核心畫面

Picture something that is not here — a mountain, a company, a whole town of people — and then picture the thing you put in its place so others can see it: a drawing, a lawyer standing up in court, one person holding a seat in parliament. Representation is that stand-in. Something absent is made visible through something present.

可以想成:真正的東西不在現場,於是我們擺一個「替身」讓大家看得到。那個替身可能是一張畫、一個符號,也可能是一個人——更多收起可以想成:真正的東西不在現場,於是我們擺一個「替身」讓大家看得到。那個替身可能是一張畫、一個符號,也可能是一個人——律師替你站在法庭上,議員替一整個選區坐在議會裡。representation 講的就是這種「不在場的東西,透過在場的東西被看見」。理解了這一層,畫作和議會席次為什麼共用同一個字,就不再奇怪了。

From the word’s history

From Latin repraesentare, literally "to make present, set in view, show, exhibit" (re- + praesentare "to present"). The same root explains why a picture and a person acting for you share one word: both make something present that is not itself there.

來自拉丁文 repraesentare,字面意思是「使之在場、擺到眼前、展示出來」(re- 加上 praesentare「呈現」)。知道這個根之後,圖畫和「代表某人出面」為什麼是同一個字就說得通了:兩者都是把原本不在場的東西擺到眼前。

Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com/word/representation)

From the picture

替人出面

替身從一張圖換成一個人:本人不在場,由別人站到現場替他說話、投票、爭取權益。

political representation · noun · C2

The state of having someone to speak, vote, or make choices for you, especially in government.

代表權

正式擺到檯面上的說法

被擺到眼前的不再是圖或人,而是一段話:你把自己的立場正式送到有權力的人面前,讓它「在場」。

formal complaint · noun · C2

A formal complaint or statement that you make to a person or group in charge.

陳情;申訴

Also in this word

depiction · noun · C2

A picture, sign, or description that shows what something is like.

描繪;象徵

原始詞典資料10 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。

representationnoun詞源 1/ˌɹɛp.ɹə.zɛnˈteɪ.ʃən/

  • 1

    That which represents something else.

    • The Venus of Willendorf was an early representation of the female body.
    • The second and third quarters of the shield are indecipherable on the stone but clearer in two other representations of the arms, a painted wooden funeral hatchment for Mary Davie[…]
  • 2

    The act of representing.

    • We are no longer happy with your representation of our company at trade events.
    • That's according to a report published in The Guardian on New Year's Eve in which several regional leaders, including Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, were highly critical of the apparent lack of northern representation in the decision-making process.
  • 3

    The appearance(s) of a particular demographic group in a piece of media, particularly in regards to how such appearances are treated.

  • 4

    lawThe lawyers and staff who argue on behalf of another in court.

    • People who cannot afford representation are eligible for government assistance.
  • 5

    governmentpoliticsThe ability to elect a representative to speak on one's behalf in government; the role of this representative in government.

    • The lack of representation in the British parliament was one of the main factors behind the American Revolution.
    • In the pursuit of its objectives the party creates a political machine which is virtually irremovable and can nearly always impose its will on the electors without violating the system of representation, while at the same time creating and furthering its own professional or factional interests.
  • 6

    mathematicssciencesAn action of some algebraic structure (typically a group or algebra, particularly a Lie algebra) on a vector space, such that each element acts by a linear endomorphism.

  • 7

    A figure, image or idea that substitutes reality.

  • 8

    A theatrical performance.

另外 1 個記錄的用法
  • 9

    A statement; a presentation of opinion or position, or an utterance made to influence the opinions or actions of others

representationnoun詞源 2/ˌɹiː.pɹə.zɛnˈteɪ.ʃən/

  • 1

    medicinesciencesAn act of representing, i.e. presenting again.

    • rates of representation to the emergency department

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