何谓“Decent”？【英语学习】

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在美国，常听见“decent”这词，可以说某人很“decent”，某人住的街区、房子很“decent”， 某人的行为很“decent”， 某人找到一个工资很“decent”的工作，等等。这“decent”一词相当于我们中国汉语中的什么词汇呢？我想最好听听汉语学得不错的英美人士怎么说。

英国传教士马礼逊，在中国生活过二十五年，还把《圣经》译成了中文，他的汉语水平想来不低。他又把中国的名著《红楼梦》译成了英文。那大概是道光年间的事，那译本早就没版权了，人人都可以在网上下载，想翻看的话，方便得很。《红楼梦》中词汇丰富，哪些词汇在马礼逊看来表达了英语中“decent”一词的意思呢？让我们来翻翻马礼逊英译的《红楼梦》。

第七回

他自己又老了，又不顾体面，一味的好酒，喝醉了无人不骂。

He is also advanced in years, and doesn’t care about any decent manners; his sole delight is wine; and when he gets drunk, there isn’t a single person whom he won’t abuse.

马礼逊认为这里尤氏说的“体面”就是英语里的“decent manners”。

谁知昨日学房里打架，不知是那里附学的学生，倒欺负他，里头还有些不干不净的话，都告诉了他姐姐。

Yesterday, one would scarcely believe it, a fight occurred in the school-room, and some pupil or other who attends that class, somehow insulted him; besides, in this business, there were a good many indecent and improper utterances, but all these he went and told his sister!

马礼逊认为这里尤氏说的“不干不净的话”就是英语里的“indecent utterances”。

第二十三回

踟蹰再四，单把那文理雅道些的，拣了几套进去，放在床顶上，无人时方看；那粗俗过露的，都藏于外面书房内。

So after much wavering, he picked out only several volumes of those whose style was more refined, and took them in, and threw them over the top of his bed for him to peruse when no one was present; while those coarse and very indecent ones, he concealed in a bundle in the outer library.

马礼逊认为这里的“粗俗过露”就是英语里的“indecent”。

第二十七回

说着，又向小红笑道：“好孩子，难为你说的齐全，不像他们扭扭捏捏蚊子似的。

While speaking, she again faced Hsiao Hung. “My dear girl,” she smiled, “what a trouble you’ve been put to! But you speak decently, and unlike the others who keep on buzz-buzz-buzz, like mosquitoes!

马礼逊认为这里凤姐说的“说的齐全”就是英语里的“speak decently”。

第三十一回

晴雯听了冷笑道：“姐姐既会说，就该早来呀，省了我们惹的生气。自古以来，就只是你一个人会伏侍，我们原不会伏侍。因为你伏侍的好，为什么昨儿才挨窝心脚啊!我们不会伏侍的，明日还不知犯什么罪呢？

Ch’ing Wen heard these remarks. “Sister,” she interposed smiling ironically, “since you’ve got the gift of the gab, you should have come at once; you would then have spared your master his fit of anger. It’s you who have from bygone days up to the present waited upon master; we’ve never had anything to do with attending on him; and it’s because you’ve served him so faithfully that he repaid you yesterday with a kick on the stomach. But who knows what punishment mayn’t be in store for us, who aren’t fit to wait upon him decently!”

马礼逊认为这里晴雯说的“会伏侍”（即”伏侍得好“）就是英语里的“wait upon decently”。

第三十六回

袭人红了脸，笑道：“总不过是他们那些玩话，有什么正经说的。”。

Hsi Jen blushed and laughed significantly. “They simply came out with some of those jokes of theirs,” she explained. “What decent things could such as they have had to tell me?

马礼逊认为这里袭人说的“正经”就是英语里的“decent”。

第四十五回

黛玉听了不觉红了脸，笑道： “人家把你当个正经人，才把心里烦难告诉你听，你反拿我取笑儿！”

At this insinuation, Tai-yue unconsciously blushed scarlet. “One treats you,” she smiled, “as a decent sort of person, and confides in you the woes of one’s heart, and, instead of sympathising with me, you make me the means of raising a laugh!”

马礼逊认为这里黛玉说的“正经人”就是英语里的“decent sort of person”。

第四十六回

因满府里要挑个家生女儿，又没个好的，不是模样儿不好，就是性子不好；有了这个好处，没了那个好处。

That’s why we thought of choosing some home-born girl out of those which throng in our mansion, but then again we could find none decent enough; for if her looks were not at fault, her disposition was not proper; and if she possessed this quality, she lacked that one.

马礼逊认为这里邢夫人说的“好的”就是英语里的“decent enough”。

第五十一回

凤姐又道：“那袭人是个省事的，你告诉说我的话：叫他穿几件颜色好衣裳，大大的包一包袱衣裳拿着，包袱要好好的，拿手炉也拿好的。临走时，叫他先到这里来我瞧。”

“Hsi Jen,” she added; “is a person not fond of any fuss, so tell her that it’s I who have given the orders; and impress upon her that she must put on several nice, coloured clothes, and pack up a large valise full of wearing apparel. Her valise, must be a handsome one; and she must take a decent hand-stove. Bid her too first come and look me up here when she’s about to start.”

马礼逊认为这里凤姐说的“好的”（手炉）就是英语里的“decent”。

第五十四回

宝玉笑道：“这两个女人倒和气，会说话。他们天天乏了，倒说你们连日辛苦，倒不是那矜功自伐的。”

“Those two dames are pleasant enough,” Pao-yue smiled, “and they know how to speak decently; but it’s they who get quite worn out every day, and they contrariwise say that you’ve got ample to do daily. Now, doesn’t this amount to bragging and boasting?”

马礼逊认为这里宝玉说的“会说话”（也就是前面凤姐说的“说的齐全”）就是英语里的“speak decently”。

第五十五回

平儿与众媳妇等都忙告诉他原故，又说：“正要找几处利害事与有体面的人来开例，作法子镇压，与众人作榜样呢。

P’ing Erh and the other servants then promptly told her the various reasons. “She’s just bent,” they proceeded, “upon finding a few weighty concerns in order to establish, at the expense of any decent person who might chance to present herself, a precedent of some kind or other so as to fix upon a mode of action, which might help to put down expenses to their proper level, and afford a lesson to the whole household;

马礼逊认为这里平儿说的“体面的人”就是英语里的“decent person”。

由此可见，“decent”就相当于汉语里的“好”、“正经”、“会”（“能”）、“体面”、“干净”等意思。虽然谷歌翻译也会列出这些对应的汉语词汇，但离开了上下文，还是让人很难获得很贴切的理解。做“英译汉”工作的人，多读读马礼逊的“汉译英”会有所受益。