核心畫面

Picture two things side by side, and one of them comes up short. A boy beside the tall players, a seedling beside the others in the tray, one bucket of water beside a burning roof. The small one is not just smaller; it looks as though it cannot hold, cannot push, cannot last. Puny is that second glance, the one where you see the size and then realise the strength is missing too. The comparison is almost always there, even when nobody says it out loud.

可以想成兩樣東西並排放著,其中一樣明顯差一截。一個男孩站在高大的球員旁邊。一株小苗擠在其他苗中間。一桶水面對一整片燒更多收起可以想成兩樣東西並排放著,其中一樣明顯差一截。一個男孩站在高大的球員旁邊。一株小苗擠在其他苗中間。一桶水面對一整片燒起來的屋頂。小的那個不只是比較小,它看起來撐不住、推不動、也撐不久。puny 就是那第二眼:先看到體型,接著發現力氣也不夠。那個比較的對象幾乎一定在,即使句子裡沒有講出來。

From the word’s history

Wiktionary records puny as a respelling of puisne, from Anglo-Norman puisné, that is puis (afterwards) plus né (born): the later-born one, hence the junior one. Coming second is the oldest layer, and coming up short is what the modern word kept.

根據 Wiktionary,puny 是 puisne 的另一種拼法,來自盎格魯諾曼語 puisné,也就是 puis(之後)加 né(出生),字面是「後出生的人」,引申為資歷比較淺的那一個。「排在後面」是最老的一層,而「比不上人家」就是現代這個字留下來的東西。

Wiktionary 'puny' etymology tree, supplied in this evidence packet (kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:759974682)

Two branches

身體小又沒力

這一組把核心畫面放在身體上:看得出來的小,加上撐不住的感覺。

adjective · B2

Small, thin and weak-looking, especially next to someone or something bigger.

瘦弱矮小的

小到不夠看

同一個「比一比就矮一截」的畫面,這次比的不是身體,而是做出來的事和給出來的錢。

adjective · B2

Too small or too weak to have any real effect, and not impressive.

微不足道的;不成氣候的