一个倍数表达的疑问(A is three times longer than B 到底是几倍长)

1. 老师说Line AB is three times longer than Line CD.的汉语意思是“AB线比CD线长两倍”或者“AB线的长度是CD线的三倍”。

2. 但我在《美国传统词典》上看到这样一句:

This tree is three times taller than that one. 这棵树比那棵树高三倍。

那么也就是说,这棵树是那棵树的四倍高。

究竟谁说得对呢?


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最佳答案 2016-11-18 18:29

▲你的老师的说法是对的

你的问题虽然有不同解释,但我觉得你们老师说的要“更对”一些。为清楚地说明这个问题,我们最好是看看原版词的例句及翻译:

1.《牛津高阶学习词典英汉双解》第七版times词条:

times: noun [pl.] used in comparisons to show how much more, better, etc. sth is than sth else (用于比较)倍:

three times as long as sth 某物的三倍长

three times longer than sth 比某物长两倍

three times the length of sth 三倍于某物的长度

2.《朗文当代高级英语词典》第4版time词条:

five / ten / many etc times …, used to say how much greater, more etc one thing is than another …的五倍/十倍/很多倍等:

Sound travels four times faster in water than in air. 声音在水中的传播速度是在空气中的四倍。

There were three times as many girls as boys. 女孩人数是男孩的三倍。

▲不同观点的引用

以上材料虽然来自原版词典,但它们均没有给出用法说明,其翻译都是中国人给出的,会不会是这些词典的中文翻译都搞错了呢?何况这位网友提供的《美国传统词典》也是本“洋词典”!而且也确实有人支持《美国传统词典》的这种理解和翻译。比如《葛传椝英语惯用法词典》就持此观点:

下面第一句和第二句意思相同,但第三句不同:

Your house is three times the size of mine. 你的房子是我的房子的三倍大小。

Your house is three times as large as mine. 你的房子是我的房子的三倍大小。

Your house is three times larger than mine. 你的房子比我的房子大三倍(就是我的房子的四倍大小)。

▲到底该作何理解

在现代英语中,到底应该采用哪种理解(哪种翻译)呢?

1.《牛津高阶学习词典》第四版times词条有如下例句:

This book is three times as long as / three times longer than / three times the length of that one.

该词典将 three times as long as, three times longer than, three times the length of 这三个表达视为同义的并列结构。

2.《剑桥高阶英汉双解词典》(第四版)times词条有如下例句:

She earns five times as much as I do. / She earns five times more than I do.

该词典也把 five times as much as 与 five times more than 视为同义的并列结构。

3.《韦氏高阶学习词典》的time词条有如下例句:

Her salary is five times greater than mine. = She earns five times as much money as I do.

该词典更是把 five times greater than 与 five times as much money as 划了等号。

可见,你的老师的说法是有可靠依据的,应该算是“更对”的翻译!

以上只是根据个人手头的资料作出的理解,不一定全面或完整!不妥之处,请大家指正,同时欢迎大家参与讨论!

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其它 3 个回答

曾克辉  
擅长:英语考试

赞同陈老师的解答。其实,答疑网上不止一次有人问过此类问题。我认为你们老师的说法是对的,应该译为“AB线的长度是CD线的三倍(即:长两倍)”。

这种句式的汉语翻译在我国英语界似乎没有定论,甚至一些工具书也说法不一,但绝大多数的语法家都认为这种句式应译为“是……的三倍长(即:长两倍)”。常言道:“差之毫厘,谬以千里”。在数学计算或科技交流中,模棱两可的说法是绝对不允许的。所以,在此引用戴浩中教授主编的《科技英语句子结构》(上海科学技术出版社)“倍数的增减与比较”一节中的解释以供参考:

AB is three times the length of / as long as / longer than CD. AB是CD长度的三倍(或:AB比CD长两倍)。

以上三种方法都可以用来表示“是……的 倍”或“比……(长、大n-1 倍”。这三种方法所表达的倍数是一样的。


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沅老师   - 英语教师
擅长:词法问题,句法问题,英语考试

陈老师的分析非常全面、透彻。其实这个问题,在英语语法网上也有比较清楚的分析:

表示倍数时通常借助half, double, twice, three times等之类的词:

Half (of) the apples are bad. 一半苹果是坏的。

His homework is not yet half done. 他的作业还没完成一半。

He eats twice what I eat. 他的食量是我的两倍。

比较以下三句,虽然表达形式不同,但含义相同:

