核心畫面
You can picture something standing in the way, like an obstacle on a road, and the action just pushes past it anyway. 'Despite X' means: X was there and could have stopped this, yet it still happened. The eye is on the thing that failed to block it.
可以想成路上橫著一個障礙、一個本來該擋住你的東西，但事情還是照樣穿過去發生了。despite X 的核心畫面比較像：…更多收起
可以想成路上橫著一個障礙、一個本來該擋住你的東西，但事情還是照樣穿過去發生了。despite X 的核心畫面比較像：X 明明在那裡、本來有機會把這件事擋下來，結果它還是發生了——重點落在那個「沒擋成功」的阻力上。From the word’s history
From Old French 'despit' (contempt, spite), from Latin 'despicere' (to look down on). The old sense was 'in contempt of' — doing a thing in scorn of what opposed it; modern 'despite' keeps the idea of acting against an obstacle, but the emotional 'scorn' has faded to plain 'even though this was in the way'.
源自古法文 despit（輕蔑、怨恨），再上溯拉丁文 despicere（往下看、看不起）。原意是「不把某阻力放在眼裡」——帶著輕蔑去做一件事；現代的 despite 保留了「頂著阻力照做」的意思，但那層情緒上的「看不起」已淡掉，只剩下平實的「儘管有這個東西擋著」。
Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com), entry 'despite'
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。
despiteprep詞源 1/dɪˈspaɪt/
- 1
In spite of, notwithstanding.
- Despite being a near-mirror image my of right, my left hand is terrible at these stuff.
- So thou through windowes of thine age ſhalt ſee, Diſpight of wrinkles this thy goulden time.
despitenoun詞源 1/dɪˈspaɪt/
- 1
obsoleteDisdain, contemptuous feelings, hatred.
- A fals double tunge is more fiers and fell Then Cerberus the cur couching in the kenel of hel; Wherof hereafter, I thinke for to write,
- Thou waſt euer an obſtinate heretique in the deſpight of Beautie.
- 2
archaicAction or behaviour displaying such feelings; an outrage, insult.
- he aſked kynge Arthur yf he wold gyue hym leue to ryde after Balen and to reuenge the deſpyte that he had done Doo your beſt ſaid Arthur I am right wroth ſaid Balen I wold he were quyte of the deſpyte that he hath done to me and to my Courte
- Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye, shall hee be thought worthy, who hath troden vnder foote þe Sonne of God, and hath counted the blood of the couenant wherwith he was sanctified, an vnholy thing, and hath done despite vnto the spirit of grace?
- 3
Evil feeling; malice, spite, annoyance.
- How often am I obliged to speak mal à propos, because my features are not sufficiently charming in a state of repose!—how often is my ingenuity racked to find a word, when a look would have been far better! I am compelled to be amusing, in my own despite.
- And for these Corcyraeans—neither receive them into alliance in our despite, nor be their abettors in crime.
despiteverb詞源 2/dɪˈspaɪt/
- 1
obsoleteTo vex; to annoy; to offend contemptuously.
- to despite his opposites
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。