內容簡介
一位聽眾想知道 “滾瓜爛熟” 在英語裡怎麼說。“滾瓜爛熟” 指的是 “記憶牢固;背誦得非常熟練”。在英語中,有不少表達都可以用來表示 “對某事記得很清楚”,比如 “know… off by heart(對某事爛熟於心)”。聽主持人 Beth 和步理在本期節目中講解和 “滾瓜爛熟” 意思相關的英語表達。
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。)
Buli
大傢好,歡迎收聽 AYYBLOG 英語教學的 “你問我答” 節目。I’m Buli.
Beth
And I’m Beth. We’ve got a question from one of our listeners.
Question
你好,請問英文中是否有比較貼切的說法來表達 “對某事滾瓜爛熟”。
Buli
嗯,這是個有意思的問題。中文裡 “滾瓜爛熟” 這個詞可以用來表達 “記憶牢固;背誦得非常熟練”。那麼在本期節目中,我們就來介紹幾個和 “對某事記得很牢” 有關的英文表達吧。
Beth
First, you hear about something, and then, you need to learn it ‘off by heart’. And, ‘off by heart’ is the first phrase you can learn today.
Buli
是的。如果我們想用英語說 “對某事爛熟於心”,就可以用 “by heart” 或者 “off by heart”。這個習慣用語通常用於描述 “對信息或流程等記憶得非常牢固”,就好像話劇演員能背下來一部戲所有的臺詞。
Beth
You can also know something ‘inside out’, which is very similar to ‘by heart’ – you know it extremely well by memory. Let’s hear some more examples.
Examples
The ballerina felt very confident on performance night because she knew the dance routine off by heart.
(這位女芭蕾舞演員在演出當晚感到非常自信,因為她早已把舞蹈動作爛熟於心。)
I’ve read the trip itinerary so many times I now know it inside out.
(行程安排我看瞭很多遍,現在我把它記得一清二楚。)
Buli
上面的例句中,“know… off by heart” 和 “know… inside out” 都可以用來表達 “對某事記得非常牢固”。不過需要註意的是,“off by heart” 這個習慣用語通常隻能描述記憶,而不能描述 “對技能非常精通” 或 “對某件事情的情況非常瞭解” 等等。
Beth
Yes. For example, a driver could know their journey to work ‘off by heart’ – they know their way without looking at a map. But, it’s strange to say they can drive ‘off by heart’.
Buli
接下來我們要學習的表達同樣在中文裡有著非常類似的說法:“know something like the back of my hand(我對某事瞭如指掌)”。“The back of my hand” 的意思就是 “手背”。由於我們經常都能看到自己的手背,所以這個表達指的是 “對某事非常熟悉,瞭解得很清楚”。“Know something like the back of my hand” 在英語中最常用於形容一個地點。
Beth
Yes. But, we can also use it in a way that fits the question. You can use it for things you’ve used so much that now you know them extremely well, like my favourite song! I’ve listened to it so many times, I know the lyrics like the back of my hand. Let’s hear more examples.
Examples
Don’t worry about the exam, you’ll be fine! You know the material like the back of your hand.
(別擔心考試瞭,你沒問題的!你對考試內容都瞭如指掌瞭。)
I know this recipe like the back of my hand – I could make the dish in my sleep!
(我對這個菜譜瞭如指掌。我睡覺的時候都能把這道菜做出來!)
Buli
對瞭,Beth,你不是還要背合唱團參加演出的歌詞麼? How’s that going?
Beth
Well, it took a while, but I think I’ve finally got it down – I’ve learnt all the songs. And, that’s our final phrase – if you’ve ‘got something down’ it means you’ve finally mastered some knowledge or a skill.
Buli
That’s great! I hope you have a wonderful performance. 剛才 Beth 提到的表達 “get something down” 也和記憶有關,它的意思是 “通過練習掌握瞭某項技能或知識”。讓我們來聽兩個例句。
Examples
I’ve rehearsed the speech so many times, I’ve got it down perfectly.
(這個演講我已經練瞭好多次瞭,已經完全背下來瞭。)
I’ve been reviewing the flashcards repeatedly and now I think I’ve got all the vocabulary down.
(我一直在不斷地用單詞卡做復習,我覺得我已經把上面所有的詞匯都掌握瞭。)
Buli
現在讓我們來復習一下吧。我們可以用 “know…” 搭配 “by heart”、“off by heart” 或 “inside out” 來表達 “對某事爛熟於心,記得非常清楚”,通常是經過瞭練習、學習或記憶。“Know something like the back of one’s hand” 不但可以用於描述 “對某個地方非常熟悉”,還可以用來表示 “對某事瞭如指掌”。“Get something down” 的意思是 “在練習或學習後掌握瞭某項技能或知識”。
Beth
Now, make sure you learn these phrases by heart so you can sound more authentic when speaking English! And remember, if you have a question about the English language you’d like to ask us, please send us an email. Our email address is: questions.
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