【多门外语组合学习，中国小学生轻松阅读专业英语文章】ars longa vita brevis

【拉丁语】ars longa vita brevis

【英语解释】expertise requires lifetime learning [professionalism is long, life is short]

【汉语大意】生命短暂，艺术长存。

拉丁语中的ars相当于英语中的art。

【拉丁语】ars：ars, artis n. f. skill/craft/art; trick, wile; science, knowledge; method, way; character (pl.);

【英语】art[B:t]n.艺术, 艺术品, 技术, 巧妙, 美术

拉丁语中的longa相当于英语中的long。

【拉丁语】longus：longus, longa, longum adj. long; tall; tedious, taking long time; boundless; far; of specific length/time;（long+us）

【英语】long[lCN]adj.长的, 长期的, 做多头的, 高的

您可以理解为：英语单词long是拉丁语单词longa去掉结尾表“性别”的后缀-a而来。

联想记忆

longitude[5lCndVitju:d]n.经度, 经线（long+itude）

-itude是名词后缀，请复习attitude, latitude, altitude。

拉丁语中的vita在英语中也有用到。

【拉丁语】vita：vita, vitae n. f. life, career, livelihood; mode of life;（vit+a）

【英语】vita[5vaitE; 5wi:tB:]n.(pl. vitae [5vaiti; 5wi:tai9])传记, 自传(通常指传略)(=curriculum vitae)(博士论文等内所附的)履历书[拉]生命; 生存; 生活（vit+a）

拉丁语的brevis相当于英语中的short。

【拉丁语】brevis：brevis, brevis, breve adj. short, little, small, stunted; brief, concise, quick; narrow, shallow; humble;（brev+is）

-is是拉丁语中的后缀

【英语】short[FC:t]n.简略, 短路, 短裤adj.短的, 矮的, 不足的, 不够的, (智力等)弱的, 浅薄的, 松脆的, 简短adv.突然, 缺乏, 不足

英语单词abbreviate中用到拉丁语词根brev-。

【英语】abbreviate[E5bri:vieit]v.缩写, 缩短, 简化, 简写成, 缩写为（ab+brev+i+ate）

ab-=ad-，用在b前的变化，表“朝向”，相当于英语中的to。

-ate动词后缀

也就是说，记忆英语单词abbreviate的重点是拉丁语词根brev-。

认识ars、longa、vita、brevis这几个拉丁语单词，就可以更容易理解“ars longa vita brevis”的含义。

下面的内容请大概地读一读：

A maxim laid down by Hippocrates (circa 460-377 BC, Greek practitioner seen as the one who set medecine on a scientific footing) as translated into Latin by Roman poet Horace (65-8 BC).

maxim[5mAksim]n.格言, 座右铭（max+im）

max-是拉丁语词根，表“大”，相当于源自希腊语的macro-。

min-是拉丁语词根，表“小”，相当于源自希腊语的micro-。

-im是拉丁语表“最高级”后缀，相当于英语中的-est。

请复习maximum, minimum。

-um是拉丁语表“中性、单数”后缀。

Hippocrates[hiE5pCkrEti:z]n.（希腊的名医）希波克拉底（约公元前460-约公元前370, 古希腊医师, 称医药之父）（hippo+crat+es）

hippo-表“马”，crat-表“统治，统帅”，-es是希腊语的后缀

Horace[5hCrEs]n.贺拉斯(前65-前8年, 罗马诗人, 讽刺家, 原名为 Quintus Horatius Flaccus)

请先复习ace, race, lace, place。

By "ars" Hippocrates meant "medicine", but the aphorism - as used today - applies to any field of knowledge or elaborate skill.

aphorism[5AfErizm]n.格言, 警语, 谚语（a+phor+ism）

aphorize[5AfEraiz]v.用格言说话(写作)(a+phor+ize)

如果不是很累，也可以大概地读一读：

The translation into Latin of part of a quotation by the Greek 'Father of Medicine' - Hippocrates.

Meaning

This is one of those rare phrases in which the meaning is more debated than the origin.

What is usually understood by 'Ars longa, vita brevis' is something along the lines of 'art lasts forever, but artists die and are forgotten'.

That is questioned by some, who say that it is a misinterpretation based on a misunderstanding of the translation of 'ars' as 'art'.

If we accept that the Latin term 'ars' is equivalent to the Greek 'techne' and that, consequently, 'ars' is better translated into English as 'skill' or 'craft', we may opt to interpret the phrase differently. The full quotation, in Latin, is

"Ars longa, vita brevis, occasio praeceps, experimentum periculosum, iudicium difficile."

This can be rendered into English as 'life is short, the art (craft/skill) long, opportunity fleeting, experiment treacherous, judgement difficult'.

That would lead us to interpret the meaning as 'it takes a long time to acquire and perfect one's expertise (in, say, medicine) and one has but a short time in which to do it'.