英文慣用語第三集時間 PART I
慣用語往往短小精悍，富於哲理，具有較高的概括性和表達性，眾多學者、語言學家和文字工作者對其推崇備至。成語無處不在，其形式和意義的約定俗成和文字的風趣幽默大大增強了語言的生命力和表現力。
─摘自《英漢成語異同比較》作者肖芬(Xiao Fen)老師，中國，中南財經政法大學外語學院副教授。
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Time and tide wait for no man. 歲月不饒人
The months and years pass by like a stream.歲月如梭
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一、詢問時間(Inquire
time)：
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Box 1：今天幾號? 與今天星期幾? 如何表達？
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What is the date today?今天幾號?
＝What date is it today?
It's August thirteenth.(8月13號)
*表示日期的時候在數字後面加th。但是1號、2號、3號分別是first、second、third。
※date也是水果中的棗子。
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What is the day today?
＝What day is it today?今天星期幾?
It's Friday. (星期五。)
→用day表示問星期幾？
→用date表示問日期(幾號)？
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圖1. 今天幾號?
What is the date today?
＝What
date is it today?
＝Can you tell me the time, please?
圖2.今天星期幾? What day is it today?
＝What
is the day today?
Do
you have the time?”
＝Can you tell me the time, please? 是更好的說法。
真正的意思是 “請問現在幾點?”
這句話跟 “Do you have time?” （你有空嗎？） 很相似，意思卻有很大的分別。
真正的意思是 “請問現在幾點?”
這句話跟 “Do you have time?” （你有空嗎？） 很相似，意思卻有很大的分別。
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Can you tell me the
time, please? will be better.
This could be
misunderstood. The usual question would be: Can you tell me the time, please? You could also say: Do you have the time? but unless it
is clear that you are talking about what
time it is,
there is the
possibility of it meaning:
Do you have enough
time to do something?
e. g. Do you have enough time to finish the paper?
你有足夠的時間寫完論文嗎？
Do you
have the time？ 這句話的意思是"你知道現在幾點嗎?"
重點就在於有沒有"the"! [易混淆句] Do you have time? (你有時間嗎?) [說明] 1.當有the的時候,time指的是"一天時間中的某一個特定時點" 2. have在這裡則是可以指"知悉","知道" 3. 所以句子可以翻成"你知道現在幾點嗎?" [同義句] 1. What time is it? 2. What is the time?
『找一位土生土長道道地地的美國人，直接請教他「Do you have time?」他說，基本上跟我們認知的「你有時間嗎？」是一樣的。而想問人家「What time is it?」，是有人使用「Do you have the
time?」。他說這好像是比較委婉的說法，不好直接問人家時間覺得不禮貌時，是有人會這麼說。他說他自己很少這麼用，不過他知道有人這樣用，似乎是比較禮貌的說法。因此，我上網查了"Do you have the time?"，確實是有"What time is it?"的意思。感覺是多了the，似乎是合理了一些。』
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01. 今天星期幾?
01. What day is it? *What's today's date? 表示問幾號；What day is
it? 表示問星期幾。
01. What day is it? (今天星期幾?)
02. 星期四。
02. It's Thursday.
03. 現在幾點?
03. Do you have the time? *問時間時記住在time前加the。
＝What time have you
got?
＝May I ask the time? (我可以問您現在幾點嗎?)
04. 快到中午了。
04. It's almost noon. *夜裡零點是midnight。
05. 現在1點鐘了。
05. It's one o'clock.
06. 1點45分。
06. It's a quarter to two.
＝It's a quarter of two.
*a quarter 是四分之一的意思，在這兒是60分鐘的四分之一的意思，即15分鐘。另外，這裡的to是表示“～前”的意思，即“差15分2點”。
07. 1點5分。
07. It's five after one.
＝It's five past one.
＝It's five minutes
after one o'clock.
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Box 3： About date
1. up to date與to
date都有 “到目前為止，到現在為止”的意思。
2. Year-to-date今年到目前為止；年初至今截止
3. blind date不認識的兩個人經由第三者或網路牽線, 第一次約會就叫blind date.
