中不溜儿的词
文/王逢鑫
前几年，我与妻子乘美国西北航空公司的班机去美国旅游。在飞机上，妻子服药，要喝温水。我问一名空姐：“Could I have some water for medicine?”她问我：“Do you want hot water or cold water?”我回答：“Lukewarm!”她用开水和冷水给我兑了一杯。我发现中国学习者会说反义词，但常常不知道“中不溜儿的词”。我在长期教学中引导学生学习中间词（intermediate term）。
与表示整体概念的whole和full相比较，half（半）、part（部分）表达的是中不溜儿的意思。例如：
1. A middle-aged man was found lying in he middle of the road with his eyes half-closed, blood streaming from his half-open mouth.
一个中年男子被发现躺在马路中间，眼睛半闭着，鲜血从他半张开的口中流出。
2. The young man was criticized for working in a half-hearted manner while his colleagues were praised for doing their work whole-heartedly.
这个年轻人因半心半意工作受到批评，而他的同事们因全心全意工作受到表扬。
3. He does full-time work as an engineer in a computer company while his brother does part-time job in the same company.
他在一家计算机公司当工程师做全职工作，而他的弟弟在同一家公司做兼职工作。
semi-（半）也表示中不溜儿的意思。在“职业的”（professional）与“业余的”（amateur）之间是“半职业的”（semi-professional）。例如：
4. The young woman continued singing as a semi-professional singer until she went professional five years later.
这个年轻女子继续作为一名半职业歌手演唱，直至五年后她变成一名职业歌手。
5. My brother is an amateur sportsman who takes part in sport activities just for enjoyment and interest, not as a job; while I am a semi-professional sportsman paid for what I do, but not as my main job.
我弟弟是个业余运动员，参加体育活动仅为了喜欢和兴趣，但不是作为职业；而我是名半职业运动员，可以挣钱，但这不是主要工作。
在“就业的”（employed）与“失业的”（unemployed）之间是“半就业的”（semi-employed）。实际上，“半就业”就是“半失业”，但是英语不用 semi-unemployed 这样的说法。
在“有意识的”（conscious）或“清醒的”与“无意识的”（unconscious）或“昏迷的”之间，有个“半意识的”（semi-conscious）或“半清醒半昏迷的”状态。例如：
6. Dream is a semi-conscious state where we have absolutely no control over our thoughts and expressions.
梦是一种半清醒半昏迷的状态；处于这种状态绝对不可能控制自己的思想和表情。
7. The man, aged in his 50s, was discovered semi-conscious lying in the wheat fields near a small village yesterday afternoon.
昨天下午, 一名男子，年龄50多岁，被发现躺在一个小村庄的麦田里，处于半清醒半昏迷状态。
表示品质quality的“好”与“坏”之间是“中等”或“平平”。英语表示“中等”和“平平”的中间词包括middling，average，mediocre，so-so等。例如：
8. As a singer of middling talent, he only enjoyed middling success.
作为一个才艺平平的歌手，他仅获得了不大不小的成就。
9. Perhaps you are just an average sort of student with average intelligence. But students of average intelligence can become top students through hard work.
也许你只是一个才智中等的一般学生, 但是这样的学生通过用功可以成为顶尖学生。
10. It is generally acknowledged that this novel is only mediocre.
人们普遍认为这部小说只是平庸之作。
11. The student said that he only did so-so in the final examination.
这个学生说他期末考试只是成绩平平。
表示“规模”的“大”和“小”之间是“中等大小”。英语可以用medium, medium-sized, medium in size, moderate-sized 表达“中等规模”。例如：
12.Our commercial institutions should take measures to solve financing problems and reduce funding costs for companies, especially small and mediumsized enterprises.
我们的商业机构应该采取措施解决融资问题，减少公司，尤其是中小企业的筹资成本。
13. His eyes are brown, medium in size, oval in contour, bright and clear and overhung with medium-length eyebrows.
他的眼睛呈棕色，中等大小，椭圆形轮廓，明亮而清澈，上面长着中等长度的眉毛。
14. When I was traveling in Taiwan, a moderate-sized earthquake occurred and I found many local people frightened.
当我在台湾旅行时，发生了中等规模地震，我发现许多当地百姓很害怕。
在表示温度temperature的hot和cold，以及warm和cool之间有tepid和lukewarm两个中间词。这些词的热冷程度依次为：hot，warm，tepid，lukewarm，cool，cold。tepid和 lukewarm可以形容液体微温，也可以表示“反应”（reaction）或“支持”（support）不热烈。例如：
15. My wife heated the milk until it was just lukewarm.
我妻子加热牛奶，刚好到微温。
16. The politician received tepid support from the electors in the constituency.
这名政客从选区选民那里得到的支持不热烈。
门的“大开”（wide open）和“关/ 闭”（closed/shut）之间的状态为“虚掩”（ajar）。例如：
17. He found the door ajar, pushed it open and went into the room.
他发现门是虚掩的，就推开门，进入房间。
18. The old woman left the door ajar in the night, so her cat could go out into the garden.
这位老妇人在夜里让门虚掩着，这样她的猫可以去花园。
“透明度”（transparency）的“透明”（transparent）和“不透明”（opaque）之间为“半透明”（translucent），多指液体和玻璃等材料。例如：
19. Translucent glass allows some light to pass through, while opaque glass prevents light from passing through.
半透明玻璃能让一些光线透过，而不透明玻璃阻止光线透过。
20. Grease-proof paper is a kind of translucent paper with high resistance to grease penetration.
防油纸是一种具有高度抗油渗入功效的半透明的纸。
21. My father keeps a translucent snuff-bottle carved in the early Qing Dynasty.
我父亲收藏着一个清代早期雕刻的半透明鼻烟壶。
关于食物的生熟程度，具有“生”（raw/uncooked）与“熟”（cooked/done）这两个相对反义词。而表达“熟”的语义概念时，存在程度上的相异性。
以英语表示炸牛排的老嫩程度为例，具有well-done（老）与rare（嫩）的相对反义。以中间词medium（不老不嫩）为核心，构成medium-well（稍老）、medium（不老不嫩）与medium-rare（稍嫩）等具有分级性的中间语义领域。例如：
22. How would you like your steak（done/cooked）?
你要牛排做得老点，还是嫩点？
1) I’d like to have my steak well done.（我要老点。）
2) I’d like to have my steak medium-well.（我要稍老点。）
3) I’d like to have my steak medium.（我要不老不嫩。）
4) I’d like to have my steak medium-rare.（我要稍嫩点。）
5) I’d like to have my steak rare.（我要嫩点。）