明喻暗喻擬人

1、 The Appreciation of English Rhetoric Su Xuelei 1另外，值得注意的是英語中有許多成語含有明喻，其結(jié)構(gòu)為as + 形容詞+ as +名詞（第一個as可省略）。例如：(as) blind as a bat 目光如豆(as) cool as cucumber 泰然自若(as) cold as a marble 冷若冰霜(as) busy as a bee 像蜜蜂一樣忙(as) firm as a rock 堅如磐石(as) light as a feather 輕如鴻毛(as) mute as an oyster 噤若寒蟬(as) strong as

2、horse 健壯如牛用些含明喻的成語用like構(gòu)成。例如：like a duck to water 如魚得水like a hen on a hot griddle 像熱鍋上的螞蟻like a mouse in a hole 甕中之鱉以上是明喻最典型的體現(xiàn)格式：A is like B. 和A is asas B.2英語中的明喻可以多種格式體現(xiàn)，其他的格式或句型還有：1、虛擬句型 最常見的是用as if或as though作比喻詞，另外還有其他一些形式。例如：My handwriting looks as if a swarm of ants, escaping from an ink bottl

3、e, had walked over a sheet of paper without wiping their legs. (Sydney Smith )我的筆跡，看來就像一大群螞蟻從墨水里逃出來，沒有把腳抹干凈就在紙上四散奔跑過似的。筆跡像螞蟻爬的痕跡，比喻得恰如其分。3and the fattest woman I have ever seen in my life dozing in a straight-backed chair. It was as if a sack of grain was supported by a matchbox. 還有一位我生平所未曾見過最胖的女人坐在

4、一把直背椅子上打瞌睡，那簡直就像一口袋糧食放在一個火柴盒上一樣?！耙豢诖Z食放在一個火柴盒上”比喻（含夸張）得多么生動。4She looked both young and aging, as if she had just emerged from an illness of some crisis. (Isacca Bashevis Singer: The Briefcase)她看上去既老又年輕，好像是新病初愈或是剛遭了一場災難的樣子。He was a beautiful horse that looked as though he had come out of a painting b

5、y Velasquez. (Ernest Hemingway: For Whom the Bell Tolls)那匹馬很漂亮，像是維拉斯凱茲油畫上的馬變活了。52、what型 常見的句式有兩種：A is to B what C is to D和 What C is to D, A is to B。例如：Carlos Lehder was to cocaine transportation what Henry Ford was to cars. 卡洛斯雷德與可卡因的販運的關系，正如亨利福特與汽車的關系。卡洛斯雷德是著名的哥倫比亞毒梟（Colombian drug lord），亨利福特是美國汽車

6、大王，本句通過喻體（福特）說明本體（雷德）。此明喻起說明的作用。Judicious praise is to children what the sun is to flowers. (Bovee)明智的表揚對于孩子的作用，就像陽光對于花朵的作用。The pen is to a writer what the gun is to a fighter. 作家的筆猶如戰(zhàn)士的槍。Intellect is to the mind what sight is to the body. 智力對思想猶如視力對于身體一樣重要。6在這個明喻句式中，系動詞可以改用實義動詞do，介詞to改為 for，而成為 A d

7、oes for B what C does for D 。這里what引導的是一個賓語從句。例如： Marx did for the development of society what Darwin did for the development of the biology. 馬克思對社會發(fā)展的貢獻和達爾文對生物學發(fā)展的貢獻一樣。第二個句式是把what從句提到句首而形成的。例如： What the blueprint is to the builder the outline is to the writer. 提綱對于作家猶如藍圖對于建筑師一樣重要。What blood vessels

8、 are to a mans body, that railways are to the country. 鐵路對于一個國家的作用正如血管對于人體的作用。What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the soul. 教育之于心靈，猶如雕刻之于大理石。What salt is to food, that wit and humour are to conversation and literature. 妙語與幽默之于會話與文學，恰似鹽對于食物一樣。7simile喻體的選擇往往具有濃郁的民族色彩。當英漢兩種語言對同一本體設喻

9、時，所采用的喻體有同有異，且異多于同。1.喻體相同As cold as ice 冰冷As cunning as a fox 狐貍般的狡猾As still as death 死寂As graceful as a swan像天鵝一樣的優(yōu)美As chaste as ice冰清玉潔8As fat as pig 胖的像豬As handsome as paint 美麗如畫As greedy as a wolf 想狼一樣貪婪9喻體相異由于地理環(huán)境，歷史，風俗習性，價值觀念，宗教信仰等的不同造成了文化的重大差異。例如To eat like a horse 狼吞虎咽To drink like a fish 牛飲

