知心朋友有几个?

2014-01-06 08:59
疯狂英语·口语版 2013年12期
关键词:酒肉朋友电子邮件熟人

Foul-weather Friend 坏天气朋友

Meaning: A foul-weather friend only seeks you out if they have a problem, need a shoulder to cry on, a ride to town or someone to watch their dog, but otherwise they act as if they dont even know you.

英语中有句俗话:A friend in need is a friend indeed。在汉语里就是“患难见真知”的意思。不过,我们身边的朋友不可能都是这样的。foul-weather friend(字面意思为“坏天气朋友”)就是只在有困难的时候才会想起你的那种朋友。

坏天气朋友只会在他们遇到麻烦、需要找个肩膀流泪、搭车进城或找人帮忙照看他们家宠物狗的时候才会想起你,否则,他们基本就跟不认识你一样。坏天气朋友从来不会叫你跟其他朋友一起外出、看演出或者出去闲逛。可是,一旦遇上麻烦,他们就知道你是可以依靠的老朋友,会是他们唯一的听众,他们的表现让人感觉你是他唯一的朋友。不过,你可别指望他们能以同样的方式对你。当你遇到困难的时候,他们通常会告诫你,不要把他们拉下水。

? Sally is a typical foul-weather friend: she calls me only when she needs my help.

萨莉是个典型的坏天气朋友,她只有在需要我帮忙的时候才打电话给我。

Fair-weather Friend 酒肉朋友

Meaning: A friend who is present in times of success but absent in times of trouble. A friend who is only a friend when circumstances are pleasant or profitable. At the first sign of trouble, these capricious[反复无常的], disloyal friends will drop their relationship with you.

短语中fair一词的含义是“公平的,美好的”,fair-weather表示“风和日丽”的意思,比喻某人正当走运之时。人们交朋友都渴望对方是一个能在困难中相助的人,不过世间总有一些只可与他人同富贵而不能共患难的假朋友。这里的fair-weather的真正含义是借用美好的天气来比喻“良辰美景”,说明这种朋友是一个只能在对方顺利时分享成果的伪君子。一旦风云突变,他就会弃朋友而去。这种朋友就是fair-weather friend(酒肉朋友)。酒肉朋友是指那种在顺利的日子里跟你称兄道弟,但是一旦你陷入困境却六亲不认的人。换句话说就是只可同富贵却不能共患难的人。

When Joe was rich, everybody in town was his best friend. But after he lost his money, most of them turned out to be fair-weather friends who pretended they didnt even know him.

当乔富有的时候,镇上的人都是他的亲朋好友,但是好多人一到他穷了就都装作不认识他了。这些人原来都是酒肉朋友。

Chat Gravity 聊天重力

Meaning: Chat gravity refers to the degree of familiarity with another person, which, if you happen to encounter them on the street, will determine if you merely greet them in passing or stop to talk.

不管你的人缘有多好,朋友圈子有多广,身边的朋友总是有亲疏之分的。有的可能只是泛泛之交,有的可以无话不谈。这就决定了你们在见面的时候会如何交流,是客套寒暄一下就完呢,还是聊起来就没完。这里面起决定性作用的东西就叫做chat gravity。聊天重力指你跟另一个人的熟悉程度决定了你们在街头偶遇的时候是只打个招呼就过去,还是停下来聊一会儿。

We saw each other on the sidewalk and said hello to each other. But she was just a friend of a friend Id only met once or twice before, and there wasnt enough chat gravity to merit stopping and chatting.

我们在路边相遇,互相打了个招呼。不过,她只是我一个朋友的朋友,我们也只见过一两次面,所以也就没有足够的聊天重力让我停下来跟她攀谈了。

E-cquaintance 网络熟人

Meaning: E-cquaintance refers to a person known to another through online communication only (as via e-mail, instant messenger or social networking website). The term is a blend of electronic and acquaintance, just like e-mail and e-commerce, where acquaintance means someone who you have met and known slightly, but not well.

在网络不普及的时候,人们会尝试交笔友,通过书信与一个未曾谋面的人建立友谊。现在,只要在社交网站上活跃一些,你就可以交到不少网络上的朋友。网络熟人指仅通过电子邮件、即时通讯工具或社交网站等网络环境互相认识的熟人。这个说法是electronic(电子的)和acquaintance(熟人)两个词的合成形式,与电子邮件(e-mail)和电子商务(e-commerce)等词的构成方式一样,acquaintance一词指互相认识但不是太了解的人。

I have quite a few e-cquaintances on Weibo, but I have never met them in real life.

我在微博上有好几个网络熟人,不过我从来没跟他们见过面。

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