decency
英 ['diːsnsi] 美 ['diːsnsi]
n.得体;礼貌;体面 (复)decencies:礼仪;行为规范.
◉Etymology
“Decency” 源于拉丁语 “decentia”,意为“合适、得体”,由“decens”(意为“合适的、得体的”)衍生而来。这个词进入英语后,保留了其原有的含义,指代行为、言语或外表上的得体与恰当。它常用于描述符合社会道德、礼仪或公认标准的行为。
◉外刊例句
①《泰晤士报》 (The Times), 2023年6月15日
“The community praised the police for their decency and restraint in handling the protest.”
“社区赞扬警方在处理抗议活动时表现出的得体与克制。”
②《经济学人》 (The Economist), 2022年12月8日
“In business, decency towards employees often translates into higher morale and productivity.”
“在商业领域,对员工得体往往转化为更高的士气和生产力。”
◉经典名著
在简·奥斯汀的小说《傲慢与偏见》(Pride and Prejudice)中,“decency” 用于描述人物性格和社交行为:
“Her sense of decency compelled her to treat everyone with respect, regardless of their social status.”
“她的得体感迫使她尊重每一个人,无论他们的社会地位如何。”
◉Usage Examples
(1) Such conduct outrages our normal sense of decency.
(2) His essential decency makes it impossible to dislike him.
(3) You should have the decency to apologize for what you did.
(4) All people with a sense of decency will look down upon such conduct as that.
(1) 这种行为伤害了我们正常的得体感。
(2) 他十分正派,使人不能不喜欢他。
(3) 你应该讲点礼貌,为你所做的事道歉。
(4) 注重尊严的人都会轻视那种行为。
◉Usage Notes
The personal quality of decency is one of honesty, good manners, and respect for other people.
Over time, decency has referred to manners, but today decency is mainly a strong sense of right and wrong, and a high standard of honesty. When a criminal or dictator does horrible things, people assume they have no sense of decency. When a tasteless or violent TV show becomes popular, some people wonder if society has lost its sense of decency. Asking "Have you no decency?" is a serious question, unless you're being silly and complaining about something like homework.
◉Colins
1. [N-UNCOUNT 不可数名词]合宜;得体;正派;合乎礼仪 Decency is the quality of following accepted moral standards.
Unfortunately, on Friday night he showed neither decency nor dignity...
不幸的是,周五晚上他表现得既不得体,也不庄重。
His sense of decency forced him to resign.
他顾及颜面,不得不辞了职。
...the threat of rampant materialism to common decency and enlightened values.
物欲横流对起码的行为准则和文明的价值观所构成的威胁
2. [PHRASE 短语](出于礼貌)应该做(但没做)… If you say that someone did not have the decency to do something, you are criticizing them because there was a particular action which they did not do but which you believe they ought to have done. [oft with brd-neg] [disapproval]
Nobody had the decency to inform me of what was planned.
竟然没有一个人最起码地通知我一声计划了些什么。