核心畫面

One way to hold this word: the thing is already finished, and then something gets written underneath it anyway. The letter is signed; the story has its ending; the film has out. A postscript is whatever comes after that line — short, added on, not worked into the middle. Because it arrives once you thought you were done, it lands with its own small weight: it is the part the writer could not leave out.

可以想成:東西已經結束了,卻還是在下面又寫了一段。信簽好名了,故事收尾了,片子也淡出了。接在那條線之後的那一小段,就更多收起可以想成:東西已經結束了,卻還是在下面又寫了一段。信簽好名了,故事收尾了,片子也淡出了。接在那條線之後的那一小段,就是 postscript。它很短,是加上去的,不會塞回中間。正因為它出現在你以為已經結束之後,分量常常特別重——那是寫的人忍不住要補的話。

From the word’s history

From Latin postscribere, post (after) plus scribere (write): literally the writing-after. The modern word still means exactly that.

來自拉丁文 postscribere,post 是「在…之後」,scribere 是「寫」,字面就是「寫在後面」。今天的用法幾乎還是照字面走。

Wiktionary entry for postscript, etymology_text supplied in this packet (kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:1101281237)

原始詞典資料3 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。

postscriptnoun/ˈpoʊst.skɹɪpt/

  • 1

    An addendum to a letter, added after the author's signature.

    • As a rule Julian dictated to secretaries, and so fast that Libanius says the "tachygraphers" were unable to keep pace with him, but certain postscripts are marked "with his own hand."
  • 2

    An addition to a story, play, etc. after its completion.

    • In a moving post-script to the novel, Forster tells the reader that the book was inspired by a visit to the home of Edward Carpenter.
    • And then a curious postscript: I share your dislike of the shortening of names but I must say that I'm not sure 'Alexandra' is entirely suitable for you. It seems to me that you require a name with rather more brio. I see you as a 'Lexie'. What do you think?

postscriptverb/ˈpoʊst.skɹɪpt/

  • 1

    To extend (a letter or another document) with additional remarks.

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