4. due date的中文意思：(借據等的)到期日，應付款日期。
5. Expiration
Date 簽證有效期，即可入境的最後日期。食品藥物過期或失效日期。
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圖3. Blind Date是兩個陌生人的首次約會，有人譯成「盲約」。
二、有關時間：
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Box 4：有關時間的慣用語（Idioms about the Time）：
1.) Better
Late Than Never：亡羊補牢為時未晚
This idiom is simple but effective.
It implies that a belated achievement is better than not reaching a goal at
all.
1. The achievement
is long overdue, but it’s better late
than never.
2.) On the Spur of the Moment：心血來潮，一時興起
This popular saying
denotes a spontaneous or sudden undertaking.
It's just on a whim 跟 Just a spur of
the moment 差不多, 都是說你突然想到什麼事就去做了.
1. Linda and Louis
drove to the beach on the spur of the
moment.
2. If the cardinal virtue of poetry is love, the
cardinal virtue of prose is justice; and, whereas love makes you act and
speak on the spur of the moment (一時衝動), justice needs inquiry, patience, and a control
even of the noblest passions.
如果說詩歌的主要優點是愛，那麽，散文的主要優點就是合理和公正。愛使人熱情奔放，瞬間爆發，而合理公正需要的是質疑、耐心和控制情感，即便是最崇高的激情。
例2. 摘自英國散文家克勒登‧布洛克(Arthur Clutton-Brock,1868-1924）寫的散文The Cardinal Virtue of Prose之第二句。
3.) Once in a Blue Moon：千載難逢、可遇不可求
在天文學裡，藍月是指：當一個月中出現兩次月圓之夜時，第二個滿月就被稱為「藍色月亮(Blue Moon)」，而並非月亮真正呈現藍色，機率大約每2.7年會有一次。（在許多天文曆法和年鑒記載中，當一個月中出現兩次月圓之夜時，第二個滿月就被賦予了一個充滿詩意的名字：「藍色月亮(Blue Moon)」。）
Once in a life, When
the moon is blue. Once in a blue moon, you will find the right one.
A blue moon is a
colloquial term applied to the second full moon in one month. This idiom
means something is rare or infrequent.
1. Homebodies Mary
and James only go out once in a blue
moon.
2. If he ever says thank
you there'll be a blue moon in the sky!
3. My sister lives
in Alaska, so I only see her once in a blue moon (once in a very long
time).
4. They only go out for dinner once in a blue moon.
4.) Living on
Borrowed Time：意外延長的時間或比預期較長的時間。
Following an illness
or near-death experience, many people believe they have cheated death.
1. After Jim was
struck by lightning, he felt like he was living
on borrowed time.
2. He was
already living on borrowed time
for three times shells had freakishly
left him untouched.
他僥倖活了下來，3次都神奇地沒有被炮彈炸到。
3. The 90-year-old man feels that he is living on borrowed time.
90歲的男子覺得他的壽命是向天借來的。
4. His 20-year-old automobile lives on borrowed time.
他開了20年的舊車，比預料使用得久。
5. Mr. A, believing that he has lived on borrowed time for the last
ten years, wants to make some contributions to our community.
A先生認為他過去10年是意外之福，想為社區做些貢獻。
6. Mr. B is living
on borrowed time since he escaped from the plane crash.
B先生逃過空難，僥倖地活下來。
5.) In the
Interim：中間時期,過渡時期
This frequently used
phrase is interchangeable with “in the meantime,” which is another
time-related saying. It denotes a period of time between something that ended
and something that happened afterwards.
1. The boss will be
back next week. In the interim,
the workers will be stocking shelves and cleaning.
2. Little seems to have happened in the interim.
從那時到現在其間似乎沒有發生過什麼事情。
3. interim period. 過渡時期.
6.) In Broad
Daylight：光天化日之下
When something
occurs in broad daylight, it means the event is clearly visible.
1. Two coyotes
brazenly walked across the lawn in
broad daylight.
2. How can a person
vanish in broad daylight?
