潇潇语言实验室 No. 27-赤裸裸的真理

我是潇潇UID: 39546

潇潇语言实验室 No. 27

The naked truth -赤裸裸的真理

为什么人们把"真理"称为"赤裸的真理"呢？ 原来背后还有一个寓言故事。

从前"真理"和"虚假"一起去游泳，"虚假"先出水穿了"真理"的衣服。清高的"真理"拒绝穿"虚假"的冒牌名牌衣服，很有骨气地光着身子走了。

Naked Truth -赤裸的真理

The fable （寓言） says that Truth and Falsehood went swimming; Falsehood came first out of the water, and dressed herself in Truth's garments. （衣服） Truth, unwilling to take those of Falsehood, went naked.

呵呵，"真理"和"虚假"肯定是去了 nude beach（裸泳沙滩）游泳，真前卫！

A nude model -裸体模特

A nude picture－裸照

nude scenes in a film－电影里的裸露镜头

a nude：a painting, statue etc of someone not wearing clothes －人体画；裸体雕像

naked eyes－肉眼

提起"赤裸的真理"，很自然想到钱钟书先生(Mr. Money Bell Book:) 的《围城》的鲍小姐(Ms. Abalone).

钱钟书写道，"因为真理是赤裸的，又因鲍小姐未完全暴露，也称为"局部真理" (partial truth)。 鲍小姐没有把赤裸进行到底喔。 不过我个人认为(Personally, I think), "partial truth" 比 "whole truth" 更加引人遐想。"

"Partial truth" leaves more room for imagination.

在文学史上把赤裸进行得最彻底的应该是安徒生（Hans Christian Andersen）童话
The Emperor's New Suit中臭美的皇帝，他光着身子全城跑，我都替他尴尬(embarrassed).

他光着身子- He's in the nude/He's in his birthday suit. 为什穿着birthday suit是没有穿衣服的意思呢，那是因为我们是光着身子诞生的。

"She's topless"不是她没有头的意思，而是她指她上身裸露，衣服穿得不多。

衣服穿得够多叫"decent"

Decent: wearing enough clothes so that you do not show too much of your body - used humorously.
Shawshank Redemption（my favorite movie）里面的男主角在监狱里看一部电影，电影里一个男人闯进一个女人的化妆间时问了一句话，"Are you decent?" 全场哗声一片。

再说那个傻瓜皇帝光着身子跑了一天，什么好处也没有捞到。但是一个英国伯爵(earl)夫人光着身子跑一圈既干了好事又惩罚了有偷窥癖好的Tom。

传说（Legend has it that）,13世纪英国有一位伯爵夫人为了说服丈夫减免苛捐杂税答应她的丈夫光着身子骑马在全城走一圈，全城的人必须关上门窗不准偷看.偏偏有一个好色的汤姆从窗户里偷看，结果给打瞎了。自从那以后（From then on）,人们就把有偷窥癖好的男人称为 Peeping Tom. 叫Tom的男生快的改名喔！

你说这伯爵夫妇是干什么啊。又要光着身子到处跑，又要不准别人看。直接把税免了不就行了么。

英国大诗人济慈(John Keats)的《咏希腊瓮》（Ode on a Grecian Urn）有一句关于truth的话：
    "Beauty is truth, truth beauty,--that is all
        Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."

记下来可以显示自己有文化喔！  ^__^

下面是一些关于truth的短语：

in truth: in fact: 事实上

to tell (you) the truth: to be frank/frankly/honestly －老实说

当你要强调自己说的是真话时可以说 "God's (honest) truth" - the absolute truth.
e.g. God's  truth, I didn't do that.

美国是一个基督教国家，美元上都印着 "In God we trust."

在法庭上作证的证人（witness）在作证前通常把手放在圣经(the Bible)上，发誓自己的证词是真话。 -- "I swear by Almighty God that the evidence I give shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

下面是一个关于这个oath的笑话：

The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth
CLERK:    Please repeat after me: "I swear by Almighty God . . ."
WITNESS:  "I swear by Almighty God."
CLERK:    "That the evidence that I give..."
WITNESS:  That's right.
CLERK:    Repeat it.
WITNESS:  "Repeat it."
CLERK:    No!  Repeat what I said.
WITNESS:  What you said when?
CLERK:    "That the evidence that I give..."
WITNESS:  "That the evidence that I give."
CLERK:    "Shall be the truth and . . ."
WITNESS:  It will, and nothing but the truth!
CLERK:    Please, just repeat after me: "Shall be the truth and . . ."
WITNESS:  I'm not a scholar, you know.
CLERK:    We can appreciate that.  Just repeat after me: "Shall be the
          truth and . . ."
WITNESS:  "Shall be the truth and."
CLERK:    Say: "Nothing...".
WITNESS:  Okay.   (Witness remains silent.)
CLERK:    No!  Don't say nothing.  Say: "Nothing but the truth . . ."
WITNESS:  Yes.
CLERK:    Can't you say: "Nothing but the truth . . ."?
WITNESS:  Yes.
CLERK:    Well?  Do so.
WITNESS:  You're confusing me.
CLERK:    Just say: "Nothing but the truth . . ."
WITNESS:  Is that all?
CLERK:    Yes.
WITNESS:  Okay.  I understand.
CLERK:    Then say it.
WITNESS:  What?
CLERK:    "Nothing but the truth . . ."
WITNESS:  But I do!  That's just it.
CLERK:    You must say: "Nothing but the truth . . ."
WITNESS:  I WILL say nothing but the truth!
CLERK:    Please, just repeat these four words:  "Nothing", "But",  "The",
          "Truth".
WITNESS:  What?  You mean, like, now?
CLERK:    Yes!  Now.  Please.  Just say those four words.
WITNESS:  "Nothing.  But.  The.  Truth."
CLERK:    Thank you.
WITNESS:  I'm just not a scholar.

dearkevinUID: 153672

That's funny, Thank you.

brucecaiUID: 153972

Truth is truth, I don't care nude or not nude.
If I say something truth, I am not nude; if you say something not true, please don't be nude, because I believe it's a truth.

likunlikunUID: 2619083

Mr. Money  Bell Book?
lz真的是这样翻译还是纯粹是搞笑？