这个in what 应如何理解

这个in what 应如何理解

有句子如下：

…but since the porter agreed with him, she rang up her daughter and asked for her help in what she described as a little spot of bother.

语法书上说 what 做关系代词，这就不好理解了，这个 in what 引导的究竟是什么句啊？我记得 what 是不用于引导定语从句的吧。谢谢！

正如《英语语法网》的管理员在回答中所说，此句选自《新概念英语》第三册第 58 课，其完整句为：

The old lady thought he was a fussy creature, but since the porter agreed with him, she rang up her daughter and asked for her help in what she described as a little spot of bother.

句子大意为：老太太觉得他（指巡官）大惊小怪（或过于紧张），但既然看门人也同意他的意见，她就给女儿打了电话求援，说她碰到了一点儿小麻烦。

【分析】

(1) 句中的 what 不是关系代词，引导的不是定语从句，而是连接代词，在此用于引导宾语从句（用作介词 in 的宾语）。

(2) 句中的介词 in 可理解为“在……方面”，在本句中指“在……方面请女儿帮忙”。

(3) 连接代词 what 在句中除“引导”宾语从句外，还在宾语从句中充当动词 describe 的宾语（注意所涉及句型 describe…as…，其意为“把……说成是……”“称……为……”）。

(4) 句中的 what 相当于 the thing that，就本句而言，what 可理解为 the situation that，也就是说：…she rang up her daughter and asked for her help in what she described as a little spot of bother = she rang up her daughter and asked for her help in the situation that she described as a little spot of bother.

下面再看几个相关的句子。

(1) 下面一句摘自《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》第7版 savage 词条：

She had been badly hurt in what police described as “a savage attack”. 她遭受袭击而身受重伤——警方称这是一次“野蛮的袭击”。

此句中的 in 可理解为“在……过程中”，what 可理解为 the attack that。此句可改写为：She had been badly hurt in the attack that police described as “a savage one”. 直译此句就是：她在一次警方称之为“野蛮袭击”的过程中受了重伤。

(2) 下面一句摘自《剑桥高级英语学习词典》（Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary）的apparently词条：

An eighty-year-old woman was badly hurt in what the police describe as an apparently motiveless attack. 一位80岁的老太太受了重伤，警方称这是一次明显没有动机的袭击。

此句中的 in 也可理解为“在……过程中”，what 仍可理解为 the attack that。此句可改写为：An eighty-year-old woman was badly hurt in what the police describe as an apparently motiveless attack.. 直译此句就是：一位80岁的老太太在一次警方称之为没有明显动机的袭击过程中受了重伤。

在类似这样的句子中，我们可以简单地将 in what sb describes as 视为一个固定搭配，将其理解为“某人称这是……”“某人把它说成是……”“某人把它称为……”。以下各例是笔者从有关资料上搜集来的例句，可供参考（译文为笔者所加，不一定很妥，仅供参考）：

1. Street battles lasting several hours have gripped the German port city of Hamburg, in what police describe as the worst riots there for years. 持续了数小时的巷战已经控制了德国港口城市汉堡，警方称这是多年来最严重的暴乱。

2. Italian police have confirmed that the Lazio fan who was killed was shot by police in what they describe as a “tragic mistake”. 意大利警方已经证实，这名来自拉齐奥的球迷是被警方射杀致死的，警方说是这一个“悲剧性的错误”。

3. Twenty students in Ohio are accused of ransacking their high school in what police describe as an end-of-the-year prank that got out of hand. 俄亥俄有20名学生被指控抢劫了他们的中学，警方称这是年底一场失控的恶作剧。

4. The Commission on Elections is set to proclaim on Saturday at least eight candidates for senator, in what officials describe as the “fastest” in the country’s election history. 选举委员会可能最迟在星期六宣布八名参议员竞选者，官员们说这是这个国家选举历史上算是“最快的”了。

5. Later this week, shares of China State Construction Engineering Corp. are expected to begin trading in Shanghai in what analysts describe as the world’s largest IPO this year. 本周晚些时候，中国建筑集团总公司的股票有望在上海开始交易，分析人士称这将是今年全球最大的IPO（首次公开募股）。

当然，在实际运用中，由于作者所描述情况的千差万别，in what sb describe as 这类结构也有可能与句中的其他成分构成有关搭配或有其他理解。如：

The next thing I saw, he was standing holding a gun with both hands in what I can only describe as a combat position. 接着我看到，他端着枪站着，那双手握枪的样子完全就像是一种在作战的姿势。

句中的 in… 其实是 with 复合结构（with both hands in…）的一部分，其中的 in what 可理解为 in the position that。全句可改写为：The next thing I saw, he was standing holding a gun with both hands in the position that I can only describe as a combat one.