核心畫面

Think of interest as a thread running from you to a thing. Dis- cuts the thread. But English interest is really two threads wearing one name: one is curiosity, the pull that makes you lean in; the other is a stake, the share that means you gain or lose by what happens. Cut the first and you get someone who is not drawn in at all. Cut the second and you get someone who has nothing to win — which is exactly the person you want counting the votes.

可以把 interest 想成一條從你連到某件事的線。dis- 把那條線剪掉。麻煩的是,英文的 interest 其更多收起可以把 interest 想成一條從你連到某件事的線。dis- 把那條線剪掉。麻煩的是,英文的 interest 其實是兩條線共用一個名字:一條是好奇心,把你往那件事拉過去;另一條是利害關係,也就是那件事的結果會讓你有得有失。剪掉第一條,你得到一個完全提不起勁的人。剪掉第二條,你得到一個怎樣都不會多拿的人——那正是你會請他來數票的人。

From the word’s history

The word is simply dis- plus interest. Because interest already carried both the curiosity and the stake, the prefix produced two meanings at once, and English has kept both.

這個字就是 dis- 加上 interest。因為 interest 本來就同時裝著「好奇心」和「利害關係」,這個字首一加上去,就一次生出兩個意思,而英文把兩個都留了下來。

Wiktionary entry for disinterest (packet source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:1184240695:17653): “From dis- + interest.”

Two branches

剪掉好奇心

拿掉的是把人拉過去的那條線,剩下不好奇、不關心的狀態。

noun · C1

A lack of interest in something: you are not curious about it, you do not enjoy it, and you do not much care what happens to it.

不感興趣

剪掉利害關係

拿掉的是「你會有得有失」的那條線,所以判斷才可能公正;這跟在不在乎沒有關係。

noun · C1

The state of having nothing to gain or lose in a situation, so that you are able to look at it and judge it fairly.

公正無私(沒有利害關係)