Sense and Sensibility — Page 5
"Certainly not; but if you observe, people always live for ever when there is an annuity to be paid them; and she is very stout and healthy, and hardly forty.
「当然不会；但你若留意，凡是领取年金的人，总是长命百岁；而且她身体强健，年纪不过四十。
An annuity is a very serious business; it comes over and over every year, and there is no getting rid of it.
年金是一件非常麻烦的事；它年年都要来，根本无从摆脱。
You are not aware of what you are doing.
你根本不知道自己在做什么。
I have known a great deal of the trouble of annuities; for my mother was clogged with the payment of three to old superannuated servants by my father's will, and it is amazing how disagreeable she found it.
我深知年金的诸多烦恼；因为我父亲的遗嘱规定，我母亲须向三位年迈退休的仆人支付年金，她觉得此事令人厌烦之极，真是难以置信。
Twice every year these annuities were to be paid; and then there was the trouble of getting it to them; and then one of them was said to have died, and afterwards it turned out to be no such thing.
每年须两次支付这些年金；还要费心将钱送到他们手中；后来又有人说其中一位已经去世，结果却查无此事。
My mother was quite sick of it.
我母亲对此深感厌倦。
Her income was not her own, she said, with such perpetual claims on it; and it was the more unkind in my father, because, otherwise, the money would have been entirely at my mother's disposal, without any restriction whatever.
她说，收入总是受到这种无休止的索取，根本不像是自己的；而我父亲此举尤为无情，因为若非如此，那笔钱本可完全由我母亲自由支配，毫无任何限制。
It has given me such an abhorrence of annuities, that I am sure I would not pin myself down to the payment of one for all the world."
这使我对年金深恶痛绝，我可以肯定，无论如何我都绝不会让自己背上支付年金的负担。」
"It is certainly an unpleasant thing," replied Mr. Dashwood, "to have those kind of yearly drains on one's income.
「这的确是件令人不快的事，」达什伍德先生回答道，「收入总是受到这种年年不断的侵蚀。
One's fortune, as your mother justly says, is _not_ one's own.
正如令堂所言，一个人的财产根本不是自己的。
Vocabulary
- 当然
- dāngrán — Of course; naturally; as a matter of course
- 不会
- bù huì — Will not; unlikely to happen or occur
- 但
- dàn — But; however; yet; introduces a contrast
- 你
- nǐ — You; second person singular pronoun
- 若
- ruò — If; supposing; in the event that
- 留意
- liúyì — Pay attention; take note; be mindful of
- 凡是
- fánshì — Every; all; any; without exception
- 领取
- lǐngqǔ — Receive; collect; draw a payment or benefit
- 年金
- niánjīn — Annuity; annual pension payment received regularly
- 的
- de — Structural particle indicating possession or modification
- 人
- rén — Person; people; human being
- 总是
- zǒngshì — Always; invariably; at all times
- 长命百岁
- chángmìng bǎisuì — Live to a hundred; wish for a long life
- 而且
- érqiě — Moreover; furthermore; in addition to that
- 她
- tā — She; her; third person singular feminine pronoun
- 身体
- shēntǐ — Body; physical health; one's physical condition
- 强健
- qiángjiàn — Robust; strong and healthy; physically vigorous
- 年纪
- niánjì — Age; years old; one's age in life
- 不过
- búguò — Only; merely; however; no more than
- 四十
- sìshí — Forty; the number forty
- 是
- shì — Is; am; are; to be
- 一件
- yī jiàn — One item; one matter; a single thing
- 非常
- fēicháng — Very; extremely; exceptionally; unusually
- 麻烦
- máfan — Troublesome; annoying; a bother or nuisance
- 事
- shì — Matter; affair; thing; event
- 它
- tā — It; third person singular pronoun for objects
- 年年
- niánnián — Every year; year after year; annually
- 都要
- dōu yào — All must; always need to; invariably required
- 来
- lái — Come; arrive; occur; takes place
- 根本
- gēnběn — Fundamentally; at all; simply; basically
- 无从
- wúcóng — Have no way to; unable to; no means of
- 摆脱
- bǎituō — Escape from; get rid of; free oneself from
- 不知道
- bù zhīdào — Do not know; unaware; have no idea
- 自己
- zìjǐ — Oneself; self; one's own
- 在
- zài — At; in; on; currently doing something
- 做
- zuò — Do; make; perform; carry out an action
- 什么
- shénme — What; whatever; anything
- 我
- wǒ — I; me; first person singular pronoun
- 深知
- shēnzhī — Know deeply; be fully aware; understand thoroughly
- 诸多
- zhūduō — Many; numerous; a great deal of troubles
- 烦恼
- fánnǎo — Worry; vexation; annoyance; troubled feelings
- 因为
- yīnwèi — Because; due to; on account of
- 父亲
- fùqīn — Father; one's male parent
- 遗嘱
- yízhǔ — Will; testament; last wishes left in writing
- 规定
- guīdìng — Stipulate; specify; rule; regulation
- 母亲
- mǔqīn — Mother; one's female parent
- 须
- xū — Must; have to; required to do something
- 向
- xiàng — Toward; to; in the direction of
- 三位
- sān wèi — Three people; three persons (polite counter)
- 年迈
- niánmài — Aged; elderly; advanced in years
- 退休
- tuìxiū — Retire; stop working due to age
- 仆人
- púrén — Servant; domestic worker; household staff member
- 支付
- zhīfù — Pay; make a payment; disburse money
