喜樂美語

核心畫面

One way to hold it: a voice coming across the water that you cannot help turning toward. In the old story the sailors hear it and steer straight at the rocks — so the picture always carries two halves at once, an irresistible sound and the danger it is pulling you into.

海上傳來一個聲音，美到你的手自己就把船轉了過去——而礁石就在那個方向。這個字從頭到尾都綁著兩件事：一是聲音強得讓人抗…更多收起海上傳來一個聲音，美到你的手自己就把船轉了過去——而礁石就在那個方向。這個字從頭到尾都綁著兩件事：一是聲音強得讓人抗拒不了，二是聲音把你帶往危險。後來的每個用法都只是把這兩半重新分配：警笛拿走了「聲音大到不能不理」，惑人的呼聲拿走了「聽起來很美卻通往壞結果」，而妖姬則把整個故事濃縮成一個人。

From the word’s history

From Middle English siren, via Old French sereine and Latin Sīrēn, from Ancient Greek Σειρήν (Seirḗn) — the singing creatures of the Odyssey whose voices lured sailors onto the rocks. The modern warning-device sense was applied to a sound-making machine and spread from there.

字直接來自古希臘 Σειρήν（Seirḗn），經拉丁文 Sīrēn 和古法文 sereine 進入英文——就是《奧德賽》裡那群用歌聲把水手引向礁石的海妖。所以英文裡「警笛」這個現代意思其實是後來被安上去的：十九世紀有人把一種發出高亢長音的裝置命名為 siren，因為它的聲音同樣穿透一切、同樣無法不理會，只是這回它是要救你，不是要害你。

Wiktionary, entry 'siren' (from Middle English siren < Old French sereine, Latin Sīrēn < Ancient Greek Σειρήν)

Three branches

故事裡的海妖與她的歌

這一支就是核心畫面的原點——字的來源本身。

mythical sea temptress · noun · C2

In old Greek stories, a woman who sang so beautifully that sailors turned their ships toward her, into rocks and dangerous water.

塞壬；海妖

引誘人走向壞結果的東西

從故事裡抽出「聽起來太美、走過去卻是災難」這一半，套到話語和人身上。

tempting but risky promise · noun · C2

Words or promises that make a plan sound very good, especially when following it could lead to a bad result.

惑人的呼聲

警報的聲音裝置

這一支只取走「聲音強到無法不理會」那一半，把「引誘」整個拿掉——聲音的目的從騙你過去反轉成叫你避開。

warning siren (sound) · noun · C2

A machine on a police car, fire engine, or ambulance that makes a long, very loud warning sound. Towns also use this kind of alarm to warn people.

警笛；警報器

原始詞典資料15 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。

Sirenname

  • 1

    A village, the county seat of Burnett County, Wisconsin, United States.

  • 2

    A town in Burnett County, Wisconsin, United States, surrounding the village of the same name.

sirennoun/ˈsaɪəɹən/

  • 1

    human-sciencesmysticismmythologyOne of a group of nymphs who lured mariners to their death on the rocks.

    • Now give ear to what I'm about to say to you, / and a god himself will bring it before your mind. / First, you will come to the Sirens. / These beings enthrall all men who arrive before them. […]
  • 2

    One who sings sweetly and charms.

  • 3

    A dangerously seductive woman.

  • 4

    A member of Sirenia, an order of mammals.

  • 5

    A member of a genus of aquatic salamanders of the family Sirenidae, commonly used for all species in the family Sirenidae.

  • 6

    Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Hestina.

  • 7

    A device, either mechanical or electronic, that makes a piercingly loud sound as an alarm or signal, or the sound from such a device.

    • My attention was diverted from this sight by a furious yelling, like that of the thing called a siren in our manufacturing towns.
    • 1984, Steve Harris, "Aces High", Iron Maiden, Powerslave. There goes the siren that warns of the air raid / Then comes the sound of the guns sending flak / Out for the scramble we've got to get airborne / Got to get up for the coming attack.
  • 8

    entertainmentlifestylemusicA musical instrument, one of the few aerophones in the percussion section of the symphony orchestra (patented as Acme Siren in 1895).

另外 2 個記錄的用法
  • 9

    An instrument for demonstrating the laws of beats and combination tones.

  • 10

    astronomyastrophysicsnatural-sciencesAn astrophysical event that can be used for calculating cosmic distances.

sirenverb/ˈsaɪəɹən/

  • 1

    To make a noise with, or as if with, a siren.

  • 2

    To drive with a siren on.

sirenadj/ˈsaɪəɹən/

  • 1

    Relating to or like a siren.

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。