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“Per se”：来源于拉丁语的英语词汇

Episode 260211 / 11 Feb 2026

内容简介

你在英语对话中听到过别人用 “per se” 吗？这个长得有些 “不拘一格” 的英语词汇其实来自于拉丁语，它的意思是 “……本身，本质上”。在这期节目中，主持人步理和 Neil 就来分享几个常用的来源于拉丁语的英语词汇——“per se”、“ad hoc”、“et cetera”、“bona fide”。听节目，学习这些词汇的意思和用法。

文字稿

（关于台词的备注: 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对节目做出的改变。）

Buli
大家好，欢迎收听 BBC 英语教学的 “你问我答” 节目。We are here to answer your questions about the English language, culture and life. I'm Buli, and I'm with Neil who is here to help me answer this week's question. Hi Neil.

Neil
Hi Buli. What question are we answering today?

Buli
I was just about to introduce it. Here it is.

Question
我在和外国朋友讲话的时候，总能听到他们说 “per se” 这个词。请问这个词是什么意思呀？而且这个词看起来并不像是英语词汇，有点像其它语言的外来词，是否还有类似的词汇值得学习？

Buli
Talking about friends from overseas, how did your big international business meeting go yesterday?

Neil
Hmm. It's better not to talk about it!

Buli
Hmm. Let's get started anyway.

Oh dear. Did it really not go well?

Neil
Well, we met in a cafe, and I don't mind meeting in busy places per se, but the place was really loud.

Buli
Oh no. Did it make you feel awkward?

Neil
Not awkward per se, but it was harder to have a real conversation. We almost had to shout to hear each other.

Buli
It's good coffee there at least, right? And the food is great.

Neil
Oh yeah. The cafe wasn't the issue per se, but I don't think I'd go back there again if it's that crowded.

Buli
你正在收听的是 BBC 英语教学制作的 “你问我答” 节目。在刚才的对话中，Neil 连续使用了好几个问题中提到的词 “per se”。这个词的含义究竟是什么呢？That was a lot of examples of 'per se'. So, Neil, what does it mean, and how can we use it?

Neil
Well, we use it to mean 'by itself' or 'alone'. So, when I said 'the cafe wasn't the issue per se', it means the cafe itself wasn't the problem – there were other factors which made the meeting not go so well.

Buli
So the cafe was good enough, but something else was bothering you. “Per se” 这个词的意思是 “……本身” 或 “本质上”，人们会用这个词来强调 “某件事或某个事物从自身上来讲……” 或者 “抛开和其它东西之间的关系和相互作用后，一件事或一个事物本身具有哪些性质或特点”。这个词通常会被用在动词短语、名词或形容词的后面。

Neil
Yes. For example, I said 'not awkward per se', which means it wasn't exactly awkward, but there were other similar emotions I felt. 

Buli
Now 'per se' is Latin, and there are some other Latin phrases we use in English like 'ad hoc', 'et cetera' and 'bona fide'. What can you tell us about those, Neil?

Neil
'Ad hoc' means when necessary. If you work on an ad hoc basis, you only work when you're needed.

And 'et cetera' is added at the end of a list to say that other similar things can be added to the list. For example, I went food shopping yesterday and bought apples, bananas, oranges et cetera.

Buli
That's a whole week worth of fruits you've got there! 英语中和 “per se” 类似的词还有 “ad hoc”、“et cetera” 和 “bona fide” 等等，这些词的共同之处是它们都来自于拉丁语。其中，“ad hoc” 是一个形容词，意思是 “仅在有需要的时候的，特别是没有预先计划、临时需要的”。比如，“ad hoc work” 就是 “非常规的、临时性的工作”。

而 “et cetera” 的意思是 “诸如此类，等等”，常用在一连串有关联的事物之后，表示 “以及其它并未一一列举出来的部分”。我们可能经常会在书面上看到它的缩写 “etc”，但注意发音时依然要念成 “et cetera”。

Lastly, what about 'bona fide'?

Neil
'Bona fide' means real or genuine. For example, when you go to an art gallery, you might see a Picasso exhibition, and there you would see a bona fide Picasso.

Buli
I see. So that means a real genuine painting by the artist.

Neil
Exactly.

Buli
“Bona fide（/ˌbəʊnə ˈfaɪdi/）” 或 “bona fide（/ˈboʊnə ˌfaɪd/）” 的意思就是 “货真价实的，真实的，真诚的”。我们可以用这个词来形容一件艺术品、一个条件或承诺，或者一个人的感情和态度等等。

Neil
Remember, if you have a question that you'd like us to answer, you can email us at: questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk

Buli
你还可以通过微博向我们提问。我们的微博账号是 “BBC英语教学”。Bye!

Neil
Goodbye!

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