White nights, and other stories — Page 4
They had spared nothing, neither columns, nor cornices, and my poor little friend was as yellow as a canary.
他们什么都没有放过,既没有放过柱子,也没有放过檐口,我那可怜的小朋友变得像金丝雀一样黄。
It almost made me bilious.
这几乎让我感到恶心。
And to this day I have not had the courage to visit my poor disfigured friend, painted the colour of the Celestial Empire.
直到今天,我仍没有勇气去拜访我那可怜的、被涂成天朝颜色而面目全非的朋友。
So now you understand, reader, in what sense I am acquainted with all Petersburg.
所以现在你明白了,读者,我是在何种意义上认识整个彼得堡的。
I have mentioned already that I had felt worried for three whole days before I guessed the cause of my uneasiness.
我已经提到过,在我猜到自己不安的原因之前,我整整担忧了三天。
And I felt ill at ease in the street--this one had gone and that one had gone, and what had become of the other?--and at home I did not feel like myself either.
我在街上感到不自在——这个人走了,那个人也走了,另一个人又去了哪里?——在家里我也感觉不像自己了。
For two evenings I was puzzling my brains to think what was amiss in my corner; why I felt so uncomfortable in it.
连续两个夜晚,我绞尽脑汁地思索我的小屋里究竟哪里出了问题;为何我在那里感到如此不舒服。
And in perplexity I scanned my grimy green walls, my ceiling covered with a spider's web, the growth of which Matrona has so successfully encouraged.
我困惑地打量着我那肮脏的绿色墙壁,还有那布满蜘蛛网的天花板——玛特罗娜对蜘蛛网的生长可谓功不可没。
I looked over all my furniture, examined every chair, wondering whether the trouble lay there (for if one chair is not standing in the same position as it stood the day before, I am not myself).
我检视了我所有的家具,仔细打量每一把椅子,心想问题是否出在那里(因为只要有一把椅子的位置和前一天不一样,我就会感到浑身不对劲)。
I looked at the window, but it was all in vain ... I was not a bit the better for it!
我望向窗户,但这一切都是徒劳……我丝毫没有好转!
Vocabulary
- 他们
- tāmen — Third person plural pronoun meaning 'they' or 'them'.
- 什么
- shénme — Interrogative pronoun meaning 'what'.
- 都
- dōu — Adverb meaning 'all', 'both', or 'every'.
- 没有
- méiyǒu — Negation meaning 'do not have' or 'there is not'.
- 放过
- fàngguò — To let off, spare, or overlook something or someone.
- 既
- jì — Conjunction meaning 'since' or 'both...and...'.
- 柱子
- zhùzi — A column or pillar supporting a structure.
- 也
- yě — Adverb meaning 'also', 'too', or 'as well'.
- 檐口
- yánkǒu — The eave or cornice edge at the roof of a building.
- 我
- wǒ — First person singular pronoun meaning 'I' or 'me'.
- 那
- nà — Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'those'.
- 可怜
- kělián — Pitiful, pathetic, or deserving of sympathy.
- 的
- de — Structural particle indicating possession or modifying a noun.
- 小
- xiǎo — Adjective meaning 'small', 'little', or 'young'.
- 朋友
- péngyǒu — A friend or companion.
- 变得
- biàn de — To become or turn into a certain state.
- 像
- xiàng — To resemble or be like something; similar to.
- 金丝雀
- jīnsīquè — A canary, a small yellow songbird.
- 一样
- yīyàng — The same as; alike; used in comparisons.
- 黄
- huáng — The color yellow.
- 这
- zhè — Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this' or 'these'.
- 几乎
- jīhū — Adverb meaning 'almost', 'nearly', or 'practically'.
- 让
- ràng — To let, allow, or cause someone to do something.
- 感到
- gǎndào — To feel or sense a certain emotion or sensation.
- 恶心
- ěxin — Nausea; feeling disgusted or sick to the stomach.
- 直到
- zhídào — Until or up to a certain point in time.
- 今天
- jīntiān — Today; the current day.
- 仍
- réng — Adverb meaning 'still' or 'yet', indicating continuity.
- 勇气
- yǒngqì — Courage or bravery to face challenges.
- 去
- qù — To go to a place or to perform an action.
- 拜访
- bàifǎng — To visit or call upon someone formally.
- 被
- bèi — Passive marker indicating the subject receives an action.
- 涂成
- túchéng — To paint or coat something into a certain color.
- 天朝
- tiāncháo — Celestial Empire; historical term for imperial China.
- 颜色
- yánsè — Color or hue of an object.
- 而
- ér — Conjunction meaning 'and', 'but', or 'yet'.
- 面目全非
- miànmù quánfēi — Completely changed beyond recognition; utterly unrecognizable.
- 所以
- suǒyǐ — Conjunction meaning 'therefore', 'so', or 'thus'.
- 现在
- xiànzài — Now; at the present time.
- 你
- nǐ — Second person singular pronoun meaning 'you'.
- 明白
- míngbái — To understand or comprehend something clearly.
- 了
- le — Particle indicating completed action or change of state.
- 读者
- dúzhě — A reader; someone who reads a text or publication.
- 是
- shì — The verb 'to be'; indicates identity or equivalence.
- 在
- zài — Preposition meaning 'at', 'in', or 'on'; to be located.
- 何种
- hézhǒng — What kind of; which type or sort.
- 意义上
- yìyì shàng — In the sense of; in terms of meaning or significance.
- 认识
- rènshi — To know or recognize a person or place.
- 整个
- zhěnggè — The whole or entire thing; all of something.
- 已经
- yǐjīng — Adverb meaning 'already'; indicating something has occurred.
