英語修辭與寫作·12.1　Hyperbole

12.1　Hyperbole

12.1A　Hyperbole的含義與形式

1） 運用豐富的想象，在數量、形狀或程度上加以渲染以增強表達效果，就是Hyperbole，漢語叫做“夸張”辭格。試比較：

一般表達方式 夸張說法

Thank you. / Thanks. Thanks a million.

John is a good second baseman. John is the greatest second baseman in the world.

They laughed heartily. They almost died laughing.

When she smiled, other people were all gay. Belinda smiled, and all the world was gay.

I'm hungry. I'm starving!

2） 夸張的形式靈活多樣，最基本的是下述兩種：

一是用語法上的比較級、最高級結構或表示極端意義的詞語。例如：

From his mouth flowed speech sweeter than honey.

So great was his splendor in arms that the sun's brilliance seemed dim by comparison.

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Mark Twain's description of a tree after an ice storm：

... it stands there the acme, the climax, the supremest possibility in art or nature, of bewildering, intoxicating, intolerable magnificence. One cannot make the words strong enough.

二是用數量或程度上大得多或小得多的詞語。例如：

The two sisters are different in a thousand and one ways.

（On the New England weather） In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.

（Mark Twain）

12.1B　Hyperbole的使用

1） 夸張是一種生動有力的強調形式，能給讀者/聽者造成深刻的形象或聲響概念，因而在文學作品和日常生活中都很常見。例如：

For she was beautiful — her beauty made

The bright world dim, and everything beside

Seemed like the fleeting image of a shade.

雪萊的這些詩句同漢語中“沉魚落雁之姿，閉月羞花之貌”異曲同工，通過夸張，使詩意極濃，形象極美。又如：

“... A shot from our front trench struck me in the head .... Had it penetrated to the brain I might never have sat on another Royal Commission. Fortunately we have strong heads, we Highcastles. Nothing has ever penetrated to our brains.”

蕭伯納的諷刺喜劇Augustus Does His Bit中的主人公是皇族的代言人。他吹噓自己家族的腦袋“硬”，子彈也難以穿透。這正如漢語中的“花崗巖腦袋”，是夸張，又是反語，把封建統治者愚蠢而頑固的本質揭露得淋漓盡致。又如：

The Keebler Elves have baked up the lightest, crispest snacks ever to be called crackers, These extra thin bite-size crackers are rippled with zesty seasonings and crunch just like your favorite chips, but they're baked, not fried. They're the perfect snack for munching by the handful.

這是美國一種薄脆餅干Munch'ems的包裝盒說明，其中一再使用形容詞最高級結構和extra thin, the perfect等表示極端含義的詞語，極盡夸張之能事，顧客見了于是都想買盒嘗嘗?？鋸埵菑V告類語言的一個顯著特色。

2） 夸張法具有長時期的使用歷史，至今仍然得到廣泛使用。注意使用時應掌握分寸，不要夸張過分，否則效果會適得其反。例如：

Football is the most magnificent sport ever developed by the mind of man. It tests physical skill, stamina, courage, and intelligence more thoroughly than any other human activity.

One shudders to think what the world would have been like had Shakespeare never written The Tempest.

Only here can you have such jeans of the best quality and the lowest price at downtown!

像上面這樣的夸張只會讓人發(fā)笑，因為即使足球愛好者也不會像這樣夸贊足球，而The Tempest雖然是部偉大的劇作，但也不可言過其實?，F在有些廣告過分夸張，人們一看就膩，以致宣傳效果大打折扣，至于那些產品本身不夠好，卻一味瞎吹，就根本是糟蹋了夸張法。