喜樂美語

核心畫面

Picture a person the church has singled out and put on a very high shelf: after their death they are named holy, and their name goes onto churches, streets and days of the year. From that high shelf English borrows a measuring stick - call an ordinary person a saint and you are saying they are unusually good, unusually patient, far above what people normally manage.

可以想成 saint 是一個被教會特別挑出來、放在很高的架子上的人：過世之後被正式認定為聖潔，名字從此出現在教堂、街…更多收起可以想成 saint 是一個被教會特別挑出來、放在很高的架子上的人：過世之後被正式認定為聖潔，名字從此出現在教堂、街道和節日上。英文後來把那個高度借來當尺——說一個普通人 a saint，意思是他好得、忍得超出一般人的程度。

Two branches

教會認定的聖人

這一組是字的本義：一個真正被教會授予名分的人，是後面兩個用法的高度來源。

Christian saint · noun · C1

A person that the Christian church honours as very holy after they have died.

聖人；聖徒

拿聖人當標準誇人

把那個很高的架子搬下來當尺用。說某人是 saint，不是在講宗教身分，是在說他的好或他的忍耐已經高到不太像一般人。

very kind/patient person · noun · C1

Someone who is unusually kind, good, or patient with other people.

大好人

原始詞典資料14 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。

Saintnoun/seɪnt/

  • 1

    A title given to a saint, often prefixed to the person's name.

    • Saint Stephen was the first martyr.
  • 2

    A Latter-day Saint, a Mormon.

    • the Kirtland Saints
    • They settled in Kaw Township, a dozen miles from Independence, becoming the first Saints to be resettled in the newly designated Zion.
  • 3

    hobbieslifestylesportsSomeone connected with any of the sports teams known as the Saints, such as a player or coach, or sometimes a fan.

    • In 1971, during Archie Manning's first game as a New Orleans Saint and the season opener against the Los Angeles Rams, […]
    • Former New Orleans Saint and current blues historian at Tulane University, Nick Travers becomes involved in a case related to the mysterious death […]
  • 4

    rail-transportrailwaystransportSaint class, a class of steam locomotives used on the GWR.

Saintname/seɪnt/

  • 1

    A surname.

Saintname/seɪnt/

  • 1

    A nickname, given to someone of very good character.

  • 2

    A nickname, given to someone of extreme religiosity.

saintnoun詞源 1/seɪnt/

  • 1

    lifestylereligionA deceased person whom a church or another religious group has officially recognised as especially holy or godly; one eminent for piety and virtue.

    • The Roman Catholic Church proclaimed Kateri Tekakwitha a saint in 2012.
  • 2

    ChristianityOne of the blessed in heaven.

    • Then ſhall thy Saints unmixt, and from th' impure / Farr ſeparate, circling thy holy Mount / Unfained Halleluiahs to thee ſing,
  • 3

    ChristianityA Christian; a faithful believer in the present world.

    • Unto the Church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Iesus, called to be Saints, with all that in euery place call vpon the Name of Iesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.
  • 4

    A person with similarly overwhelming positive qualities; one who does good.

    • Dorothy Day was a living saint.
    • Thanks for looking after the house while I'm away. You're a saint!
  • 5

    archaicA holy object.

    • It is ruine to a man to deuoure ſaintes, and afterward to retracte the vowes.

saintverb詞源 2/seɪnt/

  • 1

    Synonym of canonize: to honor, formally name, or revere as a saint.

    • Many Catholics wished to see Pope John Paul II sainted immediately after his death.

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。