喜樂美語

核心畫面

You can picture someone turning over a patch of soil, breaking it up, feeding it, and coming back to it season after season so that something will grow there. Nothing appears by itself — the ground is worked, and the working is what makes growth possible.

一個人蹲在一塊地上翻土：把硬掉的土敲鬆、拔掉雜草、施肥、澆水，然後隔幾天又回來看一次。這裡的重點不是「土」，而是「有…更多收起一個人蹲在一塊地上翻土：把硬掉的土敲鬆、拔掉雜草、施肥、澆水，然後隔幾天又回來看一次。這裡的重點不是「土」，而是「有人一直在照顧它」——收成不會自己出現，是這些反覆的整理和等待把它換來的。cultivation 這個字的畫面就停在這個動作上：長期、耐心、有意識地把一塊還不成材的東西養成能結果的東西。

From the word’s history

Latin colere meant to till the soil and also to tend or take care of; cultivation keeps both — working the ground, and by extension working on anything that needs long tending.

這個字可以回到拉丁文 colere，它同時有「耕地」和「照料、看顧」兩個意思。所以從一開始，「種田」和「用心養一樣東西」在這個字裡就是同一件事，現代英文裡的 cultivation 只是把這條線延續下來。

Wiktionary: cultivation < Medieval Latin cultivātus (cultivō) + -ion; ultimately from Latin colere "to till, to tend, to care for"

Two branches

照顧土地：整地與種植

這一家就是核心畫面本身：人對土地做的事。差別只在鏡頭拉在哪一段——整地，還是種下去之後的養護。

cultivation of land · noun · C1

The preparation and use of land for growing crops.

耕作

照顧人本身：把能力和特質養出來

把整片田換成一個人的心裡或身上的某樣東西，動作完全沒變：一樣是慢慢養、一樣要一再回來照顧。英文很自然地把種田的畫面借去講人，因為兩件事的節奏真的很像。

cultivation of a skill · noun · C1

The careful development of a quality or skill, done on purpose.

培養

原始詞典資料5 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。

cultivationnoun/ˌkʌltɪˈveɪʃən/

  • 1

    The art or act of cultivating (improvement of land for or by agriculture), as:

    • The cultivation of these valleys dates back thousands of years.
  • 2

    The art or act of cultivating (improvement of land for or by agriculture), as:

    • The cultivation of the hillside led to soil erosion.
  • 3

    The state of being cultivated or used for agriculture

    • These fields are in cultivation.
  • 4

    Devotion of time or attention to the improvement of (something)

    • His steadfast cultivation of their relationship finally bore fruit.
  • 5

    Advancement or refinement in physical, intellectual, or moral condition

    • She is a woman of great cultivation.

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。