核心畫面

One way to picture it: something is not quite full, and you add an extra portion on top to bring it up to enough. The extra is not the main thing — it fills a gap the main thing left.

本來就有一份東西,但那份還不夠、還缺一角,於是你在旁邊「補上」一塊,讓它變成足夠或完整。重點有兩層:第一,補的東西是更多收起本來就有一份東西,但那份還不夠、還缺一角,於是你在旁邊「補上」一塊,讓它變成足夠或完整。重點有兩層:第一,補的東西是額外的、不是主體;第二,補它是因為原本有缺口。飯吃得不夠營養就吃維他命,薪水不夠就多打一份工,報紙的正刊講不完就出一份增刊——都是同一個「原本那份 + 補上的那份」的畫面。

From the word’s history

From Latin supplementum, from supplere "to fill up, to make full" — sub- ("up from below") + plere ("to fill", as in complete, plenty).

來自拉丁文 supplementum,源自動詞 supplere「填滿、補足」——拆開是 sub-(從底下往上)+ plere(填滿,跟 complete、plenty 同源)。所以這個字從一開始講的就不是「加東西」而是「把不夠的填到夠」,中文的「補」剛好抓到同一個意思:補品、補習、補助,都是先有缺口才有補。這也解釋了為什麼 supplement 幾乎總是暗示原本那份不完整。

Wiktionary — supplement (< Latin supplementum, from supplere "to fill up", sub- + plere "to fill")

Three branches

補足不夠的(動作與東西)

最直接的一族:缺口在「量」上——營養不夠、錢不夠,補上去讓它到位。名詞是那樣東西,動詞是那個動作。

supplement (added extra) · noun · C2

Something that you add to something else to improve it or make it complete — extra food or vitamins, or extra money on top of pay.

補充

補在正文之外的內容

缺口從「量」變成「內容」:正文講不完、講不夠的部分,另外印一份補上。

supplement (publication insert) · noun · C2

An extra part at the end of a book, or a separate part of a newspaper or magazine.

增刊

要另外加的錢

這次補的是價錢:基本價還差一截才蓋得住你要的東西,於是加收一筆。

supplement (extra charge) · noun · C2

An amount of money that is added to the price of a service, a hotel room, or a similar thing.

附加費

原始詞典資料8 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。

supplementnoun/ˈsʌp.lɪ.mənt/

  • 1

    Something added; especially, such an addition added to make up for a deficiency.

    • Near-synonyms: see Thesaurus:adjunct
    • Athletes' use of herbal supplements has skyrocketed in the past two decades. At the top of the list of popular herbs are echinacea and ginseng, whereas garlic, St. John's wort, soybean, ephedra and others are also surging in popularity or have been historically prevalent.
  • 2

    An extension to a document or publication that adds information, corrects errors, or brings up to date.

  • 3

    journalismliteraturemediaAn additional section of a newspaper devoted to a specific subject; an additional section of a journal issue, or an additional issue, for a similar purpose.

    • the literary supplement
    • "Mid-Lent, and the Enemy grins," remarked Selwyn as he started for church with Nina and the children. Austin, knee-deep in a dozen Sunday supplements, refused to stir; poor little Eileen was now convalescent from grippe, but still unsteady on her legs; her maid had taken the grippe, and now moaned all day: "Mon dieu! Mon dieu! Che fais mourir!"
  • 4

    geometrymathematicssciencesAn angle that, when added to a given angle, makes 180°; a supplementary angle.

  • 5

    bodybuildinghobbieslifestyleA vitamin, herbal extract, or chemical compound ingested to meet dietary deficiencies or enhance muscular development; the dosage form that conveys or embodies it (e.g., tablet, capsule, pill, powder, beverage).

    • Vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids must come from either the diet or supplements.
    • Menstruators are likelier to need an iron supplement than non-menstruators, whose diet alone is usually sufficient.
  • 6

    A surcharge, additional cost, especially for food in a restaurant.

    • There is a £2 supplement if you choose the steak.
  • 7

    grammarhuman-scienceslinguisticsAn adjunct that is nonessential, especially a supplementary relative clause.

supplementverb/ˈsʌp.lɪ.mənt/

  • 1

    To provide or make a supplement to something.

    • I supplement my income by working as a model.
    • Using the countless tons of rock from the cliff-face, supplemented by much more from inland, they threw out a huge breakwater, 2,000 ft. long and 80 ft. high, roughly at right angles to the quay, so forming an almost completely sheltered corner. Fifty years later, this massive mole is still standing up to the worst that the Irish Sea can do.

資料來源:英文維基詞典 English WiktionaryCC BY-SA 4.0)。 原文照列,未經改寫。