名人教英文:用英文讲「执生」
执生,指事发之际会有未可知的情况、以至事故,要随机应变。这个动作,英文系to improvise。
you improvise, you follow instinct, not just established protocol. 你要临场自我发挥,跟随自己的本能,而非净跟既定的一套。广东话就一句过:「你执生啦!」
也就是要学会执生的艺术,don't just do everything by the book,
「不要一本通书睇到老」,做事不能古板拘泥,一成不变。
and that's called improvisation — using powers of discretion when and where necessary.
这就叫执生——把自己的判断能力,在有需要的时空发挥。
the rally host just didn't know how to improvise.
集会的主事者就是不懂得执生、不识得应变。
既是执生,当中亦包括即兴、爆肚、就手变通的意思,包括to invent、provide offhand, or on the spur of the moment。
‧the guest improvised a speech at the ceremony.
客人在典礼上作了即兴(亦即爆肚)演讲。
‧the resourceful camper improvised a hammer out of a stone.
善于变通的露营者用石头打出一个槌。
‧after the typhoon destroyed our house, we had to improvise for weeks.
台风吹塌了我们的房子后,我们得执生执了好几个星期。
这款执生,是manage in a makeshift way;总之顶住先,先应付着,with a sense of expediency,因时制宜,但求便利。讲政治,也一样:
this is politics of expediency. 这是政治权宜之计。
另有一字,一样是impro开头,是impromptu,意思有点相似,不要搞乱。记得to improvise系动作,impromptu就用来形容,解即兴的、临时的,但就跟执生无关。
‧we had an impromptu meeting.
我们临时开了个会。
‧the vip made an impromptu speech at the wedding.
贵宾在婚礼上作了即兴演讲。