今天公众号“高斋翻硕”给大家分享法国批判现实主义作家居伊·德·莫泊桑（Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant）的小说《项链》（The Necklace）节选的单词解析。译文取自《羊脂球·莫泊桑短篇小说选》。

《项链》是法国作家莫泊桑创作于1884年的短篇小说。故事讲述了小公务员的妻子玛蒂尔德为参加一次晚会，向朋友借了一串钻石项链，来炫耀自己的美丽。不料，项链在回家途中不慎丢失。她只得借钱买了新项链还给朋友。为了偿还债务，她节衣缩食，为别人打短工，整整劳苦了十年。最后，得知所借的项链原是一串假钻石项链。《项链》采用了以物写人的手法，将项链作为一条主线，从它与人物的多重关系出发，用它牢牢系住人物的行为、语言和心理活动，使读者透过项链对女主人公的形象一目了然。

原文

She was one of those pretty and charming young girls who sometimes are born, as if by a slip of fate, into a family of clerks. She had no dowry, no expectations, no way of being known, understood, loved, and wedded by any rich and distinguished man; so she let herself be married to a little clerk of the Ministry of Public Instruction. She dressed plainly because she could not dress well, but she was as unhappy as if she had really fallen from a higher station; since with women there is neither caste nor rank, for beauty, grace and charm take the place of birth and breeding. Natural ingenuity, instinct for what is elegant, a supple mind are their sole hierarchy, and often make of women of the people the equals of the very greatest ladies.

《羊脂球·莫泊桑短篇小说选》译文

她同那些美丽又迷人的年轻女子一样，因为阴差阳错的命运，出生在一个小职员的家里。她没有嫁妆，也没有期盼，更没有办法让一个有钱又有地位的男人认识她，了解她，爱她，并且娶她。于是她只好让自己和一个教育部的小科员草草完婚。她穿着朴素，因为她没有钱去打扮得很华丽，不过她很不开心，好像自己真的是从高位上跌落下来似的。因为女人根本没有阶级和门第之分，她们的美貌、神采以及魅力替代了她们的出身和家世。而她们与生俱来的机警，超众的本能以及顺从的心思是她们唯一的等级，这使普通女子同地位最高的贵妇一样平起平坐。

第一句：She was one of those pretty and charming young girls who sometimes are born, as if by a slip of fate, into a family of clerks.

她同那些美丽又迷人的年轻女子一样，因为阴差阳错的命运，出生在一个小职员的家里。

1. slip [slɪp] n. 差错；疏漏；纰漏；纸条；便条；小纸片；滑跤；滑倒。如柯林斯词典上有这么一句话：

We must be well prepared, there must be no slips.

我们必须好好准备，不能出任何差错。

2. clerk [klɜːrk] n. 职员；簿记员；文书；（议会、法院等的）书记员；旅馆服务台接待员。如柯林斯词典上有这么一句话：

He’s nothing better than a jumped-up bank clerk!

他只不过是个自以为了不起的银行职员罢了！

第二句（一）：She had no dowry, no expectations, no way of being known, understood, loved, and wedded by any rich and distinguished man；

她没有嫁妆，也没有期盼，更没有办法让一个有钱又有地位的男人认识她，了解她，爱她，并且娶她。

1. dowry [ˈdaʊri] n. （新娘的）嫁妆，陪嫁；（新郎给新娘家的）彩礼，财礼。如柯林斯词典上有这么一句话：

If a young woman did not have a dowry, she went into domestic service.

如果一个年轻女子没有嫁妆，她就要做家政服务赚钱。

2. wed [wed] v. 结婚；娶；嫁。如《呼啸山庄》中有这么一句话：

He thought me too poor to wed his sister.

他认为我太穷，不配娶他的妹妹。

3. distinguished [dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃt] adj. 卓越的；杰出的；著名的；显得重要的；高贵的；有尊严的。如《新编实用英语综合教程2》中有这么一句话：

He has been in contact with decent, respectable, and even able and distinguished people.

他一直跟规矩的、正派的，甚至有能力，有地位的人接触。

第二句（二）：so she let herself be married to a little clerk of the Ministry of Public Instruction.

于是她只好让自己和一个教育部的小科员草草完婚。

1. marry [ˈmæri] v. （和某人）结婚；嫁；娶；为…主持婚礼；操办婚礼；把…嫁给；为…娶亲。如柯林斯词典上有这么一句话：

He was happily married to a girl he had known since his schooldays.

他与一个学生时代就认识的女孩幸福地结婚了。

2. the Ministry of Public Instruction 教育部。

第三句（一）：She dressed plainly because she could not dress well, but she was as unhappy as if she had really fallen from a higher station；

她穿着朴素，因为她没有钱去打扮得很华丽，不过她很不开心，好像自己真的是从高位上跌落下来似的。

1. plainly [ˈpleɪnli] adv. 清晰地；明显地；清楚地；简单明了地；直截了当地；简朴地；朴素地。如牛津词典上有这么一句话：

She was plainly dressed and wore no make-up.

她衣着朴素，粉黛不施。

2. station [ˈsteɪʃn] n. 火车站；公共汽车站；长途汽车站；站；所；局；身份，地位。如牛津词典上有这么一句话：

She was definitely getting ideas above her station.

她明显是抱有超出自己身份的想法。

第三句（二）：since with women there is neither caste nor rank, for beauty, grace and charm take the place of birth and breeding.

因为女人根本没有阶级和门第之分，她们的美貌、神采以及魅力替代了她们的出身和家世。

1. caste [kæst] n. （印度教的四大）种姓；（尤指禁止其他等级成员进入的）社会阶层，社会等级；社会等级制度。如汉英大词典上有这么一句话：

Caste is defined primarily by social honour attained through personal lifestyle.

社会等级制度主要是通过个人生活方式赢得的社会荣誉来确定。

2. rank [ræŋk] n.（尤指较高的）地位，级别；军衔；军阶；警衔。如牛津词典上有这么一句话：

She was not used to mixing with people of high social rank.

她不习惯和社会地位很高的人搅和在一起。

3. take the place of 代替。如牛津词典上有这么一句话：

Nothing can ever take the place of real love and family togetherness.

什么都不能取代真爱与家庭和睦。

第四句：Natural ingenuity, instinct for what is elegant, a supple mind are their sole hierarchy, and often make of women of the people the equals of the very greatest ladies.

而她们与生俱来的机警，超众的本能以及顺从的心思是她们唯一的等级，这使普通女子同地位最高的贵妇一样平起平坐。

1. ingenuity [ˌɪndʒəˈnuːəti] n. 独创力；聪明才智；心灵手巧。金融时报上有这么一句话：

It was the strategy firms’ ingenuity that helped them to get established.

帮助战略公司站稳脚跟的，是他们的聪明才智。

2. instinct [ˈɪnstɪŋkt] n. 本能；天性；直觉。如柯林斯词典上有这么一句话：

His first instinct was to run away.

他的本能反应就是逃跑。

3. hierarchy [ˈhaɪərɑːrki] n. 等级制度（尤指社会或组织）；统治集团；层次体系。如柯林斯词典上有这么一句话：

Even in the desert there was a kind of social hierarchy.

即便在沙漠中也存在某种社会等级制度。

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