Middlemarch — Page 1

English → Chinese CHAPTER I. Level 9/10

Since I can do no good because a woman,

既然身为女子，我便无能为力，

Reach constantly at something that is near it.

便只能不断伸手触碰那近在咫尺之物。

—_The Maid's Tragedy:_ BEAUMONT AND FLETCHER.

——《少女的悲剧》：博蒙特与弗莱彻。

Miss Brooke had that kind of beauty which seems to be thrown into relief by poor dress.

布鲁克小姐拥有那种因朴素衣着而愈发凸显的美貌。

Her hand and wrist were so finely formed that she could wear sleeves not less bare of style than those in which the Blessed Virgin appeared to Italian painters;

她的手与手腕生得极为精致，所着袖子的简朴程度丝毫不亚于意大利画家笔下圣母所穿的衣袖；

and her profile as well as her stature and bearing seemed to gain the more dignity from her plain garments, which by the side of provincial fashion gave her the impressiveness of a fine quotation from the Bible,—or from one of our elder poets,—in a paragraph of to-day's newspaper.

她的侧颜、身姿与仪态，似乎因那朴素的衣裳而愈显庄重，与当地流行的装束相比，她宛如一段出自《圣经》——或出自某位古典诗人——的精妙引文，出现在一份今日报纸的寻常段落之中。

She was usually spoken of as being remarkably clever, but with the addition that her sister Celia had more common-sense.

人们通常称她才智出众，但同时也会补充一句，说她的妹妹西莉亚更具常识。

Nevertheless, Celia wore scarcely more trimmings; and it was only to close observers that her dress differed from her sister's, and had a shade of coquetry in its arrangements;

然而，西莉亚所添的装饰也几乎不多；只有细心的观察者才能发现她的穿着与姐姐有所不同，衣着搭配间隐隐透出一丝妩媚；

for Miss Brooke's plain dressing was due to mixed conditions, in most of which her sister shared.