10、Like a drowned rat 想落湯雞一樣Like a peacock among sparrows 鶴立雞群As merry as a cricket 快樂如神仙As poor as a church mouse 一貧如洗10中英動物詞匯的聯(lián)想意義對比Fox 狡猾， 詭計多端He is as sly as a fox. You have got to watch him.他狡猾如狐貍，你可要小心點。When the fox says he is an vegetarian, its time for the hen to look out.112. Wolf 殘忍兇暴，貪婪成性To

11、me he is a power-he is the primitive with cruelty of the wolf in his innermost nature.他對我有絕對的控制權-他是個野蠻的土人，骨子里透著豺狼般的殘忍。She was as greedy as a wolf.她像狼那樣貪得無厭。A wolf in sheeps clothing(披著羊皮的狼)。123. Donkey (ass), pig 愚蠢，窩囊You ass! You stupid ass! How could you do such a thing like that?!你這頭驢！ 你這頭蠢驢！你怎么會

12、干出那種事來？“pig” , she spat out at him viciously, her nostrils flaring in a look of savage disdain. “蠢豬”， 她惡毒地咒罵他，兩只鼻孔張得大大的，露出極端蔑視的神情。 Make an ass of oneself(做蠢事)134. parrot 模仿You are no better than a parrot when you act the priest, Father de Bricassart!徳.布里卡薩神父，當你成為教士后，并不比學舌的 鸚鵡高明多少。5. lamb 溫順March com

13、es in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.三月天氣來時兇猛如獅，去時溫和如綿羊。as gentle as a lamb/as meek as a sheep 141. dog 在漢語中，狗是卑賤的動物，因為狗過于忠誠于主人，反而讓人們討厭，所以在漢語，與狗相關的詞匯都帶有貶義，如:狗仗人勢，狗眼看人低，狗改不了吃屎，狗嘴里吐不出象才來，狗咬呂洞賓，狼心狗肺，狗血噴頭，落水狗，喪家之犬。國人一聽到狗字就特別反感。 喻義相異15 對于英國人來說，狗既可以用來看門或打獵，也可以被視為人的伴侶和愛物。在英國狗的地位是很高的，人們對狗的印象都很好。所以人多數(shù)與

14、狗相關的詞匯都是含有褒義或中性詞義的。如:a lucky dog(幸運兒，走運的家伙)、love me, love my dog(愛屋及烏)、every dog has his day(凡人皆有得意時)、A gay dog(歡樂的人)、help a lame dog over a stile(臺階)(助人渡過難關)。162. dragon龍是中國傳說中的神異動物。在中國，龍象征著皇權，神力，威嚴,尊貴。國人稱自己是龍的子孫，龍的傳人。在封建社會，龍是皇帝的象征。在漢語，凡與龍相關的詞語都是褒義，如:龍飛鳳舞、龍鳳吉祥、藏龍臥虎、望子成龍、龍馬精神、虎嘯龍吟、龍騰虎躍、畫龍點睛、攀龍附鳳。 17

15、而在西方神話中，dragon是一只巨大的晰蝎，長著翅膀，身上有鱗，拖著一條長長的尾巴，能夠從嘴中噴火。英國人看到dragon這個詞時，想到的是青面獠牙，殘忍的怪獸，邪惡的家伙和惡勢力。The (old) dragon指的是撒曰，魔王，魔鬼。在英語最占老的史詩Beowulf 中, dragon指的就是個兇惡暴虐的惡龍。另外，dragon還指兇狠的婦女，悍婦，如:his wife is a real dragon(真是一個兇狠，潑辣的母老虎)。 183. bat中國文化中，蝙蝠因與“?！弊质侵C音,所以蝙蝠被認為是好運，吉祥的象征。在西方，蝙蝠是一種邪惡的動物，常與罪惡和黑暗聯(lián)系在一起，特別是、va

16、mpire bat吸血蝙蝠，提起來就令人毛骨驚然，所以與蝙蝠相關的詞語都帶有貶義色彩，如: as blind as a bat(像蝙蝠一樣瞎);have bats in one belfry(鐘樓) (瘋瘋癲癲，傻里傻氣)、Crazy as a bat:精神失常，發(fā)癡。19 Owl在英語中常常是智慧、聰明的象征，英語比喻as wise as an ow1(象貓頭鷹一樣聰明)就是一例;還有“神情嚴肅”的聯(lián)想意義， as grave as an owl.而在漢語中貓頭鷹則常被視為不祥之物，會讓人聯(lián)想起兇兆，比喻會有不測。人們認為貓頭鷹叫則預示著將要死人，貓頭鷹進屋更是一種兇兆。民間就有忌諱“夜貓了

