内容简介

一位听众想知道 “滚瓜烂熟” 在英语里怎么说。“滚瓜烂熟” 指的是 “记忆牢固；背诵得非常熟练”。在英语中，有不少表达都可以用来表示 “对某事记得很清楚”，比如 “know… off by heart（对某事烂熟于心）”。听主持人 Beth 和步理在本期节目中讲解和 “滚瓜烂熟” 意思相关的英语表达。

文字稿

（关于台词的备注: 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对节目做出的改变。）

Buli
大家好，欢迎收听 BBC 英语教学的 “你问我答” 节目。I'm Buli.

Beth
And I'm Beth. We've got a question from one of our listeners.

Question
你好，请问英文中是否有比较贴切的说法来表达 “对某事滚瓜烂熟”。

Buli
嗯，这是个有意思的问题。中文里 “滚瓜烂熟” 这个词可以用来表达 “记忆牢固；背诵得非常熟练”。那么在本期节目中，我们就来介绍几个和 “对某事记得很牢” 有关的英文表达吧。

Beth
First, you hear about something, and then, you need to learn it 'off by heart'. And, 'off by heart' is the first phrase you can learn today.

Buli
是的。如果我们想用英语说 “对某事烂熟于心”，就可以用 “by heart” 或者 “off by heart”。这个习惯用语通常用于描述 “对信息或流程等记忆得非常牢固”，就好像话剧演员能背下来一部戏所有的台词。

Beth
You can also know something 'inside out', which is very similar to 'by heart' – you know it extremely well by memory. Let's hear some more examples.

Examples
The ballerina felt very confident on performance night because she knew the dance routine off by heart.
（这位女芭蕾舞演员在演出当晚感到非常自信，因为她早已把舞蹈动作烂熟于心。）

I've read the trip itinerary so many times I now know it inside out.
（行程安排我看了很多遍，现在我把它记得一清二楚。）

Buli
上面的例句中，“know… off by heart” 和 “know… inside out” 都可以用来表达 “对某事记得非常牢固”。不过需要注意的是，“off by heart” 这个习惯用语通常只能描述记忆，而不能描述 “对技能非常精通” 或 “对某件事情的情况非常了解” 等等。

Beth
Yes. For example, a driver could know their journey to work 'off by heart' – they know their way without looking at a map. But, it's strange to say they can drive 'off by heart'.

Buli
接下来我们要学习的表达同样在中文里有着非常类似的说法：“know something like the back of my hand（我对某事了如指掌）”。“The back of my hand” 的意思就是 “手背”。由于我们经常都能看到自己的手背，所以这个表达指的是 “对某事非常熟悉，了解得很清楚”。“Know something like the back of my hand” 在英语中最常用于形容一个地点。

Beth
Yes. But, we can also use it in a way that fits the question. You can use it for things you've used so much that now you know them extremely well, like my favourite song! I've listened to it so many times, I know the lyrics like the back of my hand. Let's hear more examples.

Examples
Don't worry about the exam, you'll be fine! You know the material like the back of your hand.
（别担心考试了，你没问题的！你对考试内容都了如指掌了。）

I know this recipe like the back of my hand – I could make the dish in my sleep!
（我对这个菜谱了如指掌。我睡觉的时候都能把这道菜做出来！）

Buli
对了，Beth，你不是还要背合唱团参加演出的歌词么？ How's that going?

Beth
Well, it took a while, but I think I've finally got it down – I've learnt all the songs. And, that's our final phrase – if you've 'got something down' it means you've finally mastered some knowledge or a skill.

Buli
That's great! I hope you have a wonderful performance. 刚才 Beth 提到的表达 “get something down” 也和记忆有关，它的意思是 “通过练习掌握了某项技能或知识”。让我们来听两个例句。

Examples
I've rehearsed the speech so many times, I've got it down perfectly.
（这个演讲我已经练了好多次了，已经完全背下来了。）

I've been reviewing the flashcards repeatedly and now I think I've got all the vocabulary down.
（我一直在不断地用单词卡做复习，我觉得我已经把上面所有的词汇都掌握了。）

Buli
现在让我们来复习一下吧。我们可以用 “know…” 搭配 “by heart”、“off by heart” 或 “inside out” 来表达 “对某事烂熟于心，记得非常清楚”，通常是经过了练习、学习或记忆。“Know something like the back of one's hand” 不但可以用于描述 “对某个地方非常熟悉”，还可以用来表示 “对某事了如指掌”。“Get something down” 的意思是 “在练习或学习后掌握了某项技能或知识”。

Beth
Now, make sure you learn these phrases by heart so you can sound more authentic when speaking English! And remember, if you have a question about the English language you'd like to ask us, please send us an email. Our email address is: questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk

Buli
你也可以通过微博向我们提问。我们的微博账号是 “BBC英语教学”。Bye!

Beth
Bye-bye!