--- url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-4/24-beauty.md description: 新概念英语第四册：Beauty。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。 --- # 24 · 美 ### 第1段 A young man sees a sunset and, unable to understand or to express the emotion that it rouses in him, concludes that it must be the gateway to a world that lies beyond. It is difficult for any of us in moments of intense aesthetic experience to resist the suggestion that we are catching a glimpse of a light that shines down to us from a different realm of existence, different and, because the experience is intensely moving, in some way higher. And, though the gleams blind and dazzle, yet do they convey a hint of beauty and serenity greater than we have known or imagined. Greater too than we can describe; for language, which was invented to convey the meanings of this world, cannot readily be fitted to the uses of another. That all great art has this power of suggesting a world beyond is undeniable. In some moods, Nature shares it. There is no sky in June so blue that it does not point forward to a bluer, no sunset so beautiful that it does not waken the vision of a greater beauty, a vision which passes before it is fully glimpsed, and in passing leaves an indefinable longing and regret. But, if this world is not merely a bad joke, life a vulgar flare amid the cool radiance of the stars, and existence an empty laugh braying across the mysteries; if these intimations of a something behind and beyond are not evil humour born of indigestion, or whimsies sent by the devil to mock and madden us, if, in a word, beauty means something, yet we must not seek to interpret the meaning. If we glimpse the unutterable, it is unwise to try to utter it, nor should we seek to invest with significance that which we cannot grasp. Beauty in terms of our human meanings is meaningless. 中文理解：一个年轻人望着落日，无法理解或表达它在自己心中唤起的情感，便认定，那一定是通往另一个世界的大门。我们任何人在获得强烈的审美体验时，都很难不产生这样的感觉：仿佛瞥见了一束来自另一种存在境界的光。那个境界不同于此世；又因为这种体验如此动人，我们便觉得它在某种意义上更为崇高。那些光芒虽令人目眩，却也让人隐约感到一种超出既有经验和想象的美与宁静。这种美也超出了语言所能描绘的范围，因为语言原是为了传达这个世界的意义而创造的，难以轻易拿来描述另一个世界。 不可否认，伟大的艺术都有这种使人联想到另一个世界的力量。在某些心境下，大自然也有同样的力量。六月的天空再蓝，也会让人向往更蓝的天空；落日再美，也会唤起一种更加美好的景象。那景象尚未看清便已消逝，留下难以名状的渴望和惆怅。可是，如果这个世界不只是一个拙劣的玩笑，生命不只是群星清冷光辉间一阵庸俗的闪光，存在也不只是响彻奥秘之间的一声空洞怪笑；如果这些关于表象背后、现实之外某种事物的暗示，不是消化不良引起的坏情绪，也不是魔鬼为了嘲弄、折磨我们而送来的奇想；总之，如果美确实意味着什么，我们也仍不应试图解释那意义。既然瞥见的是不可言说的东西，硬要说出来便不明智；对于无法把握的事物，我们也不该擅自赋予意义。若拿人类日常的意义尺度去衡量，美是没有意义的。 * **rouses in him**：在他心中唤起；rouse强调激起，不是说明情感已经有清晰定义。 * **the gateway to**：通往……的入口；可作实际入口或比喻性的途径。 * **intense aesthetic experience**：强烈的审美体验；undefined * **resist the suggestion**：抵挡这种念头；resist直接接宾语，不加to。 * **catching a glimpse**：瞥见；强调短暂而不完整，不等于充分看清。 * **realm of existence**：存在的境界；undefined * **in some way higher**：在某种意义上更高；undefined * **convey a hint**：传达一点暗示；convey可接意义、感觉或信息，不必总译为运送。 * **beyond is undeniable**：超越之感不可否认；undefined * **point forward to**：指向未来的……；文中是更美境界的想象，不是有数据证明的预测。 * **waken the vision**：唤起某种景象；这里是想象，不是视力恢复。 * **indefinable longing**：难以名状的渴望；undefined * **in a word**：总而言之；用于归结前面的意思，不一定真的只说一个词。 * **seek to interpret**：试图解释；较正式，seek后接不定式表达试图。 * **invest with significance**：赋予意义；这里invest是赋予，不是投资金钱。 * **in terms of**：用……的尺度衡量；本课最终把“无意义”限定在日常人类意义尺度内。 #### A young man sees a sunset and, unable to understand or to express the emotion that it rouses in him, concludes that it must be the gateway to a world that lies beyond. 