耳闻不如一见？ ——从焦尾琴谈起

–顾均正

Is the Ear Less Reliable than the Eye?

—About the Story of Jiao Wei Qin

–Gu Junzheng

🔥背景知识：顾均正（1902-1981），浙江嘉兴人，文学翻译家、杂文作家。《百闻不如一见？》是他写的一篇富于知识性和趣味性的科学小品。

在郭老新编的话剧“蔡文姬”里，提到了蔡文姬的父亲蔡邕（yōng）所造的那张焦尾琴。最近我看了“蔡文姬”的演出，自然而然想起了焦尾琴，想起了关于焦尾琴的故事：

In the play Cai Wenji, newly written by venerable Guo Moruo, reference is made to jiao wei qin, a zithern partly made of scorched wood by Cai Yong, father of Cai Wenji. Recently, after I saw the play on the stage, my mind naturally went to jiao wei qin and its story.

🎈「郭老」指「郭沫若」。「xx老」是我们对长者，尤其是老年学者的常用亲密尊称，英语中无对应表达法，不能直译。现把「郭老」译为venerable Guo Moruo，英语venerable一词含有因高龄、经历等原因而令人敬重之意。

🎈「蔡邕」，译为Cai Yong，是东汉著名文学家、书法家。

🎈「所造的那张焦尾琴」中「焦尾琴」译作a zithern partly made of scorched wood，partly用词严谨，因为只有琴尾是焦木。

蔡邕因为不愿趋附权贵，怕被人陷害，曾经亡命江南，往来于吴会之间（今江、浙一带），计十二年。

Cai Yong disliked playing up to bigwigs and, to avoid frame-ups, he went into exile in the South, wandering about for twelve years in Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces.

🎈「趋附权贵」译为playing up to bigwigs或fawning on those in power，其中to play up to是成语，作「奉承」「向……讨好」解。

🎈为海外读者理解方便，「往来于吴会之间（今江、浙一带）」译出「江、浙」即可，无须大费周章额外注释说明吴会，造成译文冗长。

据说他在吴（今苏州）的时候，有一天听见邻家烧饭的柴火中发出一种爆裂的声音，他熟悉这种声音，知道这声音来自一种极好的桐木，这种桐木是造琴的最好材料。

It is said that one day during his stay in Suzhou when he heard the crackling of firewood from his next-door neighbour at cooking time, he knew the familiar sound came from paulownia, a kind of choice wood best for making zitherns.

🎈「琴」指我国古琴，即七弦琴，和欧洲古代弦乐器zithern（齐特琴）相似，故译为zithern。

🎈a kind of choice wood best for making zitherns是paulownia的同位语。其中，choice作形容词讲时，表示「优质的(of good quality)」。best for making zitherns是形容词短语后置，语法功能相当于一个省略形式的定语从句。

他就跟邻家主人商量，把这段烧焦了的桐木要了来，造成一张琴。这张琴弹起来果然非常好听。因为它的一端是烧焦的，所以大家都叫它焦尾琴。

Now, talking it over with his neighbour, he was given the piece of scorched wood, which he subsequently made into a zithern. This musical instrument, when played, turned out to be extremely pleasant to the ear. People called it jiao wei qin because the tail of its soundboard was made of scorched wood.

🎈详细探讨，坦诚交谈talk over…

🎈悦耳 pleasant to the ear。同理，悦目可译为pleasant to the eye。

🎈「它的一端」指琴的共鸣板的一端，故译为the tail of its soundboard。end也可引申为「尾，梢，端」之意。

🎈①be made of意为「由……制成」，从物品的外观上就能看出原材料来。 ②be made from 表示从物品的外观上看不出原材料。

当我想起这个故事的时候，使我对“耳闻不如目见”这句成语不能不有所怀疑。的确，我们认识这个物质世界，有时候不是用眼睛来看而是用耳朵来听的。

When I think of the story, I cannot help having doubts about the validity of the proverb, “Seeing is better than hearing.” Fact is, to know the material world, we sometimes use not the eye, but the ear.

🎈迟做总比不做好。 (It’s) better late than never.

