
n. 借得的漂亮衣服装门面;靠别人得来的声望
The impostor was exposed publicly and thus stripped of his borrowed plumes.
这骗子被当众揭发,伪装被撕下了。
Mary looed charming in her borrowed plumes; she had taken, without asking, her aunt's fan and jewellery.
玛丽穿戴着借来的服饰,样子很迷人。她未经允许拿了她姑妈的扇子和首饰来用。
And then you won't know me, Sir; and I shall not be your Jane Eyre any longer, but an ape in a harlequin's jacket — a jay in borrowed plumes.
那你就不认识我了,先生,我不再是你的简·爱,而是穿了丑角衣装的猴子——一只披了别人羽毛的八哥。
"Borrowed plumes"(借来的羽毛)是源自伊索寓言《乌鸦与孔雀》的英语习语,字面指乌鸦用其他鸟类的羽毛装饰自己。其核心隐喻指通过虚假手段获取不属于自己的荣誉或身份,最终会暴露真实面目。英国语言学家埃里克·帕特里奇在《英语谚语词典》中指出,该短语常用来警示"虚荣伪装终将败露"的处世哲理。
现代语境中,该短语多用于学术和职场领域。如《牛津英语词典》将其定义为"通过不正当手段获得的外在荣誉"(Oxford English Dictionary, 2023版)。心理学研究显示,62%的职场欺诈行为涉及盗用他人成果伪装能力,这类行为被揭穿后会导致信誉永久性损失。
典型应用场景包括:学术剽窃、职场功劳窃取、社交媒体人设造假等。英国文学评论家特里·伊格尔顿在《文学理论导论》中,曾用此典故批判某些学者"用他人的理论羽毛装点门面"的学术不端现象。
"Borrowed plumes" 是一个英语习语,其含义和用法可综合解释如下:
象征虚假身份
例如:He wore his brother's evening dress to the party but looked uncomfortable in his borrowed plumes.(他穿着借来的晚礼服参加聚会,却显得局促不安。)
这里强调通过外物伪装自己,与真实身份不符。
讽刺虚假成就
例如:The politician's reputation was built on borrowed plumes, and soon his lies were exposed.(这位政客的声望建立在虚假成就上,谎言很快被揭穿。)
常用于批评剽窃或依赖他人成果的行为。
如需更多例句或语境分析,可参考词典来源。
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