核心畫面

Behind fiercely you can picture an animal that will not back off: fur up, eyes fixed on you, a low sound in its throat. Nothing has been hit; the whole thing is heat and refusal to give way. English sends that heat in two directions. It can stay on the face and in the voice — a hard stare, a sharp word. Or it can move into how hard something is done or how far a quality goes: opposed hard, competing hard, independent to the last inch.

「fiercely」背後可以想成一隻不肯退的動物:毛豎著、眼睛盯著你、喉嚨裡有低吼。什麼都還沒發生,整件事就只是一股更多收起「fiercely」背後可以想成一隻不肯退的動物:毛豎著、眼睛盯著你、喉嚨裡有低吼。什麼都還沒發生,整件事就只是一股熱度和「我不讓」。英文把這股熱度往兩邊送。一邊留在臉上和聲音裡,變成瞪人的眼神和硬邦邦的語氣。另一邊跑到力道和程度上,變成反對得很猛、競爭得很兇、獨立到底。

From the word’s history

Wiktionary gives fiercely as Middle English fersly, that is fierce + -ly — in a fierce manner. The word has always been about doing something with that heat in it.

Wiktionary 記錄 fiercely 來自中古英文 fersly,等於 fierce(兇猛的)加上 -ly(…地),也就是「用兇猛的樣子做某件事」。這條線一直沒斷,今天的兩個用法都還帶著那股熱度。

Wiktionary entry 'fiercely' (adv), etymology_text in packet: 'From Middle English fersly; equivalent to fierce + -ly.' (kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:1025690247)

Two branches

火氣看得見:兇狠地

這一組離核心畫面最近:那股熱度還留在臉上和聲音裡。

r · B2

In an angry way, so that the anger shows clearly in someone's face, eyes or voice.

兇狠地;怒氣沖沖地

力道與程度:猛烈地、極其

把同一股熱度從臉上移開,只留下力氣:不再是對誰生氣,而是這件事做得有多用力、這個特質強到什麼地步。

r · B2

In a very strong or forceful way, or to a very high degree — used about how hard something is done, felt, fought over, or how strongly a quality is held.

猛烈地;極其