Great Expectations — Page 6
It was as if I had to make up my mind to leap from the top of a high house, or plunge into a great depth of water.
这就好像我必须下定决心从一座高楼顶端跳下，或者跳入深不见底的水中。
And it was made the more difficult by the unconscious Joe.
而浑然不觉的乔更让这件事难上加难。
In our already-mentioned freemasonry as fellow-sufferers, and in his good-natured companionship with me, it was our evening habit to compare the way we bit through our slices, by silently holding them up to each other's admiration now and then,—which stimulated us to new exertions.
在我们之前提到的患难之交的默契中，在他对我善意的陪伴里，我们有个晚间的习惯，时不时默默地把各自的面包片举起来给对方欣赏，比较彼此咬下去的方式——这激励着我们不断努力。
To-night, Joe several times invited me, by the display of his fast diminishing slice, to enter upon our usual friendly competition; but he found me, each time, with my yellow mug of tea on one knee, and my untouched bread and butter on the other.
今晚，乔几次举起他那块迅速缩小的面包片示意我，邀我加入我们寻常的友好竞赛；但他每次都发现我一个膝盖上放着黄色茶杯，另一个膝盖上放着未动的黄油面包。
At last, I desperately considered that the thing I contemplated must be done, and that it had best be done in the least improbable manner consistent with the circumstances.
最终，我拼命地想，我所筹谋的事必须去做，而且最好以符合当下情形、最不显眼的方式去做。
I took advantage of a moment when Joe had just looked at me, and got my bread and butter down my leg.
我趁乔刚刚看过我的一个间隙，把黄油面包塞进了裤腿里。
Joe was evidently made uncomfortable by what he supposed to be my loss of appetite, and took a thoughtful bite out of his slice, which he didn't seem to enjoy.
乔显然被他以为是我食欲不振的情形弄得心神不宁，若有所思地咬了一口自己的面包片，却似乎并不觉得好吃。
He turned it about in his mouth much longer than usual, pondering over it a good deal, and after all gulped it down like a pill.
他在嘴里咀嚼的时间比平时长了许多，反复思量着，最终还是像吞药片一样把它咽了下去。
Vocabulary
- 这
- zhè — This; used to indicate something nearby
- 就
- jiù — Just, then, exactly; indicates immediacy or emphasis
- 好像
- hǎo xiàng — Seems like, as if, resembles
- 我
- wǒ — I, me; first-person singular pronoun
- 必须
- bì xū — Must, have to; expresses obligation or necessity
- 下定
- xià dìng — To firmly make up one's mind
- 决心
- jué xīn — Determination, resolution, firm decision
- 从
- cóng — From; indicates starting point of action
- 一座
- yī zuò — One (building/mountain); measure word for structures
- 高楼
- gāo lóu — Tall building, skyscraper, high-rise
- 顶端
- dǐng duān — Top, apex, highest point of something
- 跳下
- tiào xià — To jump down from a height
- 或者
- huò zhě — Or, either...or; presents alternatives
- 跳入
- tiào rù — To jump into something
- 深不见底
- shēn bù jiàn dǐ — So deep the bottom cannot be seen
- 的
- de — Structural particle indicating possession or modification
- 水中
- shuǐ zhōng — In the water, within water
- 而
- ér — And yet, but, while; conjunction showing contrast
- 浑然不觉
- hún rán bù jué — Completely unaware, totally oblivious to something
- 更
- gèng — Even more, still more; comparative intensifier
- 让
- ràng — To let, allow, cause; makes someone do something
- 这件事
- zhè jiàn shì — This matter, this thing, this affair
- 难上加难
- nán shàng jiā nán — Harder and harder; extremely difficult situation
- 在
- zài — At, in, on; indicates location or ongoing action
- 我们
- wǒ men — We, us; first-person plural pronoun
- 之前
- zhī qián — Before, prior to, previously
- 提到
- tí dào — To mention, bring up, refer to
- 患难之交
- huàn nàn zhī jiāo — Friend forged through hardship and adversity
- 默契
- mò qì — Tacit understanding, unspoken mutual agreement
- 中
- zhōng — In, within, among, middle
- 他
- tā — He, him; third-person masculine pronoun
- 对
- duì — Toward, regarding; indicates direction of action
- 善意
- shàn yì — Goodwill, good intention, benevolence
- 陪伴
- péi bàn — To accompany, keep company, companionship
- 里
- lǐ — Inside, within; indicates interior location
- 有个
- yǒu gè — There is a; indicates existence of something
- 晚间
- wǎn jiān — Evening time, nighttime hours
- 习惯
- xí guàn — Habit, custom; to be accustomed to
- 时不时
- shí bù shí — From time to time, occasionally, now and then
- 默默地
- mò mò de — Silently, quietly, without saying anything
- 把
- bǎ — Grammatical particle indicating disposal of object
- 各自
- gè zì — Each one's own, respective, individually
- 面包片
- miàn bāo piàn — Slice of bread, a piece of bread
- 举起来
- jǔ qǐ lái — To lift up, raise up into the air
- 给
- gěi — To give, for; indicates recipient of action
- 对方
- duì fāng — The other party, the other person
- 欣赏
- xīn shǎng — To appreciate, admire, enjoy aesthetically
- 比较
- bǐ jiào — To compare; relatively, comparatively
- 彼此
- bǐ cǐ — Each other, one another, mutually
- 咬
- yǎo — To bite, to take a bite of
- 下去
- xià qù — To go down; continue doing something
