有一種人我最不喜歡和他下棋，那便是太有涵養的人。殺死他一大塊，或是抽了他一個車，他神色自若，不動火，不生氣，好像是無關痛癢，使得你覺得索然寡味。君子無所爭，下棋卻是要爭的。當你給對方一個嚴重威脅的時候，對方的頭上青筋暴露，黃豆般的汗珠一顆顆地在額上陳列出來，或哭喪著臉作慘笑，或咕嘟著嘴作吃屎狀，或抓耳撓腮，或大叫一聲，或長吁短嘆，或自怨自艾口中念念有詞，或一串串的噎嗝打個不休，或紅頭漲臉如關公，種種現象，不一而足，這時節你“行有余力”便可以點起一支煙，或啜一碗茶，靜靜地欣賞對方的苦悶的象征。我想獵人困逐一只野兔的時候，其愉快大概略相仿佛。因此我悟出一點道理，和人下棋的時候，如果有機會使對方受窘，當然無所不用其極，如果被對方所窘，便努力作出不介意狀，因為既不能積極地給對方以煩惱，只好消極地減少對方的樂趣。
背景介紹
《下棋》是梁實秋散文中較有代表性的一篇，其顯著特點之一，就是細致入微地寫出了下棋、觀棋和悟棋的獨到而深刻的感受。下棋的最大樂趣在于自己局勢有利時，靜靜地欣賞對方痛苦不堪的種種窘態。梁實秋先生一口氣用了八個“或”字，把對方的窘態繪聲繪色、惟妙惟肖地列舉出來，使人如臨其境，如聞其聲。而在自己處于下風時，也應不動聲色，減少對方的樂趣。
難點解析
1. 君子無所爭： “君子”即 “gentleman”， “爭”即 “競爭”（contest ），下棋也算是兩人間的比賽 ，所以這里選用“contest”。全句譯為“A real gentleman seldom contests with others.”。
2. “下棋卻是要爭的”：這里的“爭”也有 “競爭”的意思，但更含有一種想贏的心態 ，因此譯為“do sb. down”，有“勝過某人”的意思。全句譯為“He will, however, seek to do his opponent down in a game of chess.”。
3. “當你給對方一個嚴重威脅的時候”：譯為“when you put him on the spot”，詞組“put sb. on the spot”意思是“使人為難，使某人陷入窘境”。
4. “頭上青筋暴露”：“青筋”即“blue veins”，全句譯為“see blue veins standing out on his temples”，“頭上”譯為“on the temples”，“temple”指“太陽穴”。
5. “黃豆般的汗珠”： “黃豆般的”即“the size of soybean”，故詞組譯為“drops of cold sweat the size of soybean”。
6. “一顆顆地在額上陳列出來”：“一顆顆”并不需要譯出 ，因為前面的“drops”一詞已經體現出來 了。
7. “哭喪著臉作慘笑”：“哭喪著臉”譯為“a long face”，即“悶悶不樂的，不悅的臉色”。 “慘笑”譯為“a wan smile”，“wan”原意為“無血色的，蒼白的”。全句譯為 “...wear a wan smile on his long face”。
8. “咕嘟著嘴作吃屎狀”：意思是 “涵養低的人落下風時嘟囔著嘴心情不好”，譯為 “purse his lips in displeasure”，“purse”指“皺起 ，縮攏”。
9. “抓耳撓腮”：“scratch his head”。
10. “大叫一聲”：“let out a sharp cry”。“cry”一般指因恐懼、痛苦、驚奇等而喊叫。“shout”指有意識地高聲喊叫 ，常用于提出警告、發出指令或喚起注意等。“exclaim ”多指因高興、憤怒、痛苦、驚訝等突發感情而高聲喊叫。“roar”指發出大而深沉的聲音、吼叫或咆哮 。 “scream”指因恐懼、快樂或痛苦而發出的尖叫聲。“shriek”指因驚恐 、痛苦等或其他感情而發出比scream更為尖銳、刺耳的叫聲。“yell”多指求援 、鼓勵時的呼叫，也可指因外界因素刺激而發出尖厲的聲音。“call”指大聲說話或喊叫，以引起某人 的注意。
11. “長吁短嘆” ：譯為“sigh and groan”。“sigh”即“嘆息，嘆氣 ”，“groan”即 “呻吟 ，抱怨”。
12. “自怨自艾口中念念有詞”：“自怨自艾”譯為“bitterly”即可“口中念念有詞”譯為 “repent his folly”，“repent”指 “后悔、懺悔”，“folly”指“愚蠢 、荒唐事”。
13. “一串串的噎嗝打個不休”： “打嗝譯為 “hiccup”，全句譯為“keep hiccupping unceasingly”。
14. “紅頭漲臉如關公” ：譯為“flush crimson with shame”。“flush”即“發紅，發亮”。 “crimson”即 “深紅色”。
15. “行有余力”： “feeling carefree”。
16. “啜一碗茶”： “啜”在這里譯為名詞 “sip” ， “sip”有 “啜飲、抿 、小口喝”的意思 ，全句譯為 “take a sip from your teacup”。
17. “靜靜地欣賞對方 的苦 悶的象征”：“欣賞”譯為“savor ” ，因為“savor ”有 “盡情享受”的意思 ，可 以體現出 占上風者 的從容 、愜意 。全句譯為 “savor the signs of your opponent’s discomfort”。
18. “我想獵人 困逐一只野兔 的時候 ，其愉快大概略相仿佛”：“其愉快大概略相仿佛”譯為“the pleasure is by no means less than...” ，用“by no means less than”表示做強調。“獵人困逐一只野兔”要注意“困”字，可以譯為“at one’s mercy” ，表示野兔任其擺布。全句譯為“The pleasure you have from it, I believe, is by no means less than that a hunter gets from a deadbeat rabbit at his mercy.”。
參考譯文
The last man I would like to play chess with is a man with too much self-control. When he sees a huge piece of his position taken by his opponent (as in Go), or a chariot, lost to his opponent through an erroneous move (as in Chinese chess), he remains calm and unruffled, as if nothing whatever has happened. And that air of him will surely make you feel flat and insipid.A real gentleman seldom contests with others; he will, however, seek to do his opponent down in a game of chess. When you put him on the spot, you can expect to see blue veins standing out on his temples and drops of cold sweat the size of soybean appearing on his forehead. He will either wear a warm smile on his long face, or purse his lips in displeasure, or scratch his head, or let out a sharp cry, or sigh and groan, or bitterly repent his folly, or keep hiccupping unceasingly, or flush crimson with shame, and such like. And at such a moment, feeling care-free, you can light a cigarette or just take a sip from your teacup and savor the signs of your opponent ’s discomfort. The pleasure you have from it, I believe, is by no means less than that a hunter gets from a deadbeat rabbit at his mercy. And from this I have found out something—when engaged in a game of chess, you should resort to every conceivable means to embarrass your opponent, and try hard to remain calm when you yourself fall into difficulty. If you are unable to cause your opponent to suffer, why not try to let him find as little pleasure as possible from your trouble?
選 自 《中國體育（中英文版 ）》
（責任編輯：liushengbao）
