語言是一種有趣的東西。它看似簡單卻又蘊含豐富。每個詞都包含著豐富的演繹。華爾街英語外教分享三個詞語——錦衣玉食者、經驗法則、公路暴怒症,讓你深入了解它們背後的含義。
Bon Vivant
Many words and phrases in English are derived from the so-called Romance languages: French, Spanish and Italian. Bon Vivant derives from French, and is rooted in European aristocratic and cosmopolitan lifestyles. In French, bon means 『good』 and vivant means 『living』, with the word stem viv- deriving from the verb vivre, to live. Bon vivant is a person who lives well and who enjoys the good things in life, especially good food. The word generally has positive connotation, so if you call someone a bon vivant it’s generally taken as a compliment or as a statement of fact, rather than an insult.
「Who is that man over there? I always see him at all of the nicest restaurants in Nanjing.」
「Ah, he is the owner of the restaurant chain Wagas. He really loves eating nice food and living it up.」
「Sounds like a real bon vivant.」
(作者:華爾街英語外教Rand Herz)
錦衣玉食者
許多英語單詞和短語來源於所謂的羅曼語:法語,西班牙語和義大利語。錦衣玉食者(Bon Vivant)來源於法語,指的是歐洲貴族化的和大都市化的生活方式。在法語裡,bon意思示「好的」,而vivant表示「生活」,vivant的詞根是viv-來源於法語動詞(vivire)生活。Bon vivant是指一個生活的很好、並且很享受生活中好的事物的人,特別是享受好的食物。該詞一般具有正面的含義,因此如果你稱呼某個人為錦衣玉食者(bon viviant)。這種稱呼方式大多是讚美,而非侮辱。
「那邊那個男子是誰?」我總是在南京最好的餐廳看見他。
「啊,他是沃歌斯餐飲連鎖店的主人。他真的愛吃好吃的食物並且很享受生活」
「聽起來真是個錦衣玉食者(bon viviant)」
(翻譯由華爾街英語提供,僅供參考)
Rule of Thumb
A 「rule of thumb」 is a saying referring to a general rule not based on exact measurements or science. It comes from an English judge who, long ago, decreed that a man could beat his wife with a stick so long as the stick was no wider than the husband’s thumb. Most people don’t know the origin of the saying, and we know its origins are archaic and ridiculous, but the saying is still used today. For example, a good rule of thumb when crossing the street is to look both ways before stepping into the street. A good rule of thumb when eating beef is to avoid pink meat. A good rule of thumb for preparing to compete is to rest the day before.
(作者:華爾街英語外教Samuel Roth)
經驗法則
經驗法則(rule of thumb)是說一個不基於具體措施或者科學的普遍規則。它來源於很久以前一個英國裁判,裁定一個男子可能用棍子打了他的妻子,只要棍子不寬於他丈夫的拇指。許多人不知道此說的來源,我們知道他的來源是古老和荒謬的,至今都還在使用它。例如,一個好的經驗法則(rule of thumb)是,當過馬路的時候,穿過馬路前要先看馬路兩邊。在吃牛肉時的一個經驗法則(rule of thumb)是,避免半生熟的肉。準備競賽的經驗法則(rule of thumb)是,賽前休息。
(翻譯由華爾街英語提供,僅供參考)
Road Rage
Do you drive? Do you get angry when you drive? Do you curse and want to hurt others when you drive? If you answered 「yes」 to all three of the questions above, then you might have road rage. Road rage is very dangerous medical condition because you won’t be able to control your emotion or even your actions. People with road rage will intentionally cause accidents and even get into fights with other drivers. In the U.S., vehicle accidents and deaths are caused by road rage every year. In China, more people are buying cars and the roads are getting more congested. The result of these two conditions will only amount to more road rage. If you do have road rage, it is important to stop driving and start taking public transportation. You can not only save gas money, but also help the environment!
(作者:華爾街英語外教Allen Mak)
公路暴怒症
你開車嗎?當你開車的時候你會生氣嗎?當你開車的時候,你會詛咒而且想要傷害他人嗎?如果你以上三個問題的答案都是「yes」,那你可能患有公路暴怒症(road rage)。公路暴怒症是很危險的健康狀況(medical condition),因為你不能控制自己的情緒甚至行為。有公路暴怒症的人會有意的引起交通事故,甚至會和其他司機打架。在美國,每年都有由公路暴怒所引起的交通事故和死亡。在中國,越來越多的人在買車,路也因此變得更加堵塞了。這兩種情況的發展結果就是公路暴怒症。如果你真的有公路暴怒症,最好停止開車並且開始乘坐公共運輸。你不僅省了油費,還幫助保護環境。
(翻譯由華爾街英語提供,僅供參考)