短语洞察 34 | On the fence: 左右为难，迟迟无法下决定怎么办？| 英语习语

🎧 节目简介生活中充满了需要做决定的时刻：是买这件衬衫还是那件？是接受这个工作offer还是留在原公司？当你在两个选项之间犹豫不决，迟迟无法定夺时，你的状态就像是“坐在栅栏上”。本期 Beyond English 不止英语，Mandy 和 Patrick 聊聊 "On the fence" 这个形象的短语，并分享另外两个帮你描述内心纠结的地道表达。📖 CORE VOCABULARY• On the fence: [犹豫不决/观望] - Unable to decide between two options• Torn: [左右为难/纠结] - Finding it difficult to choose between two possibilities• Dilemma: [进退两难/困境] - A situation in which a difficult choice has to be made________________________________________🗣️ BILINGUAL SCRIPT (中英对照 · 辅助理解)Patrick: Hello everyone. Good to be here with you. Welcome to Beyond English. I'm Patrick.Patrick: 大家好。很高兴和你们在一起。欢迎来到 Beyond English 不止英语。我是 Patrick。Mandy: And I'm Mandy. Patrick, I have been in a bit of a mood lately. I feel stuck.Mandy: 我是 Mandy。Patrick，我最近情绪有点不对劲。我觉得我卡住了。Patrick: Stuck? That doesn't sound good. What is going on?Patrick: 卡住了？听起来不太妙。发生什么了？Mandy: Well, I have been looking at new apartments for weeks. I found two places I really like. One is close to the subway, but small. The other is huge, but far away. I just cannot decide.Mandy: 嗯，我看了好几周的新公寓。我发现了两个我很喜欢的地方。一个离地铁近，但是很小。另一个很大，但是很远。我就是没法决定。Patrick: I see. You are stuck in the middle. We have a perfect idiom for that position. You are: On the fence.Patrick: 我明白了。你卡在中间了。我们有个完美的习语来形容那个位置。你正在：On the fence（坐在栅栏上/犹豫不决）。Mandy: On the fence. Like a wooden fence in a garden?Mandy: On the fence。就像花园里的木栅栏吗？Patrick: Exactly. Picture a fence dividing two fields. Field A is the small apartment. Field B is the big apartment.Patrick: 没错。想象一个栅栏把两块田地分开。A田是小公寓。B田是大公寓。Patrick: You are sitting right on top of the fence. You haven't jumped into Field A, and you haven't jumped into Field B. You are undecided.Patrick: 你正坐在栅栏顶上。你还没跳进A田，也没跳进B田。你还没决定。Mandy: That is a great visual. I am definitely sitting on that fence, and it is uncomfortable! Are there other ways to describe this feeling?Mandy: 这个画面很棒。我绝对是坐在那个栅栏上，而且很不舒服！还有其他方式来描述这种感觉吗？Patrick: Yes. If the feeling is more emotional, you can say: "I am torn."Patrick: 有。如果这种感觉更偏向情绪化，你可以说：“I am torn”（我很纠结/撕裂）。Mandy: Torn. Like a piece of paper?Mandy: Torn。像一张纸被撕开吗？Patrick: Yes. Like your heart is being pulled in two directions. "I am torn between the two apartments."Patrick: 是的。就像你的心被拉向两个方向。“我在两个公寓之间很纠结。”Mandy: That feels very accurate. And if the choice is really serious?Mandy: 感觉很精准。那如果这个选择非常严肃呢？Patrick: Then you might face a: Dilemma. A dilemma is a difficult choice where both options might have downsides.Patrick: 那你可能面临一个：Dilemma（进退两难/困境）。Dilemma 是指一种艰难的选择，通常两个选项都有缺点。Mandy: Okay, so back to "On the fence." Can I use this at work?Mandy: 好的，回到 "On the fence"。我能在工作用吗？Patrick: Absolutely. It is very common in business. Imagine your team is hiring a new person.Patrick: 当然。这在商务中很常见。想象你的团队正在招新人。Mandy: Okay.Mandy: 好的。Patrick: You can say: "I am still on the fence about this candidate. He has skills, but not enough experience."Patrick: 你可以说：“关于这个候选人我还在犹豫。他有技能，但经验不足。”Mandy: That sounds professional. It means I need more time to think.Mandy: 听起来很专业。这意味着我需要更多时间思考。Patrick: Correct. Now, Mandy, is "On the fence" the same as "I don't know"?Patrick: 正确。现在，Mandy，"On the fence" 和 "I don't know"（我不知道）是一样的吗？Mandy: I guess so?Mandy: 我猜是吧？Patrick: Not exactly. "I don't know" can mean you have no information. "On the fence" means you have the information, you see the options, but you cannot choose one yet. It implies an active struggle.Patrick: 不完全是。“我不知道”可能意味着你没有任何信息。"On the fence" 意味着你有信息，你看到了选项，但你还选不出来。它暗示了一种主动的挣扎。Mandy: An active struggle. That is exactly where I am. Listeners, are you on the fence about anything right now?Mandy: 主动的挣扎。那正是我现在的处境。听众朋友们，你们现在对什么事情犹豫不决吗？Patrick: Maybe a purchase? Or a travel plan?Patrick: 也许是一次购物？或者一个旅行计划？Mandy: Tell us in the comments. I hope I can get off the fence soon!Mandy: 在评论区告诉我们。希望我能快点从栅栏上下来！Patrick: Thanks for spending time with us today. Have a great week.Patrick: 谢谢今天花时间陪伴我们。祝你们这周愉快。在小宇宙查看该单集文稿