本文经授权转载自微信公众号:田间小站
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外刊例句
- Those fee hikes are then passed on to consumers in the form of higher premiums.
这部分增加的费用会以更高保费的形式转嫁给消费者。
——《经济学人》 - If your employer offered you $550 to lose weight, an amount that would be deducted from your health insurance premiums next year, would that provide the motivation to help you finally shed those pounds?
如果你的雇主愿意出550美元让你减肥,这笔钱将从你明年的健康险保费中扣除,这样的激励手段可以帮助你最终减轻体重吗?
——《纽约时报》
基本释义
[noun] an amount to be paid for an insurance policy
[名词] 保险费
深入解读
对于小站的老铁来说,看到 premium 不难联想起小站(微信公众号:田间小站)之前推送过的 熟词僻义 | lead是一种什么金属? 一文来,里面就曾提到 premium 作名词表示“保险费”,而作形容词时则是指“高昂的、优质的”,今天就专门来聊聊这个单词。
具体来说, premium 一词源自拉丁语 praemium (奖励,从战利品中获得的收益),17世纪进入英语后也是指“奖品、奖金”,多指对特定行为进行的奖励,比如:
- 孩子们品行优良时,父母常常发奖以资鼓励。但这犟孩子弄得他父母不知怎么办才好。
Parents often encourage their children with premiums for good conduct. But the restive child perplexed his parents.
而 premium 的投保人向保险公司支付的“保险费”含义,则是源自意大利语 premio (奖赏、奖品;报酬、奖励),最早于17世纪60年代进入英语,比如:
- 很多行将倒闭的保险公司面临压力,要增加保险费以保证偿付能力。
Many moribund insurance companies are under pressure to increase premiums to stay solvent.
从这种额外的奖励概念出发, premium 还被用来表示“额外补贴、津贴、酬金”和商品定价、贷款利息以外的“加付款、加价、溢价”,以及为推销商品等而给的让价、附赠礼品等“优惠”,比如:
- 我们并不是一时冲动买了这所房子。为了得到最好的地段,我们愿意多支付些钱。
We didn't buy the house on a whim. We're willing to pay a premium for the best location.
既然好的东西值得加价,那么反过来可以说加价的东西往往品质好。这样就很好理解 premium 到了1925年后开始用作形容词指“高昂的、优质的”,最初仅用来形容黄油,而现在则泛指品质高于寻常的东西。
有道是好货难得,字面意思是“加价、溢价、以高价、超出平常价”买进或售出的习语 at a premium 便被用来喻指“奇缺、非常稀罕”,比如:
- 对于上班的父母来说,空余时间非常宝贵。一边照顾孩子一边忙事业很难应付。
Free time is at a premium for working parents. It's hard to juggle children and a career.
而习语 put/place/set a premium on sb/sth 也就相应用来表示“重视、珍视”,比如:
- 那位德高望重的老人非常重视一个人的人品。
The venerable old man places a high premium on what someone is like as a person.
名著用例
Buried the poor husband but progressing favourably on the premium.
把可怜的丈夫埋葬了,然而靠保险金过得也蛮不错。
出自爱尔兰现代主义作家詹姆斯·乔伊斯(James Joyce)于1922年出版的长篇小说《尤利西斯》(Ulysses)。下载本书请点击:原版名著下载 | 尤利西斯(Ulysses)
同近义词
- exclusive: catering for or available to only a few, select customers; high class and expensive
- deluxe: luxurious or sumptuous; of a superior kind
- luxurious: extremely comfortable or elegant, especially when involving great expense