核心畫面

Think of the moment someone stops moving around and lowers themselves onto a chair. Standing means you are still on your way somewhere and can leave at any second; sitting means you have put yourself in one place and you are staying there for a while. Every meaning of sit-down comes from something that change makes possible — resting, eating properly, talking properly, or refusing to move.

「sit-down」可以想成一個很小的動作被放大來看:一個人停止走動,把身體放到椅子上。站著的時候,你其實還在路上,更多收起「sit-down」可以想成一個很小的動作被放大來看:一個人停止走動,把身體放到椅子上。站著的時候,你其實還在路上,隨時可以走;一坐下來,你就把自己放在同一個地方,而且打算待一會兒。這個字的每一個意思,都是從「坐下之後才做得到的事」長出來的——歇一口氣、好好吃一頓、好好談一次,或者坐著不走。

From the word’s history

The source records this word as deverbal from the phrasal verb sit down: the action was turned into a thing and into a describing word.

來源把這個字記為從動詞片語 sit down 直接轉過來的(deverbal):先有「坐下」這個動作,再把它當成一件事物、一種樣子來用,所以 a sit-down 和 a sit-down meal 的核心都還是那個動作本身。

Wiktionary (kaikki extract) sit-down: etymology_text 'Deverbal from sit down.'

Three branches

坐下來歇一會兒

這一條離核心畫面最近:坐下的第一個好處就是身體可以停下來。

noun · B1

A short rest that you take by sitting down, especially when you are tired from standing, walking, or carrying things.

坐一下休息

坐下來好好進行的一件事

人坐下來,就有時間了。這一條把「坐下」當成一個訊號:這件事不是隨便應付,是要花時間做完的。

adjective · B1

Used about a meal, a dinner, or a restaurant where people sit at a table and are served a full, proper meal, instead of standing up, walking around, or eating something quick.

坐著用餐的

坐下來就不走

這一條用的是核心畫面的另一面:坐下來的人很難被請走,於是「坐著」本身變成一種力量。

adjective · B2

In 'sit-down strike' and 'sit-down protest': a protest in which people sit down in a workplace, a road, or another public place and refuse to move until what they are asking for is listened to or agreed to.

靜坐(罷工/抗議)