一刀一刀加上去的數
這一家人守著木棍的正面：刻痕本身。每一刀代表一件已經發生的事，所以看棍子就知道「到現在為止總共幾個」。
noun · B2
A number that someone keeps adding to as things happen, showing how much has been spent, won, scored or counted up to that point in time.
累計數
核心畫面
Picture a stick of wood with cuts in it. Every time something happens — one sack delivered, one coin owed — someone cuts another notch, so the count lives in the marks and not in anybody's head. Then the stick is split down the middle and each side keeps half. When it is time to settle up, the two halves are pushed back together: notch has to meet notch. One stick, two jobs — adding things up, and proving the two sides agree.
可以想成一根刻著凹痕的木棍。每發生一件事，就在上面刻一刀。帳記在刻痕裡，不靠記憶。這根棍子還會從中間剖成兩半，買賣雙…更多收起
可以想成一根刻著凹痕的木棍。每發生一件事，就在上面刻一刀。帳記在刻痕裡，不靠記憶。這根棍子還會從中間剖成兩半，買賣雙方各拿一半。要結帳的時候，兩半拼回去，刻痕得一刀一刀對上，帳才算數。tally 今天的兩個方向都住在這個畫面裡：一邊是「一件一件加上去的數」，一邊是「兩邊對得起來」。From the word’s history
The source traces tally to Middle English talie, from Anglo-Norman tallie and Old French taille, a notch cut in a piece of wood to record a debt, and further back to Latin talea, a cutting or stick. The notched stick is where both modern uses start.
來源記載 tally 來自中古英文 talie，再往前是盎格魯諾曼語 tallie 與古法文 taille——「木頭上記債的凹痕」，更早是拉丁文 talea（削下的枝條、木棍）。所以「刻痕的木棍」不只是好記的比喻，來源本身就這樣寫。
Wiktionary (kaikki extract in this packet), tally noun, etymology 2: Middle English talie < Anglo-Norman tallie / Old French taille 'notch in a piece of wood signifying a debt' < Medieval Latin tallia < Latin talea 'a cutting, rod, stick'.
Two branches
兩半拼得起來
這一家人守著木棍被剖開之後的事：兩半各自拿走，日後要拼回去驗。對得上才算數，對不上就代表有人記錯或動過手腳。
verb · B2
If two sets of numbers, records or statements tally, they agree with each other exactly, with nothing missing and nothing extra. You can also say that one of them tallies with the other.
吻合