🎈常用的是The fact is…/As a matter of fact…，而非Fact is…

🎈「对这句成语（的正确性）有所怀疑」，现译为have doubts about the validity of the proverb。

蔡邕能够从木材燃烧时发出的爆裂声来辨别木材的好坏，充分说明了“耳闻”不一定“不如目见”。

That Cai Yong could tell the quality of wood by listening to its crackling sound while it was burning in the kitchen stove makes it crystal clear that “hearing” is not necessarily less reliable than “seeing”.

🎈「That… makes it crystal clear that…」：that可以引导主语从句放于句首

例句

That he won the game is a big surprise.

这时that不可以省略，但它在句中不充当句子成分。

其中，crystal clear作形容词，意为「浅显易懂的，显而易见的」。

例句

The message is crystal clear.

意思很明显。

Q: no less than和not less than有什么区别?

一、含义不同

1. no less…than表示的含义是「与…一样…」

2. not less… than表示的含义是「比…更…」

二、强调的重点不同

1. No less than 表示的含义是「不亚于…」, 强调「数量多」并给人以「数量不小的」口气。因此，还可加译「竟然」或「高达」等字。

例句

In that battle, we wiped out no less than twenty thousand enemies.

在那一次战役中，我们消灭的敌人不下20000人。

2. not less than所表示的含义是「至少, 不少于」强调「数量少」给人以「数量小的」口气。

例句

I was standing on the very edge of a bank, a precipice not less than fifty feet deep.

我站在岸的边缘，一个至少有五十英尺深的悬崖。

三、用法不同

1、如果纯粹表示比较，就选用not less than。

2、如果表示对二者的肯定，就选用no less safe than。

当然，“耳闻不如目见”这句话的原意是指间接经验不如直接经验那样可靠，这是完全正确的。但是，如果对这句话只是从字面上来理解，认为耳朵听到的总不如眼睛看见的那样可靠，那对耳朵来说，却是极大的冤枉。

The above-mentioned proverb literally means that secondhand experience is less reliable than firsthand experience, which is perfectly true. But, if we should take this saying at its face value and regard the ear as invariably less reliable than the eye, we shall do the former a gross injustice.

🎈为避免重复，可以选用above-mentioned一词。

🎈根据表面（价值）判断 take…at (its) face value

🎈「if we should take…」中should是情态动词，用在条件从句中，表示事件可能性推测，不表示虚拟语气，意为「将要，假定要，可能要」。《柯林斯词典》对此的解释是：You use should in conditional clauses when you’re talking about things that might happen.

例句

If you should be fired, your health and pension benefits will not be automatically cut off.

如果你被解雇，你的医疗和养老保险金不会自动中断。

🎈「对耳朵来说，却是极大的冤枉」译为we shall do the former a gross injustice，其中to do somebody an injustice是英语惯用搭配，作「冤枉某人」或「对某人不公平」解。

我们应该承认，眼睛是直接经验的主要来源，可是我们同时也得承认，眼睛是最会骗人的。举一个极普通的例子来说，我们大家觉得早晨的太阳比中午的太阳大得多，可是如果你用照相机给太阳在早晨和中午各照一个相，你就会发现摄得的相片是一样大小的。

While we agree that the eye is the main source of direct experience, we must admit that it is also most misleading. Take a most common example. We all agree that the sun is much bigger in the early morning than at noon. But if we take a photo of it in the early morning and at noon respectively, we shall find it of the same size in both cases.

🎈「我们……可是我们也……」用while一词完美衔接。

Q: 最高级前不加the的情况有哪些？

🎈①形容词最高级前有物主代词时，不再加the。

例句

Wu Fen is my best friend.

吴芬是我最要好的朋友。

②形容词最高级在句中作表语而比较范围又不明确时，最高级前不用the。

例句

They are happiest on Saturdays.

他们在星期六最快乐。

③如果两个形容词最高级并列修饰同一个名词时，第二个形容词最高级前不加the。

例句

He is the youngest and tallest boy in his class.

他是班上年龄最小、个子最高的男孩。

④如果形容词最高级用来加强语气，作「十分，非常」之意时，前面不加the，但形容词最高级作单数名词的定语时，可用不定冠词a/an。

例句

It is a most beautiful picture.

它是一张十分漂亮的画。

⑤作宾语补足语的形容词最高级前不加the。

例句

I found it most difficult to get to sleep.

