法律上被綁住
繩子另一頭綁的是法律：責任、帳單、處罰會依法找上這個人。這是最接近字根「被繫住」的一族，也是這個字在正式文件裡最常見的用法。
liable (financially responsible) · adjective · C1
Legally responsible for paying the cost of something.
應負擔
核心畫面
A way to picture it: a person tied by an invisible rope to something that may come for them — a bill, a punishment, an illness, a habit. The rope means they are the one it will reach.
一個人身上綁著一條看不見的繩子，另一頭連著某件可能找上門的事——一筆帳單、一個處罰、一種病痛、一個壞習慣。有了這條繩…更多收起
一個人身上綁著一條看不見的繩子，另一頭連著某件可能找上門的事——一筆帳單、一個處罰、一種病痛、一個壞習慣。有了這條繩子，事情一旦發生，就會沿著繩子找到他。所以 liable 說的從來不是「他做了什麼」，而是「他站在會被波及的那一端」。這也是為什麼它既能講法律責任，也能講「容易感冒」——差別只在繩子另一頭綁的是什麼。From the word’s history
From Old French lier 'to bind', from Latin ligō, ligāre 'to bind, to tie' (the same root as ligament and obligation).
字根來自古法語 lier「綁」，再上溯拉丁語 ligāre「綁、繫」——跟 ligament（韌帶）、obligation（義務）同源。這條線索直接給了我們核心畫面：liable 的底層就是「被繫住」。中文裡「責任」的「負」、「牽連」的「牽」，其實走的是同一種比喻。俄語的 обя́занный（有義務的）也是從「綁」引申來的，可見這個聯想跨語言都成立。
Etymology note supplied with this entry (Old French lier ← Latin ligō, ligāre 'to bind')
Two branches
容易發生在他身上
法律的繩子鬆開，換成日常經驗裡的「傾向」：不是誰規定他要承擔，而是照他的體質、性格或處境來看，這件事很容易找上他。
liable (prone to) · adjective · C1
Likely to do or say something, or to act in a certain way, especially because of a fault or a natural habit.
容易
原始詞典資料4 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。
liableadj/ˈlaɪ̯əbəl/
- 1
Bound or obliged in law or equity; responsible; answerable.
- The surety is liable for the debt of his principal.
- He inveighed against the folly of making oneself liable for the debts of others; vented many bitter execrations against the brother; and concluded with wishing something could be done for the unfortunate family. The passion for philosophy, like that for religion, seems liable to this inconvenience
- 2
Subject; susceptible; prone.
- This crime is liable to imprisonment for life.
- A man liable to heart disease.
- 3
Exposed to a certain contingency or causality, more or less probable.
- Electronic devices are liable to malfunction when exposed to extreme heat.
- 4
Likely.
- Someone is liable to slip on your icy sidewalk.
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。