17、進宅，無事不來”，指的也是貓頭鷹能夠帶來惡運。20 A figure of speech containing an implied comparison, in which a word or phrase ordinarily and primarily used of one thing is applied to another. (Websters New World Dictionary) 暗喻 metaphor21 A figure of speech in which one thing is described in terms of another. The basic f

18、igure in poetry. A comparison is usually implicit(含蓄，不明確的); whereas in simile it is explicit. ( A Dictionary of Literary Terms)22Metaphors are often easy to identify and take the form X is Y. Something or someone is being compared to something or someone else through a construction using the appropr

19、iate part of the verb to be (i.e. am, are, is, was, were, will be).23All the worlds a stage, And all men and women merely players;They have their exits and entrances,And one man in his time plays many parts,His acts being seven ages (Shakespeare, As you Like it )全世界是一個舞臺，他們都有下場的時候，又都有上場的時候。一個人一生中扮演者

20、好幾個角色，他的演出可分為七個時期。 The first clause sets up the basic comparison.The tenor(本體) and vehicle(喻體) invoked by the firstline are elaborated in the lines that follow.The metaphor makes possible for the literary writer to explain things vividly in great detail.24Some books are to be tasted, others swallowe

21、d, and some few to be chewed and digested. ( Of Studies, Bacon)一些書可以淺嘗輒止；一些書可以狼吞虎咽；而有些書則需要細嚼慢咽，好好消化。 She has a photographic memory for detail.她對細節(jié)有照相機般的記憶力。（把her memory比作camera，但喻體camera沒有出現(xiàn)。） 25 A man s nature runs either to herbs or weeds; therefore let him seasonally water the one, and destroythe

22、 other. (Bacon) 人的本性不是趨向善，就是趨向惡。把善喻做香花(herbs)，把惡比做毒草(weeds)，言簡意賅，形象具體。26美國黑人作家體斯寫的題為警告的一首詩: WarningNegroes,Sweet and docile,M eek, humble, and kind:Beware the dayThey change their mind!WindIn the cotton fields,Gentle breeze:Beware the hourIt uproots trees!27 詩中反映了美國黑人反對種族歧視、爭取自由解放的強烈愿望。詩中的“Wind一詞是個隱

23、喻，表示今天的和風會成為明天的風暴，將種族歧視的參天大樹連根拔起。這首詩給人以“于無聲處聽驚雷“的強烈震撼的感覺，讀后使人精神振奮，勇氣倍增。28 隱喻的結(jié)構(gòu)特征喻體直陳式認定本體就是喻體，把本體和喻體說成一件事。這種方式強化了語言表達的邏輯力量。A book that is shut is but a block.總是合著的書只不過是一塊磚頭而已。College is a comma of a sentence of life.大學就是人生長句中的一個逗號。292. 喻體半隱式喻體半隱半現(xiàn)，此式中的喻體詞語通常是由名詞轉(zhuǎn)化來的動詞。通過這個動詞對動作或狀態(tài)的描述，來發(fā)現(xiàn)這個名詞所具有的喻體特

24、征。實際上這個動詞的名詞形式就是喻體。He doesnt have an idea of his own. He just parrots what other people say.他沒有自己的觀點，只會鸚鵡學舌。A heavy silence blanketed the room.整個房間沉浸在一片沉默中。They stormed the speaker with questions.他們猛烈質(zhì)問演講者。Was covered like a blanket/spoke violently like a storm303. 喻體全隱式表面上喻體并未出現(xiàn)，實際上比喻卻暗含句中，即以適用于喻體的

25、詞語來充當喻體。Some books are to be tasted, others swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. ( Of Studies, Bacon)一些書可以淺嘗輒止；一些書可以狼吞虎咽；而有些書則需要細嚼慢咽，好好消化。把book比作food，但food這個喻體沒有出現(xiàn)，取而代之的是以適用于喻體的taste, swallow, chew digest 四個動詞。312、Metaphor的設喻方法 每一巧妙而令人難忘的比喻都來自生活的實踐和作者豐富的想象。盡管metaphor 有千千萬萬, 但在本體和喻體的關系方

