喜樂美語

核心畫面

Something that death cannot reach — while everything around it comes to an end, this one keeps going.

周圍的一切都會走到盡頭，只有這一個不會。死亡碰不到它，時間也帶不走它。immortal 的重點不只是「活很久」，而是…更多收起周圍的一切都會走到盡頭，只有這一個不會。死亡碰不到它，時間也帶不走它。immortal 的重點不只是「活很久」，而是那條所有人都要走的終點線，對它不成立——它就這樣一直在。

From the word’s history

From Latin immortalis = im- 'not' + mortalis 'subject to death', from mors 'death' — literally 'not death-bound'.

來自拉丁文 immortālis：im-（不）＋ mortālis（會死的），而 mortālis 來自 mors（死亡）。同一個 mort- 也躲在 mortal、mortality 裡。所以這個字拆開來就是「不會死的」——核心畫面幾乎是字面直譯。

Wiktionary (immortal, Latin immortalis, mortalis, mors)

Two branches

不會死

這一族就是核心畫面本身，講真的不會結束的存在。

living forever · adjective · C2

Living or continuing forever, and never dying or coming to an end.

永生

永遠被記得

把「死亡碰不到」從生命搬到名聲上：作者早就過世了，但那句台詞還在人們嘴裡活著，等於作品替他繼續不死。

unforgettable (work) · adjective · C2

Used about a line, play, song, or story that is so famous people will never forget it.

不朽

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。

immortaladj/ɪˈmɔɹtəl/

  • 1

    Not susceptible to death; living forever; never dying.

  • 2

    Never to be forgotten; that merits being always remembered.

    • his immortal words
  • 3

    Connected with or relating to immortality.

    • I have immortal longings in me.
  • 4

    obsoleteExceedingly great; excessive; grievous.

    • immortal and mercyless butchery

immortalnoun/ɪˈmɔɹtəl/

  • 1

    One who is not susceptible to death.

    • The brutal insouciance of her fellow immortals — whether her sharp-tongued mother, Perse; or chilly Hermes; or righteous Athena enraged — proves increasingly alien to this thoughtful and compassionate woman who learns to love unselfishly.
  • 2

    A preeminent or exemplary person or thing; a paragon.

  • 3

    board-gameschessgamesA preeminent or exemplary person or thing; a paragon.

    • Anand's Immortal
  • 4

    A member of an elite regiment of the Persian army.

  • 5

    A member of the Académie française.

  • 6

    An administrator of a multi-user dungeon.

    • Tazmania/Middle Sphere is in need of builders, admin, and immortals. […] Immortals do not need experiance^([sic]).

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。