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
嘉中校友全聯會
AACHW13
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