喜樂美語

核心畫面

Picture carrying one thing back and setting it down right beside another, so the line joining them shows. To relate is that move: bringing two things together to see how they tie, or carrying an account — or your own experience — back to someone else.

可以想成：把一件事「拿回來」擺到另一件事旁邊，兩者之間那條線就顯出來了。relate 就是這個動作——把兩樣東西擺在…更多收起可以想成：把一件事「拿回來」擺到另一件事旁邊，兩者之間那條線就顯出來了。relate 就是這個動作——把兩樣東西擺在一起看見它們的牽連，或者把一段經過、一份心情帶回去交到別人手上。

From the word’s history

From Latin relatus, past participle of referre 'to carry/bear back' (re- 'back' + ferre 'to carry'). That 'carry back' picture still runs through every sense: you carry things back to lay them side by side, or carry an account back to a listener.

源自拉丁文 relatus，是 referre「帶回來、搬回來」的過去分詞（re-「回」＋ferre「搬、帶」）。這個「帶回來」的畫面貫穿了每個意思：把東西帶回來並排比對，或把一段經過帶回去說給人聽。

etymonline.com/word/relate

Three branches

彼此相連

最貼近核心的一支：兩件事被擺在一起，中間那條線就看得見。

be connected · verb · C2

If two things relate, they are connected or have something to do with each other.

有關聯

把經過講給人聽

把「帶回來」用到話語上：你把發生過的事一路帶回來，交到聽者面前。

tell a story · verb · C2

To tell someone the story of things that have happened to you or to other people.

敘述

和對方有共鳴

把自己的經歷帶回來，貼到對方的處境旁邊，發現兩邊對得上。

relate to, empathize · verb · C2

To feel that you understand someone's feelings or situation, often because you have felt the same way.

能理解／有共鳴

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。

relateverb/ɹɪˈleɪt/

  • 1

    To tell in a descriptive way.

    • The captain related an old yarn.
    • Please relate the circumstances of your journey here today.
  • 2

    To be relevant specifically to.

    • These regulations relate only to exported goods.
  • 3

    To bring into a relation, association, or connection (between one thing and another).

    • The use of video made it possible to relate the talk to the answers given to particular problems in the test. With this research design it was possible to relate changes in test score measures to changes in linguistic features[…]
  • 4

    To have a connection.

    • The patterns on the screen relate to the pitch and volume of the music being played.
  • 5

    To interact.

    • Children who find it hard to relate end up being inadequately socialized.
    • 'Men' and 'women' are separate and incomplete identities forced to relate in prescribed patterns.
  • 6

    To respond through reaction.

  • 7

    To identify with; to understand.

    • I find it difficult to relate to others because I'm extremely introverted.
  • 8

    obsoleteTo bring back; to restore.

    • Abate your zealous haste, till morrow next again / Both light of heaven and strength of men relate.

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。