核心畫面

Picture a little card hanging from a sleeve on a string, with a number written on it. You turn it over, you read the number, and now you know what the thing costs. The card and the number are so close together in daily life that English lets the card stand in for the money itself — so a stadium can have a price tag even though nothing is hanging from it.

可以想成一件衣服袖口上吊著一張小牌子,上面寫著一個數字。你把牌子翻過來、看一眼,就知道這東西多少錢。牌子和數字在生活更多收起可以想成一件衣服袖口上吊著一張小牌子,上面寫著一個數字。你把牌子翻過來、看一眼,就知道這東西多少錢。牌子和數字在生活裡幾乎是同一件事,所以英文乾脆讓那張牌子代替那筆錢——於是一座體育場也可以有 price tag,雖然上面根本沒掛任何牌子。

Two branches

掛在商品上的那張小牌子

站在畫面正中央:看得到、摸得到、撕得下來的那張牌子。

noun · A2

A small card, label, or sticker attached to something in a shop, with the price written on it.

價格標籤;吊牌

牌子上的數字=整筆價錢

視線從牌子移到牌子上的數字,再從數字移到整筆錢。Wiktionary 把這一步標為 metonymic,也就是用一個小東西代稱整件事。

noun · B2

The amount of money that something costs, or the amount it is being offered for — often used when that amount is large or surprising.

價錢;造價