核心畫面

One way to picture it: something you were holding, pushed across the table to the other side. The point isn't the giving — it's that you didn't have to. There is always another party, and usually a tug-of-war behind it.

原本握在自己手上的一樣東西,鬆手推過去給對方。關鍵不在「給」,而在「本來不必給」——這東西原是我的、原是我可以守住的更多收起原本握在自己手上的一樣東西,鬆手推過去給對方。關鍵不在「給」,而在「本來不必給」——這東西原是我的、原是我可以守住的,是我選擇讓出來的。所以 concession 幾乎總是隱含一個對面:有另一方在要,有一場拉鋸在進行。讓出去的可能是談判裡的一步、一項權利、一個價格,甚至是一塊地。

From the word’s history

Latin concessiō 'a grant, permission, conceding', from concēdō = con- + cēdō 'to go away, to yield'. The bodily move of stepping back and leaving space for the other side is the frame the whole word still runs on.

payload 記的拉丁文 concessiō 意思是「給予、允許、讓與」,動詞 concēdō 由 con- 加上 cēdō「走開、退讓」組成。這個「退一步」的身體動作比較像整個字的骨架:不是把東西丟出去,而是自己往後退,把原本佔著的位置空出來給對方。今天談判桌上的 make a concession、政府給出的特許權、票價上的優待,全都是同一個往後退的動作,只是退的東西不一樣。

payload 提供的詞源說明(Latin concessiō < concēdō = con- + cēdō,Wiktionary 條目)

Three branches

爭執中退的一步

核心畫面最直接的用法:兩邊在拉,其中一邊鬆手一點,事情才走得下去。讓出來的是立場,不是實體的東西。

compromise · noun · C2

Something you let the other side have, so an argument can stop and you can reach an agreement.

讓步

上面讓給你的權利

退一步的動作制度化了:讓的一方是政府、公司或主辦單位,握著資源和規則;讓出來的東西被寫成白紙黑字,變成一項可以行使的權利或優惠。核心畫面沒變,只是這隻手變得很大,而且是單向的。

special right, license · noun · C2

A special right a government or an employer lets a person or group have, or the act of giving that right.

特許/優惠

讓出來的那個攤位

抽象的權利落地成看得見的東西:先是那塊被讓出來的空間,再是空間裡賣的爆米花。核心畫面在這裡已經退到背景——說話的人多半不會想到「讓步」,但那個「別人的場地、讓我在這裡做生意」的結構還在。

concession stand, stall · noun · C2

A small shop or stall that sells food or goods inside a larger place that belongs to someone else, such as a mall or a sports ground.

專櫃/攤位

原始詞典資料19 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。

concessionnoun/kənˈsɛʃən/

  • 1

    The act of conceding.

    • Any parsone, prest or clerk, havyng any benefice... by wey of presentation, donation, concession, collation or institution.
    • In this country... civil war has been forestalled by opportune concession.
  • 2

    An act of conceding

    • But these concessions failed, as I believe concessions to evil always do fail.
  • 3

    historicalAn act of conceding

  • 4

    historicalAn act of conceding

    • The French Concession in Shanghai
  • 5

    An act of conceding

  • 6

    An act of conceding

  • 7

    An act of conceding

  • 8

    An act of conceding

另外 10 個記錄的用法
  • 9

    An act of conceding

  • 10

    An act of conceding

  • 11

    An act of conceding

  • 12

    An act of conceding

  • 13

    An act of conceding

  • 14

    An act of conceding

    • Just moments ago, I spoke with George W. Bush and congratulated him on becoming the 43rd president of the United States. And I promised him that I wouldn't call him back this time... tonight, for the sake of our unity as a people and the strength of our democracy, I offer my concession.
  • 15

    A gift freely given or act freely made as a token of respect or to curry favor.

  • 16

    A franchise: a business operated as a concession (see above).

  • 17

    An item sold within a concession (see above) or from a concessions stand.

  • 18

    A person eligible for a concession price (see above).

concessionverb/kənˈsɛʃən/

  • 1

    To grant or approve by means of a concession agreement.

    • While the process of bringing the private sector into the railroad industry in Vietnam is probably not going to be a single step, several countries have pursued the path of concessioning their rail operations in order to reduce the public fiscal burden associated with rail subsidization and to improve a deficient service.
    • [A] consultant was contracted for one year to prepare the legal and administrative framework for concessioning selected roads to the private sector and is expected to complete the framework in July 2005.

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