Sour Grapes─酸葡萄

** disparaging, belittling or disdaining a desired object that one cannot get （貶低、輕視或鄙視得不到想要的東西）// negative attitude（消極的態度）

~~ 酸葡萄；酸葡萄的態度；酸葡萄心理；吃不到葡萄說葡萄酸；尖酸刻薄的人

~~ vilification // derogation // resentment // devalue // take a swipe at

!! The term came from Greek writer Aesop's fable, The Fox and the Grapes. A hungry fox saw some tempting grapes hanging high from the ground. He made many attempts to reach them, but all in vain. He walked off and grumbled, “Nasty, sour things I know you are, and not at all fit for a gentleman's eating.” Another translation had it: “Well, they are probably sour anyway.”

（這個詞來自希臘作家伊索的寓言《狐狸和葡萄》。飢餓的狐狸看到一些誘人的葡萄懸掛在高處，他多次嘗試伸手接近，但都没有成功。他走開抱怨地說：“我知道這是很難吃、酸澀的東西，根本不適合紳士食用”。另一個翻譯則是：“好吧，他們可能都很酸”。）

>> John had pursued the beautiful Mary, but he was rejected. He then said that he only wanted to have fun and would never consider marrying someone with her characters, which was just sour grapes.

（約翰追求美麗的瑪麗，可是被拒絕了。然後他說只想玩玩，絕不考慮會娶她這性格的人，事實是酸葡萄罷了。）

>> A certain candidate for chief executive had been defeated. He told his wife that he was very happy that he had not been elected, because his workload would have been too heavy. It's nothing more than sour grapes.

（某特首候選人落敗了，他跟他的妻子說，他很高興他沒有當選，因為他的工作將會太繁重。這只是酸葡萄說法罷了。）

學勤進修教育中心英語專科導

李啓文 教授