26、面, 也就是metaphor的設喻方法, 歸納起來大致有以下三種。 1) 以一種形象具體的事物去比喻另一形象具體的事物32The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure. (Thomas Jefferson)自由之樹常以愛國志士和暴君的血來澆灌, 這些鮮血是自由之樹的天然肥料。 此例以“肥料”(manure) 喻革命志士與暴君之血。Books are the ever-burning lamps and

27、 accumulated wisdom. (Stephen Butler Leacock ) 好書乃積累智慧的長明燈。 此例把書籍喻為“長明燈”。332) 用形象具體的事物, 比喻抽象的事物或概念 Its the same with Negro in America. That shoe . the white mans system . has pinched and rubbed and squeezed his soul until it has almost destroyed him.美國黑人的情況也是這樣。白人制度這只鞋夾緊了他的靈魂，使之受磨難, 幾乎要把他毀掉了。用夾緊黑人的靈

28、魂的一只“鞋子”來比喻美國的白人制度, 這是典型的以具體事物比喻抽象事物 。34History is all these thingswaves, tides and currents and like the sea, no matter how tranquil the surface, it is never still. A sequence of events is a series of waves, one crest following upon the other; and the trick for statesmen and reporter alike, is to t

29、ell which crest is surge of the tide and which a mere accident of the wind. 歷史總是這些東西波浪, 潮汐和水流像海洋一樣, 無論表面多么平靜, 它從未靜止過, 一系列的事件是一層層的波浪, 一個波峰接著一個波峰, 政治家與記者的技能一樣, 是告訴人們哪一個是潮汐的作用, 哪一個不過是因風而起。 用海洋中的“波浪, 潮汐和水流”來比喻歷史, 也是用具體事物比喻抽象事物。353) 以一種抽象概念去比喻另一種抽象概念 。 . It was the age of wisdom; it was the age of foolis

30、hness, it was the epoch of belief; it was the epoch of doubtfulness, it was the season of light; it was the season of darkness; it was the spring of Hope, it was the winter of Despair.（Charles Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities）這是智慧的年代，這是愚蠢的年代；這是信仰的時期，這是懷疑的時期；這是光明的季節(jié)，這是黑暗的季節(jié)；這是希望之春，這是失望之冬。 在此例中，作者將“時間”這一

31、抽象概念，用一系列的其他抽象概念：智慧，愚蠢，信仰，懷疑，光明，黑暗，希望，失望來比喻。 36Metaphor 在英語里運用極為廣泛、頻繁。請看下面幾例：Police work on inner city streets is a domestic Vietnam, a dangerous no-win struggle fought by confused, misdirected and unappreciated troops. ( Gordon Witkin )市中心貧民區(qū)的治安工作是一場國內(nèi)的越南戰(zhàn)爭，有一支思想混亂、指揮失靈、無人賞識的部隊進行的一場危險的，只輸不贏的斗爭。這是一例

32、典型的隱喻。人們對警方的工作（本體）可能了解不深，但在美國人們對越南戰(zhàn)爭（喻體）則是體會的既具體又痛切。本體，喻體同時出現(xiàn)，通過三個相似點（confused, misdirected，unappreciated），痛陳警察的不平和苦衷，可望引起公眾對警察的同情和理解。文中Vietnam指the Vietnam War。 37For years her cries of “fish for sale” were in vain. She had no home, no family, no friends and her life was a basket of unsold fish. 多年來

33、，她“賣魚啦”的叫喊聲全然白費。她無家可歸，無夫無子，無親無友她的生活就是一籃沒賣出去的魚。把賣魚婦的生活比喻成一籃沒有賣出的魚，激起人們對賣魚婦的無限同情。This centuryman has started to look into the working of that other universe which is inside himself the human brain. (Isaac Asimov: What Is Intelligence, Anyway) 本世紀人類已經(jīng)開始研究自身內(nèi)部的的另外一個宇宙的活動了，這另外一個宇宙就是人腦。作者用隱喻向讀者表明：“人腦”就是一個

34、“宇宙”，它奧秘無窮，有待人類進一步研究探索。38While most of us are only too ready to apply to others the cold wind of criticism, we are somewhat reluctant to give our fellow the warm sunshine of praise. （Janet Grham: The Profits of Praise） 我們大多數(shù)人動不動就對別人刮起批評的寒風，不知為什么卻不愿意把表揚的溫暖陽光給予我們的同伴。 此句把太多的批評比喻為“冷風”，把表揚比喻為“溫暖的陽光”，本體和喻

