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美语说--这个人跟万金油似的,什么都会,但没一样精

(2007-05-06 11:53:48) 下一个
一个老美朋友的近80岁的父亲上了五月三日的报纸 “The Union Democrat”,第一版。
记者采访他时,他说:“I'm a jack of all trades and master of none."

经几个老美七嘴八舌的解释,方知是:我什么都会,但没一样是精的。

查了书,对 jack of all trades 的定义是:

A person who is good at everything. This term dates from 1600 or before. An early appearance in print is in Geffray Mynshul's Essays and Characters of a Prison(1618).

Further, it was pointed out even earlier that someone good at everything is not outstanding at anything.

This observation occrus in an ancient Roman proverb, but only much later was put as ' jack of all trades, master of none ' by Maria Edgeworth(Popular Tales: Will, 1800).
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