虽说十五的月亮十六圆,但今年的中秋却是“十五的月亮十五圆”。你和家人朋友一起赏月了吗?

赏月是东方文化里特有的习俗,因为月亮代表永恒。但在西方文化中,月亮却是多变的。英语中有个短语as changeable as the moon,形容像月亮一样多变。

over the moon可不是“月亮之上”,赏月时别说错

A full moon rises in Tianjin on Sept 21, 2021, which marks the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival in China. [Photo/IC]

在《罗密欧与朱丽叶》中,莎士比亚就这样写月亮的多变:

Romeo: Lady, I swear by the blessed moon, that tips all theses fruit-tree tops with silver-

罗密欧:姑娘,凭着这一轮皎洁的月亮,它的银光涂染着这些果树的梢端,我发誓——

Juliet: Oh, don't swear by the moon, that inconstant moon, that changes every month in her orbit, in case you love should prove equally unreliable.

朱丽叶:啊!不要指着月亮起誓,它是变化无常的,每个月都有盈亏圆缺;你要是指着它起誓,也许你的爱情也会像它一样无常。

可见,东西方对于月亮的理解和赋予其的含义是十分不同的。

而英语中,和moon有关的短语也有着不同的含义,而且常常带有消极的一面。

ask/ cry for the moon

幻想得到无法得到的东西;想做做不到的事。

to ask for something that is difficult or impossible to get or achieve

例句:

Wanting a decent job and a home is hardly asking for the moon.

想要一份体面的工作和一个家并不是什么奢望。

bark at the moon

“向着月亮嚎叫”,引申为“空喊;徒劳地吵闹”。类似的表达还有bay at the moon,意为“费力做没有价值的事,徒劳”。

而月亮对此也有回应:

The moon does not heed the barking of dogs. (=Does the moon care for the barking of a dog?)

即“月亮不理狗的狂吠”,引申为“对无稽责难置之不理”。

例句:

Those who protested against the president’s decision were actually barking at the moon, since they were in a powerless minority.

由于他们属于软弱无力的少数,他们反对总统的决定实际上是枉费唇舌。

promise (somebody) the moon

做无法兑现的许诺(moon也可以换成earth)。

to make promises that will be impossible to keep

例句:

I can’t promise you the moon, but I’ll do the best job I can.

我不对你胡乱许诺,不过我会尽力而为的。

over the moon

可能你看到这个短语,脑海中就会浮现出这样的旋律:我在仰望,月亮之上,有多少梦想在自由地飞翔……over the moon要表达的情感或许差不多:

(对某事)非常高兴,狂喜。

to be very happy about something

例句:

Keith was over the moon about becoming a father.

基思因为当上父亲而感到非常高兴。

once in a blue moon

blue moon并不是蓝色的月亮,而是一种天文现象——当一个月出现两次月圆之夜时,第二个满月就称为“蓝月亮”。这种现象相对罕见(约每两年半会出现一次)。

因此在日常生活中,人们用blue moon来形容“罕见、不常发生的事情”。once in a blue moon可译为“千载难逢”。

used for emphasizing that something does not happen very often

例句:

We only go out once in a blue moon.

我们难得出去一次。

many moons ago

这是“很久以前”的一个非常文学化的表达。

(literary) a very long time ago

例句:

All that happened many moons ago.

这一切都发生在很久以前。

(来源:外研社公众号 编辑:yaning)

来源:外研社公众号