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韓Sir 資深英語教師
要文章寫得生動有趣，能令讀者留下深刻印象，其中一種方法便是善用比喻。英語世界內，比喻有分明喻 (similes) 和隱喻 (metaphors) 兩大類。今天跟大家談談明喻的妙用。看看下列句子：
Mr. Chan is very brave.
John is very smart.
Judy is very innocent.
Mrs. Wong felt very fit after a long holiday.
The vehicles, caught in a traffic jam, were moving very slowly.
The medicine worked very fast.
Peter always sleeps very well.
Chris always fights very hard for justice.
上列句子，每一句都用了 “very” 來描述人或事物，把人悶出鳥來！再看看下列改寫後的情況：
1a. Mr. Chan is as brave as a lion.
2a. John is as smart as a whip.
3a. Judy is as innocent as a newborn baby.
4a. Mrs. Wong felt as fit as a fiddle after a long holiday.
5a. The vehicles, caught in a traffic jam, were moving like snails.
6a. The medicine worked like a charm.
7a. Peter always sleeps like a log.
8a. Chris always fights for justice like a tiger.
重寫後第二組的句子，是否更傳神？如獅般勇、如初生嬰孩般單純、慢如蝸牛、熟睡如木頭等一看便明白，並增添不少趣意。
中西有別 不能直譯
要留意的是中西文化有別，大家採用的明喻對象不盡相同，有時候也很難完全明白為什麼要如小提琴般健康 (fit as a fiddle) 、或如鞭子般聰明 (smart as a whip)，也許是指政界的「黨鞭」？很大可能又是英語慣用語 (idioms) 的局限，要追查來源便涉及字源學(etymology)和慣用語歷史(history of idioms)了。
中文的「滑如絲、軟如棉」譯作 “smooth as silk, soft as cotton” 也算詞能達意。「滑如絲」英文的明喻 “smooth as silk” 的確和中文相同，但是 “soft as cotton” 這比喻只會出現在棉質產品的廣告中，並非慣常說法。慣用說法是 “soft as a baby's bottom” ，軟如嬰兒臀，又頗貼切呢！
考考您，看看您可知道下列明喻的慣常說法：
1. dry as a _____ 2. light as a ____ 3. quiet as a ___
4. timid as a ____ 5. cry like a ____ 6. eat like a ____
7. drink like a ___ 8. sit like a _____
(Key : 1. bone 2. feather 3. mouse 4. rabbit
5. baby 6. horse/bird 7. fish
8. bump on a log )
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