核心畫面

One way to hold parting: two things that were together, opening into two sides, and the word points at the opening itself. Comb hair to the left and to the right and a line of scalp appears between them. Stand on a platform holding someone, then let go as the train moves. Walk a road with someone until it forks. In each picture something was one thing a moment ago and is now two, and parting names that moment rather than what caused it or what happens next. When the two sides are people, feeling comes with it; when they are things, the word is plain and a little formal.

「parting」可以想成「本來合在一起的兩邊,往兩個方向打開的那一刻」,而這個字指的就是那個打開本身。把頭髮往左右更多收起「parting」可以想成「本來合在一起的兩邊,往兩個方向打開的那一刻」,而這個字指的就是那個打開本身。把頭髮往左右梳,中間露出一條線。在月台上抱著人,火車一動就鬆手。兩個人一起走一條路,走到岔口各走一邊。這三個畫面的共同點是:前一秒還是一個,這一秒變成兩個。parting 指的是那一刻,不是原因,也不是後來怎麼樣。兩邊是人的時候,情緒就跟著進來。兩邊是東西的時候,這個字就很素,還帶一點書面感。

From the word’s history

Wiktionary analyses parting by surface analysis as part plus -ing: the doing of parting. The noun senses are that action frozen at one moment, and the adjective uses simply stamp that moment onto whatever noun follows.

Wiktionary 直接把 parting 分析成 part 加 -ing,也就是「分開這個動作」。名詞的幾個意思都是把這個動作停在某一刻;形容詞的用法則是把那一刻蓋在後面的名詞上,說「這是走的時候發生的」。

Wiktionary entry for parting (packet source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:1023490911:23359): By surface analysis, part + -ing.

Three branches

人跟人分開的那一刻

把核心畫面裡的兩邊換成兩個人,情緒就跟著出現。這一組是這個字最常用的一塊。

noun · B2

The moment when two people go away from each other, especially when they will not meet again for a long time.

離別

臨別時做的事、說的話

這一組把那一刻拿來當形容詞用:放在名詞前面,等於替那件事蓋上「發生在走的時候」的時間戳。

adjective · C1

Used before a noun to say that something — a kiss, a gift, a look, a word — is given or done at the moment someone leaves.

臨別的

東西分成兩邊

把人拿掉,只剩下「分成兩邊」這件事本身。這一組離字面最近,語氣也最素。

noun · B2

The line on your head where your hair is combed in two different directions. This is the British word for it; American English uses part.

髮線;分線

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。

partingnoun/ˈpɑɹtɪŋ/

  • 1

    The act of parting or dividing; division; separation.

  • 2

    The state of being parted.

    • The parting of the way.
    • Bridge End is the border station and the scene of many a sad parting between enterprising shoppers and their purchases—for it is a stronghold of the Customs !—and half an hour is allowed in the timetable for examination and shunting.
  • 3

    A farewell, the act of departing politely.

    • And there were sudden partings,such as press / The life from out young hearts.
    • But she hugged the soft, stuffed body of the Scarecrow in her arms instead of kissing his painted face, and found she was crying herself at this sorrowful parting from her loving comrades.
  • 4

    The dividing line formed by combing the hair in different directions.

    • Margaret Thatcher’s 80s power suits were scrutinised; David Cameron’s switching of his parting was national news (Cameron later nominated his barber for an MBE); and eyebrows were raised at Theresa May’s favourite and incongruous Frida Kahlo bracelet.
  • 5

    The surface of the sand of one section of a mould where it meets that of another section.

  • 6

    chemistrynatural-sciencesphysical-sciencesThe separation and determination of alloys; especially, the separation, as by acids, of gold from silver in the assay button.

  • 7

    geographygeologynatural-sciencesA joint or fissure, as in a coal seam.

  • 8

    nauticaltransportThe breaking, as of a cable, by violence.

另外 1 個記錄的用法
  • 9

    chemistrygeographygeologyLamellar separation in a crystallized mineral, due to some other cause than cleavage, as to the presence of twinning lamellae.

這個拼法也被記錄為下列字的變化形:

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