143 英语语法应用(三十)
感恩的心是良药
11/10/2015
我们在天上的父, 谢谢祢赐我信心的祷告的意念. 它确是良药. 可以让我在这恐怖混乱的末世对祢的信仰站立得住. 主呵, 蒙祢应允我的祷告,
使我有惊无险的渡过多少次生命的坎坷, 是祢把我从死亡的边缘带过来.
上帝阿, 祢的信实是我每天生活的依靠. 祢的应许是我力量的来源, 让我能继续把祢赐给的智能与人分享. 求祢赐他们也像赐给我一样有颗感恩的心. 这一切都是祢赐的. 在这仅剩余的歳月里, 求祢叫我免去试探,
能平静的活在祢的旨意中, 荣耀祢的圣名. 奉主耶稣的名祷告. 阿门.
在今年的感恩的季节里, 上帝赐给我们炎黄子孙特别的恩典, 使我们面对未来有了盼望. 上帝总站在爱和平的中华民族的这一边. 1840─1842年英国挑起的鸦片战争及1895年3月23日被小日本强迫签定 “马关条约” 抢夺我们的台湾, 是编辑者在中学时读历史至今难忘的事件. 我是有基督信仰的人, 本应以主耶稣基督饶恕人的福音忘了它们, 像我们伟大的有基督信仰的蒋中正总统对小日本在八年抗日战争中残杀我们南京同胞, 不要他们一分钱的赔偿及道歉, 给予全然的饶恕一样. 但是, 小日本没有良心. 使编辑者内心极为忧虑. 我们感谢上帝, 祂使中华民族肯定在世上永存. 全能的主宰上帝, 祂仍掌权.
再告诉年轻的喜爱学英文的朋友们. 我们的语言文字是来自中华民族的伟大的家族道德伦理: 慈悲, 同情, 和善和原谅等善良人性演变而成. 换句话说是 “仁” 和 “知恩图报” 的印记. 它们与上帝的慈悲仁爱并存.
“英文文法” 博客能再度与访友见面是上帝的恩典, 能不感恩吗? 在 “英文文法” 博客138讲中讨论到 “中华语文” 与英语虽然非出自同一语系, 因中国近百年来深受西方强烈殖民主义的影响(如上述的事件), 在语法构造上的差别不多. 其差异显者如下所述.
1. 动词时制的表达, 中文比英语变化较少. 在中文句子中不限制只用一个动词, 动词本身没有时制上的变化. 很多学习英语的青年抱怨学这么久的英语, 还是听不懂. 其原因是英语口语中多使用过去时制, 不规则动词过去时制的读音完全和原动词的不一样, 若在你的脑袋里没有这样发音的记忆库, 怎么会听得懂? 所以要学习颜元叔教授提出他学习英语的心得说, “养成每天早上高声朗读的习惯..…. .” 编辑者深深有同感. 记得在十五岁的少年时, 蒙恩师邓岳宗先生耳提面命的叮嘱说, “早上起来一定要读半小时的英文会话, 要大声读….” 因此我能听懂他说的英语. 高声朗读的习惯, 所得的后果是肯定的, 在学习英语的路上, 它与英语语法的学习是相辅相成.
2. 问句与被动句在这两种语文中构造回异. 中华语文重语義, 多使用主动语气, 不像英语重形式与逻辑, 所以喜欢用被动语气. (请参看142讲.)
3.
短语(phrases)和习语(idioms) 在任何语文中都是它的精华. 编辑者在 “英文文法” 博客内曾用长长的七讲 ( 97 - 103讲) 以会话的方式作介词短语的介绍, 斯时, 进入博客的访问者多至数千人. 由此现象证明短语和习语在语言中的必须. 中文成语更是写文章不可或缺. 写一篇完全不带成语的篇章, 可能很不容易. 若要文章要写得好, 就更不可能. 目前的情形是许多人写中文篇章, 已经舍弃使用成语, 认为那是文言文, 再加上受英语的影响, 就忘掉了. 中华语文的四字格成语是历千百年而犹存, 成为中华民族文化的一部分. 例如, “鹬蚌相争”, “螳螂捕蝉”, “乐不思蜀” , “塞翁失马” , “揠苗助长” 等成语. 其中都含有中国的历史, 由中华文化润育而成. 编辑者能在博客里使用中文成语描述及讨论英语语法, 应归功于十三歳时长兄送我的生日礼物──成语手册.
总而言之,
idioms 和 phrase 都是学习中文及英语最关键之处, 也是学习者的试金石. 要把篇章写得 “道地” , 非征服它们不可, 被我们应用自如. 现在讨论中文成语的优美.
例如:
鹬蚌相争 (THE SNIPE AND THE CLAM HAVE A QUARREL) 成语故事的来源:
There once was a river clam who climbed up out of
the water to sun himself on the shore. Along came a snipe, who thought that the
clam's pink meat would make a very good lunch, and stuck his long beak into the
clam's open shell. But before the snipe could reach the meat, the clam snapped
his shell shut very hard, trapping the snipe's beak inside.
The
snipe began to regret having ever tried to eat the clam, but he pretended that
he didn't care, saying, "You idiot! By holding me like this, you can't go
anywhere, either! If it doesn't rain
within the next couple of days, you'll certainly dry up and die!” But the clam very coldly answered, "If I
hold your beak until tomorrow, You will surely die of hunger!” And so they continued, each refusing to give
in, until a fisherman came by and snatched up the both of them. Thus, the idiom
"The Snipe and the Clam Have A Quarrel" is used to mean that when two
parties have a quarrel and refuse to compromise, it is the third party that
benefits.
[注] : 战国时代(403-222 Before Christ was born) 燕国与赵国相邻, 时常相争, 主张联合抗秦的苏秦怕燕国与赵国作战, 两国俱伤, 秦国获利, 就说了这个故事劝赵王, 比喻燕赵两国相争, 犹如鹬蚌相争, 秦国就像鱼翁一样得利.
1. 河蚌 clam, 2. 鹬鸟 snipe
螳螂捕蝉 (THE MANTIS STALKS THE CICADA) 成语故事的来源:
During the Spring and Autumn Period(春秋时代403-222 Before Christ was born), the king of Wu (吴王) often attacked other kingdoms, and caused his own
people to suffer greatly as a result. One time he decided to attack the kingdom
of Ch'u (楚国), and proclaimed
that anyone who tried to convince him otherwise would be executed.
Early one morning a few days later, the king
found his minister Shau Ru-tz (少孺子大臣)in the garden with
his slingshot, soaking wet. When the
king asked him what he was doing there, Shau Ru-tz replied, "I came to the
garden to practice my slingshot, and up on a tree branch I saw a mantis which
was about to catch a cicada, unaware that there was an oriole behind it about
to catch both of them. I lifted my slingshot, and hit the oriole, right as it
caught the mantis, which had just finished eating the cicada. However, I
didn't notice the pool beside me, and
with one false step, I fell right in. "When the king heard this, he
understood what Shau Ru-tz meant, and cancelled his plans to attack Ch'u.
Thus, when a person is so obsessed with
obtaining what is in front of him that he does not notice the danger behind
him, we can say that "the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole
behind".
[注] : 该比喻出自 “庄子(Chinese great philosopher)”
山木篇, 这个故事在 “说苑” 正谏篇. 比喻只顾贪图眼前利益而不顾以后的祸患. 通常该成语为 “螳螂捕蝉, 黄雀在后”.
1. 蝉 cicada,
2. 螳螂
mantis, 3. 黄雀 oriole
编辑者心得: 若两人争得死去活来, 只要一方说出这两句成语之一, 便会使双方熄怒.
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