The Adventures of Roderick Random — Page 5

English → Chinese Preface Level 8/10

I have attempted to represent modest merit struggling with every difficulty to which a friendless orphan is exposed, from his own want of experience, as well as from the selfishness, envy, malice, and base indifference of mankind.

我试图描绘一个无依无靠的孤儿，以其微薄的才德，挣扎于重重困境之中——这些困境既源于他自身经验的匮乏，也源于人类的自私、嫉妒、恶意与冷漠无情。

To secure a favourable prepossession, I have allowed him the advantages of birth and education, which in the series of his misfortunes will, I hope, engage the ingenuous more warmly in his behalf;

为使读者对他产生良好的先入之见，我赋予了他出身与教育上的优势，希望这些优势在他一系列的不幸遭遇中，能使心地纯良的读者更热切地为他着想；

and though I foresee, that some people will be offended at the mean scenes in which he is involved, I persuade myself that the judicious will not only perceive the necessity of describing those situations to which he must of course be confined, in his low estate, but also find entertainment in viewing those parts of life, where the humours and passions are undisguised by affectation, ceremony, or education; and the whimsical peculiarities of disposition appear as nature has implanted them.

尽管我预见到有些人会对他所身处的卑微场景感到不快，但我相信明智的读者不仅能理解描写他在卑贱处境中所必然受限之境遇的必要性，也能从中发现乐趣——在生活的这些层面里，情感与欲念不受矫揉造作、礼仪规范或教育修养的掩饰，性情上种种奇特的癖好，也如自然赋予的那般真实呈现。

But I believe I need not trouble myself in vindicating a practice authorized by the best writers in this way, some of whom I have already named.

但我想我无需费心为这种写法进行辩护，因为它已得到此道最优秀作家的认可，其中一些人我已在前文提及。

Every intelligent reader will, at first sight, perceive I have not deviated from nature in the facts, which are all true in the main, although the circumstances are altered and disguised, to avoid personal satire.

