一妻多夫制（Polyandry）

 一妻多夫制（Polyandry）

● 字源

polyandry：希臘文 polys（多）+ anēr, andros（男人），經法文 polyandrie 進入英文。指一名女子同時有一位以上丈夫。相關詞：polyandrous（形容詞）、polyandrist（實行者）。對立詞 polygyny（一夫多妻）。常見型態是兄弟共妻（fraternal polyandry），見於西藏、尼泊爾胡姆拉（Humla）、利米（Limi）及尼巴（Nyinba）等地區。

● 例句（80 字）

Although outsiders have criticized, and sometimes harshly judged, the custom of several brothers marrying one woman, those communities in parts of Tibet and Nepal that gradually came to practice polyandry, the arrangement of being married to more than one husband at a time, did so not merely because tradition required it, but because they believed that a household which is carefully kept together, once openly agreed upon, protects every member from the poverty that no divided family could spare them.

● 排列為比較容易閱讀的方式

Although outsiders

have criticized,

and sometimes harshly judged,

the custom of several brothers

marrying one woman,

those communities

in parts of Tibet and Nepal

that gradually came to practice polyandry,

the arrangement of being married

to more than one husband at a time,

did so

not merely because tradition required it,

but because they believed

that a household

which is carefully kept together,

once openly agreed upon,

protects every member

from the poverty

that no divided family could spare them.

● 分解為原初的短小句

Outsiders have criticized the custom.

（現在完成式，表歷來累積的批評。）

They sometimes harshly judged it.

（and 並列兩個過去分詞，共用 have；harshly 修飾 judged。）

Several brothers marry one woman.

（the custom of several brothers marrying one woman 中，marrying 的意義主詞是 several brothers，寫作「of + 意義主詞 + 動名詞」，修飾 custom。）

Some communities live in parts of Tibet and Nepal.

（in parts of Tibet and Nepal 為地點修飾語，限定 those communities。）

Those communities gradually came to practice polyandry.

（came to + 原形表「逐漸變得」；practice 作「實行」解。）

Polyandry is the arrangement of being married to more than one husband at a time.

（同位語：the arrangement of... 補充說明 polyandry；more than one 後接單數 husband。）

Those communities did so.

（did so 代替 came to practice polyandry。）

Tradition did not merely require it.

（not merely... but... 對比結構；it 指 polyandry。）

They believed something.

（主句骨架，believed 後接 that 名詞子句。）

A household is carefully kept together.

（which is carefully kept together 為關係子句，修飾 household；keep together 即「維持完整」。）

The household is openly agreed upon.

（once openly agreed upon 為省略的時間子句，完整為 once it is openly agreed upon。）

The household protects every member from poverty.

（protect A from B：保護 A 免於 B。）

No divided family could spare them that poverty.

（spare 為雙賓動詞：spare someone something，「使某人免於某事」；原句中 that 作 spare 的直接受詞，所以句尾保留 them。）

● 文法解析

Although 讓步子句 + 長主詞 those communities... did so：

Although 子句交代「外人批評」，主句主詞 those communities 後面接了地點片語、that 關係子句、同位語三層修飾，讀者要追到 did so 才找到謂語。

not merely... but...：

兩個 because 子句平行。because tradition required it 是表面原因，but because they believed... 才是真正動機，重點從「傳統要求」轉向「信念」。

that 名詞子句 + 關係子句 + 插入語：

believed 後的 that 子句主詞是 a household，其後 which is carefully kept together 與 once openly agreed upon 兩層修飾，把主詞和動詞 protects 隔開。要確認 protects 的主詞是 household，不是 member。

protect... from... + 末端關係子句：

the poverty that no divided family could spare them 中，that 是 spare 的受詞（雙賓動詞，原本是 spare them the poverty），no... could 為全面否定。

時態安排：

have criticized（現在完成）談歷來批評，came / did / required / believed（過去式）敘述社群的轉變，protects（現在式）是其信念所主張的通則。

● 參考譯文

雖然外人曾批評，有時甚至嚴厲評斷，數位兄弟共娶一名女子的習俗；但在西藏與尼泊爾部分地區，那些逐漸實行一妻多夫制（即一名女子同時擁有一位以上丈夫的安排）的社群，這麼做並不只是因為傳統要求，而是因為他們相信：一個經過細心維繫、又經公開同意的家庭，能保護每位成員免於貧困，而這種貧困是任何分裂的家庭都無法使他們避免的。

● 補充說明

貼合主題：

兄弟共妻的核心動機之一，是避免土地和家產因分家而細碎化。句中 divided family 與 kept together 正好對照這個邏輯。

句型亮點：

not merely... but... 凸顯真正動機

did so 代動詞避免重複

once openly agreed upon 的省略插入

no... could 的全面否定收尾

核心字彙：

criticize（批評）、judge（評斷）、custom（習俗）、arrangement（安排）、household（家戶）、openly（公開地）、poverty（貧困）、spare（使免於）、divided（分裂的）。

提醒：

此習俗近年已因法令（尼泊爾、中國均不承認）及社會變遷而明顯減少，寫作時可用過去式或 traditionally 避免過度現在式。