Jessica在北京学汉语,她的中国朋友要是遇到了不知道用美语怎么说的词,就会来请教她。今天是Jimmy要问的:普通人。
Jessica: Jimmy! I heard you got the scholarship from Cambridge University! 你真厉害啊!
Jimmy: 嘿嘿,没什么大不了的。
Jessica: But that scholarship is very hard to get. After you graduate from Cambridge, 你就是“精英”啦!
Jimmy: 哪里!我也就一普通人,ordinary person!
Jessica: Hmmm...I wouldn't call a Cambridge graduate an average Joe.
Jimmy: An average Joe? An average Joe就是指普通人,平头百姓么?
Jessica: That's right. I think it's because the name "Joe" is very common in English, just like 张三李四 in Chinese.
Jimmy: 对,我就和张三李四一样,你把我往人堆里一放,就找不着啦!
Jessica: Haha! that's a very vivid expression. We have a similar phrase in English. You can say you're "just another face in the crowd".
Jimmy: Just another face in the crowd? 人群中的又一张脸?这个说法好,人海茫茫,你不过就是其中一个而已。对了,说了半天普通人,要是形容那些不同寻常的人,该怎么说呢?
Jessica: You can use "stand out from the crowd" to describe someone who is unusual.
Jimmy: stand out from the crowd, 比别人都站得高,他就明显,这就是不寻常!
Jessica: That's right. Now let's see what you've learned today!
Jimmy: “普通人”在美语里叫“an average Joe”;还可以说just another face in the crowd;不同寻常则叫stand out from the crowd!