Take the plunge 下定決心，采取行動

內容簡介

英語表達 “take the plunge” 的字面意思是 “縱身跳入水中”，但在日常生活中，它被用來比喻 “下定決心冒險嘗試一件困難的事情”。聽節目中主持人 Beth 和菲菲用 “take the plunge” 描述自己和身邊的人 “下定決心，采取行動” 的經歷。

文字稿

（關於臺詞的備註: 請註意這不是廣播節目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能沒有體現錄制、編輯過程中對節目做出的改變。）

Feifei
大傢好，歡迎收聽 AYYBLOG英語教學的 “地道英語” 節目。在每期節目中，我們都會介紹一個英語母語人士或講英語流利的人會用到的表達。I’m Feifei.

Beth
And I’m Beth.

Feifei
在這期節目中，我們要介紹的表達是 “take the plunge”。首先，我和 Beth 將用英語來講解這個表達的用法，在節目最後，我將會用漢語進行歸納總結。Beth, do you know someone who decided to ‘take the plunge’?

Beth
I do, actually! So, my friend said it recently, and I thought it was interesting because the word ‘plunge’ always makes me think about jumping into water and that is definitely not what she meant.

Feifei
That is an interesting phrase, but what was your friend actually talking about? How is she going to take the plunge?

Beth
Well, she has decided to quit her job, and she’s going to change career completely because she’s going to retrain to be a doctor. Now, that is something quite scary. She’s going to have to train for a long time, and it’s something she’s been thinking about for a long time as well.

Feifei
Wow, that is a very big change. So, your friend is taking the plunge. She’s decided to make an important decision to stop her current job and go back to university. Now, where have you used this expression, Beth?

Beth
Err… let me think. Well, when I was in my 20s, I decided that I wanted to go travelling, and I quit my job. So, I then didn’t have any money apart from my savings, and it felt like a bit of a scary decision but, yeah, I went travelling and I took the plunge.

Feifei
You certainly did! Actually, that reminds me of me! I moved to the UK and that was a big decision. I took the plunge too.

Beth
Definitely. OK, here are some more examples of ‘take the plunge’.

Examples
I’ve always wanted to try karaoke. It looks so much fun, but I’m too scared to get up and sing in front of people. Maybe I just need to take the plunge and do it – see what happens!

I was working as a teacher in a school but I had a really good business idea. So, after thinking about it for a while, I finally took the plunge and did it.

I went to Denmark last year, and I really loved it there. So, I finally took the plunge and moved there.

Beth
Now, ‘take the plunge’ is often used with situations that can’t be changed. So, for example, when my friend has paid for her doctor training and quit her job, it will not be easy to go back.

Feifei
No, it wouldn’t. Now, earlier you said ‘plunge’ is often used with ‘water’, and that can help us remember this phrase. Imagine you are by the sea and going to jump into the water. You might feel a little nervous because the water could be cold. Now, maybe you don’t know how deep it is, so it’s something that is a bit scary.

Beth
Yes! So, ‘take the plunge’ means to make a decision about something difficult and maybe challenging.

Feifei
表達 “take the plunge” 的字面意思是 “縱身跳入水中”。比如當你在海灘上玩的時候，很可能會忍不住想要撲向眼前蔚藍的大海，但在跳進海水裡前需要做好充分的心理準備，因為海水可能會很冷。所以，我們現在就用 “take the plunge” 來指 “經過反復考慮之後，打定主意冒險嘗試一件困難的事情”。Have you been considering doing something difficult or challenging? Try talking about your experience using the expression ‘take the plunge’.

And that’s all from us. We’ll be back next week with another useful English phrase. See you next time!

Beth
Bye.