合。A is meant for B. A註定與B結合。

Tom was meant (intended) for a soldier. Tom天生註定當軍人。

所謂『天作之合』在新婚賀詞上，即表示『良緣天訂』，但英語較少用perfect match, 故不可以對人說：You are a perfect match. 因 perfect match 是指兩件事的相配十全十美。而中國人的用詞『絕配』有時却含諷刺意義，如『活寶一對』。

 

又be meant to +V作『預計、計劃、意欲、打算』等解釋：

《 Newspaper headlines are meant to grab readers’ attention.  Other times, they leave us scratching

our heads. 》

 

本來報紙的頭條新聞是要吸引讀者的注意。但有時卻讓我們如丈二金剛摸不著頭腦-

(讓人霧煞煞)。(註：scratch one’s head =try to figure out something)

例如：請看下列頭條新聞：

《“Car, Hearse, Collide: One Dead in Crash.” 》小汽車與靈柩車相撞：撞車結果造成一死。

(誰死？靈柩車內早已有一死者?!)

另例：*We often mistake a strong physical connection as a sign that two people are meant for each other.  我們常把男女間彼此肉體的感應，誤認為他們就是天作之合的跡象。

【比較】：

*“By nature, men and women aren’t made for each other” because of their differing DNA.

Marriage is a promise and the key to success is to keep that promise, regardless of what our

brain chemistry does”. (regardless of…不管..)

本性上，男女兩性不因DNA基因不同而不相配。婚姻是一種諾言，不論我們腦部化學作用

如何，維護成功婚姻的關鍵在於信守諾言。

另例：

*Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What’s a Sundial in the shade?-(Benjamin Franklin.

美國大發明家、政治家)

表現你的天分。天分是註定要利用。不用它如同擺在陰暗裡的日

規儀一樣。

(天生我材必有用?)

They for use were made. = They were made for use.

* be made for + n. 被做為…之用途。但make for 作主動用時，含「促成、有助於」：

 

The dialogue between two countries may make for peace.兩國間的交談也許有助於和平。

Justin Lai

07/26/2013

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