核心畫面

Picture a room after something has gone wrong, and one finger comes out and stops on a person. Culpable is that finger. It does not describe the damage and it does not describe the feeling; it says where the fault lands. Latin culpa means fault, and -able means can be given. So the word can be read as able to be given the fault.

可以想成出事之後,一根手指伸出來,最後停在某個人身上。culpable 就是那根手指。它不是在講事情有多糟,也不是在更多收起可以想成出事之後,一根手指伸出來,最後停在某個人身上。culpable 就是那根手指。它不是在講事情有多糟,也不是在講心裡多難過,而是在說「錯落在誰頭上」。拉丁文 culpa 是「過錯」,-able 是「可以被…的」,兩個拼起來就像在說「可以被算帳的」。這根手指指在日常生活裡,就是該被責備;指在法庭上,就是該負刑責。

From the word’s history

From Latin culpa (a fault, a crime) with the ending -able, so the word can be read as able to have the fault put on you.

來自拉丁文 culpa(過錯、罪過),加上 -able(可以被…的),所以整個字可以讀成「可以被歸咎的」。

Wiktionary entry supplied in this packet (source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:964804477:7409): From Middle English culpable, from Old French culpable, from Latin culpabilis (blameworthy), from culpo (to blame), from culpa (a fault, crime, mistake).

One branch

錯該算在誰頭上

這是手指指出去的基本動作:指出誰該被怪。

adjective · C1

Deserving blame, because you did something wrong or because you failed to stop something bad from happening.

該受責備的;有過失的