核心畫面

One way to see it: a clean cut. The knife comes down once, the thing is in two pieces, and there is nothing left hanging in between.

一刀切下去,乾淨俐落。刀落一次,東西就分成兩半,中間沒有藕斷絲連的部分。decisively 描述的動作都帶著這個手更多收起一刀切下去,乾淨俐落。刀落一次,東西就分成兩半,中間沒有藕斷絲連的部分。decisively 描述的動作都帶著這個手感——不猶豫、不拖泥帶水、切完就定案。這個字的三個意思,其實是同一刀的三個看點:切的人很果決、切下去局面就定了、切口清楚沒有模糊地帶。

From the word’s history

From Latin dēcīdere, literally "to cut off" (de- "off" + caedere "to cut") — a decision is what you cut away the other options to reach.

字根 decide 來自拉丁文 dēcīdere,字面就是「切掉」(de- 切掉 + caedere 切)。所謂做決定,本來就是把其他選項砍掉、只留一條路。這個「切」的影像一路留到現代:decisively 之所以同時能講人果斷、講結果definitive,是因為它們都是同一個切的動作在不同角度看。

Wiktionary / Online Etymology Dictionary (decide < Latin dēcīdere)

Two branches

下刀的人:果斷

看的是動作的那個人——他手不抖。

confidently, without hesitation · r · C2

In a way that shows you make choices quickly and with confidence, without a long wait.

果斷地

這一刀之後:局面定了

從動作轉到動作的效果:切下去之後,事情不能再回到原狀。

in a way that settles the outcome · r · C2

In a way that has a big effect on how something develops or how it ends.

決定性地

原始詞典資料1 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。

decisivelyadv/dɪˈsaɪsɪvli/

  • 1

    In a decisive manner.

    • 'In short,' concluded the parson, decisively smacking his leg with his switch, 'there's hardly such another family in England.'
    • The visitors rallied again though and struck decisively 16 minutes from time when Yaya Toure headed in the winner.

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