核心畫面

One way to hold this word: something is tight without warning, holds for a moment, and then lets go. In a muscle that is a cramp you cannot argue with. Lend the same picture to a feeling and you get fear or guilt you for two seconds and then releasing. Lend it to a crowd and you get a short burst of buying or building. Sudden, strong, short, and not up to you.

spasm 可以想成:某個東西毫無預警被猛地一拉,緊住一下,然後放開。發生在肌肉上,就是你講不了道理的抽筋。把同一張更多收起spasm 可以想成:某個東西毫無預警被猛地一拉,緊住一下,然後放開。發生在肌肉上,就是你講不了道理的抽筋。把同一張圖借給情緒,就是恐懼或愧疚抓你兩秒又鬆手。借給一群人,就是一陣突然的搶買或趕工。四個字概括它:突然、強烈、短暫、由不得你。

From the word’s history

From Ancient Greek spasmos, from the verb spao, to pull or draw out. The pulling in the old verb is still the pulling you feel in a cramp.

來自古希臘文 σπασμός,而它出自動詞 σπάω,意思是「拉、拽」。古字裡的那個「拉」,就是今天抽筋時感覺到的那一拉。

packet evidence: Wiktionary etymology_text for spasm (Latin spasmus < Ancient Greek σπασμός < σπάω to draw out, pull out)

Two branches

身體被猛拉一下

字面上的那一拉,發生在真正的肌肉上。

noun · B2

A sudden tightening of a muscle that you cannot control and that usually hurts, or the condition of muscles doing this.

抽筋;痙攣

情緒或活動的一陣

抽筋的畫面被借去描述不是肌肉的東西:抓緊一下,然後放開。

noun · C1

Used in 'a spasm of' plus a feeling or an action: a strong feeling, reaction or burst of activity that hits suddenly and lasts only a short time.

一陣(強烈而短暫的情緒或反應)