A king in the old Greek stories who tricked the gods — even cheated death itself — and was punished for it after he died. His punishment was this: push a huge rock up a hill. Every time he almost reached the top, the rock rolled back down, and he had to start again. Forever.

A king一位國王 in the old Greek stories在古希臘故事裡的 who tricked the gods騙過了眾神——even cheated death itself甚至連死神都被他騙過——and was punished for it after he died死後就因此受到懲罰。His punishment was this他的懲罰是這樣的：push a huge rock up a hill把一顆巨大的石頭推上山。Every time he almost reached the top每次他快要推到山頂的時候，the rock rolled back down石頭就會滾回山下，and he had to start again他就得重新開始。Foreverforever（永遠）。

English keeps him alive mostly through the adjective Sisyphean, which describes work that never ends and never gets anywhere: cleaning a house with small children in it, answering emails, fighting a problem that grows back as fast as you fix it. People also say "pushing the boulder up the hill" or "a Sisyphean task" without naming him at all.

English英文 keeps him alive讓他活下來 mostly through主要是靠 the adjective形容詞 SisypheanSisyphean（薛西弗斯式的），which describes這個詞形容的是 work that never ends and never gets anywhere一種永遠做不完、也毫無進展的工作：cleaning a house with small children in it比如家裡有小小孩、打掃房子、answering emails回信、fighting a problem that grows back as fast as you fix it對付一個你才解決它就又長回來的問題。People有人 also say也會說 "pushing the boulder up the hill"「pushing the boulder up the hill」（把石頭推上山） or "a Sisyphean task"或「a Sisyphean task」（薛西弗斯式的苦差事） without naming him at all完全不提他的名字。

The feeling in the word is important. It is not just hard work — hard work can be finished. It is work that is pointless because it cannot be finished, and the person doing it knows this and keeps going anyway.

The feeling in the word這個詞裡帶的感覺 is important很重要。It is not just這不只是 hard work辛苦的工作而已——hard work can be finished辛苦的工作是做得完的。It is work這是一種工作 that is pointless它沒有意義，because it cannot be finished因為它永遠做不完，and the person doing it knows this而做這件事的人自己也知道，and keeps going anyway卻還是繼續做下去。

The French writer Camus made the story famous again in the 1940s by arguing that we must imagine Sisyphus happy, and educated speakers sometimes reach for the name with that idea somewhere behind it. It is a bookish word; you meet it in writing more than in talk.

The French writer Camus法國作家卡繆 made the story famous again在 in the 1940s一九四零年代讓這個故事再度出名，by arguing that靠的是主張 we must imagine Sisyphus happy我們必須想像薛西弗斯是快樂的，and educated speakers而受過教育的人 sometimes reach for the name有時候會用上這個名字，with that idea somewhere behind it背後帶著那個想法。It is這是 a bookish word一個書卷氣很重的詞；you meet it你會在 in writing more than in talk文章裡遇到它的機會比在口語裡多得多。