一人怎能大白天憑空消失？
3. The robbers struck the bank in broad daylight!”
盜匪在光天化日之下，洗劫銀行。
7.) Against
the Clock：與時間賽跑,分秒必爭
This common idiom
means time is working against a project or plan instigated by a group or an
individual.
1. In movies,
writers love to create countdowns where the main characters are working against the clock.
2. We are working against the clock to rescue people
buried under rubble.
3. Everyone in that company is working
against the clock.
那家公司每個人都在分秒必爭地工作。
8.) All in
Good Time：在適當的時候(儘早)；勸人家不要急, 等時候到了它自然會發生
Patience is an
uncommon virtue. When individuals are inpatient, friends often assure them
that things will happen eventually.
all in good time 這句話是用在別人很心急, 希望某件事快些發生而等得不耐煩時，勸人家不要急, 等時候到了它自然會發生的意思。
good 在這裡不能解釋為 「好的」, 而是「恰當的」。
A: I'm the only girl in my class who doesn't have a
boyfriend.
B: All in
good time, sweetie.
A: Why hasn't Julie called me yet? It's been three
days.
B: All in
good time. I'm sure she will.
1. Rachel thought she was going to become an old maid, but her mother
assured her she would find the right person and get married all in good time.
4. All in good
time , you will know . be patient with yourself
待會兒你就知道了，耐心點兒。
5. All in good
time the party will be over
很快,這個這次聚會即將結束
9.) Big Time：
This versatile,
informal idiom is used to denote something of extreme severity.
Johnnie knew he was
going to be in big-time trouble.
It can also mean to reach the top of one’s
profession.
「big time」這兩個字在口語中常出現在句尾。
其實 big time 是 "真的", "很..." 的意思, 指在程度上很嚴重。
Jack screwed things up big time. = Jack really screwed things up.
Jack 真的把事情搞砸得很嚴重。
He pissed his boss off big time. = He really pissed off his boss.
他真的把他的老板惹火了。
不過這兩個字偶爾也有別的意思：
像 hit the big time 是指功成名就
She is the first Asian singer to hit the big time in the U.S.
有時這兩個字用一槓連起來當形容詞
big-time 指很成功的, 大牌的
比如 a big-time lawyer 就是知名的大牌律師
也可以說是個 hot-shot lawyer 搶手的律師
1. When he landed
the position as vice president, he knew he had reached the big time.
10.) The Time
is Ripe：是時候了
When the time is
ripe, it’s advantageous to undertake plans that have been waiting for awhile.
1. Raphael was
planning a trip overseas, and the time
was finally ripe.
The time is ripe for great sociological changes
The time is ripe for a new foreign policy.
I believe that the time is ripe for significantly better documentation of
programs, and that we can best achieve this by considering programs to be
works of literature. Hence, my title: "Literate Programming."
我相信是時候了，讓程式的文件能夠更好。讓我們開始改變傳統建構程式的習慣吧！我們的主要任務不是去指示電腦做什麼、而是專注於向人類解釋了解我們想要電腦做什麼。
11.) Have the
Time of Your Life：畢生難忘
The 1980s movie 《Dirty Dancing》 turned this idiom into a song
that became one of the film’s most iconic tracks. The time of your life means
you’re enjoying an unforgettable, exhilarating experience that cannot be
recreated.
1. Genevieve had the time of her life touring Italy.
2. You’re going to have the time of your life.
你們將會玩得非常愉快。
12.) Time is
Money：時間就是金錢
If time is going to
waste, money isn’t being made. This popular idiom attributed to Ben Franklin
is frequently used in relation to business or employment.
1. It’s wise to use
every minute productively because time
is money.
2. The saying 「Time is money」 emphasize on
the significance of time, which modern people rarely bears in mind, such as
being late for work. We can know how prudent one is from trivia. Thus, it's important to cultivate the virtue of
timekeeping.
Time is money意思是表達時間的重要性，現代人沒有時間觀念，例如上班遲到，從小地方可以看出一個人的細心，因此養成時間的觀念是很重要的。
 
圖5.
有關12個Times慣用語之海報。
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