憤怒至「腫」起?

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23/09/2013

憤怒至「腫」起? 毛孟靜

用英文講非常生氣、「嬲到爆」,除了Iam/was bursting with anger,亦可以來一句:I am swollen with anger. I was swollenwith rage.

直譯是「我全身因憤怒而脹起」。Anger固然是憤怒,而rage 就意味形勢更壞一點,去到暴怒的層次。又,anger can be hidden, but rage is usually visible ——這是說憤怒或可藏起來,但一個人暴怒了,通常都為人看得見。

回說swollen 這個字,大家或都知道解腫起:My left eye was swollen for no particularreason. 我的左眼不知怎地腫了起來。

I tripped and fell and now have a swollenankle. 我摔了一跤,一邊足踝腫了起來。這一款腫,都屬尋常話。許多人未必留意到的,是swollen 這個字可用來講其他有形或無形的物事。像我們說水漲的漲、一條河的氾濫,一樣用得上swollen。

一條新聞標題這麼說:Swollen HeilongRiver triggers floods in northeast China. 黑龍江氾濫,釀成中國東北水災。

而swollen + with, 就是本篇開頭的一句,直指會令人「腫脹」、膨脹起來的感情或態度。除了anger, 另有pride ( 驕傲)、arrogance(傲慢)等。

The parents were swollen with pride. 那些家長驕傲得、引以為榮得不得了。

The official was swollen with arrogance.這官員極度傲慢,不可一世。

看,用中文講,這脹卜卜的情况也不外是「極其」的意思。

Swollen 來自swell。Swell,做動詞、形容詞都得。

「Swell! 」是美式老一輩人讚好的話(即係今日少人用,一般給視為老套),等於wonderful、excellent、fabulous 等字, 也像我們掛在口邊的「好正、好掂」。一個講法是,swell = sweet + well。

My aunt’s swell! = My aunt’s super cool! Heavy rains swelled the river. 連場大雨令河水漲起。

New immigrants have swelled the population. 新移民令人口數字暴脹。另要小心a swollen head、swollen-headed,不是指人頭腫了,而是像big-headed 一樣,批評人conceited,自以為是、「懶醒」。

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