接受盛情邀請

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筆者的同事小張和他的女朋友確立了戀愛關(guān)系,那天接到他的電話,說是要慶祝一下,他準備請我們到一家大飯館大吃一頓,心想不吃白不吃,所以就接受了他的邀請。這讓我想起英文中的一個片語:take someone up on something,它的意思就是“接受某人的邀請”。先來看下面的例句:
    I'm glad to take you up on your invitation. I'll join you for dinner tonight.
    (譯文:很高興接受你的邀請,我將參加你今晚的晚宴。)
    實際上片語take someone up on something有兩方面的意思,一是指“接受某人的邀請”,另一個意思是指“接受某人的提議”。To take someone up on something is to accept an invitation or suggestion. 記得筆者有一次去北京,一位在清華大學(xué)讀研究生的同學(xué)邀請我到清華園逛一逛,我想,這么高等的學(xué)府不去看一下實在遺憾,欣然接受了他的邀請??纯聪旅嫖沂侨绾伪磉_的:
    I will visit Beijing for a few days with one of my workmates who is going to see a doctor and I have taken Tony Lee up on his kind invitation to take a look at Qinghua University, who was my classmate in junior high school.
    (譯文:我將和一個去看病的同事一起參觀一下北京,并且接受了李東尼的熱心邀請去清華大學(xué)看一看,李東尼是我初中時的同學(xué)。)
    晚宴真的很豐富,看得出小張是花了很大心思來盛情款待我們的。對了這里盛情款待某人英文中也有相應(yīng)的片語:show someone a good time.看下面的句子是如何描述這種情形的:
    When we came to visit little Zhang, he and her girlfriend showed us a good time. After sumptuous banquet, they also took us to a dance hall to dance and sing.
    (譯文:當我們來拜訪小張時,他和女友盛情的款待了我們。奢盛的宴會后,他們還帶我們到一個舞廳去跳舞和唱歌。)
    從字面可以看出show someone a good time的意思是“給某人一個快樂的時光”,即give someone a good time,現(xiàn)在大多用來形容“盛情款待某人”。To show someone a good time mostly means to treat someone with great kindness. 前幾天筆者找到表弟想敘敘舊,也談?wù)勑?,畢竟人家現(xiàn)在在一家IT公司當程序開發(fā)員,很洋氣的。表弟當然顯得很闊氣,帶了個漂亮的女朋友和我一道走進了五飯店,說要盛情的款待我這個表哥。
    In order to show me a good time when I called on him. My cousin brought me into a five star restaurant to have dinner.
    (譯文:為了盛情款待我,當我拜訪表弟時,他帶我去了一家五飯店共進晚餐。)
    結(jié)束語:為盛情款待我(show me a good time),表弟把我?guī)нM了一家五飯店。我接受了他的邀請(take my cousin up on his invitation), 高高興興的享受起來,表弟“看來”也很高興,要了很多酒,吃了很多菜。最后飯局結(jié)束,他像很醉似的,直接被女友帶出了大廳,而我就被那個服務(wù)員叫住了――手里拿著一張還未結(jié)帳的bill….