首先我們通過例句體會一下這個俚語的含義:Kent has a real Jekyll and Hyde personality.肯特有雙重人格。
其實,Jekyll and Hyde的意思是雙重人格,英文釋義:A person whose personality drastically changes between good and bad. A reference to the main character in the book 「Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde」 by Robert Louis Stevenson.
俚語Jekyll and Hyde是一個來自文學作品的用語,出自史帝文森(Robert Louis Stevenson)的作品《化身博士》(The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde)。這部小說於1886年問世,書中主人翁是一個醫生,他發明了一種藥,使自己的人格分裂為善良的傑基爾醫生(Dr.Jekyll)以及邪惡的海德先生(Mr.Hyde)。因此若說某人是Jekyll and Hyde,就是指這個人難以捉摸,有著雙重人格。
我們看下老外聊天時怎麼用這個俚語:
Rita:I can't believe your friend,Tom!
你的朋友湯姆太誇張了!(你的朋友湯姆的所作所為真讓人不敢相信!)
Donald:Yeah,I don't really understand him,either.
真的,我也不是很了解他。
Rita:How could he say such a mean thing?
他怎麼可以說出這麼惡毒的話?
Donald:I know.Sometimes he's a real Jekyll and Hyde.
我懂,有時候他真的說變就變。
為了更好理解Jekyll and Hyde,我們再看幾個例句:
I'd never have expected him to behave like that; he's a real Jekyll and Hyde.
我從來沒有想到他會那樣,他確實有善惡雙重人格。
He's a real Jekyll and Hyde: at home he's kind and loving, but in business he's completely without principles.
他是一個真正的具有雙重人格的人:在家裡他溫良和善,但在生意場上他卻完全不講道義。
He loves his dog and yet he's unkind to his children; he must have a Jekyll and Hyde personality.
他喜歡他的狗,然而卻對他的孩子們很刻薄,他一定是個善惡雙重性格的人。
Consequently, Henry leads a sort of Jekyll and Hyde existence & mild-mannered librarian in one life, time-traveling thug in the other.
因此,生活中的亨利既是一個溫和的圖書管理員又是一個時空旅行的暴徒。
除了Jekyll and Hyde,你還以用到這些說法:
unpredictable 無法預料的
a split personality人格分裂
dual personality 雙重人格