在上學的時候你一定聽過“Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner”這機構詞，那么它們實際上的用法是怎么樣的呢？

英語中的一日三餐如何表達？（單選）


1.Breakfast, DInner, Supper


2.Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner


3.Breakfast, Lunch, Supper


相信不少人都會選擇第二個“Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner”。


但是，可能讓你想不到的是，第一個和第三個選項其實也是對的。


一、Dinner

通過檢索下面三個英語詞典網站：

柯林斯英語詞典：www.collinsdictionary.com
牛津英語詞典：www.en.oxforddictionaries.com
英語詞源詞典：www.etymonline.com


我們發現對于Dinner的定義主要是：

1. The main meal of the day, taken either around midday or in the evening.
2. A formal evening meal, typically one in honour of a person or event.


也就是說，Dinner主要有兩個意思：


1、正餐（可以是中餐，也可以是晚餐）
2、晚宴（主要是宴請某人或舉辦活動）


而詞源詞典（www.etymonline.com）對于Dinner一詞的演化是這樣解釋的：


Always used in English for the main meal of the day, but the time of that has gradually shifted later. 


In medieval and modern Europe the common practice, down to the middle of the eighteenth century, was to take this meal about midday, or in more primitive times even as early as 9 or 10 A.M. In France, under the old régime, the dinner-hour was at 2 or 3 in the afternoon; but when the Constituent Assembly moved to Paris, since it sat until 4 or 5 o'clock, the hour for dining was postponed. The custom of dining at 6 o'clock or later has since become common, except in the country, where early dinner is still the general practice. [Century Dictionary, 1897]


也就是說，從十八世紀一開始，Dinner主要是指午餐，其用餐時間可早至上午九點或十點。在法國，Dinner的時間從下午兩三點慢慢推遲到六點或更晚。


所以，當你中午在某地吃著豐盛的午餐的時候，其實你是在吃Dinner。



二、Supper

接下來我們來看看柯林斯和牛津英語詞典對Supper的定義：


牛津英語詞典：An evening meal, typically a light or informal one.
柯林斯英語詞典：Some people refer to the main meal eaten in the early part of the evening as supper.


由此可以看出，Supper才是“晚飯”的正解。


需要注意的是，柯林斯英語詞典對Supper還給出了這樣的解釋：


Supper is a simple meal eaten just before you go to bed at night.


這就相當于我們睡覺前吃的“夜宵”，睡前小食。


然而，Dinner與Supper的區別不僅僅是在其所食不同，它們也存在地域使用差異。比如，在美國，更為常用的是Dinner，而在加拿大，更為常用的卻是Supper。