核心畫面

One way to hold gleam: light falls on a smooth surface and comes softly back. Nothing here is making its own light. A clean floor, a polished car, a glass, a tooth, wet stone — the light hits it and returns, quietly, and often only from one angle and only for a moment. Move that picture onto a person's face and you get the short shine in the eyes when a feeling shows. Move it onto a dark situation and the same small light becomes the one good sign someone is holding on to.

gleam 可以想成:光落在一個光滑的表面上,被輕輕地反回來。這裡沒有東西在自己發光,都是被照亮的。擦乾淨的地板、剛更多收起gleam 可以想成:光落在一個光滑的表面上,被輕輕地反回來。這裡沒有東西在自己發光,都是被照亮的。擦乾淨的地板、剛打過蠟的車、玻璃杯、牙齒、被雨淋濕的石頭——光打上去,柔柔地彈回你眼裡。而且常常只有那個角度看得到,只亮那麼一下。把這個畫面搬到人臉上,就成了情緒上來時眼睛亮起來的那一瞬間。再把它搬到一個不太好的處境裡,同樣那一小點光,就成了黑暗中唯一可以抓住的好消息。

From the word’s history

Middle English glem, from Old English glǣm, from Proto-Germanic *glaimiz meaning brightness or splendour, and further back a root meaning to shine. The word has always been about the light itself.

gleam 來自中古英語 glem、古英語 glǣm,再往前是原始日耳曼語 *glaimiz,意思是「明亮、光采」,更早的詞根就是「發光」。也就是說,它從第一天起講的就是光本身;今天的每一種用法,都還帶著那一點光的畫面。

Wiktionary etymology_text supplied in this packet (kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:645011538)

Four branches

光落在表面上(發亮、光澤)

這一組最貼近核心畫面:有一個夠光滑、夠乾淨的表面,光打上去被反回來。動詞說的是「它在亮」,名詞說的是「它亮亮的那個質感」。

verb · B2

To shine with a soft light, usually because a surface is smooth, clean, wet, or polished and is throwing light back.

發出柔光;亮得反光

暗處裡的一小點光

同樣是光,但重點從「表面」移到「暗」。周圍夠暗,那一小點光才被看見,所以它總是小的、淡的、一下子的。

noun · B2

A small, weak light, especially one that lasts only a short time, or one you see from far away or through something such as trees, mist, or a gap.

微光;一道光

臉上與眼裡閃過的情緒

把那個表面換成人的眼睛。情緒一來,眼睛就像被裡面的光打亮,別人看得見——這是同一個反光的畫面,只是反出來的是心情。

verb · B2

If someone's eyes or face gleam, they shine in a way that lets other people see what that person is feeling, such as excitement, amusement, pride, or anger.

(眼睛、臉)閃著…的神情

看不見的事情上的一點跡象

最後一步,把光搬到抽象的處境上。整件事是暗的,只有一個小小的亮點;那個亮點可能是希望,也可能是還沒做出來的一個念頭。

noun · C1

Used to say that something is only being planned or imagined by someone, and does not exist yet.

還只是某人腦中的一個構想

原始詞典資料10 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。

gleamnoun詞源 1/ɡliːm/

  • 1

    An appearance of light, especially one which is indistinct or small, or short-lived.

    • Is not yon gleame, the ſhuddering morne that flakes, / VVith ſiluer tinctur, the eaſt vierge of heauen?
    • Sailing between Madagaſcar and Zeyloon (at or Near this place) in a dark night ſuddenly there happened a gleam of light, ſo bright that he could eaſily read by it. Amazed he vvas at this alteration; but at length perceived it vvas occaſioned by a number of Fiſh, vvhoſe glittering ſhells made that artificial light in the night, and gave the Sea a vvhite repercuſſion: […]
  • 2

    An indistinct sign of something; a glimpse or hint.

    • The rescue workers preserved a gleam of optimism that the trapped miners might still survive.
    • On the fifteenth of June a gleam of hope appeared.
  • 3

    A bright, but intermittent or short-lived, appearance of something.

  • 4

    A look of joy or liveliness on one's face.

    • [H]is black visage lighted up with a curious, mischievous gleam.
    • Sunny, thank you for that smile upon your face / Sunny, thank you, thank you for the gleam that flows its grace
  • 5

    obsoleteSometimes as hot gleam: a warm ray of sunlight; also, a period of warm weather, for instance, between showers of rain.

    • The Pepper-trees live in Italie; the ſhrub of Caſia or the Canell likevviſe in the Northerly regions; the Frankincenſe tree alſo hath been knovvne to live in Lydia: but vvhere vvere the hote gleames of the Sunne to be found in thoſe regions, either to drie up the vvateriſh humor of the one, or to concot and thicken the gumme and roſin of the other?
    • [W]e felt a brisk gale coming from off the Coaſt of America, but ſo violently hot, that vve thought it came from ſome burning Mountain on the ſhore, and vvas like the heat from the mouth of an Oven. Juſt ſuch another gleam I felt one afternoon alſo, as I lay anchor at the Groin in July 1694. it came vvith a Southerly VVind: both theſe vvere follovved by a Thunder-ſhovver.
  • 6

    obsoleteBrightness or shininess; radiance, splendour.

    • Then vvas the faire Dodonian tree far ſeene, / Vpon ſeauen hills to ſpread his gladſome gleame, / And conquerours bedecked vvith his greene, / Along the bancks of the Auſonian ſtreame: […]
    • In the clear azure gleam the flocks are ſeen, / And floating foreſts paint the vvaves vvith green.

gleamverb詞源 2/ɡliːm/

  • 1

    Chiefly in conjunction with an adverb: to cause (light) to shine.

    • Many a dry drop ſeem'd a vveeping teare, / Shed for the ſlaughtred husband by the vvife. / The red bloud reek'd to ſhevv the Painters ſtrife, / And dying eyes gleem'd forth their aſhie lights, / Like dying coales burnt out in tedious nights.
  • 2

    To shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner; to glisten, to glitter.

    • Quick to redeem the Prey their plighted Lords / Advance, the Palace gleams vvith ſhining Svvords.
    • Beneath an oak he laid him down, / That in the blaze gleamed ruddy brown, […]
  • 3

    To be strongly but briefly apparent.

    • Mr. Crawley spoke these words without hesitation, even with eloquence, standing upright, and with something of a noble anger gleaming over his poor wan face; and, I think that while speaking them, he was happier than he had been for many a long day.

gleamverb詞源 3/ɡliːm/

  • 1

    obsoletefalconryhobbieshuntingOf a hawk or other bird of prey: to disgorge filth from its crop or gorge.

    • Gleam, a term uſed after a hawk hath caſt and gleameth, or throweth up filth from her gorge.

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