“半满”还是“半空”？

 

文/王逢鑫

 

有人问我在“ I really wish I could be a glass-half-full kind of person like you.”这句话里，“a glass-half-full kind of person”是什么样的人？做出回答之前，先得弄明白“Is the glass half empty or half full?”是什么意思。

 

1. Is the glass half empty or half full? This is an age-old question. This common expression is generally used rhetorically to indicate that a particular situation could be a cause for optimism (half full) or pessimism (half empty). The situation may be seen in different ways depending on one’s point of view. That is to say, the situation can be viewed positively or negatively.

玻璃杯是半空还是半满? 这是一个老掉牙的问题。这个常见说法一般从修辞角度用来表明一种特殊的情况可能是乐观（半满）或是悲观（半空）的原因。不同的人依据不同的观点可能对此有不同看法。也就是说，既可以从正面也可以从反面来看。

 

2. This question can be used as a general litmus test to simply determine an individual’s worldview. Some of the people around us see the glass as half-full, while the others see it as half-empty. For optimists the glass is always half full, while for pessimists it is always half empty. My father taught me to always look at the glass half-full rather than half-empty.

这个问题可以用作通用测试方法，以此来简单判定一个人的世界观。我们周围有些人将这种杯子看成半满，而有些人将它看成半空。对于乐观者来说，杯子总是半满的；而对于悲观者来说，它总是半空的。父亲教导我要总是把这种杯子看成半满，而不是半空。

 

综上所述，我们可以理解 a glass-half-full kind of person 为“乐天派”，而a glass-half-empty kind of person 为“悲观派”。例如：

 

3. Perception is unique to every individual and is simply one’s interpretation of reality. From a philosophical point of view, this question is used to explain how people perceive events and objects. In this situation, some people may find opportunities while others may see troubles. Whether the glass is half full or half empty depends on whether you’re pouring out or in. If you are a glass-half-full kind of person, you will always see challenges as opportunities.

感知对每一个人都是独一无二的，是一个人对现实的解析。从哲学的观点看，这个问题用来解释人们是如何感知事物的。在这种情况下，有些人会发现机遇，而另外的人会看到麻烦。杯子是半满还是半空,取决于你是往外倒水还是往里续水。如果你是个乐天派，你总是会将挑战看成机遇。

 

4. As one can choose to view things as good or bad, the answer to this question can show a person’s attitude towards life. If you say the glass is half full, you may have a positive outlook on life. You are probably often cheerful and happy. However, if you say the glass is half empty, you may have a negative outlook on life. You are likely to be often depressed.

由于一个人可以选择看待事物是好或是坏，这个问题的答案可以表明一个人对待生活的态度。如果你说这个杯子半满，你可能具有积极的人生观，你很可能经常欢愉、快乐。然而如果你说杯子半空，你可能具有消极的人生观，你很可能经常郁郁寡欢。

 

5. But there are some people who hold different views about this matter. They take the question just as a joke, thinking the two answers are the two sides of the same coin. It will remind us of such a question as “Are zebras white with black stripes or black with white stripes?”

但是也有人对这件事持不同看法。他们把这个问题当成一句玩笑话，认为这两个答案只是同一件事的两个方面。这使我们想起这样一个问题：“斑马是白底黑条纹，还是黑底白条纹?”

 

6. Furthermore, there are also people who think that this question has nothing to do with the debate between optimism and pessimism. We must change the way we look at and think about things. Someone suggests that we may imagine there is a pitcher of water sitting next to the glass under discussion. We can actually fill up the glass and will care less about whether it’s half full or half empty.

进一步说，也有人认为这个问题与乐观和悲观的争论无关。我们必须转变看待和思考事物的方式。有人建议，我们可以想象在讨论的杯子旁边放着一罐水,我们其实可以把杯子倒满，而较少在乎杯子是半满还是半空。

 

汉语有与“满瓶水”和“半瓶水”相关的谚语。“满瓶”比喻充实，这样的人谦虚寡言；而“半瓶”比喻浅薄，这样的人学问不大，却夸夸其谈。例如：

 

7. 俗话说：“满瓶水不响，半瓶水晃荡。”As a common saying goes, a full bottle of water doesn’t make sound, while a half bottle of water sloshes.

英语具有与“空瓶”相关的谚语，也有“学问不大，却夸夸其谈”的含义。例如：

 

8. Empty vessels make the greatest sound.

空瓶罐发出的响声最大。

 

汉语利用“半”字构成的成语“事半功倍”和“事倍功半”，表示“半”和“倍”的相反效果。例如：

 

9. 工作效率高的人可能事半功倍，而工作效率低的人往往事倍功半。

Those who work with high efficiency may achieve doubled results with half efforts while those who work with low efficiency often achieve half the expected result with doubled efforts.

 

英语中具有大量含half的英语谚语，表示“稍加努力就收到一半功效”的含义。例如：

 

10. A good beginning is half done./ Well begun, half done.

良好的开端等于成功了一半。

 

11. A good beginning is half the battle.

首战告捷等于赢了一半。

 

12. A bold attempt is half success.

大胆尝试是一半成功。

 

13. A fault confessed is half redressed.

承认错误，等于改正了一半。

 

14. First impressions are half the battle.

初次印象好，一半成功了。

 

15. He who wills success is half way to it.

有成功决心者，事已半成。

 

英语中还有一些含half的英语谚语，表示“有一半，胜过没有”的含义。例如：

 

16. Half an egg is better than an empty shell./Better half an egg than empty shell.

半只蛋总比空壳好。

 

17. Half a loaf is better than no bread./Half a loaf is better than none.

半个面包总比没有强。

 

other half（另一半）有三层意思。第一个意思指“事物的另一半”。例如：

 

18. She gave half of the apple to her husband and kept the other half for herself.

她将一半苹果给她丈夫, 把另一半留给自己。

 

19. The other half of his heart and soul is filled with responsibility and obligation.

他心灵的另一半充满了责任和义务。

 

other half的第二个意思是one’s spouse, partner, boyfriend or girlfriend，即“配偶、情侣或男/女朋友”。例如：

 

20. I hope you are the other half of my life.

我希望你是我生命中的另一半。

 

21. The young man said to his girlfriend,“You are the other half of me.”

这个年轻人对他的女朋友说，“你是我的另一半。”

 

22. My other half and I are going to America to visit some friends for a couple of weeks.

我的另一半和我将去美国看几位朋友，待上两周。

 

23. I’m going out for a meal with one of my friends and his other half.

我将与我的一位朋友及他夫人出去吃饭。

 

other half的第三个意思是“另一部分人”。例如：

 

24. Half of us wanted to go on working, but the other half said “No!”

我们中间一半人想继续工作，而另一半人则说：“不！”