英语短语的真实含义

通过我们的《从新闻中学英语》播客，用英语理解新闻故事。

Understand news stories in English with our Learning English from the News podcast.

在每一集中，我们会讨论一个重大新闻事件以及标题中帮助你理解它的词汇。

In each episode, we talk about one big news story and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it.

关注全球最重要的新闻，提升你的英语水平。

Follow the biggest stories in the world and improve your English.

在你的播客应用中搜索‘从新闻中学英语’，或访问 bbclearningenglish.com。

Search for learning English from the news in your podcast app or visit bbclearningenglish.com.

来自 bbclearningenglish.com 的《六分钟英语》。

Six Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

你好。

Hello.

这是来自BBC学习英语的《六分钟英语》。

This is six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

我是皮帕。

I'm Pippa.

我是贝丝。

And I'm Beth.

在英语中，我们说的话和我们想表达的意思有时是两回事。

In English, what we say and what we mean are sometimes two very different things.

我们经常使用夸张来强调或制造幽默，这被称为夸张法。

We often use exaggeration for emphasis or for humour, something known as hyperbole.

例如，人们会说：‘我饿得能吃下一匹马。’

For example, people say, I am so hungry, I could eat a horse.

但当然，没人真的能吃下一匹马。

But of course, no one really could.

以下是主持人迈克尔·罗森和语言学家德里克·鲍斯菲尔德在BBC广播四台的《口头语》节目中讨论的一个夸张例子。

Here's presenter Michael Rosen and linguist Derek Bowsfield discussing one example of hyperbole on BBC Radio four's Word-of-mouth.

人们确实会说‘简直是噩梦’。

People do say absolute nightmare.

是的。

Yeah.

或者像我女儿们会说的，我今天遇到一匹母马了。

Or as my daughters would say, I've had a mare today.

我想说，mare 明显是 nightmare 的缩写。

I wanna say mare, is obviously shortened for nightmare.

这基本上意味着他们在工作中经历了一件轻微且可能有点幽默的事情。

What it basically means is they've had a a mild and potentially slightly humorous occurrence at work.

你可能会把不愉快或困难的经历称为噩梦。

You might call an unpleasant or difficult experience a nightmare.

德里克的女儿用 mare（nightmare 的缩写）来形容她在工作中糟糕的一天。

Derek's daughter used the word mare, short for nightmare, to describe her terrible day at work.

但她是在夸张。

But she was exaggerating.

她的日子其实并不糟糕，更像是奇怪或烦人。

Her day wasn't really terrible, more like strange or annoying.

你能想起什么时候你说的话其实并不是你的本意吗，贝丝？

Can you remember a time when what you said wasn't really what you meant, Beth?

有时候我们会说：‘嗨，你还好吗？’

Well, sometimes we say, Hi, you alright?

意思是：‘嗨，你没事吧？’

Which means, Hi, are you alright?

也就是，你还好吗？

Like, are you okay?

但实际上，我们并不真想听答案。

But actually, we don't really want to hear the answer.

这其实就是打招呼的意思，对吧？

It just means hello, doesn't it?

是的，我有个朋友就直接说：‘还好吗？’

Yeah, I have a friend who actually just says, Alright?

这只是表示打招呼。

And they just mean hello.

他们并不是真的在问你是否安好。

They don't mean, are you okay?

他们并不想听我讲我的一天。

They don't want to hear about my day.

没错。

No.

如果你过得不好，他们根本不想知道。

If you're having a bad day, they don't want to know.

他们只是在打招呼。

They're just saying hello.

在本集中，我们将深入了解英语中词语含义的变化。

In this episode, we'll be finding out more about how the meaning of words changes in English.

和往常一样，我们将学习一些有用的新词和短语。

As usual, we'll be learning some useful new words and phrases.

请记住，你可以在我们的网站 bbclearningenglish.com 上找到本集的所有词汇。

And remember, you'll find all the vocabulary from this episode on our website bbclearningenglish.com.

但首先，我有个问题要问你，贝丝。

But first, I have a question for you, Beth.

“夸张”这个词源自两个古希腊词：hooper 和 ballo。

The word hyperbole comes from two ancient Greek words, hooper and ballo.

但它们的字面意思是什么？

But what is their literal meaning?

是 a，推翻；b，夸大其词；还是 c，过度思考？

Is it a, to overthrow, b, to overspeak, or c, to overthink?

我不知道，皮帕。

I have no idea, Pippa.

我猜是‘夸大其词’。

I'm going to say to over speak.

好的。

Okay.

我们会在节目结束时揭晓答案。

We'll find out the answer at the end of the programme.

改变词语含义的不仅仅是夸张。

It's not just hyperbole that changes the meaning of words.

它的反面，即所谓的低调陈述，也有同样的效果。

Its opposite, something called understatement has the same effect too.

低调陈述涉及弱化某事的重要性。

Understatement involves de emphasizing something.

例如，想象你在餐厅吃到一顿糟糕的饭菜，但你不说食物有多差，而只是说它‘不够完美’。

For example, imagine you were served an awful meal in a restaurant, but instead of saying how bad the food was, you just said it was less than perfect.

以下是语言学家德里克·鲍斯菲尔德在BBC广播四台的《词话》节目中对低调陈述的讨论。

Here's linguist Derek Bowsfield discussing understatement on BBC Radio four's word-of-mouth.

我们喜欢用低调陈述来暗示发生了某种更严重的事情。

We love understatement as a way of kind of signalling that something much more serious has gone on.

