Do You Have a 'Doppelg?nger'?

2024-02-18 11:37:00来源：网络

你有一个“分身”吗？

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　　By Anna Matteo

　　03 February 2024

　　And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.

　　English borrows from many other languages. And today we talk about a word that comes from German – doppelganger.

　　The word "doppelganger" comes from German folklore. The online dictionary Merriam-Webster describes the old story. All living creatures have a spirit who is invisible but exactly the same as the living person. But just because you can't see them, doppelgangers are not ghosts. They are sometimes described as "the spiritual opposite or negative of their human counterpart."

　　Even though the word comes from spiritual folklore, we use it in a very real way. When two people look very similar, we can call them doppelgangers.

　　English has other expressions that have a similar meaning. If someone looks like someone else, you can call them a look-alike, spitting image or mirror image.

　　Let's hear two friends use some of these expressions.

　　A: Were you at the airport yesterday?

　　B: No. I haven't been to the airport in over a year.

　　A: Are you sure about that?

　　B: I think I would know if I were at the airport. Why do you ask?

　　A: Well, if you weren't there, then I ran into your doppelganger. She was a mirror image of you!

　　B: Wow, I've heard about doppelgangers. But I didn't think I really had a look-alike out there in the world.

　　A: Well, you do. And they are on their way to Costa Rica.

　　B: I wish I could trade places with my doppelganger!

　　If you know someone who looks exactly like another person, you can also call them a dead ringer.

　　Experts say this expression comes from American horse racing, and usage began in the late 19th century.

　　Sometimes, racehorse owners would race a horse under a false name and pedigree. They did this to trick people who bet money on race results. These horses were called "ringers."

　　Here is how to use this expression in a sentence: My best friend in college is a dead ringer for George Clooney. When we're out in public, he gets asked for his autograph all the time.

　　In the expression "dead ringer," the word "dead" does not mean lifeless. In this case, it means exact or precise. It is a way to add emphasis, or highlight something. For example, if I am sure that my friend is right about something, I can say she is dead right. We can also say someone is "dead wrong" if they are most certainly wrong.

　　The next time you want to describe two people who look the same, you can choose any of these expressions.

　　And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ...

　　I'm Anna Matteo.

　　Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.

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　　作者：Anna Matteo

　　2024年2月3日

　　现在，来自VOA学习英语的“词汇及其故事”。

　　英语借用了许多其他语言的词汇。今天我们要讲的词是来自德语的“doppelganger”。

　　“doppelganger”这个词源于德国的民间传说。在线词典韦氏词典描述了这个古老的故事。所有的生物都有一个看不见的精神，但这个精神与活着的人完全相同。但是，就因为你看不见他们，doppelgangers并不是鬼魂。他们有时被描述为“他们的人类对应物的精神对立面或负面”。

　　尽管这个词源于精神的民间传说，但我们在现实中使用它。当两个人看起来非常相似，我们可以称他们为doppelgangers。

　　英语中还有其他表达相似含义的表达。如果有人看起来像另一个人，你可以称他们为相似物、一模一样或镜像。