Donny 在北京学汉语,他的中国朋友要是遇到了不知道用美语怎么说的词,就会来请教他。今天是吴琼要问的:窜红。

Donny: Wuqiong,你看什么杂志呢, and who’s the girl on the cover? 

WQ: 这是最新一期的时尚周刊。这个女生现在可红了。你肯定猜不到,她是我高中时的好朋友! 拍了一部电影,一下就窜红了!

Donny: No kidding! Introduce her to me! 对了,你说她“窜红”,什么意思啊?

WQ: 就是红得很快,suddenly 她就 famous了!

Donny: I got it. She became famous overnight. 

WQ: overnight,我知道,o-v-e-r-n-i-g-h-t, overnight 就是一夜之间。To become famous overnight 就是“一夜成名”!

Donny: That’s right. You can also say “she’s an instant hit”. Instant is spelled i-n-s-t-a-n-t, hit is spelled h-i-t.

WQ: 哦,说一个人火速窜红还可以用 an instant hit. 

Donny: Yeah. In the case of this old friend of yours, you can say “her exceptional performance in the new movie made her an instant hit.” 

WQ: 对,我这个同学特别会演戏,电影一出来,她马上就窜红了。

Donny: WQ, I just thought of another way to put it—She catapulted to fame with her first movie! 

WQ: cata 什么?怎么拼?

Donny: catapult, c-a-t-a-p-u-l-t, catapult, 有“弹弓”的意思,as a verb, it means to launch.

WQ: 我明白了,catapult 是弹弓,所以 catapult to fame, 就是“一炮而红”! 我这个朋友演了一部电影就红了,所以说 She catapulted to fame with her first movie. 

Donny: That’s right! Now, WQ, tell me what you’ve learned today!

WQ: 第一,to become famous overnight,一夜成名;第二,to be an instant hit, 火速窜红;第三:to catapult to fame, 就是“一炮而红”!