我发现入睡最难。

⑥在一些固定用法中，最高级前通常省略the。

例句

With best wishes for you.

向你致以最美好的祝愿。

此处。it is also most misleading就属于第二种情况。

Take a most common example属于第四种情况。

🎈of the same size : 「of+名词」相当于「adj.」

谁会想到，在这个每天接触到的日常现象上，从古到今，无论是什么人，无论在什么地方，都一直在受着眼睛的骗？并且骗得我们好苦，

Who would have thought that, when it comes to this common phenomenon in our daily life, people the world over should have been fooled by their own eyes ever since time immemorial? The optical illusion has indeed landed us in indescribable trouble.

🎈谁会想到呢……？Who would have thought that……？

Q: people the world over是不是写错了啊？应该是people all over the world吧？

🎈两个都没错，都是common idiom，并且都可以找到例句。

例句

With the enormous success of their second album, the band suddenly became known the world over.

🎈「people the world over should have been fooled by」中should表示说话人的感情，如惊奇、愤怒、失望等等。

🎈自远古以来ever since time immemorial

复习

《我若为王》中「……却也真地为古今中外最大的王了」。……I would indeed be the greatest king that had ever breathed since time immemorial.

不但古代的大学问家如孔子，没有能回答为什么早晨的太阳看起来会大于中午的太阳，连现代的科学家，对这个问题也不曾有一个令人十分满意的解释。这个现象对迷信眼睛的人来说，是一个有力的讽刺。

Not only were great ancient sages like Confucius stumped by the question why the sun was seemingly bigger in the early morning than at noon, even scientists of today have failed to give a wholly satisfactory explanation. This is a keen satire on those having blind faith in the eye.

🎈「不但古代的大学问家如孔子，没有能回答……」译为Not only were great ancient sages like Confucius stumped by …，其中stumped作「难住」「难倒」解，意同puzzled。

🎈Not only were great ancient sages…: 否定词及含有否定意义的词在句首，句子要部分倒装（只将助动词置于主语前，谓语其余部分置于主语后）。这些词包括：never, no, not, not only, hardly, scarcely, rarely, little, seldom, nowhere, no sooner…than, hardly/barely/scarcely… when, not until…, at no time, by no means, on no account, in no way, in no case, on no condition, in/under no circumstances等。

🎈…the question why the sun was…中why引导同位语从句。

🎈「迷信」即「盲目相信」，译为have blind faith in…

当然，我们这样说，并不是要否定眼睛的作用。我们只是说明，眼睛虽然有非常广阔的活动范围，可是它是有缺点的。我们不能迷信眼睛，小看了耳朵的作用。

Of course I do not mean to deny the role played by the eye. All I want to show is that although the eye has an extremely wide scope of activities, it is, nevertheless, far from being faultless. We should, therefore, never overtrust the eye and underestimate the usefulness of the ear.

🎈我并不是要……I do not mean to……

例句

不是我说你，

……I do not mean to blame you, but …

🎈此处将「迷信」处理为「过分相信overtrust」，是另一种灵活的处理方式。

耳朵的活动范围虽然小，可是它的作用也不只是听听讲话，听听音乐。它还有其他的特殊功用。在某种场合，它不但无愧于 “以耳代目”这句话，而且比眼睛做得更好。

Although the ear has a smaller scope of activities, its functions are not confined to listening to conversation or music only. It has other specific functions of its own. Under certain circumstances, it is not only worthy of the saying, “Let the ear do duty for the eye,” it can even excel the eye.

🎈限于be confined to sth. (to是介词)

🎈在某种场合in/under certain circumstances

🎈「无愧于……」在此作「配得上……」或「和……相称」解，故译is worthy of

🎈当作…用，用作…的代用品，充当…do duty for

尽职，尽本分do one’s duty

🔥必背词汇

excel v.突出，擅长，胜过他人

英义

If someone excels in something or excels at it, they are very good at doing it.

例句

Academically he began to excel others.

他开始在学术上超越他人。

underestimate v.低估，对…估计不足

英义

If you underestimate something, you do not realize how large or great it is or will be.

例句

Never underestimate what you can learn from a group of like-minded people.

