迷你对话学地道口语第564期:挖掘灵感

　　Subject：You have to pull some new ideas out of thin.
迷你对话
A: This is my paper. Please have a look at it.
这是我的论文，请您过目。
B: Ah, frankly¹ speaking, your paper is not so good. You have to pull some new ideas out of the thin air.
啊，坦诚地说，你的论文写得不是很好，你得设法发掘出新创意。
地道表达
pull idea out of thin air
1. 解词释义
Pull idea out of thin air是“空气”的意思，一般海拔高的地方空气稀薄，空气稀薄可以用thin这个词来形容。那么，pull idea out of thin air的字面意思是“从稀薄的东西里抽出什么东西”，空气本来就是看不着摸不着的东西，要从稀薄的东西里抽取类似“主意，点子”的东西，根本就是不可能的事情，也就是还不存在的东西，因为此语的比喻意为“挖掘灵感，挖掘新意”。
2. 拓展例句
e.g. An author must have invention to pull out new ideas out of thin air for stories.
作家必须具有为故事构思新意的创造力。
e.g. The company is flat broke. Unless the boss can pull something out of thin air and borrow a lot of money by Friday, we'll have to go into bankruptcy² and I'll have to look for other work.
这家公司现在已是财源枯竭，除非老板神通广大能在星期五之前筹措到大笔钱款摆脱困境，否则我们就只得陷入破产的境地，而我也必须另找工作了。
e.g. Susan is one of the best TV script writers. She'll take an absolutely hopeless script by somebody else, pull some new ideas out of thin air, and end up with a first-class show.
Susan是最优秀的电视剧作家之一。她会设法从别人写得一无是处的原稿中挖掘发展出新意，而拍成第一流的节目。
Ps：frankly speaking是作为插入语，意思是“坦率地说”“直接地说”。例如：
Frankly speaking, wholesale³ dealers⁴ in our country are not quite satisfied with the goods imported from you .
坦率地说吧，我们那里的批发商对从你方进口的货物不太满意。
Frankly speaking, he is not so bad as you might think.
坦白讲，他没有你想像中的坏。

1 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

2 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

3 wholesale   

n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售

参考例句：

• The retail dealer buys at wholesale and sells at retail.零售商批发购进货物，以零售价卖出。
• Such shoes usually wholesale for much less.这种鞋批发出售通常要便宜得多。

4 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。