問:Belief和faith二字,意思有什麼分別?
答:這兩個字,中文都可以譯做「信心」,但意思有點不同。Belief一字較為常用,指相信某人或事物,但不一定有確實可信的根據;faith所說的信心,比belief更強,不但不必有確實可信的根據,甚至無視事實或常理,例如:(1)It is his belief that everyone has their price(他相信人人都可以用錢收買)。(2)He has a blind faith in the Chinese Communist regime in spite of all the evil deeds it has perpetrated(他盲目信任中共政權,卽使這個政權作惡多端)。
問:看雜誌,讀到以下兩句,第二句grime to the elbows是什麼意思?──Now Dick was scouring pots for the cook. He was grease and grime to the elbows but Mr Fitzwarren would have him at the counting house without delay。
答:Scour是「洗滌」,grease是「油脂」,grime是「污垢」。To有「到(某處)」的意思,例如He is up to the neck in debt直譯是「他欠債直到脖子」,意思當然是「他債臺高築」。Grease and grime to the elbows卽「油污直到雙肘」。讀者示下那兩句是說:「迪克正在給廚師洗滌壺、罐,雙肘以下都是油污,菲茨沃倫先生却要他馬上去帳房。」
【代郵】Anthony Chin先生:欲了解蔣介石生平,可讀臺灣黎明文化事業公司出版之《蔣介石傳》,作者為德籍夫婦施羅曼及費德林史坦。