区别 Out of question 与 Out of the question

IsaacZ

英语中的固定搭配（或叫成语），都有其特定的意思，往往都不是能从字面上猜出来的。如Out of the question和Out of question这两组搭配，乍一看，只不过是一个冠词之差，但意思却大相径庭，用法也不同。稍不留心，便会出错。请看下面的对话：

——How would you feel about postponing the announcement?

——It's out of the question.

由于翻译的人不解其意，凭想当然，将两句翻译成：

——事情先不宣布，推迟一下，你觉得怎么样？

——毫无问题。

其实，答句的意思是“不可能”或“不行”。

为什么会出现这种错误呢？这是由于没有吃透question一词的原意。question是是个常见的多义词，根据《牛津现代英语高级词典》的解释，其中一个意思是“something about which there is discussion;something which needs to be decided”。在此义下，词典对out of the question的解释是"impossible or not to be discussed at all",其实，在一定的上下文中，out of the question的意思还是比较容易判断的。例如：

  

I could stay for a day or two,but as for staying a week,it would be out of the question.我可以呆上一两天，但是要呆上一个星期，那就不行了。

She planned to go to France to study French,but that is out of the queston now.她原打算到法国去学习法文，但是现在不行了。

If you mean,let the stowaway in as an immigrant,that's out of the question.如果你的意思是要让这个偷偷上船的人作为移民进来，那现在是办不到的。

  

从句子结构上看，out of the question的用法还有下述几种情况。第一种是，充当句子主语的不是代词it或that，而是更加具体的名词或动名词，例如：

Privately I admitted that the trip was out of the question,for my money was almost gone.我私下承认，此行是不可能了，因为我的钱几乎花光了。

They were too weak and returning to back to report was out of the question.他们太虚弱了，再返回去报告是不可能的。

第二种是用先行代词it指代后边的动词不定式，例如：

Of course it is out of the question to expect that we could achieve complete success in this week.当然了，期望我们在本周内取得完全成功是不可能的。

They feel it is out of question to send a professional British officer to advise on security in and around the president's palace.他们觉得，派一位内行的英国军官就总统府内外的安全问题出谋划策根本谈不上。

另外，在口语中还有一种省略结构：

——Oh,darling,don't you just do this once?啊，亲爱的，你难道就不能这么做一次吗？

——Absolutely out of the question!绝对不行！

现在我们再来看容易与out of the question混淆的另一固定搭配out of question.

question的另一个意思是"(the putting forward of)doubt,objection",列在此义下面的搭配out of question的意思是"certainly or undoubtedly",因此,out of the question和out of question的意思完全不是一回事。请看下面的例句：

  

His courage and integrity is out of question.他的勇气和正直是不可怀疑的。

Her kindness was out of question.他的好心好意是毫无疑问的。

从用法上看，out of question比out of the question要简单。没有很多句式变化。另外，out of question的这种意思更常用above all question,beyond question或past question等来表达。因此，我们可以将His courage is out of question.一句在不改变其原意的情况下改写成下列形势：

His courage is above(all) question.\His courage is beyond question.

His courage is past question.\His courage is without question.

这里还可以补充一点，question的这种意义还有一个常见的固定搭配：To call something in question,意思是“对...有怀疑”或“对...有反对意见”。例如：

If exsiting ideas are not called in question,research is at an end.如果对现存的观点不加怀疑，也就不会再有研究工作了。

We should be eager to revise laws and knowledge which were considered sacrosanct for centuries but are nevertheless called in question by new knowledge.我们应当勇于修正几百年来被人们视为神圣、但被新认识所否定的那些规律和认识。