核心畫面

A picture you can hold: the face you make when something rotten reaches you — nose , head turning away, stomach turning over. The body's own "get this away from me", before you have decided anything.

一樣腐壞的東西湊到你面前時,身體自己做出的反應——鼻子皺起來、頭往旁邊偏、胃裡翻了一下。那不是想出來的判斷,是身體先更多收起一樣腐壞的東西湊到你面前時,身體自己做出的反應——鼻子皺起來、頭往旁邊偏、胃裡翻了一下。那不是想出來的判斷,是身體先替你說了「拿走,我不要」。這個字所有的用法都帶著那個表情:即使講的是別人的行為而不是味道,說話的人仍然是用「聞到餿味」的那種反應在回應它。

From the word’s history

From Old French desgouster: des- ("un-, away") + gouster ("to taste", from Latin gustus, "a tasting"). Literally "to un-taste" — to take someone's appetite away. That is why the word still lives in the mouth and stomach even when the thing offending you is somebody's behaviour.

這個字拆開來看是 dis-(去掉、相反)+ gust(嘗、味道,來自拉丁文 gustus),字面就是「把胃口拿掉」——古法文 desgouster 原本的意思正是「讓人倒胃口」。這完全解釋了核心畫面為什麼長在嘴巴和胃裡:即使今天你用它來講一件貪污案,那個身體反應的底子還在,說話的人是在表達「這東西讓我吃不下」。同一個字根還留在 gusto(津津有味)裡,剛好是相反的方向。

Wiktionary, "disgust" (Middle French desgouster < Old French des- + gouster < Latin gustus)

Two branches

身體的噁心:髒、臭、難以入口

最接近字根與核心畫面的一層:反應發生在身體上,胃真的會翻。

disgust (revulsion) · noun · C2

A very strong feeling of dislike that almost makes you sick, caused by something dirty, smelly, or unpleasant.

噁心

道德上的反感:這種事我看不下去

同一個「別靠近我」的反應,對象從腐壞的東西換成別人的行為。身體的比喻還在——所以中文說「令人作嘔的行徑」,英文的感覺完全一樣。

disgust (disapproval) · noun · C2

A strong feeling of dislike, annoyance, or disapproval, because you think something is wrong or not acceptable.

厭惡

原始詞典資料2 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。

disgustverb/dɪsˈɡʌst/

  • 1

    To cause an intense dislike for something.

    • It disgusts me to see her chew with her mouth open.
    • Tuc[ca]. […] Can thy Author doe it impudently enough? / Hiſt[rio]. O, I warrant you, Captaine: and ſpitefully inough too; he ha's one of the moſt ouerflowing villanous wits, in Rome. He will ſlander any man that breathes; If he diſguſt him. / Tucca. I'le know the poor, egregious, nitty Raſcall; and he haue ſuch commendable Qualities, I'le cheriſh him: […]

disgustnoun/dɪsˈɡʌst/

  • 1

    An intense dislike or loathing someone feels for something bad or nasty.

    • With an air of disgust, she stormed out of the room.

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