- 方式
- fāng shì — Way, method, manner of doing things
- 激励
- jī lì — To encourage, motivate, inspire someone
- 着
- zhe — Aspect particle indicating ongoing or continuous state
- 不断
- bù duàn — Continuously, unceasingly, without stopping
- 努力
- nǔ lì — To work hard, strive, make an effort
- 今晚
- jīn wǎn — Tonight, this evening
- 几次
- jǐ cì — Several times, a few times
- 举起
- jǔ qǐ — To lift, raise, hold up
- 那块
- nà kuài — That piece, that chunk of something
- 迅速
- xùn sù — Rapid, swift, quick in action
- 缩小
- suō xiǎo — To shrink, reduce, get smaller
- 示意
- shì yì — To signal, gesture, hint to someone
- 邀
- yāo — To invite, beckon someone to join
- 加入
- jiā rù — To join, participate in, take part
- 寻常
- xún cháng — Ordinary, usual, common, routine
- 友好
- yǒu hǎo — Friendly, amicable, goodwill between people
- 竞赛
- jìng sài — Competition, contest, race between participants
- 但
- dàn — But, however; introduces contrasting clause
- 每次
- měi cì — Every time, each time, whenever
- 都
- dōu — All, both, every time; indicates universality
- 发现
- fā xiàn — To discover, find, notice something
- 一个
- yī gè — One; general measure word for people or things
- 膝盖
- xī gài — Knee, kneecap
- 上
- shàng — On top of, above, upper surface
- 放着
- fàng zhe — Is placed there, sitting there, resting on
- 黄色
- huáng sè — Yellow color
- 茶杯
- chá bēi — Teacup, cup used for drinking tea
- 另一个
- lìng yī gè — Another one, the other one
- 未动
- wèi dòng — Untouched, not moved, left as is
- 黄油
- huáng yóu — Butter
- 面包
- miàn bāo — Bread
- 最终
- zuì zhōng — Finally, ultimately, in the end
- 拼命
- pīn mìng — With all one's might, desperately, frantically
- 地
- de — Adverbial particle linking adverb to verb
- 想
- xiǎng — To think, want, consider, plan
- 所
- suǒ — Particle used with verbs to nominalize actions
- 筹谋
- chóu móu — To scheme, plan, deliberate a course of action
- 事
- shì — Matter, affair, thing, task
- 去做
- qù zuò — To go do, to carry out an action
- 而且
- ér qiě — Moreover, furthermore, in addition
- 最好
- zuì hǎo — Best, preferably, ideally
- 以
- yǐ — So as to, in order to; indicates purpose
- 符合
- fú hé — To conform to, fit, be in accordance with
- 当下
- dāng xià — Right now, at this moment, the present
- 情形
- qíng xíng — Situation, circumstances, state of affairs
- 最不
- zuì bù — Least, the most un-; indicates minimum degree
- 显眼
- xiǎn yǎn — Conspicuous, noticeable, eye-catching
- 趁
- chèn — To take advantage of, seize an opportunity
- 刚刚
- gāng gāng — Just now, a moment ago, just recently
- 看过
- kàn guò — Have looked at, finished watching or reading
- 间隙
- jiàn xì — Gap, interval, brief moment between things
- 塞进
- sāi jìn — To stuff into, cram inside, push in
- 了
- le — Particle indicating completed action or change
- 裤腿
- kù tuǐ — Trouser leg, pant leg
- 显然
- xiǎn rán — Obviously, clearly, evidently
- 被
- bèi — Passive marker; indicates subject receives action
- 以为
- yǐ wéi — To mistakenly think, assume wrongly, believe
- 是
- shì — Is, are, am; verb to be in Chinese
- 食欲不振
- shí yù bù zhèn — Poor appetite, lack of desire to eat
- 弄得
- nòng de — To cause, result in, make someone feel
- 心神不宁
- xīn shén bù níng — Restless, uneasy, mentally unsettled and troubled
- 若有所思
- ruò yǒu suǒ sī — Pensive, lost in thought, appearing contemplative
- 咬了
- yǎo le — Took a bite, bit into something
- 一口
- yī kǒu — One bite, one mouthful
- 自己
- zì jǐ — Oneself, self, one's own
- 却
- què — But, yet, however; indicates unexpected contrast
- 似乎
- sì hū — Seems, appears, it seems as though
- 并不
- bìng bù — Not at all, not really, emphatically not
- 觉得
- jué de — To feel, think, find something to be
- 好吃
- hǎo chī — Delicious, tasty, good to eat
- 嘴里
- zuǐ lǐ — Inside the mouth, in one's mouth
- 咀嚼
- jǔ jué — To chew, masticate food in the mouth
- 时间
- shí jiān — Time, period, duration
- 比
- bǐ — Compared to, than; used in comparisons
- 平时
- píng shí — Normally, usually, at ordinary times
- 长了
- cháng le — Has grown longer, became longer than before
- 许多
- xǔ duō — Many, much, a great deal of
- 反复
- fǎn fù — Repeatedly, over and over again
- 思量
- sī liang — To ponder, deliberate, think over carefully
- 还是
- hái shì — Still, or; in the end decided to
- 像
- xiàng — Like, similar to, resembling something
- 吞
- tūn — To swallow, gulp down without chewing
- 药片
- yào piàn — Pill, tablet of medicine
- 一样
- yī yàng — The same, alike, just like something
- 它
- tā — It; third-person pronoun for objects/animals
- 咽了
- yàn le — Swallowed it, gulped it down
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →