“拼”是個常用詞,字典中有兩個意思,其一解釋為“合在一起”或“連合”的意思,英語是put/join/piece together,甚至scrape together(拼湊);其二解釋為“不顧一切地干”、“豁出去”,英文是do ones utmost。當(dāng)然“拼”字在不同的說法中有不同意思,如“拼搏精神”,直譯為combatant spirit,或可稍加解釋譯為:the spirit of hard struggle; the spirit of fighting relentlessly; the spirit of going all out (to win success): the spirit of standing up to hardships等。
近來出了不少帶有“拼”字的流行詞,比如“拼車”,car pool(ing)。Pool本來的意思是“水塘”或“水池”,用作動詞,有to combine (something to form a supply which can be used by a group of people)的意思。Car pool一說中,被pool的是具體的東西car,但是pool的賓語也可以是money或idea,但漢語不說“拼錢”或“拼想法”,而說“湊錢”和“湊點(diǎn)子”,即“集思廣益”。“拼車”還有car share。Share的意思是to have or use (something) with others。Share的賓語也可以是interest,concern,blame等表示較抽象的概念的詞,意為“分享”、“共同承擔(dān)”。由“拼車”還延伸出來了“拼房”room share等。
最新的一個有“拼”字的詞是“拼爹”。這里的“拼”應(yīng)該是“拼比”的縮略語?!捌幢取北旧硪彩且粋€相對較新的詞,有幾本漢英詞典譯為compare,compete或strive with,似乎都不夠確切,起碼要用vie一詞,即vie with each other。“拼爹”的意思是“比誰的父親官更大或更有錢”,即vie with each other to see whose fathers position is higher, or whose father is more powerful or richer。當(dāng)然,這后面還有一個潛臺詞,即其子女可以享受特殊待遇,可以傲視別的孩子乃至橫行不法——so that that persons child can enjoy various privileges, put on airs and look down upon others, even behave illegally。▲(本欄目供稿:陳德彰教授)