如何形容“势利眼”
<p> 汉语里有势利眼的说法，指那些只知道巴结有钱有势的人，对那些无用的人则不屑一顾的人。英文中也有对应词，叫<span word="snob">snob</span>或形容词<span word="snobbish">snobbish</span>，这两个词大家都不陌生。英语里还有一个更加形象的说法，就是<span word="fair">fair</span>-<span word="weather">weather</span> <span word="friend">friend</span>。</p><p> <span word="Fair">Fair</span>-<span word="weather">weather</span> 原指好天气，比喻某人正当走运之时。只有在天气晴朗时(别人走运之时)才和人作朋友，天气一变就不再理人家，这样的人不是势利眼又是什么呢?我们来看个例子：</p><p> <span word="When">When</span> <span word="Joe">Joe</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="rich">rich</span>, <span word="everybody">everybody</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="town">town</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="best">best</span> <span word="friend">friend</span>. <span word="But">But</span> <span word="after">after</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="lost">lost</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="money">money</span>, <span word="most">most</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="them">them</span> <span word="turned">turned</span> <span word="out">out</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="fair">fair</span>-<span word="weather">weather</span> <span word="friends">friends</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="pretended">pretended</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="didnt">didnt</span> <span word="even">even</span> <span word="know">know</span> <span word="him">him</span>. 在<span word="Joe">Joe</span>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。</p><p> 下面一句话里也用了这个表达法，不过意思有些不同，请看：</p><p> <span word="They">They</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="fair">fair</span>-<span word="weather">weather</span> <span word="bikers">bikers</span> <span word="because">because</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="ride">ride</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="bikes">bikes</span> <span word="every">every</span> <span word="day">day</span> <span word="cone">cone</span> <span word="hell">hell</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="high">high</span> <span word="water">water</span>.</p><p> 其中<span word="fair">fair</span>-<span word="weather">weather</span> <span word="bike">bike</span> 是由<span word="fair">fair</span>-<span word="weather">weather</span> <span word="friend">friend</span> 引申出来的，意即只在天气好时才骑车的人，句中用了否定形式，就是说他们并非那种天气一不好就不敢骑车的人。因此全句译成：他们并不是天气好才骑车，因为无论刮风下雨，他们天天都骑。</p><p> 句子结尾的<span word="come">come</span> <span word="hell">hell</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="high">high</span> <span word="water">water</span> 也是一个十分有意思的比喻说法，英文的解释是<span word="no">no</span> <span word="matter">matter</span> <span word="what">what</span> <span word="happens">happens</span>。既然连地狱和洪水都不怕，世上还有什么可怕的呢?我们来看个例子：<span word="Grandfather">Grandfather</span> <span word="said">said</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="go">go</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="fair">fair</span>, <span word="come">come</span> <span word="hell">hell</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="high">high</span> <span word="water">water</span>. 爷爷说无论怎么样，他一定得去集市。</p>
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