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What does that mean? 你真的瞭解這個慣用語嗎?
【英文學習】
很多字詞並非表面所見的意思，字詞的組合會產生不同的解釋。這樣的慣用法，我們稱之為「比喻」。一個成功的比喻，作者本身必須相當瞭解字詞的源起。以下的句子為讀者介紹一個比喻及其來源。
Imagery buries itself in language and takes on new meaning. The transplanted and transformed sets of words are called “figures of speech.” For a figure of speech to be effective, however, a writer must first understand the original meaning of the phrase. The following sentence contains a common figure of speech. Its original meaning is explained.
“The works attributed to Homer are ancient, influential, and in all likelihood a compilation of oral traditions woven together by desire for the immortal.”
「歸於荷馬名下的作品古意盎然、具感染力，很可能集結了許多口述傳統，此乃對永世流傳的渴求所編織而成。」
Weaving is the process by which individual threads become a piece of fabric. The process involves interlacing strands at right angles to one another in such a way that they become interlocked. With loose ends affixed, the woven threads become one piece and remain such unless tediously disassembled strand by strand. The tighter the weave, the greater the strength of the woven fabric. The pieces of cloth have been fabricated for many, many years from various organic materials and can be preserved for centuries under suitable conditions.
編織讓個別的絲線變成一塊布料，過程中，絲線以正確的交織角度彼此交錯，從而緊密相繫。將懸而未結的尾端固定後，編在一起的絲線就成了一整塊布料，除非不厭其煩地將絲線一縷一縷拆解，否則就會保持完整。編織得愈緊，織就的布料愈強韌。許多許多年以來，各種有機材料被用來織布，若條件適當，可以保存數百年。
The author of the sentence wrote of “oral traditions” being woven together. Obviously, the weaving of uttered words is an impossible task given the insubstantiality of breath and sound. Nevertheless, the reader can see an image of spoken words being gathered and preserved orally from generation to generation until such time as the stories were written down by, apparently, Homer. A “desire for the immortal”—the hope that the thread of the stories would not be lost—kept them intact until they could be “woven” into a more-or-less permanent written record.
本句描述「口述傳統」被織就在一起。顯然，說出口的話並無實體，只是氣息與聲音，本來就不可能編織在一起。然而，讀者可以從句中看出一個意象，明白口述的故事被收集並保存下來，代代相傳，最後可能由荷馬將故事記錄下來。由於「對永世流傳的渴求」，也就是希望故事的線索不會失傳，故事因而被完整保存下來，直到織就成近乎永恆不朽的書面紀錄。
Imagery buries itself in language and takes on new meaning. The transplanted and transformed sets of words are called “figures of speech.” For a figure of speech to be effective, however, a writer must first understand the original meaning of the phrase. The following sentence contains a common figure of speech. Its original meaning is explained.
“The works attributed to Homer are ancient, influential, and in all likelihood a compilation of oral traditions woven together by desire for the immortal.”
「歸於荷馬名下的作品古意盎然、具感染力，很可能集結了許多口述傳統，此乃對永世流傳的渴求所編織而成。」
Weaving is the process by which individual threads become a piece of fabric. The process involves interlacing strands at right angles to one another in such a way that they become interlocked. With loose ends affixed, the woven threads become one piece and remain such unless tediously disassembled strand by strand. The tighter the weave, the greater the strength of the woven fabric. The pieces of cloth have been fabricated for many, many years from various organic materials and can be preserved for centuries under suitable conditions.
編織讓個別的絲線變成一塊布料，過程中，絲線以正確的交織角度彼此交錯，從而緊密相繫。將懸而未結的尾端固定後，編在一起的絲線就成了一整塊布料，除非不厭其煩地將絲線一縷一縷拆解，否則就會保持完整。編織得愈緊，織就的布料愈強韌。許多許多年以來，各種有機材料被用來織布，若條件適當，可以保存數百年。
The author of the sentence wrote of “oral traditions” being woven together. Obviously, the weaving of uttered words is an impossible task given the insubstantiality of breath and sound. Nevertheless, the reader can see an image of spoken words being gathered and preserved orally from generation to generation until such time as the stories were written down by, apparently, Homer. A “desire for the immortal”—the hope that the thread of the stories would not be lost—kept them intact until they could be “woven” into a more-or-less permanent written record.
本句描述「口述傳統」被織就在一起。顯然，說出口的話並無實體，只是氣息與聲音，本來就不可能編織在一起。然而，讀者可以從句中看出一個意象，明白口述的故事被收集並保存下來，代代相傳，最後可能由荷馬將故事記錄下來。由於「對永世流傳的渴求」，也就是希望故事的線索不會失傳，故事因而被完整保存下來，直到織就成近乎永恆不朽的書面紀錄。
