时髦英语口语词汇讲解第2期:Ah! Bless! 啊!上帝保佑!

There's quite a range of explanations using 'bless' in English, all originally from the religious use of the word.
英语中，关于bless的的使用，解释有很多，都是跟它在宗教里的用法有关。

'Bless you!' somebody says after a sneeze.
别人打完喷嚏之后，你会说'Bless you（上帝保佑你）'。

'Ah! Bless my soul!' - a rather older fashioned one.
'啊，保佑我的灵魂'——一个十分古老的句子。

'Bless you!'
'保佑你！'

An interesting one is, 'Bless your heart!' used mainly by adults talking down - 'Ah! Bless your heart!' - to a child.
有一个很有趣的表达'保佑你的心'——主要是大人对小孩说话的时候用：'啊，保佑你的心'。

And in the 1990s, this remarkable use, the verb by itself, usually preceeded by the interjection, 'Ah!' - 'Ah! Bless!' - that sort of use.
在上个世纪90年代，这个动词（bless）本身这种显著的用法，后面经常会跟一个语气词Ah：Ah!Bless!就像这样使用。

Notice the tone of voice there.
注意这里的语气。

I heard it when a little child had a cat snuggling up to her and the parent said, 'Ah! Bless!'
我曾经听到过。当时一个小孩抱着一只正依偎着她的猫，她妈妈说了一句'啊，上帝保佑'。

And then the child hurt her finger, 'Ah! Bless!'
然后，这小孩伤到了手指，（于是又会说）'啊，上帝保佑'！

People at the zoo, looking at penguins, 'Ah! Bless! Isn't it sweet!'
在动物园的人看着企鹅的时候会说，啊，上帝，简直是太可爱了！

Of course, when you get a usage like that it can get ironic very quickly.
当然，当你这样用的时候，会很容易带出讽刺意味。

A politician now in parliament complains of harsh treatment and somebody says, 'Ah! Bless! Isn't it sad that he's so upset!'
一个正在议会中的政客抱怨受到了不好的待遇，而某人会说'啊，上帝，他这么生气/烦恼那可真够悲哀的呀。'

Or somebody's really trying to do something but not succeeding, 'Ah! Bless!' once again.
或者是，某人很卖力地尝试着做某事但是却没有陈功，这时就又可以说'啊，上帝呀'！

It's a general expression of indulgent sympathy - 'Isn't that sweet?' - always with that distinctive tone of voice, always a hint of talking down.
这个句子一般是用来表达溺爱的赞同感——'真是太可爱了'，总是带有独特的语气，也总是暗带着说服的口吻。

Never, never, never, use it to your boss, not if you want to keep your job!
千万千万千万不能在你的老板面前使用，除非你不想保住饭碗。