作家教你找对词
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作家会为一个词花费多少时间？唐代诗人贾岛用了三年（“二句三年得，一吟双泪流”）。传说他在驴背上苦思“鸟宿池边树，僧推月下门”两句，反复斟酌用“推”还是用“敲”，不知不觉地错入了韩愈的仪仗队。韩愈停下车马思考了好一会儿，对贾岛说：“用‘敲’字好。”两人于是并排骑着驴马回家，一同谈论作诗的方法，还结下了深厚的友谊。“推敲”从此被用来比喻做文章或做事时反复琢磨，反复斟酌。
这个典故告诉我们准确用词是写作的大学问。在作家看来，随便找一个近义词代替是绝对不可以的。如果你希望在用词上更进一步，不妨记住以下十个秘诀。
Finding the right word was a lifelong quest for French novelist Gustave Flaubert注1:
“Whatever you want to say, there is only one word that will express it, one verb to make it move, one adjective to qualify it. You must seek that word, that verb, that adjective, and never be satisfied with approximations[接近], never resort to[诉诸于] tricks, even clever ones, or to verbal[文字上的] pirouettes注2 to escape the difficulty.” (letter to Guy de Maupassant注3)
A perfectionist (who happened to have an independent income), Flaubert would spend days worrying over a single sentence until he got the words just right.
Most of us, I suspect, don’t have that kind of time available. As a result, we often have to be“satisfied with approximations” when drafting[起草]. Loose synonyms[同义字] and almost-right words, like temporary bridges, let us move on to the next sentence before a deadline arrives.
Nonetheless[虽然如此], converting[转换] inexact[不精确的] words to precise[准确的] ones remains a critical part of revising[修改] our drafts—a process[过程] that can’t be reduced to a formula or a clever trick. Here are ten points worth considering the next time you find yourself in search of the right word.
找到正确的用词是法国小说家古斯塔夫·福楼拜毕生的追求。
“无论你想说什么，只有一个词能够表达，只有一个动词能使之灵动，只有一个形容词能与之匹配。你必须寻找那个词，那个动词，那个形容词，决不能满足于与之近似的词；即便你的手法十分巧妙，也不能借小伎俩蒙混过关，不能用花巧的语言逃避困难。”（给居伊·德·莫泊桑的信）
作为一个完美主义者（他碰巧拥有一份独立收入），福楼拜会为一个句子烦恼好几天，非要找到完美的词语才肯罢休。
我想，我们大多数人都没有这种时间。所以，我们在起稿时往往被迫“满足于与之近似的词”。不准确的同义词以及近义词就像临时搭起的桥梁，让我们在最后期限来临之前过渡到下一个句子。
然而，把不精确的词转换成精确的词仍是我们修改草稿的关键——这个过程不能只是简单地走过场，也不能用小聪明应付了事。以下为你提供十点建议，下次找词的时候不妨参考一下。
1. Be Patient 有耐心
In revising, if the right word is not at hand[在手边], run a search, sort, select process through your mind to see if you can find it. Be prepared to rewrite today what you revised yesterday. Above all, be patient: take the time to select words that will transfer your exact thought to the mind of a reader.
(May Flewellen McMillan, The Shortest Way to the Essay: Rhetorical[修辞上的] Strategies)
修改时，如果一时没有想到对的词，先在心里进行一番搜索、整理、筛选，看看能否找到那个词。时刻准备好重写昨天修改的东西。最重要的是要有耐心：花时间挑选能把你的思想准确传达到读者心中的词语。（梅·弗兰维兰·麦克米伦，《文章的捷径：修辞策略》）
2. Wear Ou t Your Dictionary 翻烂你的词典
Once you have a dictionary, use it! Wear it out!
When you sit down to write and need a particular word, pause to consider the key ideas you want to convey[传达]. Start with a word that’s in the ballpark[在某一范围内]. Look it up and go from there, exploring synonyms, roots, and usage notes. Many’s the time a usage note in the American Heritage[传统] Dictionary has led me to the word that fits, much as the right jigsaw puzzle[拼图玩具] piece slips into place.
