英語口語練習小對話 第564期:挖掘靈感

Subject：You have to pull some new ideas out of thin.

迷你對話

A: This is my paper. Please have a look at it.

這是我的論文，請您過目。

B: Ah, frankly speaking, your paper is not so good. You have to pull some new ideas out of the thin air.

啊，坦誠地說，你的論文寫得不是很好，你得設法發掘出新創意。

1. 解釋

Pull idea out of thin air是“空氣”的意思，一般海拔高的地方空氣稀薄，空氣稀薄可以用thin這個詞來形容。那麼，pull idea out of thin air的字面意思是“從稀薄的東西里抽出什麼東西”，空氣本來就是看不着摸不着的東西，要從稀薄的東西里抽取類似“主意，點子”的東西，根本就是不可能的事情，也就是還不存在的東西，因爲此語的比喻意爲“挖掘靈感，挖掘新意”。

2. 例句

e.g. An author must have invention to pull out new ideas out of thin air for stories.

作家必須具有爲故事構思新意的創造力。

e.g. The company is flat broke. Unless the boss can pull something out of thin air and borrow a lot of money by Friday, we'll have to go into bankruptcy and I'll have to look for other work.

這家公司現在已是財源枯竭，除非老闆神通廣大能在星期五之前籌措到大筆錢款擺脫困境，否則我們就只得陷入破產的境地，而我也必須另找工作了。

e.g. Susan is one of the best TV script writers. She'll take an absolutely hopeless script by somebody else, pull some new ideas out of thin air, and end up with a first-class show.

Susan是最優秀的電視劇作家之一。她會設法從別人寫得一無是處的原稿中挖掘發展出新意，而拍成第一流的節目。