喜樂美語

核心畫面

Picture someone with their hands together, asking — not ordering. The whole word sits in that posture: you want something to happen, and you also know it is not yours to decide. That is why the same word can be used with a god, and used by someone with no religion at all who simply wants something very badly.

可以想成：一個人雙手合十，在「請求」而不是在「要求」。整個字的重量都在這個姿勢裡：你很希望某件事成真，同時也很清楚那…更多收起可以想成：一個人雙手合十，在「請求」而不是在「要求」。整個字的重量都在這個姿勢裡：你很希望某件事成真，同時也很清楚那不是你能決定的。正因為這樣，這個字既可以用在對神說話，也可以用在完全沒有宗教信仰、只是非常非常希望的人身上。

From the picture

強烈盼望

把祈禱裡的「請求」拿掉宗教的部分，只留下那份強烈的盼望和無能為力的感覺——所以這個用法可以完全不牽涉信仰。

hope fervently · verb · A2

To want something to happen or be true, and to hope for it very strongly.

極盼；但願

舊式的「敢問」

同樣是把姿態放低的請求，只是對象從神換成眼前的人：說話的人用「我請求你」的口吻來問問題，顯得客氣。

pray (please tell, dated) · r · A2

an old-fashioned word used to ask a question or make a request in a polite, formal way

請問；敢問

Also in this word

pray to god · verb · A2

To put a request for help or a thank-you into words and send it to God.

祈禱

原始詞典資料8 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。

Prayname

  • 1

    A surname.

prayverb詞源 1/pɹeɪ/

  • 1

    lifestylereligionTo direct words, thoughts, or one's attention to a deity or any higher being, for the sake of adoration, thanks, petition for help, etc.

    • Muslims pray in the direction of Mecca.
    • Pray to the small gods and hope that they may hear thee. Yet what mercy should the small gods have, who themselves made Death and Pain; or shall they restrain their old hound Time for thee?
  • 2

    To humbly beg a person for aid or their time.

  • 3

    obsoleteTo ask earnestly for; to seek to obtain by supplication; to entreat for.

    • I know not how to pray your patience.
  • 4

    To wish or hope strongly for a particular outcome.

    • She is praying that the Red Sox will win tonight.
  • 5

    obsoletelawTo implore, to entreat, to request.

    • They prayd him sit, and gave him for to feed Such homely what as serves the simple clowne, That doth despise the dainties of the towne[…]
    • In time of drought the Abchases of the Caucasus sacrifice an ox to Ap-hi, the god of thunder and lightning, and an old man prays him to send rain, thunder, and lightning, telling him that the crops are parched.

prayadv詞源 2

  • 1

    archaicformalPlease; used to make a polite request

    • pray silence for…
    • "Pray, Mr. Knightley," said Emma, who had been smiling to herself through a great part of this speech, "how do you know that Mr. Martin did not speak yesterday?"

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 Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。