- 觉得
- juéde — Feel; think; have a feeling or opinion
- 此事
- cǐ shì — This matter; this affair; this particular thing
- 令人
- lìng rén — Make people feel; cause one to feel
- 厌烦
- yànfán — Irritating; tiresome; feeling fed up or annoyed
- 之极
- zhī jí — To the extreme; extremely; in the utmost degree
- 真是
- zhēnshì — Truly; really; it really is the case
- 难以置信
- nányǐ zhìxìn — Hard to believe; incredible; beyond belief
- 每年
- měinián — Every year; each year; annually
- 两次
- liǎng cì — Twice; two times; occurring two times
- 这些
- zhèxiē — These; these ones; referring to nearby items
- 还要
- hái yào — Still need to; also must; additionally required
- 费心
- fèixīn — Take the trouble; expend mental effort
- 将
- jiāng — Will; take; bring; used before a verb
- 钱
- qián — Money; currency; cash
- 送到
- sòng dào — Deliver to; send to a destination
- 他们
- tāmen — They; them; third person plural pronoun
- 手中
- shǒu zhōng — In one's hands; in someone's possession
- 后来
- hòulái — Later; afterwards; subsequently in time
- 又
- yòu — Again; also; moreover; once more
- 有人
- yǒu rén — Someone; there is a person; somebody
- 说
- shuō — Say; speak; talk; tell
- 其中
- qízhōng — Among them; within it; one of them
- 一位
- yī wèi — One person; a single individual (polite)
- 已经
- yǐjīng — Already; by now; has already happened
- 去世
- qùshì — Pass away; die; used for human death
- 结果
- jiéguǒ — Result; outcome; but it turned out that
- 却
- què — But; yet; however; unexpectedly contradicts prior
- 查无此事
- chá wú cǐ shì — Investigation found no such thing; unsubstantiated claim
- 对此
- duì cǐ — Regarding this; about this matter; as to this
- 深感
- shēngǎn — Deeply feel; profoundly sense; strongly feel
- 厌倦
- yànjuàn — Weary of; tired of; bored with something
- 收入
- shōurù — Income; revenue; earnings; money coming in
- 受到
- shòu dào — Receive; be subjected to; experience something
- 这种
- zhè zhǒng — This kind of; this type of; such
- 无休止
- wú xiūzhǐ — Endless; ceaseless; without stopping or pause
- 索取
- suǒqǔ — Demand; exact; claim something from someone
- 不像是
- bù xiàng shì — Does not seem like; unlike; not resembling
- 而
- ér — And; yet; but; furthermore; connecting clauses
- 此举
- cǐ jǔ — This action; this move; this particular act
- 尤为
- yóuwéi — Especially; particularly; even more so
- 无情
- wúqíng — Ruthless; heartless; without mercy or feeling
- 若非如此
- ruò fēi rúcǐ — If it were not so; were it not for this
- 那笔
- nà bǐ — That sum of money; that particular amount
- 本可
- běn kě — Could originally; would have been able to
- 完全
- wánquán — Completely; entirely; fully; totally
- 由
- yóu — By; from; through; via; controlled by
- 自由
- zìyóu — Freedom; liberty; free; unrestricted
- 支配
- zhīpèi — Dispose of; control; allocate; have power over
- 毫无
- háowú — Without any; completely lacking; not the slightest
- 任何
- rènhé — Any; whatever; whichever; of any kind
- 限制
- xiànzhì — Restriction; limitation; constraint; to restrict
- 这
- zhè — This; these; referring to something nearby
- 使
- shǐ — Cause; make; enable; have someone do something
- 对
- duì — Toward; regarding; correct; facing
- 深恶痛绝
- shēn wù tòng jué — Utterly detest; loathe with extreme hatred
- 可以
- kěyǐ — Can; may; be able to; permissible
- 肯定
- kěndìng — Certainly; definitely; affirm; be sure of
- 无论如何
- wúlùn rúhé — No matter what; in any case; regardless
- 都
- dōu — All; both; already; in every case
- 绝不会
- jué bù huì — Absolutely will not; never ever; no way
- 让
- ràng — Let; allow; cause; make someone do something
- 背上
- bēi shàng — Take on; bear upon one's back; shoulder burden
- 负担
- fùdān — Burden; load; financial or emotional obligation
- 的确
- díquè — Indeed; certainly; truly; it is certain
- 件
- jiàn — Item; matter; classifier for things and affairs
- 不快
- bùkuài — Unpleasant; unhappy; disagreeable; displeasing
- 先生
- xiānsheng — Mister; sir; gentleman; respectful address for men
- 回答
- huídá — Answer; reply; respond to a question
- 道
- dào — Say; speak; used after a verb of speaking
- 不断
- bùduàn — Continuously; constantly; without interruption
- 侵蚀
- qīnshí — Erode; corrode; gradually wear away or undermine
- 正如
- zhèngrú — Just as; exactly as; as stated by
- 令堂
- lìngtáng — Your mother; respectful reference to another's mother
- 所言
- suǒ yán — What was said; as mentioned; as stated
- 一个人
- yī gè rén — A person; one person; someone alone
- 财产
- cáichǎn — Property; assets; wealth; financial possessions
- 不是
- bù shì — Is not; are not; no; negation of to be
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