千万不要低估你从一群志趣相投的人那里所能学到的东西。

validity un.正当性，正确性，可信性

英义

The validity of something such as a result or a piece of information is whether it can be trusted or believed.

例句

Some people, of course, denied the validity of any such claim.

当然，一些人否定了此类说法的合理性。

stump v.把…难住，难倒，使…一筹莫展

英义

If you are stumped by a question or problem, you cannot think of any solution or answer to it.

例句

Well, maybe I stumped you on that one.

好吧，也许我在那件事上使你为难了。

satire cn.讽刺作品

英义

A satire is a play, film, or novel in which humour or exaggeration is used to criticize something.

例句

a sharp satire on the American political process

一部尖刻讽刺美国政治进程的作品

indescribable adj.难以形容的，无法描述的

英义

You use indescribable to emphasize that a quality or condition is very intense or extreme, and therefore cannot be properly described.

例句

The stench from the sewer is indescribable.

下水道发出一股说不出的恶臭。

respectively adv.分别地，各自地

英义

Respectively means in the same order as the items that you have just mentioned.

例句

They finished first and second respectively.

他们分获一二名。

proverb cn.谚语，俗语，常言

英义

A proverb is a short sentence that people often quote, which gives advice or tells you something about life.

例句

An old Arab proverb says, ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend’.

一句古老的阿拉伯谚语说，“敌人的敌人是朋友。”

🔥重点表达

自然而然想起了my mind naturally went to

趋附权贵playing up to bigwigs或fawning on those in power

造琴的最好材料a kind of choice wood best for making zitherns

详细探讨;坦诚交谈talk over…

悦耳 pleasant to the ear

将……制成……made into

耳闻不如目见Seeing is better than hearing.

对这句成语（的正确性）有所怀疑 have doubts about the validity of the proverb

浅显易懂的，显而易见的crystal clear

间接经验secondhand experience

直接经验firsthand/direct experience

「冤枉某人」或「对某人不公平」to do somebody an injustice

举一个极普通的例子来说Take a most common example.

谁会想到…呢？Who would have thought that……？

自远古以来ever since time immemorial

孔子Confucius

对……是一个有力的讽刺This is a keen satire on…

迷信have blind faith in…

限于 be confined to sth.

在某种场合in/under certain circumstances

当作…用，用作…的代用品,充当…do duty for

尽职，尽本分do one’s duty

根据表面（价值）判断 take…at (its) face value

🔥复盘测试

自然而然想起了

趋附权贵

造琴的最好材料

详细探讨;坦诚交谈

悦耳

将……制成……

耳闻不如目见

对这句成语（的正确性）有所怀疑

浅显易懂的，显而易见的

间接经验

直接经验

「冤枉某人」或「对某人不公平」

举一个极普通的例子来说

谁会想到…呢？

自远古以来

孔子

对……是一个有力的讽刺

迷信

限于

在某种场合

当作…用，用作…的代用品，充当…

尽职，尽本分

根据表面（价值）判断

🔥表达对比

「替代，代替，充当」有几种表达？

在某种场合，它不但无愧于 “以耳「代」目”这句话，而且比眼睛做得更好。

Under certain circumstances, it is not only worthy of the saying, “Let the ear do duty for the eye,” it can even excel the eye.

用更加严密结合的盖帽「代替」原有盖帽的精密操作将需要一周的时间来完成。

The delicate operation to replace one cap with a more tight-fitting one could take up to a week.

把它想成各种图形的结合，以象征性「代替」写实，不会像你想的那么困难。

Think of it as a combination of shapes and aim for symbolism rather than realism, and it’s not as hard as you’d think.

他们的手术在一张木桌子上，借着糟糕的光线进行，用一台旧真空吸尘器「代替」压缩机。

The Soviet scientist made his experiments with a bad light, on wooden tables, using an old vacuum cleaner instead of a compressor.

他说这并不是一个可以「代替」保证基本卫生和食品安全的方法。

He said it would not work as a substitute for basic hygiene and food safety measures.

《耳闻不如一见？ ——从焦尾琴谈起》 -英语翻译技巧与实例-英汉互译实用教程

耳闻不如一见？ ——从焦尾琴谈起

相关推荐

QQ咨询

回顶部