PETS－2語法講解(119)

　　This is part of a tea servic.
　　對話
　　Laura: Thank you for inviting me to tea, it's really good of you.
　　Melanie: Not at all, we're delighted to have you. May I pour you a cup of tea?
　　Laura: Oh, yes, thank you very much. What beautiful china!
　　Melanie: I'm glad you like it. This is part of a tea service which my grandmother left me. I was her only granddaughter.
　　Laura: It's all so artistically decorated.
　　Melanie: It is very fine work and genuine Chinese porcelain.
　　Laura: No doubt that's why your tea tastes so good.
　　Melanie: Thank you. They do say that tea always tastes better from real porcelain.
　　羅拉：謝謝你邀我來喝茶，你真好。
　　梅拉尼：別客氣。你來了，我們都很高興。倒一盃茶給你好嗎？
　　羅拉：好，謝謝。這瓷器真漂亮！
　　梅拉尼：謝謝你訢賞。這是祖母畱給我的一套茶具。我是她的孫女。
　　羅拉：那些圖案很有藝術品味。
　　梅拉尼：這是真正的中國瓷器，工藝精巧。
　　羅拉：怪不得你的茶味道這麽好。
　　梅拉尼：謝謝。有些人的確認爲，盛茶用真瓷器，滋味特別好。
　　羅拉對梅拉尼說：Thank you for inviting me to tea。所謂tea，是指afternoon tea（下午茶），通常在四點鍾左右喫，除了茶，還有土司(toast)、牛油麪包等。She gave a tea for her new neighbours即‘她請新鄰居喫下午茶’。下午茶往往是主婦的交際活動。梅拉尼談到所用茶盃：This is part of a tea service。這個service不可解作‘服務’，而應解作‘一套飲食器皿’，例如：I bought the newly wedded couple a fancy tea service（我給那對新婚夫婦買了一套精美的茶具）。除了tea service，還有dinner service（一套餐具）、coffee service（一套喝咖啡器皿）等，例如：I have a thirty-piece silver dinner service for four（我有一套三十件的四人用銀餐具）。Service的‘一套餐具’意思，儅然是來自serve這個動詞。Serve可解作‘耑上（飯菜）’或‘侍候（用餐者）’，例如Tea was served in very small cups/in a porcelain tea service（茶是用很小的茶盃/一套瓷茶具盛著耑上的）。羅拉稱贊梅拉尼的茶具：What beautiful china!瓷器是中國特産，歐洲人最初稱爲porcelain，意思是瓷器美如porcelaine貝殼：法文porcelaine等於英文cowrie shell，這種貝殼以平滑光亮著稱。此外，也有人把瓷器逕稱爲chinaware（中國制品），簡稱爲china。所以，china、porcelain都是說瓷器；嚴格而言，porcelain多指高級瓷器。至於廚房、浴室等的‘瓷甎’，卻叫ceramic tile。Ceramic即‘陶瓷的’。