当你这样做的时候，这是一种表演性的、讽刺的、不把自己太当回事的身份表达。

And it's a kind of performative, sardonic, not taking oneself too seriously identity when you do that.

因为你知道，在英国文化中，太过认真对待自己是不被允许的。

Because, you know, taking yourself too seriously is a no no in British culture.

是的。

Yes.

所以，从语言上来说，不把自己太当回事才是得体的做法。

And so linguistically not taking yourself too seriously is is really the done thing.

在英国文化中，含蓄被高度重视，而把自己太当回事则不然。

Understatement is valued in British culture, unlike taking yourself too seriously.

如果你把自己太当回事，就会觉得自己比实际更重要。

If you take yourself too seriously, you think you're more important than you really are.

在英国，这是一种禁忌，一种不被社会接受的行为方式。

In Britain, this is a no no a way of behaving that is not socially acceptable.

换句话说，这不符合常规。

In other words, it's not the done thing.

意思是，在特定的社会情境中，你并不被期望这样做。

Meaning it's not what you're expected to do in a particular social situation.

另一个词语含义容易被误解的领域是道歉。

Another area where the meaning of words can be easily misunderstood is apologising.

在这里，迈克尔·罗森针对一个想象中的情境作出回应：德里克·鲍斯菲尔德在BBC广播四台的《词话》节目中不小心踩到了他的脚。

Here, Michael Rosen responds to an imaginary situation where his toe gets accidentally stepped on by Derek Bowsfield for BBC Radio four programme, Word-of-mouth.

想象一下我踩到了你的脚，然后我说：‘迈克尔，我真的非常抱歉。’

Imagine I stepped on your toe, and I said, Michael, I'm really sorry.

而你却说：‘没事的。’

And you said, it's all good.

哦，原来如此。

Oh, right.

这可能恰恰意味着事情并非如此。

That probably means it isn't.

是的。

Yes.

我其实有点生气，有点不爽，但我又不想跟你闹矛盾。

I'm actually a bit miffed, a little bit annoyed, but then I don't wanna have a Barney with you.

你是个陌生人，我不想把事情搞大。

You're a stranger, so I don't want to get into a whole thing.

所以我才说：‘嗯，没事的。’

So I say, yeah, it's all good.

没关系。

It's all good.

没错。

Exactly.

有点像嗯。

It's a bit like yeah.

我的意思是，这是英式英语的说法，美式英语的等价说法是‘别担心’。

I mean, that's a British English one, and an equivalent American English one would be no worries.

如果有人告诉你‘没关系’，他们实际上可能感到不快。

If someone tells you it's all good, they could actually be feeling miffed.

一个形容词，意思是因某人的行为而有点生气或受伤。

An adjective meaning slightly annoyed or hurt by someone's behaviour.

但无论你多么生气，你可能都不想和人吵一架——一场大声的争论或争吵。

But no matter how annoyed you are, you probably don't want to get into a barney a loud argument or quarrel.

所以你会说类似‘没关系’或‘别担心’的话，然后就此作罢。

So you say something like, it's all good or no worries and move on.

作为英语学习者，词义不清晰是一个挑战。

As an English learner, unclear word meanings are a challenge.

这在很大程度上取决于情境以及说话者和听者之间的关系。

A lot depends on the situation and on the relationship between speaker and listener.

所以别害羞，多用英语和其他人交流吧。

So don't be shy, get talking to others in English.

如果你犯了错误，就说‘没关系’，然后继续前进。

And if you make a mistake, say no worries and carry on.

好了，皮帕，我认为是时候揭晓你问题的答案了。

Okay, Pippa, I think it's time to reveal the answer to your question.

是的。

Yes.

你认为古希腊语中的 hooper 和 ballo 意思是‘overspeak’。

You thought the ancient Greek words hooper and ballo meant overspeak.

但正确答案其实是 a，意思是‘推翻’。

But the answer was actually a, to overthrow.

Hooper 意为超越，ballo 意为我投掷。

Hooper means beyond and ballo means I throw.

哦，这样啊。

Oh, well.

好吧。

Okay.

让我们回顾一下我们学过的词汇，首先是 mare，它是 nightmare 的缩写，意思是不愉快或困难的经历。

Let's recap the vocabulary we've learned starting with mare, short for nightmare, meaning an unpleasant or difficult experience.

如果你太把自己当回事，就会认为自己和自己的行为比实际情况更重要。

If you take yourself too seriously, you consider yourself and your actions more important than they really are.

在英国，这是不被允许的，是一种不符合社会规范的行为方式。

In Britain, this is a no no, a way of behaving that is not socially acceptable.

另一方面，the done thing 是指在特定社交场合中你被期望去做的事情。

The done thing on the other hand is what you are expected to do in a particular social situation.

如果你感到不快，就是某人的行为让你有点生气。

If you're miffed, you're slightly annoyed by someone's behaviour.

最后，'barney'指的是大声的争吵或争执。

And finally, a barney is a loud argument or quarrel.

再次提醒，我们的六分钟时间到了。

Once again, our six minutes are up.

但如果你渴望练习这些新单词和短语，请访问我们的网站 bbclearningenglish.com，那里有本集的练习题和测验。

But if you're keen to practice these new words and phrases, then check out our website bbclearningenglish.com where you'll find a worksheet and quiz for this episode.

我们很快再见。

See you again soon.

但目前，再见。

But for now, goodbye.

再见。

Bye.

Six Meet English。

Six Meet English.

来自 bbclearningenglish.com。

From bbclearningenglish.com.