哇哇!最近迷上了美國影集,一是《失蹤現場》 (Without a trace, 公視,一 ~ 五 23:00),一是《超人首部曲》(Smallville),怪的是劇中時常出現中國傳統的觀念。像道(Tao 不要懷疑真的有這個字)家的陰陽(yin and yang)等等。今天更聽到了一句「善惡到頭終有報」(What goes around comes around),看來中國的因果循環報應的觀念在美國看來已經造成頗深的影響。
找了一篇關於What goes around comes around的英文解析當做補充資料。資料如下:
2003.9.29 蘋果派生活美語 第二十二輯 第三課 《古德明》
What goes around comes around.
中國人蠻相信因果報應,今天種下甚麼因由或禍根,將來就要承受甚麼結果。所以我們有句話叫做「種瓜得瓜,種豆得豆」或「種善因得善果」,英文也有相似的說法:What goes around comes around. 除此之外,也有句諺語:As you sow, so shall you reap. 都是「種瓜得瓜,種豆得豆」的意思,也可簡單地說:Get what you deserve.(得到你應得的報應)。印度人特別相信「輪迴」即因果報應理論,英文是叫做Karma。
對話
Rita:Hey! What happened? How did you break your leg?
莉達:嘿!發生甚麼事?你怎樣弄斷你的腿?
Noel:Running away from the debt collector! I tripped.
諾爾:我在逃避債主的追討時絆倒。
Rita:What goes around comes around. You should pay your debts on time.
莉達:種瓜得瓜,種豆得豆。你應該準時還債。
Noel:I did. He was trying to give me a receipt. I got it wrong.
諾爾:我有喔。他當時是想給我一張收據,我誤會了。
多學一點點 《出乎爾者,反乎爾者》
曾子說:「戒之戒之,出乎爾者,反乎爾者也。」你怎樣待人,人家就會怎樣待你。
英文有一句類似的成語:What goes around comes around.(事情怎樣去就會怎樣來)。例如:When he was down and out, you refused him help. Now that you are down and out, don't expect help from him. What goes around comes around.(他窮途潦倒時,你不肯幫忙;現在你窮途潦倒,可別指望他援手。這叫做出乎爾,反乎爾)。
英文還有一句成語:Curses, like chickens, come home to roost. 這也有點果報意味:「詛咒像雞一樣,會回巢棲息」;詛咒別人,遭殃的會是自己,例如:Curses come home to roost. He was killed in a car crash shortly after he said he would be happy to see me killed in a traffic accident.(詛咒別人,報應自身。他說希望見到我死於交通事故,自己不久就撞車死了)。
現在談談What goes around comes around. 的文法。這一句似乎只有一個主詞 (subject) what,怎麼卻有兩個動詞goes和comes?
按這個what是代名詞,等於the thing(s) that,把句子改寫為The things that go around come around. 就可看到things是come around的主詞,that是go around的主詞。換言之,what兼有名詞 (the things)、關係代名詞(that等relative pronoun)的作用,所以可帶兩個動詞,例如:What is prized is honesty.(重要的是誠實)。
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