(Jan Venolia, The Right Word!: How to Say What You Really Mean)
只要你有词典就要善用！把它翻烂吧！
当你坐下来写作、需要一个特殊的词时，停下来思考一下你要传达的关键想法是什么。从候选词中选一个出来查词典，以此为起点发掘它的同义词、词根和用法说明。有许多次，《美国传统词典》中的一条用法说明让我最终找到贴切的词语，就像一块拼图完美地滑入属于它的位置一样。
（简·福诺利亚，《找对词！——如何说出你的本意》）
3. Recognize Connotations[（词的）涵义] 辨别涵义
Do not be fooled into thinking you can replace one word for another simply because a thesaurus[同类词汇编] groups them together under a single entry. The thesaurus will do you little good unless you are familiar with the connotations of possible synonyms for a given word.“Portly,” “chubby,” “chunky,” “heavy,” “overweight,” “stocky,” “plump,” and “obese” are all possible synonyms for “fat,” but they are not interchangeable[可互换的]. Your task is to select the word that conveys most accurately[精确地] the precise shade of meaning or feeling you intend.(Peter G. Beidler, Writing Matters)
不要仅仅因为分类词典把几个词汇编入同一个条目，就以为你能简单地用一个词代替另一个词。除非你熟悉一个特定词语可能对应的几个同义词的含义，分类词典对你并没有很大的用处。比如，“portly（魁梧的）”、“chubby（胖嘟嘟的）”、“chunky（矮胖的）”、“heavy（重的）”、“overweight（超重的）”、“stocky（墩实的）”、“plump（丰满的）”、“obese（肥大的）”，这些全都可能是“肥胖”的同义词，但它们并不能互换。你的任务是选出最能精确传达你想要的感觉或意思的那个词。（彼得·G·贝德勒，《写作要义》）
4. Pu t Away Your Thesaurus 收起你的分类词典
Using a thesaurus will not make you look smarter. It will only make you look like you are trying to look smarter.(Adrienne Dowhan et al.[等人], Essays That Will Get You Into College)
使用分类词典不会让你显得更聪明，只会让人觉得你在试图让自己显得更聪明。（阿德里安那·道汉等人，《能让你进大学的文章》）
5. Beware of Fancy[奇特的] Language 注意浮华的语言
There is a difference between vivid[生动的] language and unnecessarily fancy language. As you search for the particular, the colorful, and the unusual, be careful not to choose words merely for their sound or appearance rather than for their substance[实质，本体]. When it comes to word choice, longer is not always better. As a rule, prefer simple, plain language over fancy language.
Avoid language that seems stilted[呆板的] or unnecessarily formal, in favor of language that sounds natural and genuine[真实的] to your ear. Trust the right word—whether fancy or plain—to do the job.
(Stephen Wilbers, Keys to Great Writing)
生动的语言与多余浮华的词藻是有区别的。在寻找富于色彩又不同寻常的特定词语时，注意不要仅凭词的发音或外形而不是实质来选择。在选择词语上，越长并不总是越好。选词规则：简单朴素的语言优于华而不实的语言。
不要使用显得生硬或过于正式的语言，而要选择那些听起来自然真实的语言。要相信对的词——无论它是华丽还是朴素——能传情达意。
（斯蒂芬·威尔伯斯，《伟大作品的关键》）
6. Delet e Pet Words 删掉口头禅
They may be more pests than pets. They are the words you overuse without even knowing it. My own problem words are “very,” “just,” and “that.” Delete them if they’re not essential.(John Dufresne, The Lie That Tells a Truth)
这些词与其说是“宠物”，还不如说是“害虫”。这是一些你常常滥用、却毫无自觉的词语。我的问题词语是“非常”、“只”和“那”。如果它们不重要，就删掉吧。（约翰·度费森，《讲述真理的谎言》）
7. E liminat e[除去] the Wrong Words 消灭错的词
I do not choose the right word. I get rid of the wrong one. Period[（口语）就是这样].(A.E. Housman, quoted by Robert Penn Warren in “An Interview in New Haven”)
我并不选择对的词，我只是去掉错的词。就是这样。
（A·E·豪斯曼，引自罗伯特·潘·沃伦《纽黑文的采访》）
8. List en 听
[B]ear in mind, when you’re choosing words and stringing[串起] them together, how they sound. This may seem absurd[荒谬的]: readers read with their eyes. But in fact they hear what they are reading far more than you realize. Therefore such matters as rhythm[节奏] and alliteration[头韵] are vital to every sentence.(William Zinsser, On Writing Well)
要记住，当你在选词并把它们串起来时，想想它们听起来是怎样的。这一点似乎有点荒谬——读者是用眼睛来阅读的。然而事实上，他们对正在阅读的内容比你想象中更有听觉（上的感受）。因此，像节奏和头韵等，对每个句子而言都是极其重要的。（威廉·辛瑟，《谈如何写出好作品》）
9. Be True 真情实感
“How do I know,” the sometimes despairing[绝望的] writer asks, “which the right word is?” The reply must be: only you can know. The right word is, simply, the wanted one; the wanted word is the one most nearly true. True to what? Your vision and your purpose.(Elizabeth Bowen, Afterthought: Pieces About Writing)
“我怎么知道哪个才是对的词呢？”有时陷入绝望的作家会这样问道。答案一定只有你才知道。对的词就是你想要的那个词，而你想要的那个词就是最真实的那一个。对于什么真实呢？就是真实反映你的视野和意图。（伊丽莎白·鲍恩，《后记：写作片段》）
10. E njoy 享受愉悦
People often forget that the sheer[纯粹的] joy of finding the right word which expresses a thought is extraordinary, an emotional rush of an intense kind.(playwright Michael Mackenzie, quoted by Eric Armstrong)
人们常常忘了这么一点——找到能表达想法的准确字眼本身就是一种极大的愉悦，是一种强烈的情感冲动。（剧作家迈克尔·麦肯兹，引自埃里克·阿姆斯特朗）
Is the struggle to find the right word truly worth the effort? Mark Twain thought so. “The difference between the almost-right word & the right word is really a large matter,” he once said. “It’s the difference between the lightning bug[萤火虫] & the lightning.”
对准确用词的探求，是否值得我们大费周章呢？马克·吐温认为这是值得的。他曾说过：“‘几乎对’的词与‘对’的词之间的差别非常重要，那是萤火虫与闪电的差别。”