英語里的法語詞匯（十五）

英文里的法文語匯（十五）

je ne regrette rien 我不后悔

"I regret nothing" (from the title of a popular song sung by dith Piaf: "Non, je ne regrette rien"). Also the phrase the UK's then Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont chose to use to describe his feelings over the events of September 16, 1992 ('Black Wednesday')

je ne sais quoi 我不知道是什么

"I-don't-know-what" : an indescribable or indefinable 'something' which distinguishes the object in question from others which are superficially similar.

je t'aime我喜歡你

I love you. Implies "I like you" too. The French word "aimer" implies all the different kinds of love (love = like). In order to differentiate the two, one would say simply "je t'aime" to one's love whereas one would say "je t'aime bien" (lit. I love you well) to a friend.

je suis 我是

I am

jeu d'esprit 妙語，趣味游戲

"play of spirit"; a witty, often light-hearted, comment or composition

jeunesse dore 好吃懶做的青年人

"gilded youth"; name given to a body of young dandies who, after the fall of Robespierre, strove to bring about a counter-revolution. Today used for any offspring living an affluent lifestyle.

lacit 政教分離的

separation of the State and the different Churches (at first, it concerned especially Catholicism). In France, where the concept originated, it means an absence of religious interference in government affairs and government interference in religious affairs. But the concept is often assimilated and changed by other countries. For example, in Belgium, it usually means the secular-humanist movement and school of thought.

laisser-faire 放任做某件事

"let do"; often used within the context of economic policy or political philosophy, meaning leaving alone, or non-interference. The phrase is the shortcut of Laissez faire, laissez passer, a doctrine first supported by the Physiocrats in the 18th century. The motto was invented by Vincent de Gournay, and it became popular among supporters of free-trade and economic liberalism. It is also used to describe a parental style in developmental psychology, where the parent(s) does not apply rules nor guiding.

laissez-passer 通行證

a travel document, a passport

lanterne rouge 運輸隊中的*終一輛車

the last-place finisher in a cycling stage race; most commonly used in connection with the Tour de France