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Wherefore is an old word meaning 'why' — either asking the reason ('Wherefore do you weep?') or, as a joining word, meaning 'and for that reason, therefore' ('He broke the law, wherefore he was punished').
Wherefore Wherefore is an old word meaning是一個意思是 'why'『為什麼』的古字 — either asking the reason可以是在問原因 ('Wherefore do you weep?'像『Wherefore do you weep?』) or或者 as a joining word當連接詞用時, meaning 'and for that reason, therefore'意思是『因此、所以』 ('He broke the law, wherefore he was punished'像『He broke the law, wherefore he was punished』)。
It is dead in ordinary modern English. You meet it in Shakespeare, in the Bible, in old law books, and in one fixed modern phrase: 'the whys and wherefores', meaning all the reasons and details behind something — that phrase is alive and perfectly normal today.
It is dead它在現代日常英文裡 in ordinary modern English已經死掉了. You meet it你會在 in Shakespeare莎士比亞的作品, in the Bible聖經, in old law books舊法律書裡遇到它, and而且 in one fixed modern phrase還活在一個固定的現代片語裡: 'the whys and wherefores'『the whys and wherefores』, meaning all the reasons and details behind something意思是某件事背後所有的來龍去脈 — that phrase is alive and perfectly normal today這個片語到現在都還活著、很正常。
Everyone knows the famous line 'O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?' and almost everyone gets it wrong. Juliet is not asking where he is; she is standing on her balcony asking WHY he has to be a Romeo — why, of all families, must the boy she loves belong to the family hers is at war with. She is complaining about his name, not looking for him.
Everyone knows大家都知道 the famous line那句名台詞 'O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?'『O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?』 and almost everyone gets it wrong但幾乎每個人都理解錯了. Juliet is not asking where he is茱麗葉問的不是他人在哪裡；she is standing on her balcony她是站在陽台上 asking WHY he has to be a Romeo在問為什麼他非得是羅密歐不可 — why, of all families為什麼偏偏在所有家族裡, must the boy she loves belong to the family hers is at war with她愛的男孩非得屬於跟她家交戰的那個家族. She is complaining about his name她是在抱怨他的姓氏, not looking for him而不是在找他。
That single is the main reason this word is worth knowing.
That single misunderstanding就是這一個誤解 is the main reason是這個字值得認識的主要原因 this word is worth knowing。
組成where- (here meaning 'what') + for. So literally 'for what?' — which is exactly how we still ask it today in casual English: 'What did you do that for?' German does the same thing with wofür and Dutch with waarvoor.
原始詞典資料4 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。
whereforeadv/ˈwɛəˌfɔː/
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archaicWhy, for what reason, because of what.
- Ah, Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? / Denie thy Father, and refuſe thy name, / Or if thou wilt not be but ſworne my loue, / And il'e no longer be a Capulet.
- VVherefore weepe you?
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archaicformalTherefore; thus.
- For behold, by the power of his word man came upon the face of the earth, which earth was created by the power of his word. Wherefore, if God being able to speak and the world was, and to speak and man was created, O then, why not able to command the earth, or the workmanship of his hands upon the face of it, according to his will and pleasure?
- Wherefore, Judge G. Thomas Porteous, Jr., is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors and should be removed from office.
whereforeconj/ˈwɛəˌfɔː/
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archaicBecause of which.
- Wherefore, thus ſaith the holy one of Iſrael, Becauſe ye deſpise this word, and truſt in oppreſſion and peruerſeneſſe, and ſtay thereon: Therefore this iniquitie ſhalbe to you as a breach ready to fall, ſwelling out in a high wall, whoſe breaking commeth ſuddenly at an inſtant.
- Wherefore it was that by the time the authorities awoke to the fact that something had happened Billy Byrne was fifty miles west of Joliet, bowling along aboard a fast Santa Fe freight.
whereforenoun/ˈwɛəˌfɔː/
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An intent or purpose; a why.
- Ant[ipholus of Syracuse]. Shall I tell you why? / S. Dro. [Dromio of Syracuse] I, ſir, and wherefore; for they ſay, euery why hath a wherefore.
- Let Us make one to seek, to seek and never to find out concerning the wherefore of the making of the gods.
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。