每一位明智的读者一眼便能看出，我在事实上并未背离自然，这些事实大体上皆属真实，只是具体情节经过了改动与掩饰，以避免针对特定个人的讽刺。

Vocabulary

我: wǒ — I, me; first-person singular pronoun
试图: shì tú — To attempt or try to do something
描绘: miáo huì — To depict, portray, or describe vividly
一个: yī gè — One; a single (general measure word)
无依无靠: wú yī wú kào — Helpless, having no one to rely on
的: de — Structural particle indicating possession or modification
孤儿: gū ér — Orphan; a child without parents
以: yǐ — With, by means of; using a particular method
其: qí — His, her, its, their; third-person possessive pronoun
微薄: wēi bó — Meager, scanty, modest in amount or quality
才德: cái dé — Talent and virtue combined; personal merit
挣扎: zhēng zhá — To struggle, strive hard against difficulty
于: yú — In, at, from; classical preposition of location
重重: chóng chóng — Layers upon layers; numerous and overlapping
困境: kùn jìng — Difficult situation, predicament, or dilemma
之中: zhī zhōng — In the midst of; within (literary expression)
这些: zhè xiē — These; referring to previously mentioned items
既: jì — Both...and; already (used in paired constructions)
源于: yuán yú — To originate from, stem from a source
他: tā — He, him; third-person masculine pronoun
自身: zì shēn — Oneself, one's own self or nature
经验: jīng yàn — Experience; knowledge gained through practice
匮乏: kuì fá — Lacking, deficient, scarce in supply
也: yě — Also, too; additionally (conjunctive adverb)
人类: rén lèi — Humanity, humankind, the human race
自私: zì sī — Selfish; concerned only with oneself
嫉妒: jí dù — Jealousy, envy toward another's advantages
恶意: è yì — Malice, ill will, bad intentions toward others
与: yǔ — And, with; connecting nouns or clauses
冷漠: lěng mò — Indifferent, cold, emotionally detached toward others
无情: wú qíng — Merciless, heartless, without compassion or feeling
为: wèi — For the purpose of; in order to achieve
使: shǐ — To cause, make, enable someone to do something
读者: dú zhě — Reader; a person who reads a text
对: duì — Toward, regarding; directed at someone or something
产生: chǎn shēng — To produce, generate, or give rise to
良好: liáng hǎo — Good, favorable, positive in quality or condition
先入之见: xiān rù zhī jiàn — Preconceived notion; bias formed before examination
赋予: fù yǔ — To bestow, grant, or endow with something
了: le — Grammatical particle indicating completion of action
出身: chū shēn — Background, origin, family or social status
教育: jiào yù — Education; the process of teaching and learning
上: shàng — Above, on; in the domain or aspect of
优势: yōu shì — Advantage, superiority over others in some area
希望: xī wàng — Hope, wish; to desire a positive outcome
在: zài — In, at, during; indicating location or time
一系列: yī xì liè — A series of; a sequence of related events
不幸: bù xìng — Misfortune, bad luck; unfortunate circumstances
遭遇: zāo yù — To encounter adversity; an unfortunate experience
中: zhōng — In, within, among; inside a scope or range
能: néng — Can, able to; having the ability or capacity
心地: xīn dì — Nature of one's heart; inner moral character
纯良: chún liáng — Pure and good-natured; honest and kindhearted
更: gèng — Even more, still more; to a greater degree
热切: rè qiē — Earnestly, eagerly, with warm enthusiasm
地: de — Adverbial particle linking adjective to following verb
着想: zhuó xiǎng — To consider others' interests; think on behalf of
尽管: jǐn guǎn — Although, even though; despite certain conditions
预见: yù jiàn — To foresee, anticipate future events or reactions
到: dào — To arrive at; resultative complement indicating achievement
有些: yǒu xiē — Some; a certain number or portion of people
人: rén — Person, people; human being in general
会: huì — Will, would; indicating likelihood or ability
所: suǒ — Particle before verb creating noun phrase (that which)
身处: shēn chǔ — To be situated in, find oneself in a place
卑微: bēi wēi — Humble, lowly, of low social status
场景: chǎng jǐng — Scene, setting; a particular situational backdrop
感到: gǎn dào — To feel, sense, experience an emotion or sensation
不快: bù kuài — Displeasure, discomfort; feeling unhappy or uneasy
但: dàn — But, however; introducing a contrasting statement
相信: xiāng xìn — To believe, trust; have confidence in something
明智: míng zhì — Wise, sensible, showing good judgment
不仅: bù jǐn — Not only; used to introduce additional point
理解: lǐ jiě — To understand, comprehend; grasp the meaning of
描写: miáo xiě — To describe, depict in writing with detail
卑贱: bēi jiàn — Base, lowly, of degraded social position
处境: chǔ jìng — One's situation or circumstances at a given time
必然: bì rán — Inevitable, necessarily so; certain to occur
受限: shòu xiàn — To be restricted, constrained, or limited by something
之: zhī — Classical possessive or linking particle (literary of)
境遇: jìng yù — One's lot or circumstances in life
必要性: bì yào xìng — Necessity; the quality of being necessary or essential
从中: cóng zhōng — From within; in the process of something
发现: fā xiàn — To discover, find, or realize something new
乐趣: lè qù — Pleasure, delight, fun derived from activity
生活: shēng huó — Life, daily living; everyday existence and activities
层面: céng miàn — Level, dimension, or aspect of something
里: lǐ — Inside, within; indicating interior location
情感: qíng gǎn — Emotion, feeling, affective sentiment
欲念: yù niàn — Desire, craving, or emotional impulse
不受: bù shòu — Not subject to; free from external influence
矫揉造作: jiǎo róu zào zuò — Affected, artificial, overly pretentious in manner
礼仪: lǐ yí — Etiquette, ceremony, formal rules of conduct
规范: guī fàn — Standard, norm, established rule or convention
或: huò — Or; indicating an alternative possibility
修养: xiū yǎng — Cultivation, refinement, personal culture and grace
掩饰: yǎn shì — To conceal, cover up, or disguise something
性情: xìng qíng — Temperament, disposition, natural character traits
种种: zhǒng zhǒng — Various kinds, all sorts of different things
奇特: qí tè — Strange, peculiar, unusual in an interesting way
癖好: pǐ hào — Hobby, quirk, particular personal habit or fondness
如: rú — Like, as; just as in comparison
自然: zì rán — Nature; natural, spontaneous, without artificiality
那般: nà bān — Like that, in that manner (literary usage)
真实: zhēn shí — True, real, authentic, genuine in nature
呈现: chéng xiàn — To present, display, or manifest something visibly
想: xiǎng — To think, want, or intend to do something
无需: wú xū — No need to; without necessity of doing something
费心: fèi xīn — To take pains, expend mental effort on something
这种: zhè zhǒng — This kind of, this type of (method or thing)
写法: xiě fǎ — Writing style or method; way of writing
进行: jìn xíng — To carry out, conduct, or engage in an activity
辩护: biàn hù — To defend, justify, argue in support of
因为: yīn wèi — Because, since; giving reason for something
它: tā — It; third-person pronoun for objects or animals
已: yǐ — Already; indicating action has been completed
得到: dé dào — To obtain, receive, or gain something desired
最: zuì — Most; superlative degree marker in Chinese
优秀: yōu xiù — Excellent, outstanding, superior in quality
作家: zuò jiā — Writer, author; one who writes literary works
认可: rèn kě — To approve, endorse, acknowledge as acceptable
其中: qí zhōng — Among them, within that group or set
一些: yī xiē — Some, a few; an unspecified small quantity
提及: tí jí — To mention, bring up, refer to in passing
每一位: měi yī wèi — Every single one; each individual person (polite)
一眼: yī yǎn — At a glance; with one look instantly
便: biàn — Then, immediately; indicating quick consequence
看出: kàn chū — To discern, perceive, see clearly upon observation
事实: shì shí — Fact, reality; something that is objectively true
并未: bìng wèi — Has not, did not (emphatic negation of past action)
背离: bèi lí — To deviate from, depart from, go against
大体: dà tǐ — Generally, on the whole, for the most part
只是: zhǐ shì — Only, merely, it's just that; a mild qualifier
具体: jù tǐ — Specific, concrete, particular in detail
情节: qíng jié — Plot, storyline; sequence of events in narrative
经过: jīng guò — After going through; having undergone a process
改动: gǎi dòng — To alter, modify, make changes to something
避免: bì miǎn — To avoid, prevent, steer clear of something
针对: zhēn duì — Aimed at, targeting a specific person or issue
特定: tè dìng — Specific, particular, designated for a purpose
个人: gè rén — Individual, personal; a specific single person
讽刺: fěng cì — To satirize, mock; irony directed at someone

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