核心畫面

You can picture 'anything' as an open hand sweeping across every possible thing and saying 'whichever — it doesn't matter which one'. The base feeling is no limits and no particular choice: any one out of all of them is fine. From that open sweep, the grammar around it (questions, negatives, fixed phrases) bends the same idea into many shapes.

可以想成一隻手在所有可能的東西上一掃而過,說「哪個都行、不挑」。核心感覺是沒有設限、不指定哪一個:全部裡面隨便一個都更多收起可以想成一隻手在所有可能的東西上一掃而過,說「哪個都行、不挑」。核心感覺是沒有設限、不指定哪一個:全部裡面隨便一個都可以。從這個「全面開放、任挑」的畫面出發,再被它周圍的語法(疑問、否定、固定片語)折成各種形狀。

From the picture

疑問裡的『有沒有什麼』

還是「全部裡面的任一個」,只是放進問句:問的時候不知道有沒有、是哪個,所以用這個開放的詞去探。等於把那隻一掃而過的手變成一個問號——存不存在那麼一個?

something, in questions · pronoun · A1

Used in questions to mean 'something'.

什麼(疑問)

否定裡的『一個也沒有』

同一個「全部裡的任一個」,碰上否定詞就翻面:把開放的範圍整個劃掉,變成「裡頭一個都不」。手依舊掃過全部,只是這次說的是「全都不算」。

nothing at all, after 'not' · pronoun · A1

A thing of any kind — after "not", this means nothing at all.

任何東西(否定)

拿來比較/像不像

把「全範圍」當成比較的尺:拿眼前的東西去對照「所有可能的樣子」,看它沾不沾得上邊。常和否定連用,強調「連一點點邊都沒碰到」。

anything like · pronoun · A2

In 'anything like', used to mean 'similar in any way to'.

像…一樣(任何方面)

絕非那樣(強烈否認)

用「全部其他可能」來反襯:除了那一個之外,剩下的全有可能——所以那一個正是它「絕不是」的。把開放範圍當底,凸顯被排掉的那一點。

anything but · pronoun · A2

In 'anything but', used to strongly say someone or something is not a certain way.

絕非;一點也不

拿『任何東西』當程度的頂

把「所有東西」當成最大的量尺:和它一樣、像它那樣,就是到頂了。因為「anything」涵蓋一切,拿它來比就有「沒有更甚」的味道,於是用來誇大程度。

as ... as anything · pronoun · B1

In 'as ... as anything', used to mean 'extremely'.

非常、極了

含糊收尾的『之類的』

在句尾留一道開口:講完一個例子,再用「全範圍」把旁邊沒講到的也一併圈進來,表示「還有同類的、不限這個」。等於把那隻開放的手往後一揮,補上「諸如此類」。

or anything · pronoun · A2

In 'or anything', used to mean 'or something similar'.

或之類的

補一句、反倒(轉折)

用「萬一有任何一點」當作鬆鬆的前提,回頭補修剛說的話:在所有可能裡,若真要挑一個方向,反倒是這邊。把開放範圍縮成一個輕輕的「要說的話」。

if anything · pronoun · B1

In 'if anything', used to add a point that gently corrects or strengthens what you just said.

要說的話、反倒

Also in this word

any thing at all · pronoun · A1

Any thing or situation, when it does not matter exactly which one.

任何東西

原始詞典資料5 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法,原文照列,我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的;有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

anythingpron詞源 1/ˈɛn.ɪ.θɪŋ/

  • 1

    Any object, act, state, event, or fact whatsoever; a thing of any kind; something or other.

    • I would not do it for anything.
    • Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language […] his clerks […] understood him very well. If he had written a love letter, or a farce, or a ballade, or a story, no one, either clerks, or friends, or compositors, would have understood anything but a word here and a word there.
  • 2

    Expressing an indefinite comparison.

    • Perhaps it was this atmosphere of misplacedness and loneliness as much as anything which led her to speak to him one evening in early summer when the office had closed.

anythingnoun詞源 1/ˈɛn.ɪ.θɪŋ/

  • 1

    Someone or something of importance.

    • How long does it take to turn you actors into good anythings?
    • So we tried not to talk about first or second anythings until our meeting with the rabbi.

anythingverb詞源 1/ˈɛn.ɪ.θɪŋ/

  • 1

    Used as a placeholder verb for any verb out of a set of related verbs.

    • He wasn't cooking, he wasn't sweeping, he wasn't anythinging!
    • –I don't want to accompany him! –You never want to anything him!

anythingadv詞源 2/ˈɛn.ɪ.θɪŋ/

  • 1

    In any way, any extent or any degree.

    • That isn't anything like a car.
    • She's not anything like as strong as me.

資料來源:英文維基詞典 English WiktionaryCC BY-SA 4.0)。 原文照列,未經改寫。