英語諺語中的hundred

英語諺語中的hundred

習語中“hundred”並非表示精確數字,往往強調數量之多,如:

by the hundred(by hundreds) (數以百計,大批大批地);

a cool hundred([口]百鎊巨款,巨款);

hundred percent(百分之百,完全地);

hundreds of thousands of people(成千上萬的人);

hundreds of millions of people(億萬人)

eg. "a hundred to one"一百比一,指機率極高(high probability),非常可能。

eg. "ninety-nine out of a hundred"意義與前者類似:百分之九十九,幾乎全部,差不多總是.

eg. "a hundred and one"許多,如:in a hundred and one ways(千方百計地)

eg. "we have a hundred and one things to do."並非具體說明要做一百零一件事,而是強調 "有許多事要做".

eg. "hundreds and thousands" 指的是糕點上作點綴用的小蜜餞(或小糖果)。不過,"great(or long) hundred" 指的是實數,意同 "six score",或 "one hundred and twenty" 一百二十。

諺語中,"hundred"更是虛指,強調 "多",而且 通常與 "一" 形成對照。筆者收集整理如下:

a fool may throw a stone into a well which a hundred wise men cannot put out. 傻子一個投石井內,智者百位難以撈回 (或:一愚闖禍,百智難補)。

a hundred pounds of sorrow pays not one ounce of debt. 百鎊愁難還一分債(或:煩惱不能還債)。

buyers want a hundsed eyes; sellers,none. 買東西的要有百隻眼,賣東西的可以不長眼. (賣者裝馬虎,買者要小心).

if you kill one flea in march you kill a hundred. 三月殺跳蚤,殺一少百。

one cannot do a foolish thing once in one's life,but one must hear of it a hundred times. 蠢事一生不可做一件,但一定會聽到成百上千。

one enemy is too much for a man in a great post,and a hundred friends too few. 身居要職,朋友百人太少,敵人一個太多。

one father is more than a hundred school masters. 勝過師長百位。

one good head is better than a hundred strong hands. 強手百雙,莫如智者一人。

one man is worth a hundred and a hundred is not worth one. 一人可抵一百,一百不抵一人。

what is lost in the hundred will be found in the shire. 鄉里丟失,郡里可得。

本句中“hundred”指的縣或郡是基層行政單位 (subdivision of county or shire,having its own court),大抵相當於鄉或鎮。據brewer's dictionary of phrase and fable,最初可能是"100 hides" 組成一個基層行政單位,因此有了 "hundred" 的名稱。(hide是英國昔日之地積單價,相當於60至120 英畝不等)。

when angry,count ten before yoll speak; if very angry,a hundred. 生氣時說話前先數十,大怒中數百後再開口。