(1) This rope is three times as long as that one. 这根绳子是那根的三倍长。

(2) This rope is three times longer than that one. 这根绳子是那根的三倍长。

(3) This rope is three times the length of that one. 这根绳子是那根的三倍长。

第(1)句和第(3)句的意思比较清楚,但第(2)句常容易误解,有人认为它与其他两句意思不同,应理解为“这根绳子比那根绳子长三倍”,但绝大多数语法学家并不这样认为,而是认为以上三句意思相同。

参见“英语语法网”:http://www.yygrammar.com/Article/201106/2278.html 

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陈才   - 英语教师
擅长:中考英语,词法问题


1. 老师说Line AB is three times longer than Line CD.的汉语意思是“AB线比CD线长两倍”或者“AB线的长度是CD线的三倍”。

2. 但我在《美国传统词典》上看到这样一句:

This tree is three times taller than that one. 这棵树比那棵树高三倍。

那么也就是说,这棵树是那棵树的四倍高。

究竟谁说得对呢?

回答如下:

赞同以上老师的解答 ,你们老师说的是正确的 

 

关于英语中倍数的几种表达方式归纳如下:

一、用 times 表示倍数(一般限于包括基数在内三倍或三倍以上的数。表示两倍的数,一般用 twice )。其句式有:

1. “… times +形容词 / 副词的比较级+ than …”

Line AB is three times longer than line CD.

线段 AB 是(线段) CD 的三倍长。

This hall is five times bigger than our classroom.

这个大厅比我们的教室大 5 倍。

2. “… times +as + 形容词 / 副词的原级+ as …”

This table is three times as long as that one.

这张桌子是那张桌子的三倍长。

This dictionary is five times as thick as the one you borrowed from the library.

这本词典的厚度是你从图书馆借的那本(厚度)的 5 倍。

3. “… times + the + 名词(如: size, height, weight, length, width 等)+ of …”

The earth is 49 times the size of the moon.

地球的体积是月球的 49 倍。

This river is three times the depth of that one.

这条河是那条河的三倍深。

4. “… times + more +名词+ than …”

He earns five times more money than he did ten years ago.

他现在挣的钱比十年前挣的多 5 倍。

There are twice more students in our class than in theirs.

我们班的学生人数比他们班多两倍。

5. “… times +as many (或 much )+名词+ as …

We've produced twice as much cotton this year as ( we did ) ten years ago.

今年我们生产的棉花比十年前多了一倍。(汉语中的多一倍实际上也指两倍一样多。)

He has got three times as many books as his sister.

他拥有的书的数量是他妹妹的 3 倍。

6. “… times + what 从句”

The length of the road is four times what it was three years ago.

这条路的长度是三年前的 4 倍。

The price of the meat is twice what it was last year.

肉价是去年的两倍。

7.  “… times + up on (或 over )…”

The size of the sun is a million times over that of the earth.

太阳的体积比地球的体积大一百万倍。

He is three times up on your age.

他的年龄是你的 4 倍(或:比你的年龄大 3 倍)。

8. “… +by + … times ”

Compared with last year, our coal output has increased by three times.

与去年相比,我们的煤产量增长了 3 倍。

His speed is faster than mine by four times.

他的速度比我的快 4 倍。

9. “… times + compared with +被比较对象”

The number of the students in our school has increased for times compared with 1980.

我们学校的学生人数比 1980 年增加了 3 倍。

10. “… times + that of + 被比较对象”

In this workshop the output of July was 3.5 times that of January.

这个车间七月份的产量是元月份的 3.5 倍。

二、用分数、百分数表示倍数。

The box is one-third bigger than that one.

这个盒子比那个盒子大三分之一。

Last year the output value of industry was 59 percent higher than that of 1976.

去年工业产值比 1976 年增长了 59 %。

My command of English is not half so good as yours.

我英语掌握得还不及你的一半儿好。

三、用 again (一倍), double (两倍), triple (三倍), fourfold (四倍)等词表示倍数。

My Aunt is as old again as I am.

我姑姑的年龄比我大一倍。

The top-brand clothes are often sold as double the normal price here.

这里名牌衣服的售价经常比正常的售价高一倍。

The new work procedure tripled the output.

新工艺使产量增加两倍。

The output of grain increased fourfold.

粮食产量增加了三倍。

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