今天公众号“高斋翻硕”给大家分享张培基译《朋友》节选的单词解析。

原文

我的生命大概不会很长久罢。然而在短促的过去的回顾中却有一盏明灯，照彻了我的灵魂的黑暗，使我的生存有一点光彩。这盏灯就是友情。我应该感谢它，因为靠了它我才能够活到现在；而且把旧家庭给我留下的阴影扫除了的也正是它。世间有不少的人为了家庭抛弃朋友，至少也会在家庭和朋友之间划一个界限，把家庭看得比朋友重过若干倍。这似乎是很自然的事情。我也曾亲眼看见一些人结婚以后就离开朋友离开事业。

张培基译文

The length of my days will not be unlimited. However, whenever I look back on my brief past life, I find a beacon illuminating my soul and thereby lending a little brightness to my being. That beacon is friendship. I shouldbe grateful to it because it has helped me keep alive up to now and clear away the shadow left on me by my old family. Many people forsake their friends in favor of their own families, or at least draw a line of demarcation between families and friends, considering the former to be many times more important than the latter. That seems to be a matter of course. I have also seen with my own eyes how some people abandon their friends as well as their own careers soon after they get married.

单词解析

第一、二句：我的生命大概不会很长久罢。然而在短促的过去的回顾中却有一盏明灯，照彻了我的灵魂的黑暗，使我的生存有一点光彩。

The length of my days will not be unlimited. However, whenever I look back on my brief past life, I find a beacon illuminating my soul and thereby lending a little brightness to my being.

1. Length [leŋθ] 长；长度；（持续）时间的长短；（书或文件等的）篇幅；（电影的）片长，如柯林斯词典例句：

His film, over two hours in length, is a subtle study of family life.

他这部片长逾两个小时的电影对家庭生活进行了巧妙的剖析。

2. Unlimited [ʌnˈlɪmɪtɪd] 无限制的；尽量多的；任意多的，如柯林斯词典例句：

Career prospects are virtually unlimited.

职业生涯几乎是前途无量。

3. Look back on 回顾，回忆，回首，如柯林斯词典例句：

They can look back on their endeavours with pride.

他们可以骄傲地回首过去付出的努力。

4. Beacon [ˈbiːkən] （指引车船等的）灯标，灯塔；立标；（导航）无线电信标台；（昔日）烽火，如金融时报例句：

Most of the world's biggest industrial groups have been attracted to a country that, even as growth slows, they regard as a beacon of hope.

大多数全球最大的工业集团都被吸引到了中国——即使增长放缓，他们仍视这里为希望的灯塔。

5. Illuminate [ɪˈluːmɪneɪt] 照明；照亮；阐明；解释；用彩灯装饰，文中illuminating是其现在分词形式。如柯林斯词典例句：

They use games and drawings to illuminate their subject.

他们用游戏和图画来阐明他们的主题。

6. Being [ˈbiːɪŋ] 存在；生存；生物；思想感情；身心，如牛津词典例句：

A new era was brought into being by the war.

那场战争使得一个新的时代产生了。

第三、四句：这盏灯就是友情。我应该感谢它，因为靠了它我才能够活到现在；而且把旧家庭给我留下的阴影扫除了的也正是它。

That beacon is friendship. I should be grateful to it because it has helped me keep alive up to now and clear away the shadow left on me by my old family.

1. Be grateful to 感激，感谢，如柯林斯词典例句：

We are grateful to you for permission to reproduce this article.

非常感谢您允许我们复印这篇文章。

2. Alive [əˈlaɪv] 活着；在世；情绪饱满；激动兴奋；有生气；有活力；继续存在，如牛津词典例句：

She had to steal food just to stay alive.

她得偷食物才不至于饿死。

3. Up to now 直到现在；到目前为止，如金融时报例句：

But up to now, we indeed have seen many problems.

但到目前为止，我们的确也发现了许多问题。

4. Clear away 清除；收拾；把……拿开，如华尔街日报例句：

Countries with such governments can make huge efforts to clear away problems when they are motivated to do so, they say.

他们说，拥有这种政府的国家在受到激励时，会做出巨大努力来解决问题。

5. Shadow [ˈʃædoʊ] 阴影；影子；昏暗处；少许；些微，如柯林斯词典例句：

Doug lived in the shadow of his seemingly omnipotent father.

道格生活在他那看似权威至高无上的父亲的阴影里。

第五句：世间有不少的人为了家庭抛弃朋友，至少也会在家庭和朋友之间划一个界限，把家庭看得比朋友重过若干倍。

Many people forsake their friends in favor of their own families, or at least draw a line of demarcation between families and friends, considering the former to be many times more important than the latter.

1. Forsake [fərˈseɪk] 抛弃，放弃，离开（尤指不履行责任）；摒弃（尤指喜爱的事物），如牛津词典例句：

She forsook the glamour of the city and went to live in the wilds of Scotland.

她抛开城市的绚烂，去苏格兰荒原居住。

2. In favor of （为了）支持；以……为受益人；赞成；有利于；交付给，如华尔街日报例句：

Readers, would you steer your kids away from an elite school in favor of a state school, even if you could afford the former?

读者朋友，你愿意让孩子放弃名校目标而上州立大学吗，即使前者昂贵的学费对你来说不是问题？

3. Draw a line between... 划界线；区别，如金融时报例句：

Others are less convinced it is possible to draw a line between activities.

其他人不那么确信两种业务之间能够划清界限。

4. Demarcation [ˌdiːmɑːrˈkeɪʃn] 划分，区分，界线，如经济学人例句：

After 1991, this led to lively demarcation disputes among the newly independent countries.

1991年后，新独立国家的出现导致划界争端再起。

第六、七句：这似乎是很自然的事情。我也曾亲眼看见一些人结婚以后就离开朋友离开事业。

That seems to be a matter of course. I have also seen with my own eyes how some people abandon their friends as well as their own careers soon after they get married.

1. A matter of course 理所当然的事，自然地，顺理成章的事，如金融时报例句：

Deep background checks on managers and their personal lives are becoming a matter of course.

对基金经理的背景和私生活展开深度调查，正在成为理所当然之事。

2. Abandon [əˈbændən] （不顾责任、义务等）离弃，抛弃；（不得已而）舍弃，丢弃，离开；停止（支持或帮助）；放弃（信念），如柯林斯词典例句：

Logic had prevailed and he had abandoned the idea.

最终理智占了上风，他打消了那个念头。