并列复合句，and 其实是连接两个谓语，后面的 concludes 即省略了主语 A young man concludes…第一句，主谓宾+原因状语从句，从句里面有一个 that 引导的定语从句修饰 emotion. 第二句为主谓+宾从结构，宾语从句是主系表结构，内含一个 that 引导的定语从句修饰 world. 最后一个 it 可以理解为日落之景. #### It is difficult for any of us in moments of intense aesthetic experience to resist the suggestion that we are catching a glimpse of a light that shines down to us from a different realm of existence, different and, because the experience is intensely moving, in some way higher. 复合句，that 连接同位语从句到 realm of existence 为止. 主句 it 作形式主语，动词不定式 to resist the suggestion 作真正的主语. that 引导的 同位语从句为主谓宾结构，第二个 that 引导定语从句，修饰 light. 最后面是一个定语成分 different in some way higher，只不过在这之间，插入了一个原因状语从句. 该从句省略了主语中的修饰成分，还原为 because the aesthetic experience is…美学经历. #### And, though the gleams blind and dazzle, yet do they convey a hint of beauty and serenity greater than we have known or imagined. 复合句，though 开头是一个让步状语从句，尽管、虽然光线让人眼花缭乱. 后面提前 do 以强调 they 光芒，还原为 they do convey a hint. greater 可以跟后面的比较状语从句连起来理解成后置定语，我们在此将比较状语从句提出来进一步细分成分. #### Greater too than we can describe; for language, which was invented to convey the meanings of this world, cannot readily be fitted to the uses of another. 并列复合句，第一句 greater 省略了主系成分，还原为 the hint of beauty and serenity is greater，所以会有 too 予以表示. 后面是原因状语从句，主谓宾结构，中间插了一个 which 引导的定语从句. #### That all great art has this power of suggesting a world beyond is undeniable. 复合句，主系表结构，只不过主语由 that 引导的主语从句担任. 主语从句为主谓宾结构. #### In some moods, Nature shares it. 简单句，主谓宾结构，it 指上句能够呈现远方世界的能力. #### There is no sky in June so blue that it does not point forward to a bluer, no sunset so beautiful that it does not waken the vision of a greater beauty, a vision which passes before it is fully glimpsed, and in passing leaves an indefinable longing and regret. 复合句，第一句讲天空如此蔚蓝，用了 no 和 does not 的双重否定结构，在理解上划掉即可，变成 there is sky so blue that it does point forward to a bluer. 第二句省略了 there is，直接 no sunset 了，同样是双重否定，但对于 vision 作了进一步的解释说明，包括其美好而转瞬即逝，并用伴随状语 in passing 表达在这个消逝的过程中，给人们所留下的渴望与遗憾. 这句话是顺着上句说大自然也能如艺术一样，让人去往远方，所以现实世界的六月蓝天之外还应想象一个更蓝的天空；美丽的落日之际，应有比落日更美的景致. #### But, if this world is not merely a bad joke, life a vulgar flare amid the cool radiance of the stars, and existence an empty laugh braying across the mysteries; if these intimations of a something behind and beyond are not evil humour born of indigestion, or whimsies sent by the devil to mock and madden us, if, in a word, beauty means something, yet we must not seek to interpret the meaning. 复合句，4-1/2/3 三个 if 引导的条件状语从句作为第一个意群，4-2 句省略了 if 和系动词 is，还原是 if life is a vulgar flare，所以 a vulgar flare 直接标注了表语，4-3 也是如此，这三个句子对世界、生命和存在三个大议题进行了怀疑. 后面两个 if 则是沿着之前的三个怀疑进一步说明，其中4-4 句直接说以上的三个联想，如果不是因为自己不舒服而胡思乱想，或者不是因为妖魔鬼怪的作用，那么，美的确意味着什么，只不过我们不应该去试图阐明这种意义. #### If we glimpse the unutterable, it is unwise to try to utter it, nor should we seek to invest with significance that which we cannot grasp. 并列复合句，第一句的主句主系表结构，主句的实际主语是动词不定式 to try…，从句是 if 引导的条件状语从句，从句为主谓宾结构. nor 后面为第二句，主干结构是 we should seek to invest that with significance. that 为宾语，which 引导的定语从句修饰 that. #### Beauty in terms of our human meanings is meaningless. 简单句，主系表结构，in terms of 为状语，在人类的“意义体系”之中，这个意义可能偏重实际和应用领域来说，美则是没有意义的. 这句话也是跟前面这句不应该阐述和赋予意义来进一步总结的. ## 学完这一课 把一个感受与由此产生的推断分开表达。 [Nce · 本册复习台](/new-concept/book-4/review) · [三册选择地图](/new-concept/) *译文依据整理稿，由本站按中文表达重新校订；解析据吴应时整理资料及首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第96—99页，2022年2月第2版。*