核心畫面

Think of a door that stands open for a short while. Walk through while it is open and the thing you wanted goes smoothly; come a minute early or a minute late and the same words, the same act, get you nowhere. Opportune is the label for that open door — and sometimes the door is a point in time, sometimes it is a place or a thing that happens to be exactly where you need it.

opportune 可以想成一扇只開一下下的門。門開著的時候走過去,事情就順;早一步或晚一步,同樣的話、同樣的動作就更多收起opportune 可以想成一扇只開一下下的門。門開著的時候走過去,事情就順;早一步或晚一步,同樣的話、同樣的動作就沒有效果。這個字標的就是那個「門開著」的位置。多數時候那扇門是一個時間點,偶爾也可以是一個剛好在那裡、剛好合用的地方或東西。

Two branches

時間上的那扇門

這一支的門開在時間軸上:同一件事,換個時間就沒有效果。

adjective · C1

Done, said or arriving at exactly the right time, so that it works well or helps.

時機恰當的

地點上的那扇門

同樣是「剛好對上」,只是這次對上的不是時鐘,而是一個地方或一樣東西。

adjective · C2

Suited to what you need at that point — used about a place or a thing that happens to be just right for the purpose.

(地點、東西)正合用的