核心畫面

One way to hold this word: two surfaces rubbing on the same small spot, over and over, and the heat that builds up there. Rub your palms together and you feel it — first warmth, then, if you keep going, a burn. Everything this word does lives somewhere on that line between warmth and soreness. Nothing here happens in one blow; it all takes time.

chafe 可以想成兩個面在同一個小點上一直磨,還有磨出來的那股熱。把手掌互相搓一搓就感覺得到:先是暖,再搓下去就開更多收起chafe 可以想成兩個面在同一個小點上一直磨,還有磨出來的那股熱。把手掌互相搓一搓就感覺得到:先是暖,再搓下去就開始燙、開始痛。這個字的每個用法都落在「暖」到「痛」這條線上的某個位置。它們都有一個共通點——沒有一件事是一下子發生的,全都要時間累積。

From the word’s history

Inherited from Middle English chaufen, to warm, borrowed from Old French chaufer, going back through Vulgar Latin to Latin calefacere, from calere, to be warm, plus facere, to make. So the word began as make warm, and rubbing is how you do that.

chafe 承自中古英語 chaufen(弄熱),借自古法文 chaufer,再往上經俗拉丁語回到拉丁文 calefacere:calere(熱)加 facere(做)。換句話說,這個字本來就是「把東西弄熱」,而摩擦正是弄熱的辦法。

Wiktionary (kaikki extract) entry for chafe, etymology tree: Middle English chaufen < Old French chaufer < Latin calefacere (calere + facere); packet source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:632222587:20170

Three branches

磨到痛、磨到壞

摩擦繼續下去,熱變成傷:皮膚紅了,繩子薄了,然後留下痕跡。

verb · B2

If a part of your body chafes, or if something chafes it, the skin becomes sore and red because something keeps rubbing against it.

磨破皮;磨得發紅發痛

搓出熱來

同一個摩擦停在「熱」這一端,而且這是這個字最老的用法。

verb · C2

To rub a part of someone's body, usually the hands or arms, so that it becomes warm again. The source marks this one as British English.

搓熱(手腳)

心裡被磨

把摩擦搬進心裡:壓著你的東西一直在磨,人就發躁。

verb · C1

To feel impatient and annoyed about a rule, a limit, or a situation that you cannot get out of, and to want to be free of it.

感到不耐、憋屈