原文:http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzI5MzQ0NjMyMw==&mid=2247485165&idx=1&sn=ac47f9e0e5a2b5dac7db2c498ce259fb&chksm=ec70b131db073827a971cab83dacff77bce099a5e5d13179ebeffb436d2f6e66b0aaa9005c41#rd
今年暑假我开了个考研阅读理解班,目前进展不错。前几天讲到了2010年的第一篇阅读理解,里面有这么一句话想和大家分享一下:
Theirs was a serious business, and even those reviewers who wore their learning lightly, like George Bernard Shaw and Ernest Newman, could be trusted to know what they were about.
粗略的扫一眼,每一个单词都认识,但就是不知道在讲什么。
里面有一个搭配:wear...lightly,不知这难倒了多少英雄好汉。如果是生词难词就罢了,但竟被一个小小的wear给拦下了。
严格说来,wear sth lightly并不算一个习语,但却可以用来形容一种常见(或不常见?)的情形:一位饱学之士在向他人解释某个难题时,不摆架子,不故弄玄虚,而是以稀松平常的语气、朴素的语言向他人解释。
wear在这里的意思是have (a certain look) on one's face. “流露,面带,呈现(某种神态)”,比如:
to wear a smile 面带微笑
to wear an air of triumph 流露出胜利的神气
Wear sth lightly可以理解成 show sth lightly,稍微流露出一丁点...,即,有某种品质,但不张扬。lightly表示程度之轻,甚至有一点否定的色彩,
所以,文中wear their learning lightly是说“有学问但从不张扬”。
我们看一下这段话的翻译:
Theirs was a serious business, and even those reviewers who wore their learning lightly, like George Bernard Shaw and Ernest Newman, could be trusted to know what they were about.
他们从事的是严肃的工作,即使是那些有学问但从不张扬的评论家(比如萧伯纳和欧内斯特·纽曼),人们也相信他们知道自己在做什么。
2018年3月24日的《经济学人》中有篇书评,该书评介绍了一本分析中国经济所面临的困难的书,文中又有这么一段话介绍了这本书的作者:
Mr McMahon, a veteran financial correspondent in China, most recently with the Wall Street Journal, wears his knowledge lightly, whether discussing ghost stories or balance sheets.
这句话的主干是Mr McMahon wears his knowledge lightly.
wear his knowledge lightly指,他很有知识,但从不张扬。
a veteran financial correspondent in China是Mr McMahon的同位语,介绍他的身份:驻华资深财经记者。
correspondent指“记者”,常指“驻外记者”,和journalist, reporter相区分。
veteran在这里表示“资深的”,可以用experienced, seasoned, established替换。
most recently with the Wall Street Journal是with引导的后置定语结构,修饰Mr McMahon,指Mr McMahon最近供职于《华尔街日报》。
在介绍某人单位时,我们常用介词with相连,比如每年春天“两会”结束前,总理会开一个答记者问, 每次记者向总理提问前,要先报一下自己的单位,比如:I'm with BBC 我是 BBC 电台的记者,I'm with CCTV 我是中央电视台的记者。
这句话的意思是:
麦克马洪是驻中国的资深财经记者,最近供职于《华尔街日报》,无论是探讨僵尸企业还是资产负债表都深入浅出,不故弄玄虚。
我们也可以说:wear one's scholarship lightly,scholarship在这里指一个人的“学问”,和wear one's knowledge/learning lightly意思一样,表示“破有学问但从不张扬”。
《纽约时报》中曾有这么一句话讲到了美国民众期待的总统类型:
You don’t become president without clawing your way into the Oval Office, but voters prefer politicians like J.F.K., Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama who wear their ambition lightly.
claw指“爪子”,作动词表示“用爪子抓、撕”,claw one's way into the Oval Office 直译过来是,用爪子撕扯着进入了椭圆办公室(即总统办公室),体现出当选美国总统的艰辛与不易。所以我们可以用claw one's way into表示“艰难的达到...,艰难的取得...”。
wear their ambition lightly是对应claw your way into the Oval Office而言的,虽然他们经过激烈的厮杀才当上总统,但不能显露自己的野心,不能张扬,保持低调(keep a low profile)。
人生充满苦难,面对苦难,有的人四处抱怨,有的人微微一笑继续前进,我们可以说后者wear his/her troubles lightly,用英文解释就是:to stay calm and not show much nervousness when having troubles.
wear sth lightly不仅是一个地道表达,更是一种豁达的人生态度,不以物喜不以己悲,以一颗平常心去面对生活中的高潮与低谷。
加油!