Ally

Watch with folded arms

發佈時間: 2014/06/04

山東快餐店女食客當場被六人毆打致死,兇手固然罪大惡極,但若非在場的其他顧客和員工袖手旁觀(watched with folded arms),女食客未必會因此喪命。愛因斯坦曾說:「The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything。(毀掉世界的,非作惡的人,而是袖手旁觀的人。)」

「袖手旁觀」英文可以說watch with folded arms、stand with folder arms、sit quietly with folded arms、do nothing、do not stir a finger等,都是形象地描述袖手旁觀。例句:How could they watch with folded arms?(他們怎麼能夠見死不救?)

為甚麼用watch with folded arms,而不能用look或see?Watch、look、see都是解「看」,分別是看的時候是否有意圖(intention)。See是沒有意圖的,look和watch都是有意圖的,但watch是注視,即look intensely。例如,打開窗,看到(see)小鳥飛來飛去,然後叫弟妹一起看(look),一看便看了(watch)半小時。

撰文: Ally 最漂亮英文專業老師
欄名: WordDiscovery