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2019/09/12 01:43:46瀏覽7198|回應0|推薦0 | |
翻譯之前,先來釐清這個成語的意思吧。 據說,猴子很怕見血。(這點和很多人類相同,基因果然相似!)從前有人會捕捉猴子來表演賺錢(非人類太聰明的下場)。不過猴兒可不會乖乖就範、認真學習馬戲。所以為了馴服猴崽子,人類會當著猴兒的面,殺雞給它看。只要雄糾糾氣昂昂的大公雞一聲慘叫,鮮血直噴,再頑強的猴子立刻軟成一灘泥,任由人類調教了。
這個成語用來比喻:懲戒一個人,以便警戒其他人不得仿效,否則下場就跟第一個人一樣。在古時多用於整頓軍紀,懲戒叛變。 英文有個意思一模一樣的說法: to make an example of someone (=雞)
韋氏學生字典 Merriam-Webster Learner’s Dictionary 的定義是: If you make an example of a person who has done something wrong, you punish that person as a way of warning other people not to do the same thing.
這個例句說得好像是罷工之後被秋後算帳,恐怖啊~~ To this end, one worker has been picked out, made an example of and punished, together with a member of the factory council who was also dismissed without notice.
這句是被開除的員工說的: I was fired and made an example of to shut everyone else up.
恰巧這兩個例句的 make 都是被動,正好提醒別忘了介係詞 of。
同場加映: 古羅馬時期懲戒叛變的軍人,有時會用 decimate 的方法,也就是每十個叛軍之中,抽籤選出一人處死。這麼一來,下次要造反的人,可得慎重,要抱持必勝決心,但也做好就死準備,hoping for the best but expecting the worst。 |
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