核心畫面

You can picture two arrows pointing straight at each other from opposite ends of a line. Whatever the word is doing — an opinion, a wind, a person — something is facing the other way and pushing back.

可以想成一條線的兩端各有一支箭頭,直直對著對方。不管這個字用在意見、風向還是一個人身上,畫面都一樣:有東西朝著反方向更多收起可以想成一條線的兩端各有一支箭頭,直直對著對方。不管這個字用在意見、風向還是一個人身上,畫面都一樣:有東西朝著反方向,而且頂著你。

From the word’s history

From Old French contrarie, from Latin contrarius 'opposite, opposed', built on contra 'against'. It started out spatial — pointing the other way — and by the late 14th century was already being used of people 'given to contradiction, perverse'.

來自古法語 contrarie,源頭是拉丁文 contrarius「相反的、對立的」,字根 contra 就是「相對、相向」。它一開始講的是方位——朝反方向;十四世紀末就已經拿來形容人「老是唱反調、拗」。所以逆風和拗脾氣其實是同一個箭頭,只是一個吹在帆上,一個長在人身上。

Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/contrary

Four branches

相反、對立(形容詞)

核心畫面最直接的用法:拿來形容一個想法、做法站在另一個的反面。

opposed · adjective · B2

completely different from and opposed to another idea, opinion, or action.

相反的;對立的

「相反的那一邊」(名詞用法)

把「反方向」這件事收成一個名詞,塞進幾個固定句型裡使用。

on the contrary · noun · B2

used to say that the opposite of a negative idea is true, or to answer no by giving the opposite fact.

恰恰相反

逆風、逆向的自然力

箭頭落在風上:你想往東,風偏偏往西吹,帆船寸步難行。

unfavorable (wind) · adjective · C1

Blowing in the opposite direction to the one you want to go.

逆(風);對頭的

故意跟人唱反調

箭頭長在人身上:別人期待什麼,他就偏偏往反方向走,而且是有意的。

obstinate · adjective · C1

deliberately choosing to do the opposite of what other people want or expect.

故意作對的;執拗的

原始詞典資料14 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。

contraryadj/ˈkɒntɹəɹi/

  • 1

    Opposite; in an opposite direction; in opposition; adverse.

    • contrary winds
    • And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me[…]
  • 2

    Opposed; contradictory; inconsistent.

    • Galileo [Galilei]'s zeal for his opinions soon led him again to bring the question under the notice of the Pope, and the result was a declaration of the Inquisition that the doctrine of the earth's motion appeared to be contrary to the sacred scripture.
  • 3

    Given to opposition; perverse; wayward.

    • a contrary disposition; a contrary child

contraryadv/ˈkɒntɹəɹi/

  • 1

    Contrarily

    • I never act contrary to my principles.

contrarynoun/ˈkɒntɹəɹi/

  • 1

    The opposite.

    • No contraries hold more antipathy Than I and such a knave.
  • 2

    human-scienceslogicmathematicsOne of a pair of propositions that cannot both be simultaneously true, though they may both be false.

    • If two universals differ in quality, they are contraries; as, every vine is a tree; no vine is a tree. These can never be both true together; but they may be both false.
  • 3

    historicalA type of loaded die.

contraryverb/ˈkɒntɹəɹi/

  • 1

    obsoleteTo oppose; to frustrate.

    • You that be of the court, & eſpecially ye ſworn chaplains beware of a leſſon that a great man taught me at my firſt coming to the court he told me for a good will, he thoughte it wel. He ſayd vnto me. You muſt beware how ſo euer ye do that ye cõtrary not the king, let him haue his ſaiyngs, folow him, go with him. Mary out vpon this counſel, ſhal I ſay, as he ſayes?
    • The Athenians having left the enemie in their owne land, for to pass into Sicilie, had very ill successe, and were much contraried by fortune[…].
  • 2

    obsoleteTo impugn.

  • 3

    obsoleteTo contradict (someone or something).

    • thus wilfully sir Palomydes dyd bataille with yow & as for hym sir I was not gretely aferd but I dred fore laūcelot that knew yow not Madame said Palomydes ye maye saye what so ye wyll I maye not contrary yow but by my knyghthode I knewe not sir Tristram
    • I finde them everie one in his turne to have reason, although they contrary one another.
  • 4

    obsoleteTo do the opposite of (someone or something).

  • 5

    obsoleteTo act inconsistently or perversely; to act in opposition to.

  • 6

    obsoleteTo argue; to debate; to uphold an opposite opinion.

  • 7

    obsoleteTo be self-contradictory; to become reversed.

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