35、體的關系由of含蓄表達，都是喻體在前，本體在后。39Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship. ( Benjamin Franklin )當心小筆的費用。小漏不堵也會沉大船。以上例子不是用詞或短語而是用句子進行比喻，前一句為本體，后一句為喻。A modern Japanese woman, they say, instead of trying to enrich her inner self, is in a mad scramble to ape anything that is new and forei

36、gn fashions, cosmetics, hairdos, rock-and-roll. ( Peiko Hatsumi: Japanese Women )他們說，現(xiàn)代日本婦女，不是努力豐富自我的精神，而是拼命模仿新的洋的事物時裝，化妝品，發(fā)式，搖擺舞。40A figure of speech in which a thing, quality, or idea is represented as a person. (Websters New World Dictionary) 擬人是將物當作人來描寫的修辭手法，其本質(zhì)上是一種隱喻。擬人大致分四種：以動物擬人、以植物擬人、以無生命的事物

37、擬人以及以抽象概念擬人。 Personification41 1. O, my loves like a red, red rose,Thats newly sprung in June:O, my loves like the melody Thats sweetly played in tune. Robert Burns 啊，我的愛人像一朵紅紅的玫瑰； 六月里迎風初開； 啊，我的愛人像一曲甜蜜的歌； 唱得合拍又柔和。 (王佐良譯）422. Kindness is the golden chain by which the world is bound. (Goethe) 仁愛是聯(lián)結(jié)世界的

38、一條金鏈。433. The rain to the wind said“You push and Ill pelt,”They so smote the garden bedThat the flowers actually kneltAnd lay lodged though not deadI know how the flowers felt. (Robert Frost)雨對風說：“你來狂吹，我來猛落?！彼麄儌z就這樣在花圃上施暴虐于是花兒們便七歪八倒葉殘瓣破最后終于倒下了盡管還奄奄一息活著我知道花兒們此時心中感受如何。44例1是明喻，將愛人比作花朵，比作樂曲；例2是隱喻，將仁愛比作金鏈

39、條，都是靜止的比喻。例3作為擬人格卻活潑得多，風和雨都成了人，變成了冷酷、殘暴、以施虐為樂的人，風和雨狂吹猛落直把花兒摧殘得奄奄一息。45It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion.當狼依然持有不同意見之時，群羊通過的贊成素食主義的決議案也是徒勞無功的。A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on it

40、s shoes. 真理還來不及穿上鞋子，謊言已經(jīng)走遍了半個世界。 這里把lie(謊言)和truth(真理)擬人化了，它們有了腿可以走路，把謊言傳播得比真理要快得多，諷刺得惟妙惟肖。46擬人的方法 (一)無生命的事物擬人化 所謂“無生命”主要是指不具有思想感情活動的人，不是指科學的、嚴格意義的無生命。這種擬人可以賦予無生命的事物以人的思想、感情、行為、聲音、笑貌，使情景交融，充滿抒情味。例如:47Roy: 1 knew I wouldnt sleep so Ive been walking in the garden confiding my good luck to the stars.Myr

41、a: Were they pleased?Roy: Oh, they seemed indifferent. They went on glittering, the little exhibitionists.羅伊:我知道自己睡不著的，所以到花園里散散步，把我的好運向星星們訴說?，斃?星星們高興嗎?羅伊:哦，它們似乎挺冷漠的，不搭理我，繼續(xù)閃爍著光芒，這些愛顯擺的小東西。 48 以上這段對話中的3句話都用到了擬人，把星星當作人來寫。星星是無生命的，說向它訴說好運(confiding my good luck to the stars)，問它是否高興(pleased)，還說它冷漠(indiff

42、erent)，是愛顯擺的小東西(little exhibitionists).49 4) George Bernard Shaw. You never canTell Well. you were an advanced woman.accustomed to defy public opinion, and with noregard for what the world might say of you.” “嗯，你曾是個思想先進的女人，習慣于與公眾意見抗衡，不顧世人對你看法如何?！?Were old-fashioned: the world thinks ithas left us be

43、hind.” “我們是落伍的人了:這個世界認為我們跟不上它的步伐了。50(二)有生命的事物擬人化 這里有生命的事物主要指動物、植物。伊索寓言中的狐貍與葡萄: A thirsty fox saw juicy grapes. They were on a vine which was on a high limb(主枝). The sun had ripened them nicely. Those look great!” said the fox .He jumped and jumped to get them .He missed them each time .Then he said “Forget it! who wants those lousy grapes. They are likely to be sour anyway. 這是一段典型的童話式的寫法，其中的狐貍和太陽都被賦予了人的生