- 提到
- tídào — To mention or bring up a topic in conversation.
- 过
- guò — Aspect particle indicating past experience or completion.
- 猜到
- cāidào — To guess correctly or figure something out.
- 自己
- zìjǐ — Oneself; a reflexive pronoun referring to the subject.
- 不安
- bù'ān — Uneasy, restless, or feeling a sense of anxiety.
- 原因
- yuányīn — Reason, cause, or explanation for something.
- 之前
- zhīqián — Before a certain time or event; prior to.
- 整整
- zhěngzhěng — Adverb meaning 'a full' or 'an entire' period of time.
- 担忧
- dānyōu — To worry or feel anxious about something.
- 三天
- sān tiān — Three days; a duration of three days.
- 街上
- jiēshàng — On the street; in the streets outside.
- 不自在
- bù zìzài — Feeling uncomfortable, uneasy, or ill at ease.
- 这个
- zhège — This one; referring to a specific nearby person or thing.
- 人
- rén — A person, human being, or people.
- 走
- zǒu — To walk, go, or leave a place.
- 那个
- nàge — That one; referring to a specific distant person or thing.
- 另一个
- lìng yīgè — Another one; a different individual or item.
- 又
- yòu — Adverb meaning 'again' or 'also'; additionally.
- 哪里
- nǎlǐ — Where; asking about or referring to a location.
- 家里
- jiālǐ — At home; inside the house or one's residence.
- 感觉
- gǎnjué — A feeling, sensation, or perception of something.
- 不像
- bù xiàng — Does not resemble or seem like something.
- 连续
- liánxù — Continuous, successive, or consecutive without interruption.
- 两个
- liǎng gè — Two (items or people); a pair of something.
- 夜晚
- yèwǎn — The night; nighttime hours of the day.
- 绞尽脑汁
- jiǎo jìn nǎozhī — To rack one's brains; think very hard about something.
- 地
- de — Structural particle linking adverbs or adverbials to verbs.
- 思索
- sīsuǒ — To ponder, reflect on, or think deeply about something.
- 小屋
- xiǎowū — A small room, hut, or cabin.
- 里
- lǐ — Inside or within a place or container.
- 究竟
- jiūjìng — Exactly, after all; used for emphasis in questions.
- 出
- chū — To come out; to produce or give rise to.
- 问题
- wèntí — A problem, question, or issue to be addressed.
- 为何
- wèihé — Why; for what reason or purpose.
- 那里
- nàlǐ — There; referring to a place already mentioned.
- 如此
- rúcǐ — So, such, or like this; to this degree.
- 不舒服
- bù shūfu — Uncomfortable, unwell, or feeling physically uneasy.
- 困惑
- kùnhuò — Confused, perplexed, or bewildered by something.
- 打量
- dǎliàng — To size up or look someone or something over carefully.
- 着
- zhe — Aspect particle indicating an ongoing or sustained action.
- 肮脏
- āngzāng — Dirty, filthy, or unclean in appearance.
- 绿色
- lǜsè — The color green.
- 墙壁
- qiángbì — A wall, especially the interior wall of a room.
- 还有
- hái yǒu — And also; in addition there is something more.
- 布满
- bùmǎn — Covered with or filled entirely by something.
- 蜘蛛网
- zhīzhūwǎng — A spider web or cobweb.
- 天花板
- tiānhuābǎn — The ceiling of a room.
- 对
- duì — Toward; for; correct; a preposition indicating direction.
- 生长
- shēngzhǎng — To grow or develop, as of a living organism.
- 可谓
- kěwèi — Can be called or described as; it may be said.
- 功不可没
- gōng bù kě mò — Indispensable contribution; one's merit cannot be overlooked.
- 检视
- jiǎnshì — To examine or inspect something carefully and thoroughly.
- 所有
- suǒyǒu — All; every; everything that belongs or exists.
- 家具
- jiājù — Furniture; movable items used to furnish a room.
- 仔细
- zǐxì — Careful, attentive, or thorough in doing something.
- 每
- měi — Every, each; referring to each individual item.
- 一把
- yī bǎ — One (chair, tool, etc.); a measure word for handled objects.
- 椅子
- yǐzi — A chair or seat for sitting on.
- 心想
- xīn xiǎng — To think to oneself; to wonder internally.
- 是否
- shìfǒu — Whether or not; used to introduce yes/no questions.
- 出在
- chū zài — To originate in or stem from a particular source.
- 因为
- yīnwèi — Because; the reason being that something is the case.
- 只要
- zhǐyào — As long as; provided that a condition is met.
- 有
- yǒu — To have or there is/are something present.
- 位置
- wèizhi — Position, location, or place of something.
- 和
- hé — Conjunction meaning 'and'; connecting nouns or phrases.
- 前一天
- qián yī tiān — The day before; the previous day.
- 不一样
- bù yīyàng — Different; not the same as something else.
- 就会
- jiù huì — Then will; indicating a result will follow a condition.
- 浑身
- húnshēn — All over the body; from head to toe.
- 不对劲
- bù duìjìn — Something feels wrong or off; not right.
- 望向
- wàng xiàng — To look toward or gaze in a certain direction.
- 窗户
- chuānghù — A window in a wall or building.
- 但
- dàn — Conjunction meaning 'but', 'however', or 'yet'.
- 一切
- yīqiè — Everything; all things without exception.
- 都是
- dōu shì — All are; everything is a certain way.
- 徒劳
- túláo — In vain; futile effort yielding no results.
- 丝毫
- sīháo — In the slightest; not even a tiny bit.
- 好转
- hǎozhuǎn — To improve or take a turn for the better.
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