喜樂美語

核心畫面

Not letting go of a surface — hands locked round someone, or wet cloth pressed flat against skin. Whatever it is stays attached, and something would have to pull it off.

貼上去就不放。可能是一雙手死死圈住另一個人，也可能是濕衣服整片黏在皮膚上——共同點是兩者之間沒有縫隙，而且不會自己分…更多收起貼上去就不放。可能是一雙手死死圈住另一個人，也可能是濕衣服整片黏在皮膚上——共同點是兩者之間沒有縫隙，而且不會自己分開，得有外力去拉才拆得開。cling 這個字幾乎每次都在描述這種「附著著、不肯脫離」的狀態。

From the word’s history

From Middle English clingen, from Old English clingan "to adhere, shrink together," from Proto-Germanic *klinganą; cognate with Danish klynge "to cluster, crowd together." The old sense of things drawing tight together and sticking is still the modern picture.

來自中古英語 clingen、古英語 clingan「黏附、縮攏在一起」，再往上是原始日耳曼語 *klinganą；丹麥語 klynge「聚攏、擠成一團」是同源詞。字根講的就是「縮緊、擠在一起而黏住」，跟現代 cling 的畫面幾乎重疊——不論黏住的是人還是布，關鍵都是縮緊之後貼上去、不留空隙。

Wiktionary entry for "cling" (attested origin supplied in the payload: Middle English clingen < Old English clingan "to adhere" < Proto-Germanic *klinganą; cognate Danish klynge).

Three branches

抓住不放：手上的緊貼

核心畫面裡「有意志的那一半」：主動把自己貼上去，因為放手會怕。

hold on tightly · verb · C2

To hold a person or thing very tightly, especially when you do not feel safe.

緊抓

貼著不掉：布料、氣味、事物的附著

把同一個畫面裡的「意志」拿掉，只留下附著本身：沒有手，東西照樣貼在那裡不走。

stick to something · verb · C2

To stick to a person or thing, or to stay around them, as wet cloth sticks to skin or a smell stays on clothes.

緊貼

黏著人不走：關係上的依賴

把身體上的緊抓搬到關係裡：手鬆開了，但人還是一直貼在旁邊不肯離開。

stay close, dependent · verb · C2

To stay close to someone all the time because you need them too much or do not feel safe.

黏人

原始詞典資料11 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。

clingnoun詞源 1/ˈklɪŋ/

  • 1

    Fruit (especially peach) whose flesh adheres strongly to the pit.

    • Antelope steaks and fried liver to begin on, and venison cutlets with chili con carne and pineapple fritters, and then some sardines and mixed pickles; and top it off with a can of yellow clings and a bottle of beer.
  • 2

    Adherence; attachment; devotion.

    • a more tenacious cling to worldly reſpects,
  • 3

    An ornament that clings to a window so as to be seen from outside.

    • You can make window clings by using thin transparency sheets, school glue, food coloring, and templates.

clingverb詞源 1/ˈklɪŋ/

  • 1

    To hold very tightly, as to not fall off.

    • Seaweed clung to the anchor.
    • And what hath life for thee / That thou shouldst cling to it thus?
  • 2

    To adhere to an object, without being affixed, in such a way as to follow its contours. Used especially of fabrics and films.

  • 3

    To cause to adhere to, especially by twining round or embracing.

    • I[…] clung my legs as close to his sides as I could.
  • 4

    To cause to dry up or wither.

    • If thou speak'st false, / Upon the next tree shalt thou hang alive, / Till famine cling thee.
  • 5

    To dry up or wither.

    • Wood clings.
  • 6

    To be fond of, to feel strongly about and dependent on.

clingverb詞源 2/ˈklɪŋ/

  • 1

    To produce a high-pitched ringing sound, like a small bell.

    • The tiny chimes clinged the hours and quarters against his right and Kate's left ear. They counted nine and three-quarters.
    • The latter, armed with the most famous tool of their trade — tiny clinging bells — created a small band of untrained orchestra giving their part of the market a festive outlook […]

clingintj詞源 2/ˈklɪŋ/

  • 1

    Imitative of a high-pitched ringing sound.

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