因为布鲁克小姐穿着朴素，缘由是多方面的，而其中大多数原因，她的妹妹同样有所体会。

Vocabulary

既然: jìrán — Since; given that a condition is already true.
身为: shēnwéi — Being; in the capacity of a certain role.
女子: nǚzǐ — Woman; female person.
便: biàn — Then; thereupon; consequently.
无能为力: wúnéngwéilì — Powerless; unable to do anything about it.
只能: zhǐnéng — Can only; have no choice but to.
不断: bùduàn — Continuously; without stopping; unceasing.
伸手: shēnshǒu — Reach out one's hand; extend an arm.
触碰: chùpèng — Touch; make contact with something.
近在咫尺: jìnzàizhǐchǐ — Within arm's reach; extremely close by.
之: zhī — Possessive or linking particle; of.
物: wù — Thing; object; matter.
与: yǔ — And; together with; along with.
小姐: xiǎojiě — Miss; young woman; polite female address.
拥有: yōngyǒu — To possess; to have; to own something.
那种: nà zhǒng — That kind of; that type of thing.
因: yīn — Because of; due to; owing to.
朴素: pǔsù — Simple; plain; unadorned in style or dress.
衣着: yīzhuó — Clothing; attire; what one wears.
而: ér — And; yet; thereby; connective particle.
愈发: yùfā — Even more; increasingly; all the more so.
凸显: tūxiǎn — To highlight; to make prominent; stand out.
美貌: měimào — Beautiful appearance; good looks; beauty.
手腕: shǒuwàn — Wrist; the joint between hand and forearm.
生得: shēngde — Born with; naturally endowed with certain features.
极为: jíwéi — Extremely; exceedingly; to a great degree.
精致: jīngzhì — Delicate; exquisite; finely crafted or featured.
袖子: xiùzi — Sleeve; the part of a garment covering the arm.
简朴: jiǎnpǔ — Simple and plain; modest in style or manner.
程度: chéngdù — Degree; extent; level of something.
丝毫: sīháo — The slightest bit; in the least; at all.
不亚于: bù yà yú — No less than; not inferior to; equal to.
画家: huàjiā — Painter; artist who creates visual artwork.
笔下: bǐxià — Under one's brush; as depicted by an artist.
圣母: shèngmǔ — Virgin Mary; holy mother in Christian iconography.
衣袖: yīxiù — Sleeve; the sleeve portion of a garment.
侧颜: cèyán — Profile; the side view of a face.
身姿: shēnzī — Posture; figure; the way one holds one's body.
仪态: yítài — Bearing; graceful manner; dignified deportment.
似乎: sìhū — Seemingly; it seems; as if; apparently.
衣裳: yīshang — Clothes; garments; clothing in general.
愈显: yù xiǎn — Increasingly apparent; more and more evident.
庄重: zhuāngzhòng — Dignified; solemn; serious in manner or appearance.
当地: dāngdì — Local; of the particular place being discussed.
流行: liúxíng — Popular; fashionable; currently trending.
装束: zhuāngshù — Outfit; attire; the way one is dressed.
相比: xiāngbǐ — In comparison; compared with; by contrast.
宛如: wǎnrú — Just like; as if; resembling closely.
一段: yī duàn — A passage; a section; a segment of text.
出自: chūzì — Originating from; coming from a source.
圣经: Shèngjīng — The Bible; the Christian holy scripture.
或: huò — Or; either; alternatively.
某位: mǒu wèi — A certain; some particular person (unspecified).
古典: gǔdiǎn — Classical; relating to ancient or traditional works.
诗人: shīrén — Poet; a person who writes poetry.
精妙: jīngmiào — Exquisite; ingenious; brilliantly crafted expression.
引文: yǐnwén — Quotation; cited passage from a text.
出现: chūxiàn — To appear; to emerge; to show up.
一份: yī fèn — A copy of; one portion of a publication.
今日: jīnrì — Today; the current day; this day.
报纸: bàozhǐ — Newspaper; a printed daily publication.
寻常: xúncháng — Ordinary; common; nothing out of the ordinary.
段落: duànluò — Paragraph; a section or passage of text.
之中: zhīzhōng — Within; among; in the middle of something.
人们: rénmen — People; folks; human beings in general.
通常: tōngcháng — Usually; normally; under ordinary circumstances.
称: chēng — To call; to refer to; to address as.
才智: cáizhì — Talent and wisdom; intellectual ability and cleverness.
出众: chūzhòng — Outstanding; exceptional; standing out from others.
但: dàn — But; however; yet; introducing a contrast.
同时: tóngshí — At the same time; simultaneously; meanwhile.
补充: bǔchōng — To supplement; to add; to make an additional remark.
一句: yī jù — One sentence; a single utterance or remark.
妹妹: mèimei — Younger sister; one's junior female sibling.
更具: gèng jù — More possessed of; having greater amounts of.
常识: chángshí — Common sense; basic everyday knowledge.
然而: rán'ér — However; nevertheless; yet; but on the other hand.
装饰: zhuāngshì — Decoration; ornament; to adorn something.
几乎: jīhū — Almost; nearly; hardly; scarcely.
只有: zhǐyǒu — Only; it is only when; none but.
细心: xìxīn — Careful; attentive; meticulous; paying close attention.
观察者: guānchá zhě — Observer; one who watches and notices carefully.
才能: cáinéng — Only then can; talent and ability.
发现: fāxiàn — To discover; to find; to notice something.
穿着: chuānzhuó — Dress; attire; the manner of wearing clothes.
姐姐: jiějie — Older sister; one's senior female sibling.
有所不同: yǒusuǒ bùtóng — Somewhat different; not entirely the same.
搭配: dāpèi — Combination; to match; to coordinate items together.
间: jiān — Among; between; within a space or context.
隐隐: yǐnyǐn — Faintly; vaguely; barely perceptible.
透出: tòuchū — To reveal; to show through; to emanate subtly.
一丝: yī sī — A trace; a hint; a tiny bit of something.
妩媚: wǔmèi — Charming; coquettish; alluringly attractive and graceful.
因为: yīnwèi — Because; for the reason that.
缘由: yuányóu — Reason; cause; the origin of something.
多方面: duō fāngmiàn — Many aspects; multiple dimensions or facets.
其中: qízhōng — Among which; in which; within them.
大多数: dàduōshù — The majority; most of; the greater part.
原因: yuányīn — Reason; cause; the why behind something.
同样: tóngyàng — Likewise; similarly; in the same way.
有所: yǒusuǒ — To some extent; somewhat; having some degree of.
体会: tǐhuì — To understand through experience; to appreciate; to feel.

← Previous Next →

Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.

Create free account →