喜樂美語

核心畫面

Air squeezed out through a very narrow gap: sssss. One thin sound that keeps going. A snake, a kettle, a punctured tyre all make it — and a person can make it too, by pressing their voice into that same narrow gap.

可以想成空氣從一條很窄的縫被擠出去，拉出長長的一條「ㄙ——」。這個聲音細、連續、拖得住，聽起來天生就不太友善。蛇、水…更多收起可以想成空氣從一條很窄的縫被擠出去，拉出長長的一條「ㄙ——」。這個聲音細、連續、拖得住，聽起來天生就不太友善。蛇、水壺、破掉的輪胎都會發出它。人也做得到：把嗓子壓成那條細縫，出口的話就成了低聲的怒語；一群人一起吐氣，就成了台下的噓聲。hiss 的每個用法，都可以看成同一個聲音出現在不同場合。

From the word’s history

Wiktionary records hiss as coming from Middle English hissen, probably formed in imitation of the sound itself. That fits the modern word: your mouth does the thing the word names.

Wiktionary 記載 hiss 來自中古英語 hissen，很可能是直接模仿聲音而來。這條線索正好對上今天的用法：唸這個字的時候，嘴巴做的事就是這個字在講的事。

Wiktionary (kaikki extract, source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:756971513) — “From Middle English hissen, probably of onomatopoeic origin.”

Three branches

那個聲音本身

這一組最貼近核心畫面：聲音由空氣擠過窄縫而來，不管發聲的是動物、機器，還是飛快穿過空氣的東西。

verb · B1

To make a long, thin ‘sss’ sound, like air pushing out through a narrow gap. Snakes and angry cats do it, and so do kettles, tyres and old speakers.

發出嘶嘶聲

把嗓子壓成那條細縫

人在生氣又不能大聲的時候，話會從緊繃的嘴唇擠出來——聲音的成因跟核心畫面一樣，只是這次擠出來的是字。

verb · B2

To say something in a low, sharp, breathy voice, close to a whisper, usually because you are angry or you do not want other people to hear you.

低聲怒斥

一群人用嘶聲說不

很多人同時把氣吐出來，那條細聲就會蓋過台上的人；聲音沒變，變的是誰在發、以及為什麼發。

verb · B2

If an audience or crowd hisses a speaker or performer, they make a long ‘sss’ noise while that person is talking or performing, to show that they do not like them or what they are saying.

發噓聲喝倒采

原始詞典資料9 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。

hissnoun/hɪs/

  • 1

    A sibilant sound, such as that made by a snake or escaping steam; an unvoiced fricative.

    • Their music frightful as the serpent’s hiss, And boding screech-owls make the concert full!
    • […] over head the dismal hiss Of fiery Darts in flaming volies flew,
  • 2

    An expression of disapproval made using such a sound.

    • […] in open disputations ye haue bene openly conuict, ye haue bene openly driuen out of the schole with hisses […]
    • 1716, Joseph Addison, The Free-Holder, 16 April, 1716, London: D. Midwinter and J. Tonson, pp. 203-204, The Actors, in the midst of an innocent old Play, are often startled with unexpected Claps or Hisses; and do not know whether they have been talking like good Subjects, or have spoken Treason.

hissverb/hɪs/

  • 1

    To make a hiss, a sibilant sound of air escaping.

    • As I started to poke it, the snake hissed at me.
    • The poor cat hissed as it backed away from the approaching man.
  • 2

    To call someone by hissing.

    • I stepped out of my tent in Marrakech one night to get a bar of candy and caught your dose of clap when that Wac I never even saw before hissed me into the bushes.
  • 3

    To condemn or express contempt (for someone or something) by hissing.

    • The crowd booed and hissed her off the stage.
    • If the tag-rag people did not clap him and hiss him, according as he pleased and displeased them, as they use to do the players in the theatre, I am no true man.
  • 4

    To utter (something) with a hissing sound.

    • Lies oft o’erthrown with ceaseless Venom spread, Still hiss out Scandal from their Hydra Head,
    • the long-necked geese of the world that are ever hissing dispraise […]
  • 5

    To move with a hissing sound.

    • The arrow hissed through the air.
    • The Troops of Troy recede with sudden Fear, While the swift Javelin hiss’d along in Air.
  • 6

    To emit or eject (something) with a hissing sound.

    • The man in white pyjamas hissed soda into his glass.
    • The radiator bubbled and hissed steam.
  • 7

    To whisper, especially angrily or urgently.

    • "Are you quite sure of it," she hissed into his ear, "Mr Fang, Junior?"
    • "Oh please," she said, "don't let him see us!" I wouldn't let her push me away. "Stop!" she hissed. "He'll see us!"

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。